Adventures with a Stihl MS201TC M

[Nathan Graff]

So, I picked up a problem child Stihl MS201TC M today. I got it home, and have been taking it apart without a manual. Probably a bad idea. But I've been doing it anyways. It's leaking oil pretty badly from the seam in the crankcase.

When I got it, it was very hard to pull over. Apparently the starting cord had broken and been replaced. Guy I bought it from said that it must have been installed wrong causing the problem. That turned out to not be the case. One of the clutch springs had broken and jambed in the drive gear binding the thing up. I got the spring loose, and the saw would turn over normally. I couldn't get it to start however.

The muffler has a crack in it between the screws where it is held to the motor. I don't see any carboning around it, but I'm thinking that if I have the saw apart, maybe it should be replaced.

The chain catch is all bent up. A new one is required.

Will I have to replace the bearings and seals when I split the case?

What is the best way to go about splitting the case?

Any other things I should know about this saw before reassembly?

Thanks

 

[stihl86]

Why are you splitting the cases?

 

[blsnelling]

You'll have to split the case to fix the oil leak.

 

[Nathan Graff]

The oil leak is pretty bad. It's coming from the split in the case.

How does one tell if a clutch is too worn to be resprung? If I post pics of that, what would you need to see to take a good guess??

 

[stihl86]

Sorry. I missed the leak part. As for the clutch, the springs should be under tension when the clutch is at rest. Shoes should be snug.
Holes where the springs mount in the shoes shouldn't be grooved. At all.
Look at the part of the shoe that contacts the drum. They should be somewhat flat. Even if all that checks out, those little clip on the shoes
can go without notice and you'll be doing the job over again.
If in doubt, replace it. Just think of the load that little thing is subject to.
Stihls list price is $32.99. It's really not worth screwing with.
Unless you get gouged by a thieving dealer.
There are some legit ones out there.

 

[Nathan Graff]

This is what the clutch looks like. The holes have a groove in them.

2019-07-10_11-16-06 by wolverine00089, on Flickr

 

[Nathan Graff]

What is the best way to split the case? I haven't found a tool for that. I had thought about using some wood or hdpe to coutour to the curves, a plastic buffer for the crank, and steel across for extra rigidity, and 2 c clamps to pop her apart.

Any advice, or a tool?

 

[DND 9000]

The case can be split with the special tool 5910 890 2205 if it`s tight. But normally it should be possible to split the case without this splitter, because the bearings are not press fitted.

 

[pro94lt]

The saw has almost certainly been dropped. Which is fine but make sure you look it over really good before you start throwing parts on it...

 

[Nathan Graff]

The saw has almost certainly been dropped. Which is fine but make sure you look it over really good before you start throwing parts on it...

At this point, I doubt that. But you never know. The only broken plastic was in a spot where it's almost certain that the chain came off and grabbed it. Chain catch is buggered and cut up. I dont' see scuffing in the mag housing that would cause that kind of a problem.

For curiosities sake, is it possible to put a non mtronic carb onto that saw with a regular coil?

 

[Nathan Graff]

Is it alright to use Permatex on the gasket to reseal the case?

Also, is it possible to do a base gasket delete on this saw? Any other mods to do to the saw while I have it reduced to base components?

 

[stihl86]

Is it alright to use Permatex on the gasket to reseal the case?

Also, is it possible to do a base gasket delete on this saw? Any other mods to do to the saw while I have it reduced to base components?

Crankcase goes onto clean dry surfaces. If its OEM. Cant help with the cylinder gasket.
And if you must use a sealer, and I never do, Permatex is not my first choice.
Dirko would be.

 

[Nathan Graff]

Case is stuck together good. I broke out a small part of the housing to try to pull it apart. Time to build a proper puller. I'm getting together the parts for a c clamp style one now. If I continue repairing saws, I'll probably build myself several pullers of various sizes.

 

[Brent Nowell]

So, I picked up a problem child Stihl MS201TC M today. I got it home, and have been taking it apart without a manual. Probably a bad idea. But I've been doing it anyways. It's leaking oil pretty badly from the seam in the crankcase.

When I got it, it was very hard to pull over. Apparently the starting cord had broken and been replaced. Guy I bought it from said that it must have been installed wrong causing the problem. That turned out to not be the case. One of the clutch springs had broken and jambed in the drive gear binding the thing up. I got the spring loose, and the saw would turn over normally. I couldn't get it to start however.

The muffler has a crack in it between the screws where it is held to the motor. I don't see any carboning around it, but I'm thinking that if I have the saw apart, maybe it should be replaced.

The chain catch is all bent up. A new one is required.

Will I have to replace the bearings and seals when I split the case?

What is the best way to go about splitting the case?

Any other things I should know about this saw before reassembly?

Thanks

That saw sounds like it was extremely well used, you said the clutch spring was broken and that tells me such. Clutch springs last a long long time, if I were you and you want to keep this go all out.

I would look at replacing bearings, seals and gaskets. Crack in the muffler can be brazed, and the shoes of the clutch are probably worn. You should check the overall diameter wear spec in the FSM. Most likely it’s done

 

[Nathan Graff]

Saw was used by an arborist company. So ya, well used. P&C look pretty much mint though. I was going to do bearings and seals anyways.

 

[Nathan Graff]

So, I got the saw split today. Note to self, remove everything including the chain oiler rubbers from the saw to make sure you have taken out ALL the screws.

There was about an inch of torn gasket inside the oil case.

Was thinking that I should lap the case halves flat to help in putting them back together.