spudulike

Painting them will kill the re-sale value - just grind in your post code in to the crankcase and rear handle - seen this a few times and is a good way of ensuring security. Spud

have PMd Chris and hopefully given him some ideas of what he needs to do. Spud

You need to remove the aluminium transfer with acid and then lightly hone the bore with 400 grit emery, then fit a new piston. As long as the plated bor is in good condition above the exhaust port, you should be able to get a good long term repair. Spud

Sounds like you may be lucky - in future it is best to etch any aluminium transfer off the bore using acid Spud

There is good and bad on ebay, I have had good ones and some that are one step away from the bin, usual problems are scored pistons, bent or worn bars, very worn sprockets and generally poor dirty condition. I personally paint the bars on my saws for sale but they get thoroughly cleaned, dressed and the rails closed if splayed and then sprayed. If a low budget saw goes out with a bar that has seen better days then I always state this. Some will just spray the bar with no work being done on it - even had one where someone sprayed it on the saw:thumbdown: You pays your money and takes a chance, some people are less honest than myself. Spud

Almost all 1980 onwards cylinders will be plated with Chrome and laterly Nikasil. The one exception is Poulan that had a straight aluminium bore and plated their pistons - weird. Some old 60s saws had cast liners as used in some four strokes but your stihl will be plated - not sure where the 3mm liner idea comes from but I have never seen or heard of liners being used - re-plating a cylinder is possible but the cost is prohibitive. The bore and piston should be 42mm and you should not be able to see aluminium showing through the bore - if it has been honed with a fourstroke hone then it is probably scrap as the chrome will have been ground off. You can test this with acid - you should not see fizzing, or use a sharp edge and seee if you can scratch the bore, the chrome will not scratch, aluminium will. Mahle means that the piston is original OEM as is the cylinder. Not sure how you cleaned it up, there is a tried and tested way and a hone doesn't come in to it! I have salvaged more cylinders than most people have had hot dinners:thumbup: Spud

The reply from accross the water: - "The 024 came with four different pistons, two of which were single ring. One was a full-circle piston like the Husky 266, one was a narrow-skirt piston like the modern 260. " Now we all know Spud

That piston looks like it may have transfered aluminium on to the cylinder. Be sure to get rid of this as it will cause some damage to the new piston. Back to my original question - is the piston manufactured by "Mahle"? it will have the name moulded in to the underside of the piston! Single rings will have less drag and produce more power but transfer less heat and not have as high compression when the ring wears. The saws IPL states two rings - this is mighty strange - will ask the fellas over the pond for an opinion! Spud

Strange the Stihl has a single ring piston - it may be a non OEM one, does it have "Mahle" on the inside as they manufacture most of the OEM pistons for Stihl, Jonsered and Husqvarna? I have looked at the IPL and it has a two ring piston as standard! How did you clean the bore, the aluminium cylinder has a chrome or Nikasil plated bore so honing as per a four stroke engine is a big no no! I would fit the two ring piston, ensure the location pins run where there is no port and solid cylinder wall. Apart from that the job should be a good one - the arrow on the piston crown points to the exhaust port! Spud

Get a decent local bookkeeper, they will collate all your earnings and expenditure, reconcile the lot at a lower price than an accountant and then they will submit your tax return. Accountants will charge you a fair bit but a bookkeeper will do pretty much the same job. You can claim back for any expenditure that you have to spend out on: - Your business will generate turnover (money in), of this, you will have spent money out on training, tools, van, equipment, fuel, storage at a yard/house - these are EXPENSES. Your Profit (earnings) is TURNOVER minus EXPENSES and that is what you pay tax on. The more expenses you can allocate to running the business, the less tax you will pay - get it?? What I am saying is expense everything you possibly can including the bookkeeper! Spud

I would forget the law and go round to the neighbour and offer to help him cut it to an agreed height, this sort of issue can blow out of all sort of proportion and end up in legally expensive cases - we moved because of a neighbour dispute. If you can, do it amicably as the only winner in arguments are the lawyers! This is the UK site that I gained much knowledge from - Garden Law - Trees and Roots 2m seems the legal height, the one round our garden is around 15' or around 4m but cut it regularly and it affords good privacy - no complaints in 6 years and would not appreciate neighbours shouting the odds but would be more receptive to a reasonable request and an invitation round to see someone elses land and point of view. If all else fails - set it on fire.......only joking:laugh1: Spud

My Wifes a bookeeper, does the books for a couple of local businesses - she uses Sage and it seems the weapon of choice for small companies - don't think it is for people that havent kept proper books though:confused1: Spud

