Took the Stihl 034av & Sachs Dolmar 116si out for spin today

[JustinM]

As others have said, dial the 034 back & it will run much better. I think my 4620 would have cut at the same speed as your 034 running so rich!

I have not ever run a 116 so I cant give any advice there, but I will tell you that my 036 (basically the same saw as an 034 super) is nearly on par with my 262 since the muffler mod & adjustments. My 034S is still stock & noticeably slower - but certainly nowhere near as slow as the one in your video!

 

[nmurph]

As others have said, dial the 034 back & it will run much better. I think my 4620 would have cut at the same speed as your 034 running so rich!

I have not ever run a 116 so I cant give any advice there, but I will tell you that my 036 (basically the same saw as an 034 super) is nearly on par with my 262 since the muffler mod & adjustments. My 034S is still stock & noticeably slower - but certainly nowhere near as slow as the one in your video!

no surprise here as they are virtually the same displacement. Stock, the 036 gives up .3hp to the 262 on paper. but i think that i also remember someone making a post that said that the 262 output might be rated a bit conservative, especially the US version. with a MM i would think the 036 would pull ahead. then again, those mufflers were pretty much just hollow cans, so there may not be as large of a power gain as there are in more modern MM saws.

 

[dancan]

Clearing some poplars around my cabin and barn... almost all of them leaners... small but leaning... the biggest one we took was 15" at the cut.

The weird thing was the 116si seemed to cut much faster... The saws are pretty similar in size... the Dolmar was running a full chisel chain and the Stihl a semi... would not think it would matter as much but the Dolmar just seemed to fall through the wood and the Stihl seemed to have to work more...

here's a video of the two making a couple of cuts

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Thanks for the vid !
Dial in your 034 and give it another run .
My thoughts on these saws are as follows .
I've run 034's 116si's , I have 034super's and 361's .
Of the lot the 361's are my goto run all day make me money saws ,the 034super's are good to run on weekend lotsa grunt but I got 361's to run the rest of the week kinda saw , the 116si ...well that's a I know it has more vibes , doesn't turn up that fast and it is a little heavier but it want's a bigger bar , bigger wood and doesn't slow down thinks it's a 70cc kinda of saw .
The regular 034 made me money but didn't have any of the above qualities .
I've not yet run a 262 but it's on the list !

 

[ReggieT]

I have run the 116 and 116Si starting back in 1987 and still run them today. I own a 034 also and there is no comparing the 2 different makes, the SD will outcut a 034 hands down.

Pioneerguy600

My 116si runs circles around my MS 390...REAL TALK!

 

[pioneerguy600]

Yes it will Reggie and it will outlast a 390 by a lot of hours of run time, they are one tough saw.

 

[shorthunter]

i have never run one (tried to buy one, but the seller didn't want to ship), but on paper it is not even close to a 262.

I have owned both the 116si and 262xp and there isn't much difference. Both saws would cut faster than the 034 that I recently sold

 

[ReggieT]

Yes it will Reggie and it will outlast a 390 by a lot of hours of run time, they are one tough saw.

You are correct sir, but explain something to me; how does the Dolmar produce more power and the 390 boast 4 mores cc's...???
My 390 made some funky sounding chirping noises about every 20 seconds the last time I ran it...any idea on that?
Always maintained it...ran ethanol free, and keep her clean!!

Thanks Pioneerguy600!!

 

[pioneerguy600]

The newer breed saws use different port timing and transfer size,placement and shapes to use less fuel and pollute less, they now cut with RPM rather than torque. The saws cutting with higher RPM have a narrower power band than the older saws that cut with torque power. To gain torque in the engines the exhaust ports were lower in the cylinder and they most often had a longer intake duration, gulped more air and fuel thus producing more power/torque. Take and move that exhaust port higher in the cylinder and revamp the intake to deliver a little less fuel air ratio, reshape the incoming charge to keep more of it in the combustion chamber,reashape the combustion chamber and increase the squish area all leads to a higher revving less powerful saw. Many more small factors thrown in there like more restrictive mufflers all to get the saws inside the newer EPA regulations.
A chirping sound, I would need a little more info to make a guess at that, could be anything from the recoil bouncing about to the clutch springs and loose clutch shoes, clutch bearing getting dry etc.

 

[shorthunter]

You are correct sir, but explain something to me; how does the Dolmar produce more power and the 390 boast 4 mores cc's...???

Its a Dolmar

 

[ReggieT]

The newer breed saws use different port timing and transfer size,placement and shapes to use less fuel and pollute less, they now cut with RPM rather than torque. The saws cutting with higher RPM have a narrower power band than the older saws that cut with torque power. To gain torque in the engines the exhaust ports were lower in the cylinder and they most often had a longer intake duration, gulped more air and fuel thus producing more power/torque. Take and move that exhaust port higher in the cylinder and revamp the intake to deliver a little less fuel air ratio, reshape the incoming charge to keep more of it in the combustion chamber,reashape the combustion chamber and increase the squish area all leads to a higher revving less powerful saw. Many more small factors thrown in there like more restrictive mufflers all to get the saws inside the newer EPA regulations.
A chirping sound, I would need a little more info to make a guess at that, could be anything from the recoil bouncing about to the clutch springs and loose clutch shoes, clutch bearing getting dry etc.

