STIHL 015 Custom Builds

[Stihl Pimp]

Stihl Pimp's directions to remove the carb worked after I removed the spark plug. I ran into something else after I removed the carb. Get this. My carb is one of the originals. It it possible that it has no strainer, even though that is shown on the IPL and the Service Manual? I cannot find it anywhere, even though the SM says to clean it occasionally. The IPL shows it as part #14 in the Pic below. Looks like the pump diaphragm (part #15) also must be removed to get to it, but that means a carb rebuild kit has to be bought. Could it be that my carb is missing the pump diaphragm (part #15) unless its almost glued to the gasket (part #16) above it. Hard to believe it ran at all without that. Down to metal, I still cannot find the strainer (part #14).
View attachment 879483

I also encountered something else. The fuel line leading from the tank to the carb is cracked and almost broken in half. That has to be replaced. Not sure what else I will run into but I remain optimistic

Stihl Pimp's directions to remove the carb worked after I removed the spark plug. I ran into something else after I removed the carb. Get this. My carb is one of the originals. It it possible that it has no strainer, even though that is shown on the IPL and the Service Manual? I cannot find it anywhere, even though the SM says to clean it occasionally. The IPL shows it as part #14 in the Pic below. Looks like the pump diaphragm (part #15) also must be removed to get to it, but that means a carb rebuild kit has to be bought. Could it be that my carb is missing the pump diaphragm (part #15) unless its almost glued to the gasket (part #16) above it. Hard to believe it ran at all without that. Down to metal, I still cannot find the strainer (part #14).
View attachment 879483

I also encountered something else. The fuel line leading from the tank to the carb is cracked and almost broken in half. That has to be replaced. Not sure what else I will run into but I remain optimistic.

The screen on my 015 carb is pretty rusty so I had to replace it, luckily there was one in the $7 ebay carb rebuild kit that I bought.

 

[Wood Doctor]

My parts are supposed to arrive in three days. I need the fuel line more than anything. I'll rebuold the carb as needed. I really think that I can get mine running well with the parts I ordered. .

I'm considering abandoning 1/4" pitch chain and .043" gauge. I am sure that chain runs smoothly, but almost nobody uses it anymore and it costs an arm and a leg to get it. Nowadays 3/8" pitch, .050" gauge low profile rules the roost. That means getting a new bar and throwing away both super narrow-guage bars that I have, WDYT?

 

[Stihl Pimp]

My parts are supposed to arrive in three days. I need the fuel line more than anything. I'll rebuold the carb as needed. I really think that I can get mine running well with the parts I ordered. .

I'm considering abandoning 1/4" pitch chain and .043" gauge. I am sure that chain runs smoothly, but almost nobody uses it anymore and it costs an arm and a leg to get it. Nowadays 3/8" pitch, .050" gauge low profile rules the roost. That means getting a new bar and throwing away both super narrow-guage bars that I have, WDYT?

I usually upgrade mine to 3/8 and use the rollomatic mini bars that come on the pole saws and may do this one the same way later. You'll have to get the 3/8 sprocket and the 3/8 oil pump gear since the 1/4 is different. I pay close to $40 for both on ebay.

 

[Stihl Pimp]

My parts are supposed to arrive in three days. I need the fuel line more than anything. I'll rebuold the carb as needed. I really think that I can get mine running well with the parts I ordered. .

I'm considering abandoning 1/4" pitch chain and .043" gauge. I am sure that chain runs smoothly, but almost nobody uses it anymore and it costs an arm and a leg to get it. Nowadays 3/8" pitch, .050" gauge low profile rules the roost. That means getting a new bar and throwing away both super narrow-guage bars that I have, WDYT?

You'll be happy after converting over to 3/8, it actually changes the whole character of the saw.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I usually upgrade mine to 3/8 and use the rollomatic mini bars that come on the pole saws and may do this one the same way later. You'll have to get the 3/8 sprocket and the 3/8 oil pump gear since the 1/4 is different. I pay close to $40 for both on ebay.

