Stihl 026 crank seals

[stihltech]

I see the ones that try to tell me how to do it the first day. After I fix enough of their comebacks, it is usually over.
I started with a auto tech background in 1981 . The owner said " you know cars, but you don't know anything about 2 stroke engines".
Nowadays, that would offend someone. I took it as a challenge. Learning has been very rewarding.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I see the ones that try to tell me how to do it the first day. After I fix enough of their comebacks, it is usually over.
I started with a auto tech background in 1981 . The owner said " you know cars, but you don't know anything about 2 stroke engines".
Nowadays, that would offend someone. I took it as a challenge. Learning has been very rewarding.

I've been retired 20 years from my real job. About 15 years ago a guy at the hardware store brought me a stacked up pickup load of Stihl that the customers refused to pay the estimate and never picked up. I eventually fixed all of it and we split the money. Problem was a steady stream of landscapers and tree service guys that come in the store regularly started just leaving stuff in front of my shop, usually didn't even put their name on it. Morphed in to zero turn mowers, generators, compactors, John Deere tractors, and on and on.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Did you fix that ride on I left at the door two years ago? Chainsaws by the dozens left with no prior contact, no name or any identification or what symptoms it was having, if anyone ever came back looking for them they would question why no one called them.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Did you fix that ride on I left at the door two years ago? Chainsaws by the dozens left with no prior contact, no name or any identification or what symptoms it was having, if anyone ever came back looking for them they would question why no one called them.

Wasn't complicated. If they were BR700's or FS90R's they were Kenny Shepherds. If they were pro saws they were James Faucettes. If they were TS420's, generators, or jumping jacks, they were Cable Enterprises. If it looked like drug behind a truck it was John Martins. If it was a tar machine it was Lambeth paving.
I do have a BR700 and BR600 that nobody ever claimed.

Oh, and somebody telling you what is wrong with something is of no use most of the time.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Wasn't complicated. If they were BR700's or FS90R's they were Kenny Shepherds. If they were pro saws they were James Faucettes. If they were TS420's, generators, or jumping jacks, they were Cable Enterprises. If it looked like drug behind a truck it was John Martins. If it was a tar machine it was Lambeth paving.
I do have a BR700 and BR600 that nobody ever claimed.

Oh, and somebody telling you what is wrong with something is of no use most of the time.

Yeah I know all about the descriptions customers can tell about how a machine is acting but at times it was a starting point but most times it was trace it down step by step even for the ones that had just run out of fuel and needed a top off. One case I opened the fuel cap and dumped out 7 gravel rocks that we call 3/4" stone around here, the owner thought the tank needed to be full of fuel for the carb to be able to pull fuel up, he had run out his gas can and added rocks to bring the fuel left in the tank level up higher. Actual reason was the fuel line in the tank was split up near the top of the tank so in a way he was right. LOL

 

[ZeroJunk]

Yeah I know all about the descriptions customers can tell about how a machine is acting but at times it was a starting point but most times it was trace it down step by step even for the ones that had just run out of fuel and needed a top off. One case I opened the fuel cap and dumped out 7 gravel rocks that we call 3/4" stone around here, the owner thought the tank needed to be full of fuel for the carb to be able to pull fuel up, he had run out his gas can and added rocks to bring the fuel left in the tank level up higher. Actual reason was the fuel line in the tank was split up near the top of the tank so in a way he was right. LOL

I can't top that. BTW, I don't think anybody that I do not know has ever dropped off anything at my shop.
But, they are not very reliable about putting a note on it.

 

[pioneerguy600]

I can't top that. BTW, I don't think anybody that I do not know has ever dropped off anything at my shop.
But, they are not very reliable about putting a note on it.

I guess you just don`t live in the right area for stupidity, I always thought the Townies were the worst but def not the only ones. I see many city dwellers moving out to the country for all the peace n quiet, they are very happy until firewood season came around, chainsaws galore running when cutting up the winters wood, them tearing their hair out.

 

[ZeroJunk]

My shop is about 700 feet off the road. 7189 Browns Summit Rd. Don't care who knows where I live.

