Chainsaw novice with an inherited 090AV

[Dyates69]

Hi All,

I'm very excited to have recently picked up my Grandfathers old Stihl chainsaw, more than 15 years after he gave it to a family friend. Thankfully they were nice enough to let it back into the family.

It's missing the 090AV plaque as I'd say the air filter cover has been replaced at some point but it's generally in very nice condition I would say, based on how it came up after a quick clean and comparing with others I've seen on the net.

I have a couple of questions. One, the fuel tank vent crumbled as I removed it so I have shortened it temporarily. Any ideas what this does because from what I can see it just had a solid screw in top. Either way I plan to replace it to keep it as original as possible but I was curious what it does?

Also, it's idling quite high. I have the service manual courtesy of a nice forum member so have made a note of the existing carb settings then set it back to the default, but with adjustment seem to struggle to get it to the point where the chain stops running. Is this reasonable to expect of this saw or am I possibly wasting my time trying?

Being a novice I intend to be very careful with this saw but also have every intention of using it on a regular basis so want to get it into as serviceable and safe condition as possible. I have some experience using my small 017 and Makita 6401 so I'm not a complete newbie, but I might just also be the least experienced guy in the world with such a powerful saw. It came with 6 bars up to 36" (quite rusty) and the one that's installed is a good condition 30" duromatic. I noted this bar is yellow stamped so I wonder with my level of experience am I running a big risk using this saw if I'm careful to keep it's nose out of trouble? It has a relatively new chain I'd say but I notice at least one tooth has been damaged considerably, it seems to still cut fine but am I asking for trouble leaving it this way?

Appreciate any advice on offer.

 

[Hinerman]

Where do you live? It might be worth a visit to a knowledgeable member here, who lives close by, so they can really check the saw out for you. Or, they can help you on here too.

 

[Dyates69]

Sorry forgot to mention. I'm in Western Australia! So too far I guess..

 

[watsonr]

There are a few members from there around here.... MCW, Weedkilla, Scally wag. The 090 is a great machine, heavy, loud and slow but being from a family member.... very cool. The factory idle settings are a starting point. Low side needle should give a good transition to high speed, then turn the idle screw down until the chain stops. If the chain never stops, check the clutch springs and lube the bearing.

30" bar is kind of short on a saw like that. Daily use... better eat your vitamins!

Welcome to the site, glad to hear you've re-acquired the saw.

 

[Dyates69]

Oh great thanks for the tips, I will check those out. Yes it's a handful, but I think 30 is as big as I want to go for now..

I'd upload a couple of photos of it, not sure if you can upload direct from a file?

 

[blsnelling]

Is it actually not idling low enough, or is it simply that the chain doesn't want to stop. Chain creep at idle is not at all uncommon on these.

 

[Dyates69]

Yeah I know what you mean but it's not creep, it was running pretty fast when I took it out the other day, although I must admit I did drop the idle a little and haven't fully tested it since so it's possible it would be a bit slower now. I had no bar on when I was setting the idle, not sure if that's okay or not.

 

[Dyates69]

Oh another thing, I note it says a 40:1 mix in the manual, but mix 50:1 Stihl oil with my other saws. Should that be okay for this one or safer to stick to 40 do you think?

 

[blsnelling]

I run 32:1 in all of my saws.

 

[watsonr]

And you need a bar and chain on the saw to really set the idle or you won't know when the chain really stops as the clutch will turn until you put a load on it.

 

[nnero]

Awesome! What did your grandfather use it for? Family stuff with a history is really cool. I just found out that my uncle threw out his 056 magmum that he had since new for his landscaping business. Kind of a bummer. Good luck and be careful with that beast!

 

[nmurph]

If you have to back the L needle way out past what the specs are, you probably have an air leak and the saw shouldn't be run until that is corrected.

 

[watsonr]

If you have to back the L needle way out past what the specs are, you probably have an air leak and the saw shouldn't be run until that is corrected.

your such a downer Neal.

If you run the saw with an air leak, it won't run long and could be very costly to fix it.

 

[Dyates69]

Yes I was extremely lucky to pick it up. He worked in a timber mill in a town called Greenbushes for around 45 years and when he wasn't there would drop trees for the forestry department and collect firewood for half of the people in town I believe.

The impressive part for me is I estimate this saw to be mid 70's perhaps which would mean he was around 52 when he bought it, and he continued to use it at least every week until he was around 75. From what I can remember as I was only young he used to wield it with the ease of me using the 017 and all with only three fingers on his right hand! Early saw mill incident, long before I was born.

When my Dad lived in the area he was going out with my Grandfather on these weekends and I have a photo of my Dad using what I believe is this same saw when it was pretty new. Dad ran a chainsaw shop in a nearby town Manjimup and would have sold my Grandfather this saw so there's certainly a lot of history to it for me. Unfortunately neither of them are around anymore so I can no longer ask them questions about it but I do recall them using it a lot.

I will be careful thanks!

Awesome! What did your grandfather use it for? Family stuff with a history is really cool. I just found out that my uncle threw out his 056 magmum that he had since new for his landscaping business. Kind of a bummer. Good luck and be careful with that beast!

was

 

[Dyates69]

your such a downer Neal.

If you run the saw with an air leak, it won't run long and could be very costly to fix it.

Oh thanks guys I appreciate that I will likely have it looked over before I proceed too much further then. Appreciate this kind of advice if it helps me preserve it and I think I'll be running 32:1 from now on also.

 

[Dyates69]

And you need a bar and chain on the saw to really set the idle or you won't know when the chain really stops as the clutch will turn until you put a load on it.

Sorry missed this one. That's good to know thanks I will ensure I do this in future.

 

[scallywag]

+1 on checking the clutch springs and lubing the bearing!....also check that some clutch lining material is not jaming up the drum.
Is your 090 Red with a white Av handle or Orange with the black Av handle?........How about some pics?

 

[Dyates69]

+1 on checking the clutch spring and lubing the bearing!....also check that some clutch lining material is not jaming up the drum.
Is your 090 Red with a white Av handle or Orange with the black Av handle?........How about some pics?

I'd say it's orange with a white AV handle, although the air filter cover is red, but I figured that had been replaced. I will check those thanks for that. This saw sat on a farm for a long time and was full of spiders etc when I collected it. I believe it went mostly unused as it was too large for them to use comfortably.

I would upload pictures but it seems to want a URL rather than browsing my HDD. Any suggestions of a hosting site?

 

[scallywag]

Re: posting pics, have a look at Support & Announcements, it's at the bottom of the main forum page........be sure to resize your pics to 800 x 600 pixels.

 

[Dyates69]

Okay I see thanks for that. It's a bit filthy in this one but you'll get the idea.




and here's my Dad using perhaps the same saw sometime in the early 70's I think. Interestingly the Stihl emblem seems to have been edited out of this. I think this was a promo shot for the chainsaw shop so perhaps that would be why. Obviously PPE not a big focus back then!