stihl 090 clutch

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a howard

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i went up to mill 12 oak logs this weekend and had my stihl 090 with a 32 bar with a carlton chain cut to granberg specs. the oak had been girdled by a beaver and was standing dead for roughly 3-8 years. its pretty dry. i have one of those lumbermaker attachments that i had used with a jonsered 2094 turbo. the jonsered cut ok three weeks earlier, but i wanted the big pig 090 for the rest of the work. i bought it on ebay and after two cuts the clutch started slipping. boy was i bummed out. well i think its the clutch pads but i really dont know. could it be that oil got in there causing it to slip. i have the oiler turned up. can the pads be replaced or do i have to buy an entire clutch assembly? i finished the job with the jonsered which is a heck of a dependable little saw. i never had to mess with it in the course of 12 oak logs. the beams are great. they range in length from 10' to 20' and from 10" to 6". it was a lot of work and i have more to do. im thinking of selling the 090 as it seems to be to much vibration to hold all day. also the handle got hot. it felt like there is a hand warmer in it. i took some pictures that are being developed. i will post them on my next post. they show the logs milled on the hillside. which by the way is a great way to cut logs. i dropped all the trees on a steep bank and was able to mill them where they lay. i have a log turner that wasnt big enough to fit around the bigger logs and so added a 8-10" extension. this has been the best tool around. all in all i was successfull. anybody out there have some in put on the 090. thanks andy
 
a howard said:
i went up to mill 12 oak logs this weekend and had my stihl 090 with a 32 bar with a carlton chain cut to granberg specs. the oak had been girdled by a beaver and was standing dead for roughly 3-8 years. its pretty dry. i have one of those lumbermaker attachments that i had used with a jonsered 2094 turbo. the jonsered cut ok three weeks earlier, but i wanted the big pig 090 for the rest of the work. i bought it on ebay and after two cuts the clutch started slipping. boy was i bummed out. well i think its the clutch pads but i really dont know. could it be that oil got in there causing it to slip. i have the oiler turned up. can the pads be replaced or do i have to buy an entire clutch assembly? i finished the job with the jonsered which is a heck of a dependable little saw. i never had to mess with it in the course of 12 oak logs. the beams are great. they range in length from 10' to 20' and from 10" to 6". it was a lot of work and i have more to do. im thinking of selling the 090 as it seems to be to much vibration to hold all day. also the handle got hot. it felt like there is a hand warmer in it. i took some pictures that are being developed. i will post them on my next post. they show the logs milled on the hillside. which by the way is a great way to cut logs. i dropped all the trees on a steep bank and was able to mill them where they lay. i have a log turner that wasnt big enough to fit around the bigger logs and so added a 8-10" extension. this has been the best tool around. all in all i was successfull. anybody out there have some in put on the 090. thanks andy
more then likely oil, where are you in minn?
 
You can't replace the pads - the Clutch "shoes" which includes the metal carrier can be replaced, all 6 of them....

They usually don't slip just because of a little oil - it burns off rapidly. However, if they have been slipping for a while, they may be glazed. Take the clutch off, inspect the drum for wear, and clean the drum out and rub 120 grit paper around the inside of the drum. Then gently scuff up the surface of the pads.

Milling is tough on any saw. As you probably found out, it's easy to bog down the saw, and when it's bogged the clutch slips and gets really hot. Unlike "normal" sawing", there are few rest periods for the saw so a slipping clutch soon overheats.
 
glazed shoes

i am going to dig into the saw today. if it is glazed, how do i keep the saw from bogging down. i thought i had the a powerhouse. there is no doubt it over heated the clutch because it was hot and smoking.
 
a howard said:
i am going to dig into the saw today. if it is glazed, how do i keep the saw from bogging down. i thought i had the a powerhouse. there is no doubt it over heated the clutch because it was hot and smoking.
Pull it apart and find out what your problem is, if its from oil ,cleaning it up or replacing clutch parts won't solve it. Good Pheasant hunting near wilmer.
 
i also run an 090 on a mill that i got on ebay, and it is great when it works, cuts fast, but i've had to use my 394 to get me thru when the stihl lets me down (as shown in the attached photo-that beam ended up in the ceiling of my shack). i ended up getting the 090 "professionally" rebuilt last fall (new cylinder, piston, rings, and carb kit.) the "professionals" at SWAG screwed it up so bad it hasnt milled since. it ran for a few minutes long enough for all the bolts to vibrate out, and since then has been broke down. as far as i can tell they put the wrong carb kit in it, and failed to use any locktite. in hindsight i should have bought a brand new 3120, since ive got that much $$ into the 090 now and it doesnt even run. the "professionals" around here werent even born when the 090 was built therefore they dont know how to work on the things. plus, how the heck do you fill the oil tank on the 090 when its mounted in the mill ( i had to mount a hose thru the oil cap to an auxilery oil tank.) it is a cool old saw for sure, but go with the 3120 instead if you have a choice, husqvarnas are the best.
 
clutch removal?

Does anyone know how to get an 090 clutch off the saw? I've removed the reverse-threaded nut, the large 1" diameter washer, and the small split washer. But I can't seem to get the clutch and the clutch drum off. Is the clutch threaded on too, or is it just held in place by the pressure of the nut? Thanks for any help!
 
It's usually a friction fit, you can use a small gear puller to haul the clutch off. I imagine there is a proper Stihl tool for the job as well.

I have had clutch pads rebuilt on my 090 by a local brake shop. You need to find one that can actually REBUILD pads, not just replace em. The old pad material gets ground of then new stuff glued / baked on. Maybe make contact with some of the vintage car guys, they would have contacts that do that sort of thing.

Cheers

Ian
 
Make sure that the little spacer/washer under the nut is not worn or that it is there at all. When I first started using my 090 I couldn't figure why it would slip. It turned out to be that spacer. Also it IS a friction-fit so without that spacer the clutch will not seat firmly enough on the crank. Once I discovered that the spacer was missing and replaced it my 090 has cut like a beast ever since.
 
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