Stihl 044 Piston Question

[gtor72]

I picked up an 044 for a good price and found the piston scored badly on one side.
There is hardly a scratch in the cylinder, and no evidence i can see of excessive heat.
I was wondering what some of you guys think might have caused this to happen.
Here are a couple of pictures.
thanks in advance for your opinions and help. Mike

 

[Tzed250]

piston looks like that and no damage to the cylinder..very lucky!

 

[tek9tim]

and no evidence i can see of excessive heat.

And the melted piston is a sign of? All kidding aside, that looks pretty good. But different than most burnt up pistons I've run into. Seems odd to be off to one side of the skirt like that. I'd like to hear why from guys with more experience.

Standard question when talking about older 044s, what's the serial #? Before 129xxxxxx is a 10 mm piston pin, which there are only aftermarket pistons available for. Not really a problem, just a consideration to help you buy the right parts to begin with. Last I knew, Dean at WPS had a supply of aftermarket older style pistons.

You should have no trouble getting your saw going though. Have fun!

 

[Lakeside53]

Roughly 129382283, but if you are close it pays to check. OEM is still available for the 10mm pin, if that's what you meant..

 

[gtor72]

It is the one with the 10mm pin. I have one on order.
The cylinder only had a minor scuff that came out with very little honing.
It is strange for sure the rest of the piston looks good to me.

 

[Lakeside53]

For some reason you got transfer from the piston to the bore, and once it starts it gets worse rapidly due to the added friction. It's not all that uncommon. You could have had a small piece of carbon or whatever make it's way back from the muffler (while not in use) to the cylinder.