Stihl 056 AV Super - Help Needed

[Zolo]

Hi,

I have taken on this project last week as my neighbor was clearing out his shed and given his stihl 056 for £45. He said it was running fine till late nineties (1995 - 1998) but he was unable to start it now. When i checked it myself i found that chainsaw has good compression as it was hard to pull. I really have to pull it hard but it did not start.

So then i went online and done some research. Just one thing to mention over here that i am not professional in chainsaw, I am software engineer. I need a good powerful chainsaw to cut couple of trees in my garden and I thought stihl is a good brand so it should be fine.

I put some easy starter motor fluid in the carburetor and it fires straight away, i done this process 4-5 times and it started every time in first pull and then died. So initially looked to me it is a fuel issue so checked the carburetor and find out it needs carb kit, also checked the fuel Tank and found that fuel line was broken. So i ordered the fuel filter and fuel line as well as Gaskit. But last night when i stripped out the whole machine to check the piston and seen some scoring on the exhaust side(rings looks ok, also it looks fine from in-take boot side) which made me worried so i have some basic questions, any help will be much appreciated.

1. Did the easy started fluid has caused the piston damage

2. why the machine still has good compression

3. why it started with easy starter motor fluid if piston and cylinder are damaged

4. will this machine work after replacing the fuel line and filter or i have to replace the piston to get it running

5. I read online that this model has some ignition issues, but it has starter with new starter fluid so ignition should be fine?

6. Is it worth buying a new aftermarket piston and use the existing cylinder? Will this cause in further issues?

7. Do i need to replace the cylinder as well?

Any help and response will be much appreciated.

 

[rd35]

That piston looks fine to me! I wouldn't spray any more ether in it as it contains no lube. If it were mine, I would put a new fuel line on it and see if it will run. It is very likely that since the fuel hose was broken the carburetor has set for a long time with no fuel in it. So, the carburetor may be just fine. Usually carburetor kits are cheap and easy to install, so if you are so inclined to install a kit, then go for it. I bet you have a really nice saw there! Also, I would turn that saw upside down over night to allow anything liquids that are in the crank case to drain out past the piston. I'm not familiar with the 056 ,but I do know I had an 041 in my shop that had bar oil puddled in the crank case due to a leaky o-ring in the oil pump. I could not crank the engine until I let the oil drain out of the case. Then it cranked and ran fine. Good luck with it!

 

[scallywag]

In photo 3 I see what looks like carbon pitting in the piston above the top ring, I'd also say that's what caused the scores/scratches in the side of the piston.
Are those scores deep enough to catch your finger nail?

 

[Zolo]

No - feel smooth to my finger but i will double check it again tonight as i have not checked it with finger nail.
thanks guys, this website is great. couple of responses already

 

[scallywag]

As far as I know there isn't an aftermarket piston & cylinder kit available for the 056 Super, though good quality aftermarket rings (54mm) can be purchased via E-bay.
The Bosch ignition in the Super is prone to fail, though this is expected given the age of these saws, the good news is there's a reliable and inexpensive repair (Read..Foggysails 056 ignition fix).

 

[Zolo]

i checked the piston with finger nail and it looks like they are not very deep, looks scratches to me......

 

[arrow13]

Welcome to AS.
I'd say rd35 has some good advice to start with to get your saw running. They are fairly easy to work on. I own 045's and have worked on 056's. They are basically the same saw. Keep your repair cost down by fixing the fuel line and carb kit installed and she how she runs. Of course, clean any carbon out of the exhaust side area to prevent any more scratches. Let us know how your progress goes.

 

[Zolo]

Welcome to AS.
I'd say rd35 has some good advice to start with to get your saw running. They are fairly easy to work on. I own 045's and have worked on 056's. They are basically the same saw. Keep your repair cost down by fixing the fuel line and carb kit installed and she how she runs. Of course, clean any carbon out of the exhaust side area to prevent any more scratches. Let us know how your progress goes.

Thanks guys much appriciated i have ordered the parts and it will take 2 to 3 days so will let you know the progress. Thanks

 

[Zolo]

also can someone please guide me about carburetor kit, this chainsaw has HS 118 tillotson carburetor. looking at their website it is showing that i need RK20 repair kit. i can not find one locally or on ebay in UK. stihl dealer is selling it for £25 or i can buy from USA on ebay for £17. so can i use RK-21 or RK23 as both are relatively cheap and available locally. does anybody know the difference between them? thanks in advance

 

[arrow13]

What I'd do is disassemble your carb. Clean it, check your needles for condition of the tips and look at the diaphram. Old diaphrams should get replaced and possibly other parts. Wait until you really know what you need as there are full carb kits and smaller kits with less parts that could cost you less.

 

[Zolo]

good point, i will disassemble the carb on weekend and will update the progress

 

[scallywag]

The Stihl part number for the HS 118B Carb kit is 1115 007 1060.

 

[brandonstc6]

I would recommend removing the cylinder and putting seafoam on a paper towel and clean off the carbon from the cylinder. It will dissolve the carbon. It may take several times but it works good. At this time I would replace the piston rings with caber rings. The carbon in the exhaust could flake off and damage the piston.


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[Zolo]

I would recommend removing the cylinder and putting seafoam on a paper towel and clean off the carbon from the cylinder. It will dissolve the carbon. It may take several times but it works good. At this time I would replace the piston rings with caber rings. The carbon in the exhaust could flake off and damage the piston.


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Thanks for the advice. i have replaced the fuel line and filter as well as gasket for fuel tank last night. I am just waiting for carb kit but if i manage to put all back together tonight then i will try to start it.

Coming back to you suggestion about replacing the piston, is it not fair to try first with same piston and if it works then do not need to change it. I have cleaned all the carbon from exhaust port on the weekend so there is no carbon now on the exhaust port.

also i have few questions

Would i will cause more damage to try run it with same piston?
Also not sure whether there will be any carbon in cylinder but you might be right.
i am also thinking to put some two stork oil on the piston and rings with my fingers via exhaust port as i can touch the piston with my finger via exhaust port. is it a good idea? it will give piston little moisture/lubricant

sorry guys this is my first project and i am not professional in these tools so i am learning a lot through this forum.

Thanks to all of you.

 

[scallywag]

If you decide to pull the cylinder make sure you can find a new base gasket first!.. part number 1115 029 2300.

 

[Zolo]

Alright i have put everything together now and put the fuel in and it fired in 2nd pull. After 2 seconds it cut off again. After inspection i found there is fuel leak from carburator, no idea why. I did clean the carburator and looks like it needs carb kit as it was very stiff and damaged badly but as i have ordered the carb kit and not received yet so i put the old kit, i was not fully convinced with as it is badly damaged and stiff.

So can somebody help me on below questions
Can stiff carb kit or damaged carb kit cause fuel leak from carburator?
Do i need to check all the screws around carburator as there might be some screws needs tightening?
Any other suggestion please?

 

[Zolo]

guys any help or assistance on the above questions please also i am thinking to put the carburetor into a fuel bucket to check if there are any leaks. if the carburetor is leaking then i am expecting some bubbles in the fuel bucket, is it make sense?
any help or advice would be much appreciated.

 

[scallywag]

Can stiff carb kit or damaged carb kit cause fuel leak from carburator?

Yes and yes...

 

[scallywag]

Do you have a manual to work from?



Ignore the hand written numbers, they're old 'in stock numbers'

 

[Zolo]

Thanks kit has not arrived yet. So i will replace the carburator kit and try again. Thanks for your help scallywag. I have ordered the same kit.