STIHL HEADS! new to me Stihl 031AV (pics)

just picked this up today from my shop. had to drop off a mower and asked him if he had any old saws in that i could buy. he walks out with this saw. some lady dropped it off and didn't want to put money into to it after he put a new recoil and rope. it has good comp, the only problem is the broken plug wire. dont know the age (sihlheads help out) but its all magnesium and has the cool old stihl logo. anyway here it is, this is my first stihl saw (my dad has a 170 and i have stihl blowers and trimmers) I know im really gonna like this saw. from the looks of it, it hasnt been used hard at all.
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Pretty good looking old 031!

They were the underrated workhorse of their time. I love mine.

Whats the story?

Look and see if it has the removable plug wire, I think I have one.

Is the spring clip still in the boot,if so it's possible that you can re-attach it without the teardown required to get to the coil.

So i can just replace the wire and not the coil? it broke right at the boot
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If the spring clip is still inside the boot,fish it out and re-attach it to the wire.Thread the wire on the boot,pull it out,then attach the spring clip like you're baiting a hook with a plastic worm.Point goes down the center and out the side.You won't have much extra wire to work with,so don't cut the end if you don't have to.

A little dishwashing soap will make the wire slide easily.

Nice saw. Is the chain brake just missing the arm ? If you want to replace it there are several on ebay.
Sounds like you are looking forward to having fun with it !!

Joe, that saw aint been used much for sure, looks pretty good.

Is Acres site right, about the 48cc and 14.5lbs on that saw?

Looks like the clip is gone so what would my options be for a wire now?
As far as the chainbrake goes yeah looks like the bar is missing, the saw looks like it had one. Def look into that.
Mark, I saw it as a 48cc saw as well. Not sure on the year. Acres says they came out '71, mine has the old logo so I'd guess I have an earlier model.
Number one is getting a wire for it tho

I'd scrounge around the shop there until I found one to "borrow".They cost about a buck at a dealer,a little late in the day to go pick one up.I would certainly try to fix what you have now instead of going "off the deep end" until I had too.

How can I fix it? The wire broke clean it the boot. There is not a lot of wire to work with either. I've heard its a job to take the top off to get down to the coil. Not that I'm scared to.

If you just want to see if it has spark,straighten out a paper clip and push one end down the center of the wire,pull the plug and spin it over.Got fire?Put the plug in and wrap the paper clip around the plug top and try to start it.You really need the "springy thingy" to fix it right.If it isn't in the boot,you'll have to get a new one.

The big question is, how much did you pay for it???

Good lookin' saw, one of the best they made.

Im not sure about years but it seems to be an older style. I think first ones had white plastic parts. Then black next. You have the older style AV with the one carriage bolt through the handle. There are alot of the clutch covers around with provsions for a chainbrake but with no guts. I would guess Stihl sold them that way. That is a really nice looking saw,well taken care of. I would guess it may be the original bar too. Its a hardnose right?

Nice find. My 031 isn't half that nice.

Nice saw. It is a later model 031, the same top cover as 031av electronic ignition. It is not that big of a job to take off top cover. They are rugged saws, take it out and use it they are fun to cut with.

Rookie1 said:

Its a hardnose right?

Click to expand...

Right! Duromatic = hardnose and Rollomatic = sprocket tip.

Bump bump bump...Did you get the spark plug wire fixed? How does the saw run??? I am waiting for my rebuild kit (should be here sat. ) and then I'll post up some pictures. I hope the carb kit fixes the problem.