Stihl 026 - Change AV Buffers Or Not?

[SteveSr]

Hello,

I recently picked up an 026 Pro off of Craigs List for our local trail club. I immediately noticed that the AV mounts felt sort of "weak" in comparison to the MS260s. I blamed it on the mounts marinating for the past 15-20 years in bar oil. Upon dis-assembly and cleaning the mounts look to be in good shape. I can find no apparent swelling, cracking or other degradation so now I am considering putting them back in instead of replacing them.

I did look in my IPL for this saw and they mention a "normal" stiffness and a "soft" stiffness AV mount. From the P/Ns on the buffers these are the "normal" stiffness. So were the normal AV buffers on 026s softer than the newer MS260s? Should I replace these or just use the originals?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[fearofpavement]

If it were me, I would just reinstall them but I guess it depends on your preferences.
I've never noticed the AV being weak on any of the 026s I have but I've never owned an MS260 for comparison.

 

[blsnelling]

I never replace them unless they're damaged.

 

[redfin]

On my 026 I rebuilt I didn't like how far the exsisting mounts allowed the hadle to pull from the case. There wasn't "visible" damage they just felt worn.

Maybe I worry to much but I was afraid of the intake tube taking the brunt so I changed them. It was a fairly inexspensive swap.

 

[old-cat]

One of the mounts on my 036 was too soft so I bought a new one and now it's GREAT!

 

[Bilge Rat LT 20]

They are cheaper than an intake boot and any lean out damage.
Rub any rubber part with a cloth, if the cloth turns black and the part looks worn in that area replace it.

 

[SteveSr]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. All of the buffers pass Bilge Rat's cloth rub test. I also tried scraping with a fingernail and got no rubber to come off. I think that these are just a little softer than the 260s. I think that too many newbies were breaking AV buffers trying to pull out a bound saw that Stihl decided to make them stiffer in the newer saws.

 

[SteveSr]

While searching for some other information on the net I stumbled across Stihl Tech Note 18-97 which explained a lot. Apparently there was a change to the 026 tank assembly below the upper mount to limit the movement of the AV system. Apparently users were tearing buffers, carb boots, and pulse hoses trying to free bound bars so Stihl decided to limit the movement. This explains why the AV system this 026 made before this change feels different than the newer 260s. BTW, the buffer part numbers are the same for the 026/260.