I did catch one guy who I think was casing the place . I walked down there with both hands in my vest pocket. Pretty sure he knew I had a pistol on him. Claimed he was supposed to be doing some work at an address on this road that does not exist. Left and I never saw him again.

Just some context as to why guys are comfortable leaving stuff laying around.

 

[altatim]

My shop is about 700 feet off the road. 7189 Browns Summit Rd. Don't care who knows where I live.

I did catch one guy who I think was casing the place . I walked down there with both hands in my vest pocket. Pretty sure he knew I had a pistol on him. Claimed he was supposed to be doing some work at an address on this road that does not exist. Left and I never saw him again.

Just some context as to why guys are comfortable leaving stuff laying around.

Sometimes they just need one good reason not to try and they find easier prey lol

 

[pioneerguy600]

I have not had many encounters with suspicious individuals but back before Christmas of 2000 I was on my way out to the shop to pick up a couple saws to head over to the woodyard,had some long length over there I was chunking up for next years firewood. On my way out I heard chainsaws working up behind my brothers home and I knew it wasn`t him as I glanced down the main road, I seen a one ton stake side parked at a woods trail that looked out of place. I went back inside and asked Wolfie if he wanted to go for a walk, those words alone brought Wolfie bounding ,and he was a big brute of a dog. Quiet for the most part, seldom barked but when he did it was for a reason, so out the door we went and up the lane past my brothers house we had a Christmas tree lot, small one about 150 trees. Wolfie kept looking up at me looking for a sign or command but I had already told him to ,trail and he was the kind that listened intently, just as I thought there were two guys cutting trees on the lot,they had about 25 down and were going at it hard to make it 50 or more. We were right up on them when one guy spotted us and dropped his saw the other guy seen him and turned just in time to see Wolfie give him a big toothy grin, standing about 5 feet from each other. Wolfie was the type of dog that read peoples eyes and facial expressions well, would stay calm unless I told him otherwise. The guy facing Wolfie about pissed his pants and turned whiter than the snow on the ground. His buddy was stammering about not knowing this was private land or that these trees were on a cultivated lot,yada yada. I had not said a word up until then as I did not want the dog to misunderstand. Without me saying anything they both grabbed their saws and left as fast as they could muster, neither of them wanted to face down Wolfie who was intently looking to me for instruction. As they were leaving but still well within earshot I said loudly, I am going back home but the dog may not want to so watch your back until you get out to your vehicle. I quiclky made my way back down to the main road and waited til they had gotten out to the truck I had seen parked down the road, I took a pic of them as they drove past, they did not see me or the dog as we had stayed just inside the tree line but I got a good pic of them as they passed the open end of the driveway. There is times when a big dog can get across a warning better than words from a person. The pic below is of the breed and close to WOLFIE`s coloration but my dog would weigh much more than the one in this pic.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I have a 100 pound chocolate colored mix of who knows what.

He might beat them to death with his tail .

 

[stihltech]

Yeah I know all about the descriptions customers can tell about how a machine is acting but at times it was a starting point but most times it was trace it down step by step even for the ones that had just run out of fuel and needed a top off. One case I opened the fuel cap and dumped out 7 gravel rocks that we call 3/4" stone around here, the owner thought the tank needed to be full of fuel for the carb to be able to pull fuel up, he had run out his gas can and added rocks to bring the fuel left in the tank level up higher. Actual reason was the fuel line in the tank was split up near the top of the tank so in a way he was right. LOL

It don't run right! (Maybe it is a left handed saw).

 

[pioneerguy600]

It don't run right! (Maybe it is a left handed saw).

Most times the tank had been sucked dry of fuel, so first off it needed to have fuel topped off and some times that was all they needed.

 

[ZeroJunk]

It don't run right! (Maybe it is a left handed saw).

Just got a text from the hardware store. Gotta go back to work. It's started.

Normally I just have the store end of the tag that says something like "want" start.

It's all fun.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

There is just next to no one still wrenching on saws that want anything to do with points/condenser fired saws , they just want to chuck a chip in them or convert to electronic modules. I keep all my old saws original with points and condenser ignitions, that was all we had until the 80`s rolled around. Doesn`t put me out one bit to set gap and check condensers, still like to see that bright blue flash.

