Help with Stihl 036

[trains]

Hi All,
I need your help.
Some time ago, I aquired a Stihl 036, there were 2 cooling fins broken off the top left of the cylinder, I have kept it clean and cut plenty of firewood with it.
Have been thinking of freshening it up with a new piston/ rings, and or cylinder.
I do not know if its a genuine stihl cylinder, only identifying marks I can clearly see on the top is an A inside a circle, with some X,s next to it just above the spark plug on the very top of the head.

I have tried to look down either side of the crank and see some letters, and on the flywheel side, I see the numbering 1125, well the 5 is more a blob, but I assume thats what it is, and a B above it, but no stihl marks or names anywhere.

If I have a genuine stihl cylinder, I would keep that and just put in a meteor with cabers, but if its a noname cylinder with missing fins, I would go the meteor cylinder piston kit.

would appreciate your advice before progressing further.
if its not a genuine stihl cylinder, anyone this side of the pond have one on offer ?

cheers
Trains

edited for typos, have the flu, and added pictures

 

[Conquistador3]

That is a genuine 036 cylinder: if you want to be extra-super-duper sure pull it off and under the "B" mark you should find the number "1125" and the name "Stihl".

And honestly I belong to the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" choir. If it works no need to change the piston and if it still has good compression, no need to change the rings.

 

[trains]

That is a genuine 036 cylinder: if you want to be extra-super-duper sure pull it off and under the "B" mark you should find the number "1125" and the name "Stihl".

And honestly I belong to the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" choir. If it works no need to change the piston and if it still has good compression, no need to change the rings.

Thanks for the reply, reason for wanting to give it a bit of a spruce up is that the top of the piston around the rings still has the machine marks, but the skirt is smooth, viewed from exhaust, and recently read about the failure of skirts and the other problems it causes.

I agree, if it aint broke dont fix it, tho I am a fan of preventative maintenance.

Thank you again for your reply, much appreciated Conquistador3

T

 

[ericm979]

The right thing to do for preventative maintenance would be to disassemble it and measure the piston and cylinder wear. However that takes precision instruments as you're looking at a few ten thousands of an inch. With the effort that it takes to disassemble and reassemble a saw, it doesn't make sense to take it apart just to measure it. If you do take it apart it doesn't make sense to assemble it without replacing both the worn items you can measure and the typical wear items that can't be measured (wrist pin bearing, crank seals, etc).

Given all that it's most cost effective to run it until you notice a problem, then rebuild it.

 

[ramdad]

Great advice, however, I have rebuilt mine 3 times. It was always meticulous, I finally figured out why, the last time. I am not doing firewood so I dont run my saws like I used to. Those saws are still new in my mind but, my first one, I purchased in 1999. The carb boot was disintagrating and I did not catch it, I should have snapped a pic. Just a tiny tear is enough to lean it out to self destruct. Thats my only pro active advice, for $30, you save it from premature death. Thats my only advice other than always keeping fresh fuel