026 Pro modified airfilter & muffler mod

[bikemike]

The intake boot is ribbed and I think they do puddle up. I'm not concerned about how it runs cause it is a great Lil saw and screams and is very light

You would think there would be much more mentioned about this situation! Rich /fuel puddling bogging is one thing ,but this seems not to be always what is going on .

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

I have one that idles differently if tilted or if the brake is applied. It almost stalls when I engage the brake.

And excellent runner with no vac leak or other issues. Walbro 194

Bad clutch springs? Dry clutch bearing? Does the chain spin? I've found if it changes idle from side to side it's usually an oil seal.

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

So here's a question and idea. Any body actually reseal these things? Crank seals and head gasket and impulse hose. Then replaced the fuel line and rebuilt the carb. Did you still have the idle issues?

 

[bikemike]

So here's a question and idea. Any body actually reseal these things? Crank seals and head gasket and impulse hose. Then replaced the fuel line and rebuilt the carb. Did you still have the idle issues?

I did all new seals, gaskets, impulse, and base gasket, still does run great. Tough to start cold cause choke flap don't seal shut but I'm not worried but that

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

I did all new seals, gaskets, impulse, and base gasket, still does run great. Tough to start cold cause choke flap don't seal shut but I'm not worried but that

Idle good weather on the ground or not? Starting has always been fun with those. haha

 

[Simondo]

So here's a question and idea. Any body actually reseal these things? Crank seals and head gasket and impulse hose. Then replaced the fuel line and rebuilt the carb. Did you still have the idle issues?

Not a full on rebuild with one or two ...everything but a case split and seals...sorted out the carb issue but the vac/pressure was spot on.
The 024 i mentioned was so new and unused i figured it was a good example for a datum. It still had the tendency to slow up a bit when put on the floor and then elevate when picked up so i figured it could be a family trait. Setting at 3000 rpm seems to be about ok when i was holding the saw and it idled around 2600 -2700 when on the ground . As long as the saws don't stall out when left idling and dont drag the clutch then its as good as i get in general. Its just a bit frustrating the amount of fluctuation that you can get ..sometimes ..on a perfectly good runner.

 

[drf256]

So here's a question and idea. Any body actually reseal these things? Crank seals and head gasket and impulse hose. Then replaced the fuel line and rebuilt the carb. Did you still have the idle issues?

I've redone seals on one. That one had a bad idle all over the place and it was the flywheel side.

I find that these saws have a worse idle issue when you advance the timing. Some can handle it and some cannot. I am not sure why it varies. This issue alone is more common on 024/26. I don't find it with MS260's. I believe it has to do with the coil. But all of my saws are ported.

At least in my case, I have to richen the idle up for normal response and normal returning to idle from WOT. Then it responds normally, but if I let it idle for more than 30 seconds, it will slow down just a bit and then stall if I don't feather the throttle a bit. I believe it loads up and puddles fuel.

It drove me nuts, but it's really not that big of a deal in real life. I prefer the standard oiler, and letting it idle for long periods just wastes bar oil.

 

[Duane(Pa)]

I can stall mine out by just holding it in thin air and lifting quickly on the rear handle in a nose down pivoting motion. My theory is that I am throwing a slug of liquid fuel out of a pleat in the intake bellows straight into the engine. These saws remind me of women: the lighter ones have some issues that the fat ones don't have.....

 

[bikemike]

The smaller the engine the fussier they are. A Lil temp change or humidity change and they run way different as where bigger engines are a bit more forgiving to Lil changes

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

I wonder if JD at stihl tech would have an answer. haha I have to wonder if it's the design of the intake boot causing fuel to puddle or if it's the timing like mentioned. I really hate major idle fluctuation and I don't want customer's coming back with these things complaining about it. Cause I know my boss's will try and tell me I missed something rather than listen to reason that the saw just has those issues.

