Thread: Where to Start with a dead 026

I have a 026 that was given to me a couple of years ago. He had it rebuilt and said it never worked well since he had it worked on. Said it stopped running so he went to a Husky because he was unhappy with the local Stihl dealer.

I am not real mechanical but can do about anything if I set my mind to it. I got a 026 IPL so I could start taking it apart. I was going to rebuild it but am wondering if I need to go to all that trouble. Any advice on where to start.

Originally Posted by dpt

I have a 026 that was given to me a couple of years ago. He had it rebuilt and said it never worked well since he had it worked on. Said it stopped running so he went to a Husky because he was unhappy with the local Stihl dealer.

I am not real mechanical but can do about anything if I set my mind to it. I got a 026 IPL so I could start taking it apart. I was going to rebuild it but am wondering if I need to go to all that trouble. Any advice on where to start.

1) take off the exhaust, is the piston scored?

2) Got spark?

3) Air leaks, impulse hose , fuel hose, carb inlet, crank seals

That's a start.........

First, take off the muffler and look at the piston, let us know.

Just remember you need three things to make an engine run. Fuel,Compression and Spark. First thing I would do is have my wife hold sparkplug wire and pull rope real hard. If she screams I know there is good spark. Next I would check to see its getting fuel,pull rope with plug in,if nothing dribble a small amount of premix into throat of carb and pull again. If it starts then quits its a fuel delivery prob. Lastly like Fishie said pull muffler and see if piston is scored or damaged. If you dont have a compression tester this is the only way you can even guess compression. After all that let us know what you find.