So I was looking for an 044 project saw...

[stihl038x2]

Pulled the jug, cleaned it up some, and it looks to my eye at least like it's a casting flaw. The edge on the exhaust opening looks like a casting, not a rough knocked out piece:

The rest of the jug actually looks pretty good. There are some light scratches on the bore that look like just wear and tear, and a small pit below the exhaust port, and that's about all I could see. Even the combustion chamber looks really clean, very little carbon except for the quadrant bounded by the clutch side and exhaust port:

Don't loose any sleep over that chip. You will be grinding at least that much out anyway when you port it :msp_tongue:

Steve

 

[stderr]

Don't loose any sleep over that chip. You will be grinding at least that much out anyway when you port it :msp_tongue:

Steve

Meh, the big bore kit has to go on first. :msp_biggrin:

This is starting to feel like an arms race.

 

[Bowtie]

What do you want for the old cylinder?

 

[MerchBanger]

Parts are cheap compared to a new saw. You scored. Just replace the piston and jug properly and you've got a saw worth over a grand. If it has the red light on the right-hand side, then you're really kickin' ***!

 

[stderr]

Parts are cheap compared to a new saw. You scored. Just replace the piston and jug properly and you've got a saw worth over a grand. If it has the red light on the right-hand side, then you're really kickin' ***!

I have to say, I was thinking of trading it for the 044 I really wanted but the more I work on it, the more into it I get. It'd just be wrong to part with it now.

And yes, I'm getting the meteor piston, base gasket and both seals. As above, it'd be wrong not to.

I also have to reveal my ignorance: Red light on the right-hand side?

 

[homelitejim]

He is talking about a red light 066, if I remember correctly the red light would come on when the saw was running at its best, this is of course layman's terms. I think by looking at the pic of your saw that it is a early model even before the red light more like a flat top 066, but shoot what do I know.

 

[Roanoker494]

"The Greek"(dandrikop), on Ebay, has a Episan piston for $30.88 plus $11 shipping, also has a complete gasket/seal kit for $14.16. I know most will say to not use aftermarket seals but I have never had trouble with them myself and I personally trust that "The Greek" is providing high quality parts, I have bought many parts from him without a single issue.

 

[stderr]

Yes, I've bought stuff from the Greek too, and it's worked out. I have an 038 Super sporting an Episan piston from him; it works, and I like that saw a lot, despite it's being so old it has the metal tank. It's kinda grunty, won me over by noodle cutting a 20" diameter x 24" chunk of Holly like it was Cedar.

I seem to strike out if I ask too many questions at once. There was one earlier today that never hit the radar screen:

There are three screw bosses around the oil-seal opening behind the flywheel, and I can't fit a socket between them to press in the new seal. Other than shelling out for the right tool, is there a trick, like a chunk of ABS pipe or something?

Any takers?

 

[MerchBanger]

He is talking about a red light 066, if I remember correctly the red light would come on when the saw was running at its best, this is of course layman's terms. I think by looking at the pic of your saw that it is a early model even before the red light more like a flat top 066, but shoot what do I know.

That's about right. It will help you tune the high end. "Red lights" are hard to come by. I've only seen two or three. It won't buy you much more than style points.

 

[mdavlee]

If you got lucky and got a redlight cylinder then that's even better.

 

[Chris J.]

...

I seem to strike out if I ask too many questions at once. There was one earlier today that never it the radar screen:

There are three screw bosses around the oil-seal opening behind the flywheel, and I can't fit a socket between them to press in the new seal. Other than shelling out for the right tool, is there a trick, like a chunk of ABS pipe or something?

Any takers?

stderr wrote,
"... I seem to strike out if I ask too many questions at once. There was one earlier today that never it the radar screen:

There are three screw bosses around the oil-seal opening behind the flywheel, and I can't fit a socket between them to press in the new seal. Other than shelling out for the right tool, is there a trick, like a chunk of ABS pipe or something?

Any takers?"


I don't know the answer, but here's your question again, & again.

 

[homelitejim]

if you find or build something that works fell free to share it here. There are some really good tools here that people have built, someone may have already posted, best to google and see if you can find anything.

 

[MerchBanger]

stderr wrote,
"... I seem to strike out if I ask too many questions at once. There was one earlier today that never it the radar screen:

There are three screw bosses around the oil-seal opening behind the flywheel, and I can't fit a socket between them to press in the new seal. Other than shelling out for the right tool, is there a trick, like a chunk of ABS pipe or something?

Any takers?"


I don't know the answer, but here's your question again, & again.

I don't know of a trick. The tool from Stihl to seat those seals is only about ten or twelve bucks (if I remember right) and IMHO is worth every penny. Screwing up one seal would cost you as much as the tool. The puller is what will cost you some bucks... $130 for the Stihl kit!

 

[greg9259]

I don't know of a trick. The tool from Stihl to seat those seals is only about ten or twelve bucks (if I remember right) and IMHO is worth every penny. Screwing up one seal would cost you as much as the tool. The puller is what will cost you some bucks... $130 for the Stihl kit!

if there is a trick to it, the one i found that works best for pressing home stihl crank seals is flanged bronze bushings, they come in many sizes and lengths and can be found locally at almost any hardware store. (i buy mine at tractor supply) i just find one that fits over the seal correctly and tap the seal home with a small dead blow hammer. (another plus to the bronze is that its easily worked with a file, dremel, etc. if you have to mod it to fit correctly) as for pulling the seals a curved lino knife ($5 from home depot) does the job every time for me. (got the idea from AS of coarse) just grind off the sharp edge and dull the point a hair and all you have to do to get the seal out is put the point into the seal, give it a small tap to get a good bite on the old seal, then rock the blade back and there goes the old seal.

just my 2 cents.

