STIHL 034 Kicks like Mule

[johndrew98]

I have a Stihl 034 or 036 . The S/N is 114994544 but no one can tell me what it is. It has 036 on the starting rope mechanism and 034 AV on the top cover. I looked up the part number on the brake and it shows 034 or 036. It ran good yesterday but had a problem getting it started. The compression was like a mule kick. I took out the sparkplug and put Seafoam in the sparkplug hole and pull a few times and tried again and started and cut up a tree. Today it's the mule kick again Only turns about one stroke of the piston When I pull the sparkplug it pulls easy. I took off the muffler and the piston sides looks very smooth...except there is a film on top of the cylinder about the thicknss of a piece of paper. I can lift it with a pencil about 1/8 high as far as I tried. The top of Piston from the carburetor side shows some carbon build up. ( not shinny but even) Question first does anyone know which saw it is from the S/N?. 2. How do I get it to pull without the mule kick? I don't see any decompression valve and never needed it before last week.

 

[Armbru84]

Pics of piston etc?

 

[X 66 stang347 X]

I think most 034's had a spacer behind the muffler

 

[Wonkydonkey]

The only real way to find out what it’s and maybe the problem. Is to take the the cover off/ and then maybe cylinder. look and compare the to the pics in the 036 thread. Or what ever it’s called (I will add link later)
You may have a mix and match saw. Hybrid!
You may have a timing advance, along with a mixture of unburnt fuel/oil giving a kick as it compresses.
Or you may be getting wimsey in age


Edit, linky for ID. Let us know if it helps or not.. it’s just a step in a better direction to finding the answer
http://opeforum.com/threads/stihl-1125-034-034s-036-360-cylinder-saw-id.8585/

 

[Wonkydonkey]

Just a suggestion here. Leaky carb/over fueling = more fuel = more fuel in cylinder = kickback..

Maybe a simple test, take plug out pull over first and then put plug back in and try to start..

 

[Simondo]

To add to what has been mentioned and as a elimination check.....Being a older group saw the 034-36 will have a fixed advance degree built into the coil so can kick back easier than modern saws and more so if the saw is not pulled over real smartly at cold start. I think the ignition coil position and flywheel position would be worth checking over as if one or both are out can increase this situation .

 

[Al Smith]

I could use the example of "Stihl boy " pulling my modified 038 mag over slowly with the ignition hot .Damned near tore his arm off .Some Stihl coils are hot at relatively low cranking speeds and that was one of them.Then too it had a D-handle which should have told him something .Pull that puppy over like a boss .I should not have scolded him ,just didn't want him to hurt himself .BTW I had an 084 come back at me and I could predict the weather for about 2 years over that one .----Just saying ---

 

[Nutball]

I think it has something to do with the fuel air mix that the engine sees at startup. I don't know the exact cause, but it seems to happen with a somewhat rich mixture that isn't too rich. Sometimes they do it when they are coming out of a flooded condition after the choke is opened during starting. Still, it is rare, but common to a particular saw when it happens, so something obviously changes. My wood splitter did it for a while. I had to use as little choke as possible when starting it, enough to get fuel to it, but not too much fuel or it would kick on every single pull. Not long after it got hard to start from an oversized plug gap, so maybe try a new plug? Maybe an oversized gap delays the spark almost a full turn, or somehow advances it??

 

[Deets066]

Check the flywheel key

 

[qurotro]

Maybe get another coil too. Those are easy to get.

 

[Stump Shot]

I have a Stihl 034 or 036 . The S/N is 114994544 but no one can tell me what it is. It has 036 on the starting rope mechanism and 034 AV on the top cover. I looked up the part number on the brake and it shows 034 or 036. It ran good yesterday but had a problem getting it started. The compression was like a mule kick. I took out the sparkplug and put Seafoam in the sparkplug hole and pull a few times and tried again and started and cut up a tree. Today it's the mule kick again Only turns about one stroke of the piston When I pull the sparkplug it pulls easy. I took off the muffler and the piston sides looks very smooth...except there is a film on top of the cylinder about the thicknss of a piece of paper. I can lift it with a pencil about 1/8 high as far as I tried. The top of Piston from the carburetor side shows some carbon build up. ( not shinny but even) Question first does anyone know which saw it is from the S/N?. 2. How do I get it to pull without the mule kick? I don't see any decompression valve and never needed it before last week.

I think most 034's had a spacer behind the muffler

As far as I can recall, the 036 and MS360 have decompression valves in them.

 

[Al Smith]

On that when I used an 036 cylinder on an 034 that cylinder did not have a decomp which is not to say they all were like that .

 

[X 66 stang347 X]

I could use the example of "Stihl boy " pulling my modified 038 mag over slowly with the ignition hot .Damned near tore his arm off .Some Stihl coils are hot at relatively low cranking speeds and that was one of them.Then too it had a D-handle which should have told him something .Pull that puppy over like a boss .I should not have scolded him ,just didn't want him to hurt himself .BTW I had an 084 come back at me and I could predict the weather for about 2 years over that one .----Just saying ---

You got that right! When showing someone the compression slowly on my 046 it’ll hit off, I have to turn the switch off first.

 

[CR888]

I'd retard the timing until it disapeared. Just a little at a time...no need to go full retard! But I think the op has vanished into thin air.

 

[Al Smith]

I'm far from an expert on Stihl ignitions but I do know the 042 and 048 had self advancing coils. Weather any others did or not I have no idea .Two instances ,one of my 042's would not advance and never hit RPM's .A Briggs engine ,Magnetron ignition would stick on full advance and literally make the starter smoke .

 

[Creaky limb tree care]

My 034 was the same, using it day in, day out it was causing me lots of arm/hand pain on starting. I solved the problem by fitting an elastostart pullcord and handle. They never lasted more than a few months but it stopped the pull handle snatching out of the hand and the resulting pain shooting up my arm on startup!

 

[Al Smith]

I'm only guessing on this based on some facts The voltage generated by a magneto is dependent on three things basically .Strength of the magnets,rotational speed and air gap of the coil .If the trigger is getting set too soon it might be possible to increase the air gap a little bit . It will either work or it won't .