Stihl 024 AV Super resurrection.

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Okay, just pre Covid 19, I purchased a few saws online- basically sight unseen bar one bad photo of a group of saws in parts. In amongst it I could pick a small Stihl, a Poulan Countervibe 3400, a McCulloch 610 and a couple of Chinese type saws, one an MTD and the other a Talon.
So, I paid the asking price, but told the owner he could keep the 610, MTD & Talon to either try and sell again or dispose of. All saws were in various degrees of teardown (except the Poulan) and the weight/freight between Islands here would outweigh the possibility of any gains. So I asked the guy to bundle up all the Stihl parts and the Poulan to send down.

Enter Covid 19 and lockdown periods....... saws were not shipped for several weeks, but did eventually arrive.

The Poulan, well I never really wanted one, but knew someone that might like another Limecicle. So apart from a bit of an exterior scrape down, check to see what it was made of, see what was missing (pretty much a kill switch nut and the air filter flocking was all) and it was arranged to be delivered to a new owner a bit further up the Island- end of story.

The Stihl ended up being an older 024 Super, which was kind of cool, never had one of them- don't really NEED one of them, but for US$12 it was worth a punt and kind of cool to have one of the smallest rear handle pro saws Stihl made.
It had some issues, mainly it was dirtier than a $2 hooker, was missing the piston- wrist pin, bearing, clips....... but DID have the OEM cylinder and it was saveable after getting rid of a whole lot of transfer from the piston it used to house. It also had some wiring issues, missing bar stud nuts and a flogged out thread in the LA screw mount on the plastic bottom cover of the Tillotson carb.
So basically, in the box, was an entire saw- thankfully including the OEM air filter that chokes the saw, unlike the more modern models. Both top covers were there and unbroken, but the main engine cover does have a wee bit of heat damage above the muffler.

So all I needed to do really, was to clean it up and find a piston kit. Local Stihl shop didn't laugh at me as such, but were not interested either. They just don't hold old stock parts and are more interested in making money off of new sales and servicing current models- for which I cannot blame them.
Local Meteor agents did not have one, said they could not get one- but would happily sell me a MS 260 P&C kit. The economics just didn't stack up for that one.
So I used my failsafe- a guy I know that used to be my local Jonsered agent until Jonsered was no more in NZ. The guy hoards saw bits, is now a Dolmar/Makita agent, but has LOTS of neat stuff in boxes, on shelves, in his truck.......... he found me a secondhand 42mm OEM piston (probably from an 024 AV), rings, wrist pin, clips and bearing.

So, a cylinder cleaning, base gasket delete, lot of cleaning & checking, pressure & vacuum testing and reassembly, new wiring where needed, raid the parts box for some bar stud nuts and adapt a Stihl T27 body screw for a new LA screw and I have a nice running 024 Super.

Pretty much as arrived- minus a lot of crud.



As it looks now.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

So under the cover shots showing the new wiring and LA screw fix.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I upgraded mine to an 026. Not easy and took some new plastic and a few other items, but it worked:

I said good bye to anything that resembled a decomp valve. That was useless. This saw runs today and the new owner loves it.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Yep and if the cylinder was toasted- I probably would have done the exact same- but I had all the bits, didn't need to grind off any fins, buy new plastics, new air filter, new tank breather or any of that kind of thing, no decomp already- so all good there.
And at the end of the day, a good 024AVS is not too far behind an 026.
They are a neat wee platform though and not to tricky to work on....... for a Stihl.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Yep and if the cylinder was toasted- I probably would have done the exact same- but I had all the bits, didn't need to grind off any fins, buy new plastics, new air filter, new tank breather or any of that kind of thing, no decomp already- so all good there.
And at the end of the day, a good 024AVS is not too far behind an 026.
They are a neat wee platform though and not to tricky to work on....... for a Stihl.

Thanks for appreciating what I had to do ti save this saw and upgrade it at the same time. I guess I made it sound too easy. It was not. Two thumbs up to both is us.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

One of the original wires I decided it might be prudent to replace.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Nice find and great that your friend had the parts on hand for the 024. I’m keeping an eye out for a vintage McCulloch, but like your 024, I fear not being able to get spare parts.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Note, with the original sloppy LA screw the saw would not hold a consistent idle and did confuse me for some time, to the point of tearing it apart, rechecking pressure & vacuum tests to check for leaks that were not there, as I was not instantly aware the screw was well loose on the plastic threads allowing it to move post initial set up.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Nice find and great that your friend had the parts on hand for the 024. I’m keeping an eye out for a vintage McCulloch, but like your 024, I fear not being able to get spare parts.

Lot easier to find parts for this period Stihl than for an old McCulloch, but there should be some old Lemons floating around over there.

 

[drf255]

Nice job. Adding an 026 top end isn’t that difficult, it just requires rear fin adjustment.

 

[ozziechainsaw]

Okay, just pre Covid 19, I purchased a few saws online- basically sight unseen bar one bad photo of a group of saws in parts. In amongst it I could pick a small Stihl, a Poulan Countervibe 3400, a McCulloch 610 and a couple of Chinese type saws, one an MTD and the other a Talon.
So, I paid the asking price, but told the owner he could keep the 610, MTD & Talon to either try and sell again or dispose of. All saws were in various degrees of teardown (except the Poulan) and the weight/freight between Islands here would outweigh the possibility of any gains. So I asked the guy to bundle up all the Stihl parts and the Poulan to send down.

Enter Covid 19 and lockdown periods....... saws were not shipped for several weeks, but did eventually arrive.