 

[stderr]

Awesome tip on the bushing as press, I'll have to poke around for one. Looks like the little tools Stihl tool is about $30 up here.

Never thought of the lino knife, that might have helped when I did an ms260 seal last year: ms260 muffler issue, piston/cyl damage?

See post #36 for a pic of the tool I ended up making. The funny thing is, the seal on the 066 is smaller than the ms260! They look like the same OD, but the 066 seal is not as tall; not sure about the ID. The tool wouldn't fit without pushing a smaller screwdriver in and bending the seal body away from the crankshaft first. After that it came out very easily.

 

[greg9259]

Awesome tip on the bushing as press, I'll have to poke around for one. Looks like the little tools Stihl tool is about $30 up here.

Never thought of the lino knife, that might have helped when I did an ms260 seal last year: ms260 muffler issue, piston/cyl damage?

See post #36 for a pic of the tool I ended up making. The funny thing is, the seal on the 066 is smaller than the ms260! They look like the same OD, but the 066 seal is not as tall; not sure about the ID. The tool wouldn't fit without pushing a smaller screwdriver in and bending the seal body away from the crankshaft first. After that it came out very easily.

yeah i think a flanged bronze bushing actually closely resembles the stihl tool but cost like $3 for a big one lol. i got the idea by looking at the pic of the stihl tool in the special tools catalog. (i can shoot u a pdf copy if youd like, pm me an email address). (i have a husqvarna tool catalog also if u want to gander at those as well)
as for the lino knife i think it makes a lot of sense cause it works just like an automotive seal puller, just smaller. lisle also makes what is called a shaft type seal puller (part#58430) heard some people use that but ive personally never tried it. (cost like $18 at pep boys if im not mistaken).
i seem to remember hearing a few people say that seals in the ms 250 and 260 are a real pain so dont feel bad if you had trouble with em lol.
with a cross brace and a forcing bolt and a second tool made like the one you pictured you could make a tool similiar to a stihl seal puller btw kinda along the lines of the one the guy in this[ ShaftInSealPuller.flv - YouTube ]video made for an outboard boat motor.
but hey you got a great 066 project so keep at it man itll b a beast when your done for sure lol keep us posted on your build and let me know if you (or anybody else reading this) wants special tool catalogs.

 

[stderr]

At the bottom...

Update...

At the bottom of the exercise:

Then the mailman came

Two new oil seals and a piston later...

Getting the old clutch side seal out was nearly as tough as the flywheel side. The rubber was so stiff on the old ones as to be almost immovable. Eventually I managed to hook it with the little bent screwdriver and it popped out fairly easily. Pressing the new ones in was not so bad, though I think I may have pushed in the flywheel side a little too far. It seemed harder to turn the crankshaft when I was done.

Getting the piston into the cylinder without a ring-compressor was fine entertainment. First I put the piston on the rod, then tried to squeeze the rings with my fingers, later with a couple of zip-ties. A frustrating 45 minutes later, I took the piston back off the rod, flipped the cylinder upside down on the bench, and pushed the piston in just past the rings. I then mounted the whole assembly on the rod. At this point, the c-clip, while being coaxed into the piston saw its opportunity, cried "Freedom!" and made a break for it. It bounced off two walls as it rocketed across the garage. Another 45-minutes later, car backed out of garage, floor swept, boxes all pulled away from walls, magnet run through piles of indignant dust-bunnies...captured. This time, resigned to its fate, it slipped into place without any sudden moves. I then noticed I forgot the base-gasket. I calmly, completely without profanity, ranting or whining, gave the c-clip another chance to escape, removed the P&C, dropped the gasket over the rod, and remounted.

After that, getting the cylinder bolts done up and re-attaching the intake manifold was anticlimactic. It only took 4-5 attempts to get the clamp on the right way, really.

Mounted the muffler and carb with pieces of innertube for blocking, then put in the plug. One vacuum test and one pressure test later...sealed!

 

[cutforfun]

i have always used a long drive socket to put seals in, no problems yet and i have multiple choices for sizes, is the cylinder from a 066 redlight diffrent from standard flat top?

 

[stderr]

i have always used a long drive socket to put seals in, no problems yet and i have multiple choices for sizes, is the cylinder from a 066 redlight diffrent from standard flat top?

I had trouble finding a socket that would fit over the FW shaft tip and not be too big to fit the seal properly. I looked around for a flanged bushing based on some earlier feedback, thought maybe I had the answer with a chunk of copper pipe, but in the end I found a socket that fit.

I'd like to see a red-light cylinder, since I'd never heard of them before this thread.

 

[stderr]

Progress.

Assembly is the reverse order of disassembly, sort of. Thanks to Brad and the advice to heat the business end of the oil-line up first, installation was a snap.

After that, the oiler went straight on, along with the little driver gear:

Next up, installing the new clutch springs:

The first two are easy, it's that last one that's a female-canine.

Here's the clutch mounted, even torqued to 37ft-lb. Brake band, handle, linkages and springs all installed too.

Should I just keep posting pics as I go, regardless of whether advice is needed?