Potentially picking up a Stihl 038 Magnum II tomorrow

[WickhamWood]

I am going to look at (and more than likely purchase) a Stihl 038 Magnum II in the morning. I am still relatively new to Stihl saws. The largest saw I have currently is a 039 I recently purchased. Is there anything in particular I should be cautious of with the 038 model? It looks like it is in fair condition, it only has a 20" bar so hopefully it has not been worked to death. They are only asking $250 which seems like a good price to me, but again my knowledge is limited. I will include a picture from the listing. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you in advance.

 

[Adam08ski]

Choke flap can be slightly dodgy. It's choked off the air filter and not through the carb. Make sure it starts fine. Other than that, one word.. TANK.

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[Mad Professor]

Choke flap can be slightly dodgy. It's choked off the air filter and not through the carb. Make sure it starts fine. Other than that, one word.. TANK.

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Make sure the whole switch assy is in good shape that works the choke and on/off/high idle switch.

Check AV rubber (~ 30 years old).

If he'll let you pull muffler and take a look at P/C. Check to see that P/C is OEM. Muffler should be dual port (some PNW saws were triple)

Also be aware that a "magnum II" cover will fit on any 038. The magnum should have a Bing carburator .

 

[WickhamWood]

Choke flap can be slightly dodgy. It's choked off the air filter and not through the carb. Make sure it starts fine. Other than that, one word.. TANK.

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I read as many posts on here about the 038 as I could find, most of them sounded like it was a sturdy saw. The only negative I could find was, when compared to a 044, most of the guys preferred the 044 to the 038. Thank you for the information.

 

[WickhamWood]

Make sure the whole switch assy is in good shape that works the choke and on/off/high idle switch.

Check AV rubber (~ 30 years old).

If he'll let you pull muffler and take a look at P/C. Check to see that P/C is OEM. Muffler should be dual port (some PNW saws were triple)

Also be aware that a "magnum II" cover will fit on any 038. The magnum should have a Bing carburator .

Thank you Mad Professor, will the Bing stamp on the carburetor be visible with the top cover off or would I have to remove the carburetor to see it on the saw body side?

 

[Mad Professor]

You'll need to pull off the AF cover and airfilter to see the carb. A screwdriver or scrench is needed. That will be useful to pull off top cover too.

You might see a casting or part # on top cover of carb, or on the side, I can't remember. The Bing should be a 48A. The 038 and 038S had Tillotson Carbs, I think HK42 was one of the numbers.

If you need to pull off carb, the nuts are 8mm.

For muffler you need a T-27 torx driver. Most likely need to pull inner casing to see piston as there is a baffle.

Those are great saws when running well and very reliable, just a bit heavy.

 

[rocketnorton]

I read as many posts on here about the 038 as I could find, most of them sounded like it was a sturdy saw. The only negative I could find was, when compared to a 044, most of the guys preferred the 044 to the 038. Thank you for the information.

have both.
044 is alot lighter. mine is 10mm. fast, likes to rev.
038m has more grunt, imo. as already said, built like tank.

 

[jp233]

looks like an awesome find if it turns up good..... I'm jealous but at least I have an 038 Super

let me know what happens and if you want help or anything

 

[WickhamWood]

Thanks for all the help guys. I ended up picking it up and I could not find any reason not to pay the full asking price of $250. I believe it is a lot of saw for $250. JP sent me a message about confirming it was in fact a Magnum, so I am going to go out and check that out. I will post some pictures after I blow it off with the air compressor. It is pretty dirty right now. She fires up after about three good pulls though and I need to pour out the ethanol gas that is in the tank from the previous owner and run some rec gas through it (as I do in all of my outdoor equipment). So far, I have not bought any turds thanks to all of your help on this forum. I genuinely appreciate all the advice.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

038mag was a solid saw, don't see them much anymore i guess, kind of a bastard child compared to the 044 but..that makes it more affordable to buy and they were performers...made great power and revved right up

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[WickhamWood]

Well I took it partially apart and blew off some of the large chunks with the compressor. This is the dirtiest saw I have bought so far. It was caked with oil/sawdust, yet everything appears to be well preserved under the sappy crust. Where on the carburetor would it say Bing? It says Tillotson and Ireland on it, but that is all I could make out without removing the carburetor. I was also pleasantly surprised to find what appears to be an adjustable oiler.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

Tillotson is the brand. That one has the tilly instead of the Bing

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[WickhamWood]

Tillotson is the brand. That one has the tilly instead of the Bing

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Does this mean certain years used Tillotsons instead of Bing carburetors or this particular saw does not have the carburetor it was installed with at the factory?

 

[Adam08ski]

Does this mean certain years used Tillotsons instead of Bing carburetors or this particular saw does not have the carburetor it was installed with at the factory?

Potentially another carb during a service. Still it's a genuine OEM carb which is good. They are a decent saw in ant of the AV, super or magnum variants. Hard to tell the difference unless you had them running side by side and even then you wouldn't be bothered. Nice saw, well looked after by the looks of it. Used but well looked after.

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[Mad Professor]

Bings cost a lot more to rebuild so prior owner might have swapped in a Tillotson.

The Tillotson's on 038S were same size as the Bing, the ones on the 038 a bit smaller.

You can check that it is a Magnum when you pull the muffler off. Turn the engine until the piston is below top of ex port, put a plastic straw in the port until it hits the intake side, then turn the engine until it crimps the straw. Measure end of straw to crimp, that will be close to bore diameter.

 

[KASH]

My 038 mag 2 came with a tilly hk42b brand new.

 

[WickhamWood]

My 038 mag 2 came with a tilly hk42b brand new.

Thank you, I was just hoping this saw had the original carburetor, not a replacement carb. I kept reading it should have a Bing so when I saw the cover I was thinking it may have been replaced at some point. Sounds like some of these 038s came with this carb.