044 build

[NZsawyer]

Alright finally getting around to fixing the old girl up. The clutch side crank bearing crapped and and wiped out the seal and ended up with a lil lean situation which my p&c didn't like. It's been sitting in a box for the last few months since I got my 461 but I figure it's about time I had a crack at fixing it up. Will be my first time going this deep in a saw so sorry in advance for noob questions. More pics to come

 

[traffic903]

They are a great, great saw mate. I've got two of them. Had planned on selling one but I just can't bring myself to do it! My second one was a full build once I had sourced parts. They both have some mods and cut great. Look forward to your build.

 

[NZsawyer]

Yeah man was a bloody good saw while it was going, cut a lot of wood. Hence the reason for fixing it. Going to hold onto as it was my first saw too. So far I've got a new piston and rings and I've tidied up the jug. Just wondering if it's worth going oem for bearings and seals or if anyone's had experience with am ones?

 

[dustinwilt68]

I always try and go OEM when possible, mama always said "you get what you pay for". Not worth the risk of burning up another top end to me. Best of luck.

 

[Adirondackstihl]

Just wondering if it's worth going oem for bearings and seals or if anyone's had experience with am ones?

I wouldn’t use anything but OEM, particularly the seals. You can save a few bucks on the FW side bearing if you feel necessary, but I wouldn’t buy anything except OEM on the PTO side.
Most bearing houses will stock an SKF, Fafnir, slacker or NTN for your FW side.

 

[J_M____]

I think the flywheel side use a stock off the shelf bearing (6202?) you can get good quality Japanese ones on eBay for $5, the pto side needs a special one. Maybe get that one from stihl. The AM seals seem ok but you can get a case gasket with seals from stihl for pretty cheap.

 

[traffic903]

Yeah go OEM. If you are planning on doing her up to keep then a few bucks more (well maybe a bit more than a few!) won't hurt.

 

[NZsawyer]

Cheers guys I'd rather do it right first time so oem it will be! Also on the list is a new muffler as the old one is cracked from from where it meets the gasket to almost where the muffler splits in half. Any tips on splitting the cases? Is a special tool really needed? Or have you guys got some tricks up your sleeves

 

[dustinwilt68]

HL supply sells a good case splitter, it's the same as the Husqvarna tool design. Sells for around 80.00 I think, great tool, works on lots of common models of various brands.

 

[NZsawyer]

Is that $80 usd? Prices here in NZ aren't too friendly for chainsaw related things

 

[dustinwilt68]

Yes I believe so, check your eBay there, I believe they are listed there as well, you might find a cheaper option made near you

 

[traffic903]

Mate if you have some time and some tools you can make one. This one I made cost me about $10.
They work extremely well. But you can split the case with only a heat gun and a mallet too.

 

[drf256]

Is that $80 usd? Prices here in NZ aren't too friendly for chainsaw related things

You don’t need a Splitter for one saw.

There are 2 pins to drive out, besides the case bolts. One in front and one in the webbing by the crankshaft. If you look at your new case gasket, you’ll see where the pins and bolts are.

Tap the pins towards the fly side. Remove all bolts. Put case on grill or in oven at 350 for 30 min. Pull out with heavy gloves and wack crank gently with brass or nylon hammer. The case will literally fall apart. Tap crank out of both sides of case. Usually, the bearings will stay on the crank. You’ll need a puller to get them off. A 2 jaw or dedicated bearing puller will work.

As for seals and gasket, OEM every time.

The bearings. The Fly side is standard 6202, no need to buy from Stihl. The PTO is another story.

Stihl doesn’t make bearings, and neither do many of the AM sources. They are outsourced. If you can figure out the brand of the bearing and it’s a good one, use it.

 

[traffic903]

Was just thinking.........if you have a Husky dealer near you, why not strip the saw down completely to the case splitting stage, then take it to the dealer and ask them if you can "borrow" the tool for 2 minutes and do it right there and then. Of course this is assuming that you have a dealer nearby AND they are good about that proposal.

P.S. I said Husky dealer because this is a Husqvarna tool. Stihl do it differently and it takes longer. It is 2 minutes at the most with this tool.

 

[BuckthornBonnie]

Have any of you guys had failures with aftermarket seals?

 

[traffic903]

I haven't, but I also can't put anywhere near the same time on my saws as some of the guys here. I bet there have been failures!

 

[drf256]

Have any of you guys had failures with aftermarket seals?

Ive had a new oem fail.

Theyre so cheap and come in the gasket set, i juat go oem.

 

[BuckthornBonnie]

Ive had a new oem fail.

Theyre so cheap and come in the gasket set, i juat go oem.

Yea, if I do bottom ends then I’ll usually go oem. I have used quite a few aftermarket seals with good luck so far. Time will tell, though.

 

[jacob j.]

I'm running aftermarket seals in my 046, that I rebuilt four years ago and they're doing fine. As long as a guy is running good quality oil mixed correctly, the aftermarket seals do fine and give a good service life.

As Randy has pointed out in other threads- those yellowish, thick aftermarket case gaskets are crap. The thin black paper ones are ok. Even an OEM case gasket now I still fortify with Yamabond.

This is because a lot of modern saws have a long, thin run in the case under the muffler and many larger saws have failures in the gasket there (particularly 084s, 385s, and 064s).

As Al mentioned, any decent brand of 6202 bearing with the right clearance is fine on the flywheel side.

 

[Adamski]

slacker 6202’s C3 clearance are what Stihl used in a few OEM 044’s I have had apart. For what it’s worth [emoji3]