Time to replace Stihl 038.

[Macpherson]

1 hour ago, Peter 1955 said:

Only issue with it is it's leaking probably from the crank seal, and onto the clutch.

 

There is no doubt that antique crank seals are the enemy of 2T engines, I'd say that the main symptom of this is that they get hard to start due to not pumping fuel because of lack of crankcase pressure... you can sort of judge this if starting gets harder in cold weather as the seals get hard with age and low temperature makes it worse... leaking onto the clutch may be a separate issue.

 

The good thing with any engine is that nearly always the seals and bearings are not dependant on the manufacturer and are as cheap as chips, so if you can sort these issues before one of these older saws succumbs to a catastrophic end then you can keep them running indefinitely,, the trick is to recognise what's going on before a failure.

 

There is so much stuff about repairing engines available online that if you were to attempt to do you own repair on your worst old still running saw, you've not got much to loose and may enjoy learning as you go.

 

As this age of 'Stihl' has recently been more difficult to get oem parts for I take the opportunity wherever possible to by a non-runner or two. very often that have had little use, just for spares... very cheap.

 

The only other thing is that in seldom used saws is to use fuel stabiliser or alkylate fuel.. my go to petrol firewood saw is a 1981 012av only 45cc but with a reed valve, it usually barks 3rd pull and it's a little ripper with and 18" bar and full chiz but it doesn't bog.. it just drags itself through with a lot of torque for a wee engine. Just wot I likes👍 cheers

 

[bmp01]

15 hours ago, Peter 1955 said:

the 023 in the shed, and wondering if it could be mended. Only issue with it is it's leaking probably from the crank seal, and onto the clutch. Runs like a dream, just won't turn the chain! 

 

Everything's fixable.... not necessarily economical though with shop hourly rates.

It has little to no value as a door stop or shed filler -  have a go at fixing it yourself, no downside really.

 

Crank seals wont usually leak much oil ... it sounds like you have a lot of oil leaking to stop the clutch driving the chain. Maybe the oil feed to the guide bar is leaking somewhere?  (If the bar and chain are off then the oil pump will be going all the time the engine is running, so spewing oil from the bar mount area).

 

MS251 should out run 023. Being a bit more modern and subject to emissions legislation, I wonder if 251 needs 'a muffler mod' to wake it up?  Hah, here's a thought, might be possible to swap the exhaust from the 023 to the 251, if so that'd be a very quick experiment. Do the exhausts look different interms of exit hole size? Bigger is better within reason. Carb retune necessary before any long full throttle runs, please.

[Peter 1955]

On 10/09/2022 at 15:44, bmp01 said:

 

Everything's fixable.... not necessarily economical though with shop hourly rates.

It has little to no value as a door stop or shed filler -  have a go at fixing it yourself, no downside really.

 

Crank seals wont usually leak much oil ... it sounds like you have a lot of oil leaking to stop the clutch driving the chain. Maybe the oil feed to the guide bar is leaking somewhere?  (If the bar and chain are off then the oil pump will be going all the time the engine is running, so spewing oil from the bar mount area).

 

MS251 should out run 023. Being a bit more modern and subject to emissions legislation, I wonder if 251 needs 'a muffler mod' to wake it up?  Hah, here's a thought, might be possible to swap the exhaust from the 023 to the 251, if so that'd be a very quick experiment. Do the exhausts look different interms of exit hole size? Bigger is better within reason. Carb retune necessary before any long full throttle runs, please.

Logical, Captain. All thoughts I have had myself, believe me. The leak is the main issue, that stops it being usable. I  wouldn't expect fuel/oil mixture to stop drive, or am I wrong? If I'm right, I'm going to be looking for a chain oil leak, but if the bar is seated correctly, I can't guess where the problem might be. Thanks. 

[Peter 1955]

Well folks, after a lot of agonising, the smoke has turned white here. No, it's not the steam coming out of my beloved's ears, when she finds out what a new saw costs! Blimey, she was miffed that I had to replace the 023, and only calmed down when I told her it was nearly as old as our daughter! 

I rang my local dealer this morning, and I don't know whether to be reassured or worried. They had four 362 in, one 462, and by the sounds of it, quite a few 400. ( They tend to buy in large numbers, when I blew up the Briggs and Stratton on my lawn mower, I spent ages looking for one, and struggled to get one easily. I rang them more out of curiosity than anything, and not only did they have seven in the shed, they were £200 cheaper than anything I'd found. Got it on account as well ).

  I've decided that although the 362 would probably be a perfectly reasonable choice, the 462 would just be a " mid life crisis" saw, like buying a flashy sports car, so the middle ground of a 400 is the way to go. Once a few details have been sorted, I will let you all know how I get on with it. Now looking forward eagerly. 

Getting someone to properly service the 038 would then seem like a wise move, as it's only ever had me doing the most basic of routine maintenance. 

[pleasant]

Well done. Having read your original post, going for any of those you mention above would be the way to go seeing as you have experience of the build quality of an 038. Now, I am in no way suggesting modern saws are build like a barn door 038, but at least you have gone for a pro range saw, insted of your earlier consideration of the 271/391. These are both OK saws in their own right, but are not full pro use machines- more landscaper/farmer/land owner saws ie, a saw that will get more use than a domestic user, but not as much use as a professional logger/suregeon/arborist. You would quickly notice the difference in build quality if you had gone for the 271/391 comparing it to your old 038. As has been mentioned, they are basically 'beefed up' domestic saws, using clamshell (pig to repair) engines and plastic crankcases. The 400 is a good choice from this perspective. The 038 would probably benefit from more than just a 'service' and I would advise you invest some money at least getting the crank seals replaced as a matter of course, because normally the first symptom of them failing is a scored piston and barrel. Well worth spending some dollar even to keep it as a back up saw.

Edited September 12, 2022 by pleasant

[Stubby]

4 hours ago, Peter 1955 said:

Well folks, after a lot of agonising, the smoke has turned white here. No, it's not the steam coming out of my beloved's ears, when she finds out what a new saw costs! Blimey, she was miffed that I had to replace the 023, and only calmed down when I told her it was nearly as old as our daughter! 

I rang my local dealer this morning, and I don't know whether to be reassured or worried. They had four 362 in, one 462, and by the sounds of it, quite a few 400. ( They tend to buy in large numbers, when I blew up the Briggs and Stratton on my lawn mower, I spent ages looking for one, and struggled to get one easily. I rang them more out of curiosity than anything, and not only did they have seven in the shed, they were £200 cheaper than anything I'd found. Got it on account as well ).

  I've decided that although the 362 would probably be a perfectly reasonable choice, the 462 would just be a " mid life crisis" saw, like buying a flashy sports car, so the middle ground of a 400 is the way to go. Once a few details have been sorted, I will let you all know how I get on with it. Now looking forward eagerly. 

Getting someone to properly service the 038 would then seem like a wise move, as it's only ever had me doing the most basic of routine maintenance. 

The MS400 is highly rated by folks on here . Although I am predominately Husqvarna man I would have one if I was in need of that size saw . They say its like a slightly bigger Husky 562 . 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Stubby

[Peter 1955]

Thanks for the votes of confidence lads, much appreciated. My memory is very fallible, and I know the 038 is a Farm saw ( I think it even says that on the saw itself somewhere ) I had a feeling that the 023 was farm spec too in its day, but I could be wrong. I often am. Especially when someone posted earlier that the 391 wasn't well regarded, it was clear that I needed a Pro spec saw. In all honesty, I could never justify a 462, it's just too much saw for my needs.