Stihl 026 Chainsaw hard to crank - retrofit compression relief valve?

[PStechPaul]

I may have jumped too quickly to get the cheap kits, but they should be good enough, and I'll keep the originals in case of problems. An OEM MAHLE cylinder and piston kit is about $200 and just the gaskets are about $25 for OEM. I've generally had pretty good luck with "cheap import stuff", so we'll see how this works out. I usually wind up with messed up gas powered equipment due to poor maintenance and neglect, but I hope to do better with this. That's one reason I like electric versions - simpler and low maintenance.

[lakeside53]

The stihl gasket kit contains both the shaft seals as well as all gaskets. For what you are going you just need the cylinder base gasket.

[PStechPaul]

Well, the parts have been ordered and will probably arrive by the weekend. So I can take a good look at them and compare to the old parts after I clean them. I don't know quite how to evaluate them, except by close examination and trying to fit the piston and rings into the cylinder. I don't really want to spend a great deal of time on this, but I do want to do it right. I may try one of the solvents mentioned in my previous post, but mostly I suppose I'll use something like Scotch-brite to remove the carbon. I'm not sure I want to get into replacing the shaft seals, unless there is evidence of leakage. I assume that for a 2-cycle engine they are mostly to control air leakage Is there a simple test to determine that?

[Jon Heron]

I assume that for a 2-cycle engine they are mostly to control air leakage Is there a simple test to determine that?

Jon

[PStechPaul]

Got the cylinder and piston kit in the mail today. Three days! Everything looks pretty good. Seems to be cast aluminum but is a little heavier than I expected. Perhaps Chinesium?

[PStechPaul]

Got the carburetor kit today, all the way from Chino, CA, via USPS First Class mail.




Now I gotta get busy cleaning up the saw and re-assembling with new parts. Maybe I'll try to do a leak test on the crankcase, although I don't have the equipment shown in the video. I do have an old engine compression tester, and also a manifold vacuum tester somewhere.