MS180C refusing to be dismantled - nightmare!

[Khntr85]

Thanks for all the opinions here - I do agree with pretty much everything that has been said so far.

I don't have an air impact gun myself, but a friend does so I could try bringing it there.
Echo equipment is harder to find here in europe, and dearer as a consequence (and buying from the US has prohibitive shipping costs). I'm a much bigger fan of the unbreakable top-end Stihl tools (er except for the awful 4-mix combi machines, my KM130R also bent a conrod...) - my FS500, 066 and HS86R just seem to go on forever and never break. Low-end Stihl certainly isn't the same quality.
I do love the bigger saws but sometimes they're just unnecessary for what I do - ie mostly cutting through 2" thick hedge trunks and trees up to a foot wide, and the weight can have quite an effort on my back after long enough use, so small saws have their purposes too. For most lightweight work I use an 023 which goes pretty well - as the MS180 came essentially as a bonus to the 066 I bought the pair for I just considered it a second light saw. Considering the price of parts I'm just going to get a used one to use again, simply as I now have a near-complete set of usable MS180 spare parts. I've seen three for sale here in France for €120 which is a good price for one in europe.

I guess the answer to this conundrum is 'it's dead and I'm going to get another one anyway, just brute force it with an air gun and see what happens'

I agree that the small homeowner saws aren't the best, but to be fair, if it weren't for the clutch being abnormally tight on the shaft and causing all this aggro, it probably would have been a nice straightforward fix to get the oiler working again. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody.

Yes, basically the choice is yours lol....all the ms170-ms180 I have rebuilt came in a package type deal also....people try to toss them in to sweeten the deal so to speak....

Keeping it for parts is a good idea.... if you ever get bored and like to work on things, you can always rebuild it.... yes I know everyone says don't waste your time on a throw away saw, and I understand what they mean... you can learn a lot by tearing the saw apart and putting it back together....

I just have the curse of wanting to know how EACH and EVERY part of the saw work, and I like being able to fix something that is dead, that's all..... I have a GREAT papaw who showed me how to work on things and I still enjoy it....hell I am out of the business now, but he taught me the construction trade, and I can build a house from the ground up...I am rambling now so I will stop lol....lets us know what if you decides to fix it....

 

[naturelover]

Since appears as if another piston stop bending the connecting rod problem, what other ways to hold it?

I've used a strap wrench on the flywheel (yea, even a screwdriver), but with the apparent dangers of stopping the piston, may not be much other way to hold it if the removal tool overcomes saw compression.




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[HarleyT]

Use an impact wrench, or even a battery operated drill driver with impact action. You do not need to hold anything.

 

[ssm1699]

All of the saws that I have worked on, I held the flywheel with my bare hands and put my 18v DeWalt 1/4 drive impact with appropriate socket on the clutch. They always came right off. If the clutch couldn't use a socket, I again use my hand to hold the flywheel. Then I tap/smack on the clutch in a proper location with a small brass hammer. Have yet to find a clutch that I couldn't remove. I know my cordless impact has some torque, as it has twisted off 10mm grade 5 bolts, without hesitation. Just my .02.

 

[blsnelling]

Holding the flywheel will shear off the flywheel key. I highly recommend removing the flywheel before using the impact. These saws are built very cheaply and exacting care must be taken when working on them.

It was demonstrated years ago that if you used the piston stop recommended by Stihl that it put the rod at an angle where the rod will not bend.

 

[HarleyT]

Have never bent a rod, or damaged a flywheel. But I do sell a hell of lot of parts and flywheels to folks that don't know how to do it.

 

[ssm1699]

I have never bent a rod or damaged a flywheel either. Never sheared a flywheel key either. I have lost flywheel keys, but never sheared one the way I described. As I have always found and read, the key is more for indexing the flywheel for timing. The flywheel is held in place by the taper of the crank going into the flywheel, as long as the flywheel is on the crank tight and the joining surfaces are clean before assembly.

 

[blsnelling]

Ignore the advice, pay the price. Several guys have bent rods in these, poked holes through the piston crowns, sheared the flywheel key, broken the clutch, etc, etc, etc. They ARE fragile, where other better built saws are not.

 

[HarleyT]

Yeah, do it wrong, tear up the saw, blame the saw manufacturer......

 

[HarleyT]

How can you bend the rod using an impact? Poke a hole in the piston? Shear the flywheel key?

Let's see. Stuff 10 foot of rope down the hole, use a huge breaker bar. Or use a piston stop and a breaker bar, or an impact.......
And don't forget to blame someone else!!!

 

[Khntr85]

Well I use a piece of yellow, nylon rope, and a socket..... I just do it by hand... works great!!!

 

[HarleyT]

Use an impact with nothing but the sparkplug intact!!!! And you will not have any trouble!!!!!!

 

[HarleyT]

If it doesn't have a nut on the clutch, use a hammer and punch, with the spark plug intact!!!!!

 

[ssm1699]

I will agree with you Brad, these saws aren't really ment for being repaired. I am only saying what my experiences have been and have worked for me. I have a very limited budget to work with for purchasing tools. What I give for suggestions is exactly that, suggestions. I am not trying to discount your experience and knowledge. I am always looking up info to better myself and have looked at your postings quite a bit for good insight. I just know what I have to work with and what has worked for me. That is the only reason I put up what I have for knowledge. Again, don't feel like I am trying to discredit you or disagree with you.

 

[HarleyT]

Like here!!! See those nice notches, beside the word "OFF"!!!!

 

[blsnelling]

Go ahead Harley. Serve people the orange koolaid and help them break their saws.

 

[HarleyT]

I will agree with you Brad, these saws aren't really ment for being repaired. I am only saying what my experiences have been and have worked for me. I have a very limited budget to work with for purchasing tools. What I give for suggestions is exactly that, suggestions. I am not trying to discount your experience and knowledge. I am always looking up info to better myself and have looked at your postings quite a bit for good insight. I just know what I have to work with and what has worked for me. That is the only reason I put up what I have for knowledge. Again, don't feel like I am trying to discredit you or disagree with you.

I do!!!
I disagree with him!!!!
These saws are pretty damn easy to work on, if you know what you are doing. And if you don't, and screw something up, you shouldn't go on sermon tours documenting your failure and blaming the saw maker.....

 

[blsnelling]

Blah, blah, blah.

 

[HarleyT]

I haven't got any pictures of my screwups to post, and go into tirades blaming someone else,
sorry....
We do have plenty of yours though....

 

[HarleyT]

Hmmmm.... Taken many apart.. never broken a piston or bent a crank...


Seems like you need to stay with the big saws:greenchainsaw: