Stihl 038 AV Super

[DomT]

Good evening,

 

whilst at work this week and clearing up due to poor weather I dug our an old 038 super that was buried in a cupboard. It was in a pretty rough state and had clearly been in there for years but I’ve cleaned it (the majority of the big grimes bits) and it seems complete. I’ve emptied out the fuel that was still in it and will try and fire it up tomorrow. If there’s no initial joy is it worth trying to fix it? I’ve looked around on YouTube which helps with specific issues and I know I won’t know until I try it, but I wanted opinions on if it was worth any effort? I’ve no idea what year it is and from looking at some photos of them I can’t seem to find a likeness. I’ll include some photos but the markings are different and I’m assuming this is to do with the year they were produced? Thanks in advance and apologies if this topic has been done before, I got over 2000 results when I tried to search on here! 

[gary112]

They were good saws back in the day,but compared to modern saws i wouldn,t want to use it all day,they are heavy,slower cutting and av not so good,but if you want to get it going at not much cost,fair enough but they dont compare to modern saws on performance?

9 hours ago, DomT said:

Good evening,

 

whilst at work this week and clearing up due to poor weather I dug our an old 038 super that was buried in a cupboard. It was in a pretty rough state and had clearly been in there for years but I’ve cleaned it (the majority of the big grimes bits) and it seems complete. I’ve emptied out the fuel that was still in it and will try and fire it up tomorrow. If there’s no initial joy is it worth trying to fix it? I’ve looked around on YouTube which helps with specific issues and I know I won’t know until I try it, but I wanted opinions on if it was worth any effort? I’ve no idea what year it is and from looking at some photos of them I can’t seem to find a likeness. I’ll include some photos but the markings are different and I’m assuming this is to do with the year they were produced? Thanks in advance and apologies if this topic has been done before, I got over 2000 results when I tried to search on here! 

 

[DomT]

Thanks. I fuelled it today and got nothing compression is there but it was difficult to pull over. I might just tinker with it and see what happens. You’re right it’s heavy! Weighs about the same as the echo 620 at work. Think I’ll stick to my 550. Didn’t want to start throwing money at it if it isn’t really worth it. 

[gary112]

14 minutes ago, DomT said:

Thanks. I fuelled it today and got nothing compression is there but it was difficult to pull over. I might just tinker with it and see what happens. You’re right it’s heavy! Weighs about the same as the echo 620 at work. Think I’ll stick to my 550. Didn’t want to start throwing money at it if it isn’t really worth it. 

if you got a 550  then i would stick wit that for sure?

[spudulike]

If you want to learn about saws and have spare time, fill your boots. They are good enough machines but pretty heavy by todays standards. It looks like it needs a damn good clean.

[DomT]

You’re not wrong! It’s caked! I can’t get the muffler off at the moment. I took the two underside bolts out and the top screw but it doesn’t shift at all.i want to learn about the parts and how it works so if any bargains appear I’d be confident to have a go. My 550 is my first saw after hiring one for a course and being really impressed with the weight/power combo. 

[spudulike]

Give the side of the muffler, just in front of the rib, a tap with a hammer, the front will come off revealing a couple of more screws either side of the exhaust port!

[DomT]

On 31/01/2020 at 19:34, spudulike said:

Give the side of the muffler, just in front of the rib, a tap with a hammer, the front will come off revealing a couple of more screws either side of the exhaust port!

Just quickly if anyone’s about, ive tried this and also soaked the thing in WD40 but it’s not moving. I will admit that after leaving it soaking overnight and trying gently again the following morning I began to get annoyed and struck it either side with a hammer. This, unsurprisingly, didn’t help and it’s seized on. Any other advice? Heat maybe?

[Ratman]

Post some pics of what you have and what you’ve done, always helps to see things a bit clearer when asking, be plenty advice for ya on here [emoji106]

[DomT]

11 minutes ago, Ratman said:

Post some pics of what you have and what you’ve done, always helps to see things a bit clearer when asking, be plenty advice for ya on here

There is a picture above of the muffler. I’ve removed the two lower bolts and the small screw in the middle of the top but it’s completely seized on. I’ve found out the saw was running before it was put away three years or so ago. I tried to pull it over with new fuel in it but the compression feels monstrous and it’s not a smooth pull. Wanted to inspect all the saw but cannot get the damn thing off!