New to me 031AV

[southbound]

Got to some cleaning done today with carb cleaner and some soapy water..

First thing I noticed is part # 36 1113 087 3601 1 Air guide plate is missing..I will be finding one to put back on. I am wondering if this could cause any problems with the saw I should be looking for??I also think I may have found the reason for no spark.. One wire is bare and the plug wire looks cooked...Hard to see the bare spot on the little u shaped wire..

What do you think could this cause the no spark trouble??

Whats the best fix just replace the complete unit???

I have also been trying to get some good shots of the cylinder looks like a little scotch brite and it will be good to go...

Has a few shinny spots...

I cant seem to get the crud off this..

Does not seem to be flat either..Will this be a problem when I mount the muffler back on? There was only one screw holding the muffler on..


Thanks....

 

[Brmorgan]

Anybody have a carb for an 031? I need one for one I'm working on.

I think I have a spare in a box somewhere in the basement, from when I combined the two 031 carcasses I got from the scrapyard into a good runner. I'll try to remember to look for it tomorrow. That guy on eBay is wanting $19 USD just to ship a bloody carb!?! I can't guarantee that mine would be usable without a carb kit though, since the one that I ended up using certainly needed one, so that would need to be taken into account.

Southbound, I don't think that bare spot on the little jumper wire would affect anything, since that wire is tied to ground half an inch away at the laminated coil core anyway. The plug wire itself does look a bit suspect, but I've seen worse run fine. The only easy way to tell for sure is to swap the coil out, but that's easier said than done unless you happen to have a spare sitting on the bench. Have you checked the kill switch wire for cracks etc.?

 

[southbound]

While you are looking up 031 parts I'm hunting a 1113 087 3601 1 Air guide plate and 1113 400 1300 Ignition Coil also 1113 182 9305 starting throttle lock,0000 997 0603 compression spring,0000 958 0403 washer,1113 182 8900 pin....

Anyone has any of this send me a pm..

Thanks..

 

[Brmorgan]

OK since you asked... Here are all my 031 parts:

I have a complete case w/ points ignition - it has a few broken areas, none of which would hurt its usability, just look ugly. The outer gas tank section, flywheel cover, and recoil unit are complete except for a pull cord and handle. The inner tank half, however, is hosed since the rear handle section is broken off. I also have the inner air intake box section, muffler heat plate, hand guard, flywheel (minus one starter pawl spring), complete clutch (spur sprocket is broken - welds cracked), oiler drive washer, trigger, and the little rear handle fin section (directly above flywheel in pic).

The cylinder is in A-1 condition, with the exception of a small flake of plating missing from the top-left corner of the exhaust port, which you can see in the photo. The piston is out-of-focus a bit, but is scored beyond what I would consider re-using, but the rings are still like new - you can still see the horizontal milling marks on the outside of them, so they haven't worn really at all. I should note that this piston and cylinder are not a matched set - I took the best piston from one saw and the best cylinder from another, and the piston that came from this chipped jug had no marks whatsoever from the chip in the plating.

NOW I remember why I didn't use that carb... While I was doing a rebuild on it, the little screw that secures the metering lever pin under the diaphragm sheared off when I removed it (the head of the screw is just above the metering lever in the pic). Other than that, the carb is clean and even the diaphragm feels pretty good. If I was really patient, I could probably drill the screw out with a 3/64" drill bit and pull it with a tiny extractor, but I haven't felt the need yet! Also in the pic is the trigger pivot pin (at top), piston pin bearing, rubber carb boot clamp springs, throttle idle adjust screw, and trigger lock assembly. Sorry, the rubber intake boot and the impulse line were destroyed on one of the saws, so I only had the one set which I'm now using. They're very prone to failure, and I'm not sure if they're available from Stihl anymore. An ordinary piece of fuel line will work fine for the impulse; it just won't have the molded grommet section to fit snugly into the hole in the airbox. The trigger lock assembly I have works fine, but the round plastic button itself has a flat side worn on it so it doesn't LOOK perfect anymore.

The coil WORKS, but is in worse shape than yours. The little jumper wire on mine is completely stripped of insulation (nothing a little heatshrink can't fix), and the kill wire assembly has been resoldered at the coil by an amateur, though that would be easy to fix properly. The cap of the plug boot is almost torn off, so if that part could be replaced this coil would be quite serviceable. I could do the wiring fixes myself, but I'm not sure about the plug boot. I guess a guy could always just get a cheapo universal replacement; they're pretty cheap.

 

[MnSam]

My dad has been cutting firewood to heat his house for years with his 031, refuses to replace it, and even picked up a spare saw for parts. Now my brother wants to trade his 029 for my 032 because he likes my dads saw so well.

 

[southbound]

Does the muffler heat plate have a crack in it???

 

[Outlaw5.0]

My 031 muffler heat plate does.

 

[Brmorgan]

Cleaned and polished it up a bit for a better view:

It doesn't have a crack, just a cut in the corner to allow the sheetmetal to be formed to shape without a bunch of ripples. As in Outlaw's case, my running 031's plate has the same cut. If a guy was worried about it developing into a crack, you could drill a small 1/16" hole at the base of the cut to prevent it spreading further.

 

[Rookie1]

Everyone of the heat shields Ive seen on 031s have that split. I figured its made from Stihl like that. Sorry If I missed it but is this saw points or electronic?

