spudulike

He has.....he killed it

I think MattyF is my go to saw killer bless him. Don't get me wrong, he is a good decent fella and have a lot of time for him but he is HARD on saws...or at least he was during the time I know him. I still remember him working on his 346 on the floor, it sort of looked like a rabid Jack Russel had his wrist in its jaws.

Good luck with that Andy. I think time on a bike sort of gives you a good approach to apexes and cleanest ways in and out of corners....plus a bit too much competitiveness than is probably healthy. Have a great day...don't smack it!

Please forget splitting the crankcases and start using the grey matter. The bar studs have nothing to do with holding the cases together and in doing this, you are just showing your inexperience. The saw isn't running - only a saw with a massive air leak will not run, small air leaks cause other running issues but the saw will fire and run. You seem to have verified that the saw has compression. It is relatively unlikely your HT system is that bad but if you take an old plug and bend the end electrode well away from the centre electrode, you can test the spark over a big gap. If it sparks, you are most likely OK. I said most saws issues are carb issues and that is....because they are. I think you said that the carb had petrol in both sides. It is quite possible that the needle valve isn't sealing off correctly which would stop the saw running, if you have a Mityvac or pop off tester, you can test the valve. If you don't have this equipment, stick a bit of pipe on the fuel union, suck on the pipe and stick your tongue over the end. Your tongue should stick to the end of the pipe and stay there. If it doesn't do this, the issue is with the needle valve. Your compression gauge sounds like a car one which isn't suitable for small engines - many use schrader valves but the ones for small engines have a valve that opens up with very little pressure and that is the difference.

Don't hold back! So you think the saw may not be worth looking at

A damaged crank seal will not reduce secondary compression (compression in the combustion chamber). What it will cause is a leak under pressure or vacuum in the crankcase which may cause the engine to overheat and run badly. Your compression gauge - have you tested that it reads 150-170psi on a good running machine?

I have just worked on a number of 026s and when I have been through the whole saw and the idle isn't good plus the carb is old, I have found MS260 carbs fix the idle issue. Basic rule of thumb, if you can't dial a carb in within 2 mins, it needs sorting.

I think that some 361s had a separate key like in the pic and some were cast in to the flywheel. I have an original one on the bench at the moment and the key is like this....thicker than the usual MS200T, MS260, MS460, MS660 etc but the one on my bench is 100% genuine. The flywheel had come loose hence it being with me.

From memory, I believe they both share the same rear handle. There are so many different variations of the 024, MS240, 026 and MS260 that you can swap many parts. I have worked on old 026s with old original carbs and the only way I could stabilize the idle some was to fit a later carb which resolved the issue. Yes, you could swap the compensator covers out with flat ones but I really can't remember if I have in the past.

That piston is not OEM and the cylinder has those round plating marks on the combustion chamber that I have only ever seen on aftermarket cylinders. The OEM cylinder should have "Stihl" and "Mahle" or "Gilardoni" on it plus the part number. There should be a stamp on a small flat near the plug hole. I reckon this machine is a Chinese copy, probably Farmertec. The decomp shouldn't leak in the out position - you could either lap grind it in, replace it or replace it with a solid plug. Basic engine fault finding is ensuring the saw has spark, compression and fuel....unfortunately that isn't the whole story, the spark has to happen under compression and at the correct time, the carb has to deliver a fuel air vapour but in the correct volume etc. If the saw hasn't run from new, and it looks that way, it may have a manufacturing issue. Good luck!

How did you check the piston orientation? Have you inspected the piston from the exhaust port? I ask as if the saw has seized, the inlet side is often perfect with all the damage being on the exhaust side being the hottest side. When you try starting it, leave the decomp valve out as the extra compression will help. Once the saw is running, it is up to you whether you use it or not. Most issues on this type of equipment are carb related so it is worth taking the carb covers off and checking both voids under the covers are full of fuel.