Like my 1972 Datsun 510. points and condenser distributor.

 

[Oletrapper]

On crank seals, use Stihl OEM or those made by Stens. Stens I have found out over the years to be of excellent quality for any and all after market parts for mowers, chainsaws etc. Be sure you have the Stihl part number before ordering any part from any source. You can do a on line search for "Stihl 026 parts diagram". The one I use is from the UK under a link that starts out "DYI". All is good except for the prices. I only use them for the parts numbers and pictures of the parts I need. Use those numbers on eBay or at your Stihl dealer.

I also use DYI quite often for the same reason. I hate bothering Ray Benson for manuals, etc. lol OT

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Get them dirty, they can`t put them down long enough for them to get dirty, if not talking on them it`s texting or the biggest time waster ,playing games. Young people signing up to learn as apprentices spend twice as much time playing on or with their phones as they ever would actually learning the trade. I had a young fellow this past fall that was supposed to be shadowing me, about all that he was shadowing was his phone. The company was not paying him, he was going through a government program and he needed hours to make him eligible for advancement, his Carharts were impeccably clean and his white gloves were come out of the box pristine.

pioneerguy600,

When I sought to LEARN mechanics ( car repair/building) I basically dove in arms deep into the grease and sludge that coated the engine on my stepdad's Datsun 510. Once I had that engine shiny clean, and running as best as I could as a 16 year old, I would learn brakes, ignition adjustments and timing, exhaust and a host of other basic skills. In college for a January semester at 19, I took an auto class. The teacher basically had us fixing up his Porsche 914. It was in an unheated 1 car garage just off campus. I basically pulled( dropped) the engine, stripped it down to a roller so it could go off to a body shop for prep and paint. Reinstalled the engine etc.

As I evolved to 30-60 years old, I gained a ton of experience in Cars and trucks, homes, tractors, lawn mowers, chainsaws, skid steers etc.
I can always learn more and with saws, the variations sure make for many chances to see the little details one can't overlook.

 

[ihookem]

I wish I knew how to fix small engines. A carpenter for 43 yrs. now.. Yesterday I worked alone and for the first 15 min. I walked around telling myself " I'm so sick of doing this crap."... Then I hung some doors and was ok for 5 hours. Then I just went home. On the way home , over and over and over I kept saying " I'm so sick of doing this crap."

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Pa. is now a BLUE state. Before I retired, one of the many counter persons we went through got pumped up by her boyfriend. Claimed she was having a problem pregnancy and went full blown 100% welfare. Reliable techs/ mechanics with even bare bones tools were not to be found. One couldn't come to work half the time. He had a problem with drugs. I could go on and on but I think all got the picture I am painting. The owner was the only gold Stihl Tech. He passed away. Another tech who had silver rating from Stihl moved on for better wages. The shop manager had a gambling problem and was on the "take". Oh well......the shop closed in 2017 and the hardware end of the business closed last fall.

I hear this about PA. Look what happened in Phila during the fake election. I can understand the tech who knew his stuff relocating for higher pay, as well as the business closing. Story is told every day.

A carpenter for 43 yrs. now.. Yesterday I worked alone and for the first 15 min. I walked around telling myself " I'm so sick of doing this crap."... Then I hung some doors and was ok for 5 hours. Then I just went home. On the way home , over and over and over I kept saying " I'm so sick of doing this crap."

My aching back legs and hips stalled my carpentry career roughly 10 years ago. Agony to just kneel to the floor and get back up again has me say the " getting sick of this crap " part too. 35 years of carpentry under my belt. But with several houses owned that need major overhauling to sell or live in, I won't ever be done till I am 80 if I live that long. 20 years to go.

 

[av8or3]

I like what I do for a living. Been fixing planes now for 20 years now. Flew em for awhile before that. I’m 71 in one more day and I have resolved to work until I’m unable to. Even loving the work I still can be heard to mutter “I’m so sick of this ****” from time to time. It’s a healthy release.