Stihl 026 query - purchased 2nd hand

[macmurdo]

Hi All
New here
Just bought myself an 026 appears to be a year 2000

Am I wrong in thinking the chain brake cover should be Alu(magnesium) metal?

This is plastic?

 

[pioneerguy600]

The plastic ones will retrofit onto an 026 all the way up to the 066, plastic ones come off the homeowner clamshell saws.

 

[bruiser1]

Yes, your right. It should be metal . My 026 is metal and it's a 97 unless Stihl changed that year

 

[macmurdo]

I asked the boy I bought it from on eBay that I thought it should’ve been metal and he said …. not necessarily, they made metal and plastic and was carried on to ms260 also. He said they did it to reduce weight?

I hadn’t noticed in the eBay photos but every other 026 I’ve seen (online) seem to have chipped paint revealing metal underneath.

Hmm … I’m confused now?

 

[pioneerguy600]

I have around 20 of the 026 saws and 8-10 MS260`s all of them came to me with metal clutch covers. When the metal clutch covers get cracked or broken they often get replaced with cheaper plastic ones.

 

[macmurdo]

Thanks that clarifies it. Think I was being spun a line. Can anyone confirm that the screws on the recoil case are wrong also?

2 are Torx and 2 are Allen (hex)

Hoping I’ve not got a bit of a Frankenstein here?

 

[pioneerguy600]

Stihl only uses Torx screws, allen heads are not OEM.

 

[EastCoastGreg]

I’m just gonna throw this out there. The label says made in west Germany. Since West Germany hasn’t existed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which was 1989 if i remember correctly, that starter assembly is not original, IF and that’s a big “if” the saw is indeed a 2000 model as claimed. Riveted labels aren’t used on the late model 026’s only on the earlier ones. That has the beginnings of a saw that’s been pieced together with stuff laying around.

 

[macmurdo]

I have concerns now, I mean I knew the saw wasn’t perfect as it’s an older unit but alarm bells going off now
Here’s the original ad

The guy told me after the sale that he has a YouTube channel on chainsaws and I was not impressed to see him making chainsaws out of bits just as you said
I’m going to return this frankensteins monster as I’m now seeing it for what it is

 

[EastCoastGreg]

The air cleaner is late model. The screw in the tank vent is concerning. Starter cover is definitely been cannibalized from something. Stihl can normally take the serial number and give you the production date. It’s up by the muffler on the clutch side facing up

 

[EastCoastGreg]

It has a decomp valve which, is on pro models only i believe…. Could just be missing the pro label on the air cleaner cover though. It’s missing the blanking plate in the cylinder cover for carb heat which normally isn’t removed unless you are in really cold environments. Just some other things i noticed. All those aren’t necessarily bad, but the parts that really matter are the condition of the internals, which given the nature of the other “repairs” id be somewhat skeptical.

 

[macmurdo]

Funnily enough I had spotted the screw in the vent, I questioned him literally just after he’d posted it and he kind of got offended and said the original part is not available and that the screw work’s really well

There’s way too much wrong with this thing and as a newbie to these saws I’m only just spotting the issues now (it arrived in the post today btw)

 

[ballisticdoughnut]

I have concerns now, I mean I knew the saw wasn’t perfect as it’s an older unit but alarm bells going off now
Here’s the original ad

The guy told me after the sale that he has a YouTube channel on chainsaws and I was not impressed to see him making chainsaws out of bits just as you said
I’m going to return this frankensteins monster as I’m now seeing it for what it is
View attachment 1207322View attachment 1207323View attachment 1207324

Looks like aftermarket air filter to me. Also unless I’m seeing things seems the cases have been split? I’m very cautious about buying saws off eBay. You never know what your gonna get most sellers aren’t honest just looking to make a buck.

 

[macmurdo]

The ad did say it had some work

Stihl 026 fully rebuilt with new original bearings good aftermarket farmer tech piston and cylinder, new crank seals, all clean and ready to cut wood, new 15 inch bar chain. £220 gbp

I had accepted that but in honesty there’s just too much to feel comfortable with now it’s in front of me.

 

[EastCoastGreg]

With that being said… 220 is expensive for a saw rebuilt with Chinese parts and pieced together in my opinion. A good running 026 in the USA doesn’t pull much more than 200.00USD in original working order.

 

[Mad Professor]

Looks like aftermarket air filter to me. Also unless I’m seeing things seems the cases have been split? I’m very cautious about buying saws off eBay. You never know what your gonna get most sellers aren’t honest just looking to make a buck.

Good catch on the case gasket, OEM one won't stick out like that. So most likely AM seals too.