Stihl 045 Ground Wire - where does it terminate?

[SmokeGSU]

Hey all. Got an eBay-find Stihl 045 that I just got. It runs but clearly needs some tuning and massive cleaning. I've been tearing down the motor trying to get access to various parts and things to clean all the old oil and gunk out and I found a ground wire that was broken at one end (picture is found here for reference). I've gone over the service manual and parts list for the 045 but I can't figure out where it's supposed to terminate to - it's currently connected to a screw close to the Stop lever and the opposite end is broken.

The saw is running at the moment, though running a bit rough which is what led to the teardown and cleaning. Clearly that ground wire connection isn't required, it appears, but I'd obviously like to have it back in place for safety.

 

[hotshot]

Cylinder cover screw.

Originally they had a long insulated ground wire like yours running from right by the kill switch down to a cylinder cover screw, then they changed to a short strap/wire from the gas tank side down to the cylinder cover screw.

Looks like someone drilled & tapped a hole in the top cylinder fin at the lower left for a ground screw?, no telling WTF that redneck fix was for on a saw that old. Definitely not a factory installed screw.

 

[SmokeGSU]

Cylinder cover screw.

Originally they had a long insulated ground wire like yours running from right by the kill switch down to a cylinder cover screw, then they changed to a short strap/wire from the gas tank side down to the cylinder cover screw.

Looks like someone drilled & tapped a hole in the top cylinder fin at the lower left for a ground screw?, no telling WTF that redneck fix was for on a saw that old. Definitely not a factory installed screw.

Oooooo.... pic attached for reference and rotated to be closer to how the cylinder is shown in my original pic.... so you're saying that the screw in the picture next to the hole in the cylinder is NOT original to the design? I don't have the saw in front of me but I didn't notice if the other end of the broken grounding wire was connected at that screw or not. It's hard to tell in the picture but that grounding wire is just dangling free, and everything was so mucky that it was hard to tell where it might have originally ended at. I'm planning on ordering a replacement ground wire anyway... just wanted to be sure I knew where it needed to land at.

Thanks for the quick response!

 

[hotshot]

That is nasty, no telling what else you’ll find due to poor maintenance. Not OEM, but that cylinder fin hole would probably work.

Since the fuel tank assembly/kill switch mount is rubber isolated from the case, they just need grounded together for the kill switch to work.

There’s an unused threaded hole right above the left side tank-to-starter buffer mount, easy to get to for attaching a wire terminal. I’ll pull a starter & post a pic later this evening.

 

[SmokeGSU]

That is nasty, no telling what else you’ll find due to poor maintenance. Not OEM, but that cylinder fin hole would probably work.

Since the fuel tank assembly/kill switch mount is rubber isolated from the case, they just need grounded together for the kill switch to work.

There’s an unused threaded hole right above the left side tank-to-starter buffer mount, easy to get to for attaching a wire terminal. I’ll pull a starter & post a pic later this evening.

The kill switch, meaning the STOP toggle lever? That works on the saw - it's how I was turning off the saw when I was finished testing it over the weekend. Would the switch work regardless of if the ground was connected or not?

I used the saw for maybe five minutes max over the weekend to help cut some tree roots that I was digging up. It was running a bit rough, doing some chugging when cold, but once I got it warmed up it was running smoother. I basically wanted to see how it was running before I did a teardown and cleaning.

 

[hotshot]

Yes, the STOP switch. Ground wire will make sure it works every time & also prevents you from getting an electrical jolt if you become the ground, lol.

Look on page 21 of the attached. I just pulled an 045 Super starter cover & it still had the ground strap attached to the inner cylinder screw & you could not see it…

 

[SmokeGSU]

I looked at the wire and you're correct - the other end of the strap was under the screw. I just didn't notice because it was so filthy. I ordered one of those upgraded copper ground wires like was mentioned in that pdf.

Thanks for all the help!