 

[southbound]

Brmorgan PM sent..

My saw has points...Looking for a new plug wire to try out before I replace the coil..

 

[flyboy]

You can just buy generic non-resistor plug wire from a chainsaw supplier like baileys or MFGsupply. The plug wire on 031s unscrews from the coil. Just cut the length you need and screw it on the coil.

 

[southbound]

That's the plan for now...

 

[southbound]

Well Mr b1rdman just handed my folks a box of parts cant wait to get them!!!

Thanks again b1rdman!!!!!!!

 

[southbound]

Got some good news today..Went to see my FIL and to tell him the 031 had no spark and low compression...He looked very surprised :jawdrop:

Anyway he asked what all I needed and then he led me to his barn..Under some old hay he had a few boxes of parts most where to far gone but I did find a few good ones..

I scored a trigger lock button,point flywheel with new pawls,2 good jugs,the black plastic rear handle, and the best of all a almost new plug wire..

Everything I was hunting except the heat shield....

And to think I was gonna stay home today....:monkey:

 

[southbound]

Ok so I admit it has been years since I messed with points on a car and never on a chainsaw so I have been searching around...

So far I have the coil with the new plug wire. The points really did not look bad so I just made them shiny again witch did not take much. As I sit here looking over the parts diagram and something looked out of place..Part #1115 404 3400 capacitor......Looking at the parts list I can't tell exactly where this is located...But I can not find it on this saw anywhere..Is this for a electronic ignition only?? Looks like from what I have read my points setup should have it...

I think what is throwing me is on the parts list it is square and all I can find a is a round part..
Is this it???

If so how do I remove, test this part?? Or as cheap as the after market part is should I just replace it while the saw is apart???

 

[Brmorgan]

Heh, search the forums for how to remove a condenser. They can be a chore to get out. Thank heavens I haven't had to do it yet. It's not common for a condenser to fail. But if you have the whole saw apart and have a known good one to pop in, it can't hurt. As for testing one, I'd think that if you had a multimeter with a capacitance setting, that should do it. Not sure of any low-tech way of doing it though.

 

[southbound]

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[flyboy]

Ok so I admit it has been years since I messed with points on a car and never on a chainsaw so I have been searching around...

So far I have the coil with the new plug wire. The points really did not look bad so I just made them shiny again witch did not take much. As I sit here looking over the parts diagram and something looked out of place..Part #1115 404 3400 capacitor......Looking at the parts list I can't tell exactly where this is located...But I can not find it on this saw anywhere..Is this for a electronic ignition only?? Looks like from what I have read my points setup should have it...

I think what is throwing me is on the parts list it is square and all I can find a is a round part..
Is this it???

If so how do I remove, test this part?? Or as cheap as the after market part is should I just replace it while the saw is apart???

The capacitor is the round thing in your picture with the wire sticking out of it. It keeps the points from arcing when they open and close.

I would get that under flywheel area very clean. Any debris could mess up your points again.

If you have a bad capacitor/condenser (condenser is an old word for capacitor), you can replace it (with a little work) with a generic part. Search this site for "Wima". I have replaced my 031AV condenser with one over a year ago and it works perfectly. IT IS A VERY SPECIFIC TYPE OF CAPACITOR. You will NOT find one locally, unless you go to Stihl and pay up for an original. The Wima is about a $1.....but will require you to make up a pair of wires and do some soldering. The Stihl unit is $20 - $30 and will pop right in.

 

[flyboy]

Heh, search the forums for how to remove a condenser. They can be a chore to get out. Thank heavens I haven't had to do it yet. It's not common for a condenser to fail. But if you have the whole saw apart and have a known good one to pop in, it can't hurt. As for testing one, I'd think that if you had a multimeter with a capacitance setting, that should do it. Not sure of any low-tech way of doing it though.

These things are often times good at room temp and then fail when the engine heats up and high voltage is applied.

If your spark plug is sparking at say 20,000 to 30,000 volts, and the coil is 1:100 (probably pretty close), then you have 200 - 300 volts on your condenser. Your multi-meter may say it is fine, but may only be checking it at low temp and a volt or two.


If you feel it is bad, just pull it out with a pair of vice grips. You will have sealed it's fate though.....it will definately be bad if you do it that way.

 

[southbound]

The capacitor is the round thing in your picture with the wire sticking out of it. It keeps the points from arcing when they open and close.

I would get that under flywheel area very clean. Any debris could mess up your points again.

If you have a bad capacitor/condenser (condenser is an old word for capacitor), you can replace it (with a little work) with a generic part. Search this site for "Wima". I have replaced my 031AV condenser with one over a year ago and it works perfectly. IT IS A VERY SPECIFIC TYPE OF CAPACITOR. You will NOT find one locally, unless you go to Stihl and pay up for an original. The Wima is about a $1.....but will require you to make up a pair of wires and do some soldering. The Stihl unit is $20 - $30 and will pop right in.

Searching for info on the points I found out about the WIMA,,There are lots of links on where to get the correct one and for under a buck I would like to install one just to make sure. I am not having any luck finding posts on removal....I know hit it with a hammer....

As for the cleaning I toyed with the idea of splitting the case then decided not to I just have not found a good way of cleaning it yet.I don't want a bunch of junk in the case. Also I don't want to ruin the bearings with water or solvent so I just been looking at it for now.The rest of it went outside with carb cleaner and a water hose.....