What is the saw, ebay is a minefield of saws with an array of problems that, unless you have the correct kit and experience, you will have problems to get working. If I am servicing saws, I always ensure the repair bill fits in with the value of the saw. Who is going to pay £100 to sercice a B&Q special? If the saw is half decent and you want me to give it a good going over, courier it down and I will have it on the bench and then in the wood and back - £10 delivery back to youand will advise cost of repair and it won't be £49 p/Hr I do this for a hobby and the only saw that I haven't fixed had been submerged in water and left in a shed for a month or two - corrosion in the bore but it did run for a few seconds! Choice is yours Spud

Heres one of mine Spud

Yup - the buyer will probably leave good feedback and not realise he has been done until he tries to get spares or tries to workout the model number. Caveat Emptor - buyer beware! Gives us honest traders a bad name! Spud

Sounds like Ama are better than the Chinese saws I have come accross, I guess you have to take the majority vote on this one and it seems positive. Being a chainsaw doctor, I still favour Husqvarna, Stihl and Jonsered just through build quality and construction - not seen any of these Italian ones yet. Spud

Ama also do a normal rear handle saw of 52cc which I think (not 100%) come from the Zomax factory in China.China Chainsaw. Taizhou Manufacturer, Exporter I picked up a couple of these 52cc saws. On first impression, I thought - "Not bad" a bit like a Husky, after fixing the AV mounts and getting the saw running again, the pull cord snapped, I then had to fix this and noticed the pulley had cracked, I never managed to get the chainbrake to work properly, all parts new but the thing didn't stop dead! This was a two year old saw in clean condition. I was also working on a 30 year old Jonsered at the same time - I had nothing but respect for a saw that would do another 10-15 years. The dirt rolled off it and it ended up looking and working really well. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYGe0WL24Y4]YouTube - Jonsered 621[/ame] There is your difference, these Chinese saws look good but work for a couple of years tops or less in the hands of a professional and are not reliable. Husky Jonsered and Stihls will do good service year after year and not let you down. I am not a climber but how would you like to have your pull cord break at 60' on a nearly new saw......Do yourself a favour and buy a MS200T/020T/335XPT etc. One of the guys mentioned my name - I have a number of Stihls for sale - full photographic records of their service, pressure check and piston check etc. PM me if you are interested - I ain't cheap but you will get a saw that will NOT let you down! You pays your money, you takes your chances:confused1: Spud

Final count on the sale of the fake Stihl, £212.....thats right £212, when I sold a saw from the same factory but not a fake I got £36. Ebay have done nothing, I have again complained, I feel sorry for the guy that purchased it, you can say that they should be a bit smarter but the seller is a crook and he didn't withdraw the sale when I mailed him. I work damn hard to get a saw ready for ebay and up to scratch - £212, what a bummer. Spud

They are tough little saws, gemerally I remove a couple of mugs full of crap out of each saw - had one that the previous owner said was overheating - looked like a mixture of bar oil and sawdust had been pushed between the cooling fins and then baked on. It cleaned up really nice and the new owner was that happy he asked me to look out an MS260 for him! The sprockets are generally buggered and the clutch cases have a tendency to get bashed just behind the exhaust. Carbs are an achillese heel on these saws but been lucky and all mine have been real good on reassembly. Spud

Probably just sellers outing stock at a premium time - I myself have two MS200Ts and an 020T that I have totally rebuilt, pressure checked, cleaned and reassembled ready for the bay and a further two 020Ts and an MS200T to be done. If anyone wants one, I am your man - I am doing photos of the rebuilds so you know what you are getting! Probably too good for ebay - just waiting for new sprockets from Gustharts to arrive! £250 - £300 seems to be the going rate - probably down to the licencing laws and I am not talking about the resale of alcoholic beverages:laugh1: Spud

You could always start your own business doing general ground clearance and pruning - man in a van. Depends on what you want. Looks like doing the labouring may be the way in, always better to get round and personally introduce yourself, may strike lucky - offer to do a week at half rate as a work out etc. Good luck and hope you get something Spud

I have mailed the guy now - no response, it is the old case of "selling for a friend" = I got done and now you are about to be as well. " I put it in my shed and now it won't start" = that famous shed of seizure, good saws go in and they seize before they are taken out. "it did run a few months ago" = I lent it to a friend and the numpty put the two stroke oil in the bar oil tank and neat petrol in the fuel/oil tank. "I cant seem to get it started - the compression is good" = the piston looks like a slab of cheese that has had a grater slid across it a few times! I have seen it all - all my listings get the works - pictures, video and full detailed description! Anyone want a saw - PM me Spud

I have reported it to Ebay as I have done many times before - hope they stop the listing! Caveat emptor!! Spud

Never new Zomax made Stihls:laugh1: Spud