Good call on cleaning up the cylinder and then fitting a Meteor piston. Also worth looking out for the WTE carb, I used to pay £15-30 for a good secondhand one and was generally well worth the spend.

A friend had a leaky bath and many years after, I was doing a bit of work on their ceiling and the joists under the leak had turned in to something resembling a crunchie chocolate bar. Even if the timber is good I would treat the timbers in something that will kill off any spores otherwise, you may get issues in the future. Your log water content meter will help tell you how dry the wood is. a hammer and screwdriver will prove the hardness of the wood.

I got mine off ebay etc but that was a fair time ago!

Firstly...110psi is shyte ...if correct...170psi is nice so the 110psi cylinder is particularly poor and is unlikely to ever give good performance. On the carb issues, I have had similar with old 026s and after a similar frustrating time, swapped out the carb with the much more reliable WTE-1 carb from the later MS260. Sometimes carbs do get to a point where they just get very unstable on the idle and nothing you do works so getting a used MS260 WTE carb, servicing it and trying it is worth a go. The aftermarket carbs can be anything from a damn good option to something you would throw at someone you don't like.

ADW and Stubby have the whole picture nailed. The only thing I have to add is that I used to lap grind the valve in to stop it leaking if the vacuum/pressure engine test showed a leaking valve. The OEM parts are quality, the aftermarket are poor at best and listen to ADW - they often pop shut too early.

I have done a few of these machines now and gutting the muffler really helps get the best out of them. It isn't a particularly easy job but if you get rid of the very restrictive internal baffles and do the porting and ignition advance, these machines get a bit bonkers. The MS361 is a fine saw, I am servicing one at the moment but am only doing local work now and am busy with other retirement projects. Funny you mention the saw cutting out, the one I have in had the flywheel come loose but now it is running, the idle is a bit up and down so am replacing the accelerator pump in the carb and am pretty sure that is the issue.

If he was using short bursts, the H screw was running rich and turning it off often, you may get away with it. A member by the name of Gardenkit ran a strimmer for a fair while trying to seize it on neat fuel and was amazed how long it lasted, it can happen.

Fuel filter hooked up and out of position in the fuel tank, perished and split fuel line as per stubby, shyte in the carb gauze strainer shifting around, split inlet manifold with the split opening up when the handle is gripped.....what happens if you hold the saw down horizontally and then pull on the handle?

Dan is correct, it is the alignment pin from the clutch cover. It has come out and should be pushed in to the hole in the plastic cover and aligns with the hole marked in Dans pic. Best put it in with a bit of epoxy/loctite etc.

With the 200s I usually find it easier to just pop the oiler off, clean it and check fluid can flow through it, pop out the oil pickup, clean the filter and pipe, flush the tank out and reassemble. One issue I see often is when the pickup pipe is taken out, when it is refitted, it sits on the ledge 1/2 way up the tank and isn't positioned at the bottom of the tank. This generally means that the saw will run out of oil half way through a full tank of fuel but it looks like there is plenty of oil in the tank. You can check for wear by pushing a WD40 nozzle up the pickup side of the pump and then squirting fluid through it. A good pump will let a small amount through but a bad one will allow loads through. A bit of a subjective test but it worked for me.

Some carbs, especially earlier ones, have settings where the L screw does have an effect on the H setting. The old Stihl 020AV and the early 026s were a couple that did. At 1/4 turn on the H screw I would think that you have the low screw far too rich and are compensating for it with the H screw. I have no data on the standard settings for the carb on this saw model but you should set the carb back to standard and then adjust the L screw for a stable idle (you may need to adjust the idle speed screw) and then tach the H screw in. With the CAT removed, you may need a slightly richer mix on the L screw and H screw, 1/4-1/2 but not much more than that.

Strange, Golf pistons are usually not that bad. Not used one for a long time but have in the past and they were generally OK. If the crown to pin dim is +3mm out, it will never work.

You are totally correct as others have confirmed.

Glad it got sorted.