BRAVO MATE! What a masterful job of explaining that where I could grasp it. Sound info & very detailed...I appreciate it!
In your opinion would the MS 390 be worth a muffler mod & a port job???

Thanks Again...
My current status:

 

[RiverRat2]

Yes it will Reggie and it will outlast a 390 by a lot of hours of run time, they are one tough saw.

agreed!!! I bought one at a Garge sale for 40.00 and it had some punch for a 60cc saw then I traded it for a 120Super!! and it will cut right with a Stihl MS440!!! It is a tad Heavy but it is Stout those era SD's are just plain tough!!!

The newer breed saws use different port timing and transfer size,placement and shapes to use less fuel and pollute less, they now cut with RPM rather than torque. The saws cutting with higher RPM have a narrower power band than the older saws that cut with torque power. To gain torque in the engines the exhaust ports were lower in the cylinder and they most often had a longer intake duration, gulped more air and fuel thus producing more power/torque. Take and move that exhaust port higher in the cylinder and revamp the intake to deliver a little less fuel air ratio, reshape the incoming charge to keep more of it in the combustion chamber,reashape the combustion chamber and increase the squish area all leads to a higher revving less powerful saw. Many more small factors thrown in there like more restrictive mufflers all to get the saws inside the newer EPA regulations.
A chirping sound, I would need a little more info to make a guess at that, could be anything from the recoil bouncing about to the clutch springs and loose clutch shoes, clutch bearing getting dry etc.[/QUOTE

yep those SD's have some serio grunt without turning 90 bazillion rpm's

 

[pioneerguy600]

BRAVO MATE! What a masterful job of explaining that where I could grasp it. Sound info & very detailed...I appreciate it!
In your opinion would the MS 390 be worth a muffler mod & a port job???

Thanks Again...
My current status:

They benefit a good bit with a muff mod, well worth doing but porting them has not yielded much in my opinion, its quite difficult to raise the compression in them due to them being a clamshell design.

 

[pioneerguy600]

agreed!!! I bought one at a Garge sale for 40.00 and it had some punch for a 60cc saw then I traded it for a 120Super!! and it will cut right with a Stihl MS440!!! It is a tad Heavy but it is Stout those era SD's are just plain tough!!!



yep those SD's have some serio grunt without turning 90 bazillion rpm's

I cut full time with them for over 5 years straight, they were very stout tough saws and performed without any serious repairs. Actually only one electronic module on one saw out of the five we run for that length of time.

 

[ReggieT]

They benefit a good bit with a muff mod, well worth doing but porting them has not yielded much in my opinion, its quite difficult to raise the compression in them due to them being a clamshell design.

Hmm...sure hate to hear that.
My local saw guru is a bit nervous about doing a muffler mod!
I do recall a YouTube DIY video a while back that seemed rather simple...but I've got the same mitts & skill-set as "Red Green & Bozo the Clown!"

I had a 034 AV for about 2 yrs and once I got it finally running great it was a stout saw...in retrospect it only seemed slightly less powerful than my MS 390.
I'm not knocking my 390...I guess I was just expecting a lot more grunt for 64 cc's.
Hmm..."To Muffler Mod or Not...Is the Question?"

Thanks PG600

 

[pioneerguy600]

Muffler mods are very easy in general, usually best to start by just opening up the existing exit hole a bit at a time, try to keep the hole so that the stock spark screen can still cover the enlarged exit hole, that will usually give a non modified engine enough exit area to really waken them up. The 390 is a farm- homeowner occasional use saw that does not have the power of the older mag case removable cylinder saws, so its not entirely like a mag cased PRO saw that is much easier to modify. With very little work a 034 can be made to run circles around the 390 saws.

 

[RiverRat2]

Hmm...sure hate to hear that.
My local saw guru is a bit nervous about doing a muffler mod!
I do recall a YouTube DIY video a while back that seemed rather simple...but I've got the same mitts & skill-set as "Red Green & Bozo the Clown!"

I had a 034 AV for about 2 yrs and once I got it finally running great it was a stout saw...in retrospect it only seemed slightly less powerful than my MS 390.
I'm not knocking my 390...I guess I was just expecting a lot more grunt for 64 cc's.
Hmm..."To Muffler Mod or Not...Is the Question?"

Thanks PG600

Less is more!!! very small muffler mod and a carb re-baseline is all thats needed

Muffler mods are very easy in general, usually best to start by just opening up the existing exit hole a bit at a time, try to keep the hole so that the stock spark screen can still cover the enlarged exit hole, that will usually give a non modified engine enough exit area to really waken them up. The 390 is a farm- homeowner occasional use saw that does not have the power of the older mag case removable cylinder saws, so its not entirely like a mag cased PRO saw that is much easier to modify. With very little work a 034 can be made to run circles around the 390 saws.

LOLOL!!!! Ditto Agree again, As indicated never remove your spark screen, keep them clean as they help control the correct amount of back pressure on the charge/lowside compression