 

[TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic]

The smaller the engine the fussier they are. A Lil temp change or humidity change and they run way different as where bigger engines are a bit more forgiving to Lil changes

No kidding! I had an MS201 that had the tiniest pin hole in the impulse hose that you could imagine! Ran like crap! 044 probably wouldn't even notice it. lol

 

[Simondo]

I wonder if JD at stihl tech would have an answer. haha I have to wonder if it's the design of the intake boot causing fuel to puddle or if it's the timing like mentioned. I really hate major idle fluctuation and I don't want customer's coming back with these things complaining about it. Cause I know my boss's will try and tell me I missed something rather than listen to reason that the saw just has those issues.

Thats exactly where Im coming from with this situation....its one thing to have these saws yourself and live with the slight "Flakey" thing about them , but totally different with a customer saw. !

 

[Wood Doctor]

This is a great thread. Yes, I need an 046 and yes I use my 361 a lot. But, my 026 PRO probably cuts 60% of all my firewood. It's just plain light, powerful for its size, always starts, and too easy to pick up. I own two and split the workload between them. Blindfolded, I can't tell them apart.

 

[Terry Syd]

I had the problem with flaky idle when putting a 029/390 on the ground. I found it was the 7-ball main bearings being a bit sloppy. I replaced them with new 8-ball bearings (and seals) and the problem went away.

When the saw was in my hands, my hands helped to absorb the vibration. However, with the saw on the ground the crank vibrations couldn't be absorbed as well and it would pick up an air leak past the seals.

 

[MustangMike]

Al, the 026 you ported for me got a great workout today. Had to cut down 2 White Pine and a Spruce, and the 362 and 026 did all the work!

Since I run 40:1 (not 32:1) I felt the saw needed a bit of adjustment (and maybe you set it a bit rich), so I went about 1/16 lean on both the Hi & Lo, and it seemed to really like it. The idle had been getting a bit rough.

I don't cut evergreen very often, but my Step Son (in New Rochelle) needed them removed, so it was done. Really nice to have that light saw for that limbing, and both saws went through that stuff like it was paper mache!

FYI, the Fiskars X27 split the Pine just fine, but it would not touch that wet Spruce! Those rounds just absorbed it, so I had to nooodle it as I did not have the Hydro with me. The 362 got that task as the 16" bar would not reach through them. I generally cut rounds about 18", so the 20" bar was barely making it through.

The 026 was cutting so nice that when I was cutting some of the larger branches to length, I just waved the saw back & forth cutting a length in each direction, the saw didn't even slow down! Really sped things up! He has an out door fire pit that will consume the wood.

 

[drf256]

I'm glad it's running well Mike. I usually leave my saws a bit fat on purpose.

It sounds like it's finally broken in. On a cool morning when it's not too humid, you should take a compression reading. Don't tighten that spark plug too much. It has "that feel" like it may strip with too much torque.

I'm glad your not limbing with an 044 anymore. Must feel a bit better with the 26?

 

[MustangMike]

It is getting a lot of use Al! Great running little saw.

 

[Wood Doctor]

It is getting a lot of use Al! Great running little saw.

Now you know why I took a non-running 024 AV and upgraded it to a running 026:

It doesn't have quite the power as the 026 PRO but it also weighs a few ounces less. These smaller saws grow on you, especially since Stihl now wants $400 to $600 for the same thing when new.

 

[MustangMike]

Did you put an 026 flywheel on yours?

Mine was an 024 S converted.

Did you put a new crank in it? Was the case the same?

 

[Wood Doctor]

Did you put an 026 flywheel on yours?

Mine was an 024 S converted.

Did you put a new crank in it? Was the case the same?

All I did was replace the top end, the carb, new plastic, and the air filter. The shroud was designed for the 026 PRO, so I had to plug the hole in the plastic for the decomp valve and carve the shroud a tad here and there so that it locked in OK. That worked. Total cost was about $70 as I recall. Most of that was the top end. Oh, and I added the outer bumper spike, grinding the points to line up with the inner spike: