Stihl Question

[earl764]

Hello,

My questions are showing some ignorance on my part, but I suppose I have to start somewhere.

I have a Stihl chainsaw that belonged to my grandfather. I believe it was made during the 1970's since his construction company was at its height then. I haven't been able to find any model numbers on the chainsaw.

Some questions:

1. Does anyone have any idea what model this could be or how to go about finding out?
2. I don't even know if it runs on straight gas or an oil/gas mixture. I didn't want to assume anything and risk damaging something beyond what I assume it needs(I assume the fuel lines are old and dry rotted, etc.) What do these typically run on?
3. Is this even worth working on to get into a working condition? It's sat idle for 20+ years.

Thanks.

 

[StihlHead]

Hmmm, looks like a Stihl 040 chainsaw to me. Maybe an early model 041. The top plate usually had the Stihl model number cast in the metal. It could also be a mid model 041 or 041 AV saw that had a metal name plate attached to the top, and that has come off.

No 2-stroke saw is going to run on straight gas. The 040/041 model Stihls were made to run on 32:1 gas to oil mix using old chainsaw oils. I know people that run these old saws at 40:1 or even 50:1 with the new synthetic oils. I run my newer saws at about 45:1 myself.

As for fixing it, I sold all my Stihl AV saws because dealers no longer stock parts for them around here. You can get a lot of the parts on Ebay, but they are not always available. The earlier 040 had points, and the later 041 AV Electronic model has an electronic ignition module. The old coils in the electronic ignition module ones often times will fail when they are run for a while, and the saws can stall out on you. They are about $100 to replace. If you want a project it might be cool to see if you can get it running. The carb seals are likely shot, the oil and has lines are also likely shot, and if it has an impulse line (some of these did, some did not) that will most certainly be shot. The AV buffers are also probably shot if it is an AV model. Time fail components. The 040 had rod needle bearings that were a problem as well, if I recall right. They changed them on the 041.

 

[MasterMech]

It certainly does look like an 040/041 to me too. If there is no model number cast into the top of the saw, then it's most likely an 041. You could start a conversation with member Scotty Overkill as he is a big fan of these saws and has several. I'm sure he will chime in once he sees this thread anyways.

BTW: I'm not aware of any chainsaws produced that do not run on a oil/gas mix. This model you have will run fine on any modern 2 stroke oil mixed according to the directions on the package.