026 STIHL QUESTIONS

[spin 701]

I have a 026 stihl which has the screw caps for oil and gas,it was made in virginia beach,its kinda confusing,because it was made in virginia beach,and not in germany,one would assume its a newer saw,but,on the other hand,it DOES have the screw oil and gas caps,,,,can anyone give me some guidance? now for my main problem,this saw cranks like a bull,its so hard to crank,especially when cold,i was told i could add a compression release on it,that some of them had a plug on the top of the cylinder which can be removed to accept a compression release,when i removed the covers,i found a black rubber nodule,directly across from the stud which fastens the top shroud on,i did not try to remove the rubber piece,to see what is underneath it,is it possible that that is where i can install a compression release,id really appreciate the input,coz,this thing cranks so much harder than my 440magnum,,,,,,thanks in advance

 

[stihl_head1982]

I can't comment on the country of origin, versus your fuel/oil caps. I actually like the screw in caps better. You really don't need a compression release on a 50cc saw unless perhaps you are dealing with some type of injury that makes starting the saw difficult. The rubber bumper underneath the cover is not a plug for a comp release. It is the bumper the top cover balances on -- on that side of the cylinder. Don't remove it -- it is fine and there is no plug underneath, just a small stud for it to mount on.

It's probably time to go over the saw and tune it up. Before you do so take a T27 torx and remove the front cover of the muffler. Look through the exhaust port and examine the piston condition. Make sure it is not scored. You can post a picture here of it by using the "upload file" button in the bottom right of the box you typed your message in. Furthermore, I'd begin with replacing the plug and fuel filter. It is possible the carb has some junk in it as well. It's really not that difficult to rebuild a carb. There are plenty of great guys here that can also help walk you through this. The rebuild kit can usually be purchased at your local dealer and you can get them on line once you get the number off the side of your carb. Dump any old fuel out and replace with a fresh mix of non ethanol fuel with a high quality 2 cycle synthetic oil. Check your air filter as well -- if this has the old style filter that could be the source of your hard start. The choke flap for these saws is inside the filter mechanism. At times the spring may come off or get weak and therefore the choke function does not work well. Begin with these things then post back your progress. Does it look like the saw has a lot of hours of use on it?

 

[spin 701]

no,the saw is in exceptionally nice shape,this is a compression related problem,at least i think so,when its running,it runs just great,i once took it to a guy to have some work done on it,and he called me,telling me the saw was seized up,,,turns out that its just due to its extremely high compression "feel"

 

[Deets066]

Check your flywheel to make sure the key is in place and flywheel is tight.

 

[deye223]

Do a compression test and let us know how many PSI it blows

 

[trooney]

Might be too rich flooding the cylinder. Too much fuel in the cylinder will make it extremely harder to pull. I'd put the H&L back to 1 and 1 and tune from there.. Take out the spark plug, turn her over, and pull it a couple of times. If it eases up you got too much fuel in the cylinder. As was said before, 50cc should not be that hard to pull over. If that dont do it, you've got another problem. Start with the easy stuff first.

 

[Boomhower]

Might be too rich flooding the cylinder. Too much fuel in the cylinder will make it extremely harder to pull. I'd put the H&L back to 1 and 1 and tune from there.. Take out the spark plug, turn her over, and pull it a couple of times. If it eases up you got too much fuel in the cylinder. As was said before, 50cc should not be that hard to pull over. If that dont do it, you've got another problem. Start with the easy stuff first.

Had similar thing happen to mine. Cylinder would be full of fuel and hydrolock just from setting for a few days. I went through the whole thing because the saw is 20 plus years old, replaced the fuel line, impulse line, crank seals and carb. Carb was the culprit though.

 

[Wonkydonkey]

If the saw has had the timing advanced a bit to much, it can make it bite if your not ready for it when starting it, my 036 can do this with the 30thou advance

There could be other reasons why you find it hard to pull over and start, but as others say you should need a decomp ... you just need to check a few things and eliminate each of them.

 

[drf256]

The 026 was made in Virginia beach, never seen one made in Germany myself. The 024/024S were German saws.

The 026 pro (later saw) & 260 Pro had the decomp valves. The 260’s came in non-pro with a plug in the top cover, the cylinders had the cast boss for the decomp, but weren’t machined or drilled for the valve. I’ve never seen one drilled and plugged from the factory.

Pull your muffler and look at piston. Also, like Deets said, pull flywheel and check key-someone may have advanced it or it sheared.

As said above, a 50cc saw shouldn’t need a decomp. It can be nice if your in an odd position to have one though. Your saw should be pushing around 160psi stock. The ported ones I do are 240-260 psi with a timing advance and still don’t need a decomp. Something is probably wrong with yours.

 

[spin 701]

thanks everyone so very much for your valued advice,,,,,what is involved with checking the keyway? i did remove the rope starter and didnt see a keyway in the flywheel,,,,guess i should have removed the nut and washer,,,,,if the timing was off,or,the piston scared,would the saw still run so well,when it is started? i put a 3/8 bar and sprocket on it,and,i run the most aggresive chisel chain on it,and,it handles it well,,,,,for a small saw,it has lots of power,,,,just stubborn to turn over,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Deets066]

thanks everyone so very much for your valued advice,,,,,what is involved with checking the keyway? i did remove the rope starter and didnt see a keyway in the flywheel,,,,guess i should have removed the nut and washer,,,,,if the timing was off,or,the piston scared,would the saw still run so well,when it is started? i put a 3/8 bar and sprocket on it,and,i run the most aggresive chisel chain on it,and,it handles it well,,,,,for a small saw,it has lots of power,,,,just stubborn to turn over,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yes, take the nut off the flywheel.

you will need a piston stop, do not use anything metal. Take the spark plug out and put some starter rope in the cylinder so the piston contacts the rope and won’t be able to turn over.