Stihl 044 with 046 big bore top end

[Canadian farm boy]

So here goes, I have a line on a cosmetically mint 044 that I think I can pick up pretty cheap. Probably be a couple weeks before I know for sure. The saw has been sitting for a long time due to the current owner having bad shoulders and being unable to start it. Obviously if I get the saw I will be replacing all the rubber parts, fuel line, impulse line, carb kit etc.
I've rebuilt and ported several saws so I'm not worried about getting into this saw and being lost. Due to CAD and all the enablers on this site I've been thinking about putting an 046 BB kit (ported of course) on a 044. I've read through every thread I could find about doing this. None of the threads actually said how the finished product preformed. I think the saw would rev like mad and make decent power but a monster? Idk. What I'm worried about is having enough crank case volume to feed an 83 cc ported top end.
What do you guys think?

 

[redfin]

You possibly may have issue with the piston contacting the case.

 

[Big_Wood]

where did you get 83cc? IMO, to buy a mint 044 only to hybrid it would be pretty stupid. that's what blown up 12mm saws are for. if your talking AM big bore your not thinking straight. still get the 044 though.

 

[Canadian farm boy]

where did you get 83cc? IMO, to buy a mint 044 only to hybrid it would be pretty stupid. that's what blown up 12mm saws are for. if your talking AM big bore your not thinking straight. still get the 044 though.

I know some of the guys here have the 044/046 hybrids and love them. I've heard that the newer AM 046 big bore kits have really improved over the last few years. I was really just curious as to what everybody thought of putting one of these kits on a 044 and as to how it might preform.
I got the 83 cc from another thread. I think it stated this.
044-71cc
046-77cc
046bb-82.4cc
Putting the 046 bb kit on was just a thought that passed through my head and I wanted to know what everybody thought the end result would be like.

 

[Big_Wood]

I know some of the guys here have the 044/046 hybrids and love them. I've heard that the newer AM 046 big bore kits have really improved over the last few years. I was really just curious as to what everybody thought of putting one of these kits on a 044 and as to how it might preform.
I got the 83 cc from another thread. I think it stated this.
044-71cc
046-77cc
046bb-82.7cc
Putting the 046 bb kit on was just a thought that passed through my head and I wanted to know what everybody thought the end result would be like.

if i was you i would grab that 044. run it OEM as you will like it anyways. if it ever need a top end, then do your 046BB idea. or do what you want LOL you could also just get a 372 instead of all this BS of trying to make a stihl perform

 

[Canadian farm boy]

I'm not sure on the mechanical condition of the 044. All I was told is that the saw looks mint. I don't even know if it's the 10mm or 12mm yet. I'm definitely gonna grab this saw if it looks at all salvageable.

 

[blsnelling]

Do yourself a favor and stick with OEM cylinders. No way would I consider anything else, especially if porting it.

 

[treesmith]

Just get a ported oem 044 top end, I got mine from Mastermind and it's just brilliant

 

[Trx250r180]

O44 jugs are weak

 

[Big_Wood]

O44 jugs are weak

so are 046 jugs. a 372 solves all the 70cc weaknesses.

 

[Trx250r180]

so are 046 jugs. a 372 solves all the 70cc weaknesses.

Thats why i sold both of my 372s lol

 

[Big_Wood]

Thats why i sold both of my 372s lol

372's are pretty grosse aye. i find the OE will woop a 70cc stihl up to 28" but after that the XT 372 will woop them with longer bars. i like the 372XT more then the OE with anything longer then 30". so in other words, i prefer the XT LOL even if most of the short bar eastern folk here prefer the OE.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

Older 044 chainsaws made before serial number X29 382 283 have a 10mm wrist pin according to many sources.
Obviously you'll need a crankshaft with 12mm.
The 044 and 460 pistons are both identical in height at 39.5mm. The 046 crankshaft is stronger and heavier than the 044. The cylinder mount pattern is different and the cylinder bolt hole diameter is also larger on the 046.

 

[chainsaw'o-holic]

havnt ever try changing an 044 ah, my dad had one (mum bought it for his 40th birthday LOL, best BD prezzy ever) and it was nuts, use to run a 25" chines bar< with a full chisel chain, as i said the saw always performed extremely well and never mist a beat it all its 10-15 years. any way a couple of weeks ago it was stolen from work and in replacement we got a MS440 with a 28" bar, seriously insane saw, so i think that u should get the 044 before the guy changes his mind coz they hav sum serious penitential

 

[drf255]

I was thinking the same as you. Build the biggest 044 hybrid possible.

But, the non OEM jugs and the BB's have issues. The BB's have been shown here to make less power than their smaller displacement OEM counterparts. I've seen it postulated that it's from the increased bore encroaching on the cross sectional area of the transfer tunnels.

The other issue seems to be the poor casting quality and the poor plating. The port timing can be adjusted by you, but the plating in these cheap knockoffs is supposed to chip easier and do weird things, especially at the junction of the squish band and the cylinder top. I've also heard of out of round cylinders.

Just use an OEM 046 jug (if you can find one).

 

[chainsaw'o-holic]

yea, iv just recently dun a new piston on my 039 (was a after market piston not a genuine stihl) and the rings were the tiniest bit to big, iv dun about 6-9 hours work in it since the over haul and is going like new again now. so u have to be careful these days ah,

 

[redoakman]

I love how it's all quality this quality that . I think if this Canadian farmer wants to experiment then go for it . The 044 jugs always going to be there to back on . I would love to see a thread like this and results . I've seen others doing do Noone same results . But they all came up with the same results as In the lens run better had better time . Witch we all no .

 

[drf255]

I love how it's all quality this quality that . I think if this Canadian farmer wants to experiment then go for it . The 044 jugs always going to be there to back on . I would love to see a thread like this and results . I've seen others doing do Noone same results . But they all came up with the same results as In the lens run better had better time . Witch we all no .

Agreed....

But the BB 046 AM kits ain't cheap at all. Usually run ~$100. A used 046 jug OEM plus a piston is a bit more, with less worries about thin plating chipping when you port, weird combustion chamber shapes, odd squishbands, etc...

We're talking 5cc's here.

At least that's how I see it. Plus, the 046 jug on the 044 case has had some proven numbers.

If the OP does the 046BB, I'd love to see the build thread.

 

[Canadian farm boy]

Thanks for the replies guys. My plan with this saw(if I get it) was to clean it up and see how it ran. If I wasn't impressed or the saw had some real mechanical probs I figured why not try building a hybrid and if I did a hybrid why not try the BB. I know the hybrids that most of the guys here have built were awesome but they all used stock sized 046 top ends. If this saw turns out to be a 12mm saw I will probably go ahead with the hybrid just for chits and giggles. I may even send out the 044 top end as well as the new 046 bb to have them both ported by a pro. I have at least 3, maybe 4 066 jugs that I could use to sweeten the deal.
2 o66 stihl jug with decomp
1 o66 mahle jug with decomp
1 o66 mahle jug no decomp
All the 066 jugs came of saws that died due to air leaks and bearing failures. I can't guarantee they are all salvageable jugs. They look decent to me.
I guess before I get to far ahead of myself I need to get the 044 and see what it's like first. 10mm or 12mm

 

[blsnelling]

What's the SN of the saw?