AshBurner
ArboristSite Lurker
Hello Everyone. I'm glad to have become a member here.
I have a 24 acre woodlot that was formerly old farmland. I bought a 16" Stihl 026 in 1997 to clear the trees for my yard and have been using it until 2010 when it quit working. The repair shop (a Stihl dealer) told me at the time that it needed a new top end kit (Stihl 1121-020-1203) for which they quoted me C$285 - installation extra. As an alternative, they offered a Laser #44967 top end kit for C$170. I decided to hold off repairing that saw and bought a 18" Stihl MS 260 instead.
Having read up on rebuilding the 026 just now and checked around for parts prices, it looks like it wouldn't be too hard or too expensive to put it back in operation. I've taken the muffler off and I see that the piston looks quite scored. The cylinder wall on the far side looks reasonably smooth from the exhaust port.
For the most part, I have been using the Stihl 2-stroke oil in it (50:1 as recommended). For a few tankfuls towards the end, I used some old 2-stroke oil I had. I may have mixed that oil to 40:1 or 32:1 but I don't recall exactly now.
I found a Sten top end kit on Amazon for $61.99. A top end rebuild video recommended changing out the shaft seals.
Any recommendations for how best to rebuild my saw? Any upgrades I should consider while I'm at it?
Does anyone have any recommended (nor not recommended) aftermarket brands?
I have a 24 acre woodlot that was formerly old farmland. I bought a 16" Stihl 026 in 1997 to clear the trees for my yard and have been using it until 2010 when it quit working. The repair shop (a Stihl dealer) told me at the time that it needed a new top end kit (Stihl 1121-020-1203) for which they quoted me C$285 - installation extra. As an alternative, they offered a Laser #44967 top end kit for C$170. I decided to hold off repairing that saw and bought a 18" Stihl MS 260 instead.
Having read up on rebuilding the 026 just now and checked around for parts prices, it looks like it wouldn't be too hard or too expensive to put it back in operation. I've taken the muffler off and I see that the piston looks quite scored. The cylinder wall on the far side looks reasonably smooth from the exhaust port.
For the most part, I have been using the Stihl 2-stroke oil in it (50:1 as recommended). For a few tankfuls towards the end, I used some old 2-stroke oil I had. I may have mixed that oil to 40:1 or 32:1 but I don't recall exactly now.
I found a Sten top end kit on Amazon for $61.99. A top end rebuild video recommended changing out the shaft seals.
Any recommendations for how best to rebuild my saw? Any upgrades I should consider while I'm at it?
Does anyone have any recommended (nor not recommended) aftermarket brands?