I just checked my inventory and found that I have the 3/8" pitch sprocket and 3/8" oil pump gear already on board and at least one bar that will fit it. In fact, I have a Woodland Pro bar that is black and orange, so It will match the colors. I like this bar because it works on both Stihl and Echo top handle saws.

 

[Stihl Pimp]

I just checked my inventory and found that I have the 3/8" pitch sprocket and 3/8" oil pump gear already on board and at least one bar that will fit it. In fact, I have a Woodland Pro bar that is black and orange, so It will match the colors. I like this bar because it works on both Stihl and Echo top handle saws.

That's cool, sounds like you're set. You should post a pic of your saw when you mount the new bar on it. I have to buy 2 sets of 3/8 sprockets and 2 sets of 3/8 oil pump gears. One for my white 015 that I just finished today and one for my 015av that I'll be building next. I prefer the top handle 015 and 015L but I wanted to build a custom AV as well. I've already removed all of the black paint from the handle and polished it, now just waiting for the replacement crankcase I ordered so I can finish this one. Someone before apparently made this saw spend alot of time running on a concrete ground or rocks because the bottom of the crankcase is rubbed down so much that there are holes in bottom of the gas tank and oil tank.

 

[Stihl Pimp]

My parts are supposed to arrive in three days. I need the fuel line more than anything. I'll rebuold the carb as needed. I really think that I can get mine running well with the parts I ordered. .

I'm considering abandoning 1/4" pitch chain and .043" gauge. I am sure that chain runs smoothly, but almost nobody uses it anymore and it costs an arm and a leg to get it. Nowadays 3/8" pitch, .050" gauge low profile rules the roost. That means getting a new bar and throwing away both super narrow-guage bars that I have, WDYT?

One mistake I made with my 015 carbs when I rebuilt them is that I put the wrong circuit plate gasket in. The rebuild kits always come with 2 round circuit plate gaskets, one has sort of a z shaped pattern cutout and one does not. You always want to use the one that does NOT have the z shaped pattern because that one is designed for HDC carbs that don't have the 2 tiny holes drilled in the plate and the z shaped cutout allows more fuel to pass through. Since the circuit plate on this carb does have the 2 tiny holes using the z shaped circuit plate gasket will allow the saw to run but it will run extremely rich, so rich that it's on the verge of flooding all the time and you won't be able to tune it to the 12,500 rpm these saws are supposed to run at either. You also want to make sure those 2 tiny holes in the circuit plate are clean and not blocked with debris. These carbs are super picky but once you get them built right they run excellent and are very reliable.

 

[Jed1124]

If anyone wants to take a ride or is close to North West CT and wants a free 015L let me know. I've had it for years in it's original case. It's pretty clean other than the bar oil leaked all over it. Tried to rebuild the carburetor 10 years ago to no avail and it's sat ever since.

Don't really feel like shipping it but if anyone wants to pick it up they are welcome to it. Send a PM if interested.

 

[Stihl Pimp]

If anyone wants to take a ride or is close to North West CT and wants a free 015L let me know. I've had it for years in it's original case. It's pretty clean other than the bar oil leaked all over it. Tried to rebuild the carburetor 10 years ago to no avail and it's sat ever since.

Don't really feel like shipping it but if anyone wants to pick it up they are welcome to it. Send a PM if interested.

I'll give you $100 to ship it if you're willing to. I know you said you'd rather not ship it however I live in Texas and no where near CT.

 

[Wood Doctor]

OK. SP, et al, here it is. All I needed was a new fuel hose, pickup body, gear sprocket, and chain drive sprocket. A hairline radial crack in the fuel hose eventually opened up. Replacing that was helped with a little lube. Then I mounted a new low-profile 52 DL, .050" gauge, 3/8" pitch chain and a 14" Woodland Pro Arbormax bar on it. The engine started immediately and only needed a slight carb tune up:
This bar would not accept a 50-DL chain, and could tighten only a new 52-DL chain, which was a bit disappointing. The ideal chain length for this bar is a 51-DL, but I would knock out a cutter only if it stretches beyond the tightener's limit. A typical Stihl 14" top-handle saw bar would work fine with a 50-DL chain.