The Poulan, well I never really wanted one, but knew someone that might like another Limecicle. So apart from a bit of an exterior scrape down, check to see what it was made of, see what was missing (pretty much a kill switch nut and the air filter flocking was all) and it was arranged to be delivered to a new owner a bit further up the Island- end of story.

The Stihl ended up being an older 024 Super, which was kind of cool, never had one of them- don't really NEED one of them, but for US$12 it was worth a punt and kind of cool to have one of the smallest rear handle pro saws Stihl made.
It had some issues, mainly it was dirtier than a $2 hooker, was missing the piston- wrist pin, bearing, clips....... but DID have the OEM cylinder and it was saveable after getting rid of a whole lot of transfer from the piston it used to house. It also had some wiring issues, missing bar stud nuts and a flogged out thread in the LA screw mount on the plastic bottom cover of the Tillotson carb.
So basically, in the box, was an entire saw- thankfully including the OEM air filter that chokes the saw, unlike the more modern models. Both top covers were there and unbroken, but the main engine cover does have a wee bit of heat damage above the muffler.

So all I needed to do really, was to clean it up and find a piston kit. Local Stihl shop didn't laugh at me as such, but were not interested either. They just don't hold old stock parts and are more interested in making money off of new sales and servicing current models- for which I cannot blame them.
Local Meteor agents did not have one, said they could not get one- but would happily sell me a MS 260 P&C kit. The economics just didn't stack up for that one.
So I used my failsafe- a guy I know that used to be my local Jonsered agent until Jonsered was no more in NZ. The guy hoards saw bits, is now a Dolmar/Makita agent, but has LOTS of neat stuff in boxes, on shelves, in his truck.......... he found me a secondhand 42mm OEM piston (probably from an 024 AV), rings, wrist pin, clips and bearing.

So, a cylinder cleaning, base gasket delete, lot of cleaning & checking, pressure & vacuum testing and reassembly, new wiring where needed, raid the parts box for some bar stud nuts and adapt a Stihl T27 body screw for a new LA screw and I have a nice running 024 Super.

Pretty much as arrived- minus a lot of crud.

View attachment 835669

As it looks now.

View attachment 835670View attachment 835671View attachment 835672View attachment 835673

Nice looking saw Bob. Are you happy with it's performance ? The reason I ask is that I am looking at 024 Super as well and just would like your opinion.

Cheers

Justin

 

[Yukon Stihl]

Nice find and great that your friend had the parts on hand for the 024. I’m keeping an eye out for a vintage McCulloch, but like your 024, I fear not being able to get spare parts.

There were so many Mac's built that sourcing old parts will not be much of an issue for years to come.
Jump in to vintage Yellow with both feet.There are some really cool differences in the Mac saws. They will keep you making tools for a while...

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

There were so many Mac's built that sourcing old parts will not be much of an issue for years to come.
Jump in to vintage Yellow with both feet.There are some really cool differences in the Mac saws. They will keep you making tools for a while...

I agree, lots of old Lemon coloured saws in Canada, even in the States- but how many are floating around spare near Perth in W.A.?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Nice looking saw Bob. Are you happy with it's performance ? The reason I ask is that I am looking at 024 Super as well and just would like your opinion.

Cheers

Justin

I have not run it enough to be happy or unhappy yet.
So far it is okay and kind of cool- but not earth shattering. Reminds me a bit of a Jonsered 2045 I used to have a long while ago- an honest grafter, but no rip snorter.
As a small limb ground saw, my 200T will eat it for breakfast and you can flick the 200 around one handed (not that I recommend that kind of thing...... it isn't safe! )
This is an old saw (made in WEST Germany, not Germany), but does what it should do and was designed to do. Balances beautifully with a 16"b&c combo.
I like a saw that when you blip the trigger, you feel the torque twist the powerhead in your hands- the 024 S does not really do that.
I am still running out of the box chain on it that has not seen a file yet, that might improve the cut a little.
I deleted the base gasket because the one that was on it was torn and I was too lazy to make another- did it improve things any? That I do not know as I never ran it stock, but it is a fairly light, well balanced easy to work machine for its vintage and in the 2-6" limbing mode I imagine it will work just fine and be able to compete with the likes of a Husqvarna 345-350.
Would be an excellent ute saw for a fencing contractor if that puts any perspective on it for you.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Nice job. Adding an 026 top end isn’t that difficult, it just requires rear fin adjustment.
View attachment 835734View attachment 835735View attachment 835736

Yep, could have spent near US$150 on a 260 kit, ground off the fins and had a slightly bigger more powerful saw that cost me more than needed. The cylinder cleaned up well and in my mind it was a waste of time and money to not use it. The saw cost me around US$12 to buy and the same to ship it to me, as it sits with a new b&c it still owes me less than US$100, so to me it worked out cheaper to go from 0 to a working saw than it would have to buy a Meteor kit over here to make a 260.
Like I said above, if the cylinder was toasted- this is exactly the route I would have taken, but instead I worked on if it aint broke- dont fix it.

Stay tuned though, I did buy a couple more parts saws of this family recently (owner not sure if they are 024 or 026's) and we might make one of those a 260 to compare notes.

 

[Totembear]

I have both an 024S and a 026 pro. I like the 026 better for general cutting, a little more power. The 024S is a good saw for limbing and light tree work. Mine was a little finicky so I bought a 194 carb to go on it. It picked up power with that carb too. They are good little saws that do what they are supposed to do.