Regardless, it was a pleasure working with an all-metal saw that has almost no plastic on board except for the pull cord handle, the trigger, etc. I imagine it weighs a pound or two more than today's MS192 or MS200 top handle saws. The new 3/8" pitch sprocket I found is an "out-of-the-box" Oregon that had minimal wear, circa 1984. I estimate this saw has 40 years under its belt, but it has no trouble cutting hardwood branches with this setup.

BTW, in some respects it was a godsend that I did this custom restoration because the gear sprocket for 1/4" pitch chain crumbled into pieces and fell apart as I removed it. I'm not sure how it worked at all. I thank you for yours and PioneerGuy's encouragement. No doubt, this is a great hobby.

 

[pioneerguy600]

OK. SP, et al, here it is. All I needed was a new fuel hose, pickup body, gear sprocket, and chain drive sprocket. A hairline radial crack in the fuel hose eventually opened up. Replacing that was helped with a little lube. Then I mounted a low-profile 50 DL, .050" gauge, 3/8" pitch chain and a 14" Woodland Pro Arbormax bar on it. The engine started immediately and only needed a slight carb tune up:
View attachment 880847This bar would not accept a 50-DL chain, and could tighten only a new 52-DL chain, which was a bit disappointing. The ideal chain length for this bar is a 51-DL, but I would knock out a cutter only if it stretches beyond the tightener's limit. A typical Stihl 14" top-handle saw bar would work fine with a 50-DL chain.

Regardless, it was a pleasure working with an all-metal saw that has almost no plastic on board except for the pull cord handle, the trigger, etc. I imagine it weighs a pound or two more than today's MS192 or MS200 top handle saws. The new 3/8" pitch sprocket I found is an "out-of-the-box" Oregon that had minimal wear, circa 1984. I estimate this saw has 40 years under its belt, but it has no trouble cutting hardwood branches with this setup.

BTW, in some respects it was a godsend that I did this custom restoration because the gear sprocket for 1/4" pitch chain crumbled into pieces and fell apart as I removed it. I'm not sure how it worked at all. I thank you for yours and PioneerGuy's encouragement. No doubt, this is a great hobby.

For years on end I would not touch or work on chainsaws smaller than 50cc and they must be PRO series saws. Since I retired I have taken time to teach myself a bit more about the smaller homeowner class saws from all manufacturers, mostly Dolmar, Stihl and Husqvarna.. Thes small saws are a bit more challenging certainly than the big saws I was so used to working on. I just rebuilt 3 of these 015`s and one 020AV and now have more coming to me, what have I done?...LOL... Worst part is the parts are NLA, takes more sleuthing to find them.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Yes, the NLA parts are a bear to find. In this case, the drive sprocket and the bar oiler gear drive were scarce as hen's teeth. Without those parts, the saw was history. I also usually work on bigger saws and support the loggers who use them, wear them out one way or the other, or destroy them in accidents.

The little saws do not last nearly as long as this one did. The parts of this 015L gave up in age rather than in hard use. I have a Stihl 192TC that I am trying to save next. It's a plastic creation compared to this 015L, only because everyone wanted a lighter saw that could operate with only one arm, even if it wore out or looked like junk in two or three years. So, Stihl and others make them and sell them based on that demand.

Is Stihl Pump stll around these days? I posted here earlier than I expected. Parts arrived way ahead of the expectation. When parts arrive, I jump on the project.

 

[Stihl Pimp]

Yes, the NLA parts are a bear to find. In this case, the drive sprocket and the bar oiler gear drive were scarce as hen's teeth. Without those parts, the saw was history. I also usually work on bigger saws and support the loggers who use them, wear them out one way or the other, or destroy them in accidents.

The little saws do not last nearly as long as this one did. The parts of this 015L gave up in age rather than in hard use. I have a Stihl 192TC that I am trying to save next. It's a plastic creation compared to this 015L, only because everyone wanted a lighter saw that could operate with only one arm, even if it wore out or looked like junk in two or three years. So, Stihl and others make them and sell them based on that demand.

Is Stihl Pump stll around these days? I posted here earlier than I expected. Parts arrived way ahead of the expectation. When parts arrive, I jump on the project.

Very nice machine indeed, sorry about the delayed response. I've been pretty busy the last 2 days. They actually have most of the NLA parts for the 015 available on ebay and you can get the 1/4 pitch oil gear and sprocket pretty cheap. The 3/8 on the other hand runs about $40 for the sprocket and gear. I'd be upgrading my white 015 to 3/8 now but I just found a seller on ebay selling the 14" stihl 1/4 chain for $23 brand new so I'm going to go that route for now as opposed to paying $40 for the 3/8 sprocket and chain then and another $45 for a 12" 3/8 rollomatic mini bar and chain. The 12" 3/8 bar and chain that I use when I convert my 015s to 3/8 is the rollomatic mini bar that they use on pole saws. I use chain 3610 005 0044 and it works perfect and makes the saw cut alot faster than the 14" 1/4 bar.

 

[Wood Doctor]

When I changed to the 3/8" sprocket and oiler gear drive, the old 1/4" gear drive had crumbled. Not sure what did that but it was in a dozen pieces. Plastic gears have always given me the creeps. I added some grease to the gear teeth when I installed the new one. I figured that was better than nothing. The service manual said nothing about lubrication. Likely they figure enough bar oil makes it to those teeth as the saw cuts.

I have to admit one thing. Except for that plastic oiler mechanism, this 015L saw is built like a tank. I applaud your private collection and my shelf queen. When I sold one of my 028 Wood Boss saws, the buyer gave me $150 plus this 015L in trade. He seldom used it either.

 

[Stihl Pimp]

When I changed to the 3/8" sprocket and oiler gear drive, the old 1/4" gear drive had crumbled. Not sure what did that but it was in a dozen pieces. Plastic gears have always given me the creeps. I added some grease to the gear teeth when I installed the new one. I figured that was better than nothing. The service manual said nothing about lubrication. Likely they figure enough bar oil makes it to those teeth as the saw cuts.

I have to admit one thing. Except for that plastic oiler mechanism, this 015L saw is built like a tank. I applaud your private collection and my shelf queen. When I sold one of my 028 Wood Boss saws, the buyer gave me $150 plus this 015L in trade. He seldom used it either.

The oiler gear actually doesn't have much stress on it so it lasts for a long time, over 40 years. The 015s are fun little saws. They also sell the electronic ignition module for this saw on eaby for around $13 as well. With that module you can remove the points and condenser and enjoy faster starts and better throttle response from the updated ignition module.

 

[BrunoB]

Hello, this is my 1st post, it's great to finally be a member on this grand site. Here are a couple of old 1973 015L saws that I built last year. I made custom bumper spikes for these saws, made custom K&N air filters, ported the cylinder and advanced the timing on the "Lil Monster" saw, I modded the muffler on both and made some brushed stainless covers for them. A guy made me an offer that I couldn't refuse on both saws so I had to let them go. Now I'm working on an 015AV and I have another white 015L that I'll be building next. These saws are so fun and so well built that I'll always make sure I have one handy. I store all my saws and other equipment indoors so they are always kept clean and have no gas leaks or smell. The 015 was actually 1st built in 1973, the same year Andreas Stihl, the founder of Stihl in Germany died so the 015 is very special to Stihl and to me. Anyhow, here are some pics.

I took my 015l apart to work on the carb but having an impossible time trying to replace the starter cover. The trigger has to pass under the lock on the handle but there's not sufficient room. Do you have any idea as to how to do this?
Your help will be appreciated.