keith811
ArboristSite Operative
the "dogs" aren't hard to find., they are the little tabs that engage the pull starter to the flywheel
Help needed on Stihl 038. Hard to pull
- Thread starter thecatlass
- Start date
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My money is on a bent rod, take the muffler and carb off, loosten the four cylinder head location bolts, take the plug out and turn the engine over whilst holding the head down lightly, if it rocks from side to side - you most likely have a bent rod - I have straightened them out before with brute force with some success but thats another story!
Spud
Spud
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
Gail, other than what Spud said, all I can think of is that the flywheel may be interfereing with the coil. Does the flywheel turn freely by hand 360 degrees. You could just regap it with a business card as proceedural thing.
John
John
thecatlass
ArboristSite Lurker
Thanks guys. I'll have a look at the rod after i've done a clean out. Yeah, the flywheel does turn 360 degrees. but it does when i pull the cord slowly. It's just when i put pressure on by doing it quickly that it resists.
If it is the rod, taking the cylinder off will allow the crank to turn very freely, you should be able to turn the engine over without the cylinder bolted down but if it wobbles when you turn it over - classic bent rod - may not look bent but it will be! you should also see some strange wear patterns on the piston!
Spud
Spud
thecatlass
ArboristSite Lurker
OK, good advice, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes.
Stihl088stock
ArboristSite Guru
Is the flywheel on tight?
Instead of taking the saw apart just remove the spark plug and then try pulling it over, if it pulls over easily then it is just a flooding condition.
Pioneerguy600
Pioneerguy600
Stihl088stock
ArboristSite Guru
So, are you saying it pulls freely with the plug out and the starter attached?
The excess fuel in the cylinder will make it harder to pull. You could try to not use the choke while pulling(Make sure you have ign turned on). If it floods you probably need to check the carb again, may have a gasket put in wrong or the little plunger might not be seated or has a piece of dirt in it. And make sure the little spring is still in there.
When a cylinder floods it makes the compression rise dramatically, when the piston nears the top of the stroke[ TDC] it resists going past top dead center, this makes the pulling of the cord feel lumpy as the recoil feels like it is binding up each time the piston nears the TDC.
Pioneerguy600
Pioneerguy600
thecatlass
ArboristSite Lurker
thanks for the advice. Yes the flywheel is secure and yes, pulls fine with the spark plug out. I've got some more carb cleaner today so i'll look at that first as the flooding is obviously a big problem. thanks for telling me that will make a difference to the pull.
Unfortunately, the tree stump has taken it's toll as i couldn't wait and by removing it by hand has sprained my hand so i'm strapped up and not able to do anything so hopefully tommorrow i'll be able to sort it. At least i'm in no rush to get it going now, as the stump from hell is out!!!
Thanks again and i'll keep you posted.
G x
Unfortunately, the tree stump has taken it's toll as i couldn't wait and by removing it by hand has sprained my hand so i'm strapped up and not able to do anything so hopefully tommorrow i'll be able to sort it. At least i'm in no rush to get it going now, as the stump from hell is out!!!
Thanks again and i'll keep you posted.
G x
Stihl 038
If you are sure the engine cycles easily with the plug out, and the flywheel is tight on the crankshaft, is it possible that the spark is too early and its kicking back due to that? I don't think the spark will work (spark) with the flywheel key sheared, but at this point I'd check the spark timing. But first make sure its not flooding any more (carb kit??) .
If you are sure the engine cycles easily with the plug out, and the flywheel is tight on the crankshaft, is it possible that the spark is too early and its kicking back due to that? I don't think the spark will work (spark) with the flywheel key sheared, but at this point I'd check the spark timing. But first make sure its not flooding any more (carb kit??) .
Mastermind
Work Saw Specialist
Jerry is spot on here, he simply has a flooding issue. The old "I used some carb cleaner" thing gets a lot of folks into trouble. As most of us know carb cleaner can ruin gaskets and diaphragms. I would suggest completely disassemble the carb clean all the metal parts with cleaner, and then wash it all off with water, dry with compressed air, install a kit. But first read up on how it's done. The search button is your best friend on this site, a huge wealth of info in there. I hope this helps, here's a link to show you how it goes together.
http://wem.walbro.com/distributors/servicemanuals/WTseries.pdf
I've bought a few saws now that the owners had given up on, twice in the last month I found the carbs were assembled incorrectly, after putting them back right I had good running saws.
http://wem.walbro.com/distributors/servicemanuals/WTseries.pdf
I've bought a few saws now that the owners had given up on, twice in the last month I found the carbs were assembled incorrectly, after putting them back right I had good running saws.
StihlyinEly
Addicted to ArboristSite
For those of us who work with saws a lot but are not saw mechanics, these explanations are excellent. Guys like me are all a little smarter after reading this stuff. Thanks, Jerry!
For those of us who work with saws a lot but are not saw mechanics, these explanations are excellent. Guys like me are all a little smarter after reading this stuff. Thanks, Jerry!
Your`e more than welcome.
Pioneerguy600
same issues, not flooding
hard to pull, jerkie. strange thing is...i was using the saw before putting it down and switching it off to move the the tree stump and other stuff, went back to it 5 mins latter and bugger me...hard to pull and jerkie...removed spark plug and pulls freely.
I have an 038av super (never any problems with it, brought it as a teenager), this saw has a metal screw with a rubber washer that screws into the side of the cylinder head, is this screw what you guys call a compression release button???
If it is, i'v removed, plugged the spark plug back in and still hard to pull, so much so something is clearly wrong, i can't see how its the rewind starter component as when the spark plug is removed all is sweet (just like it was running 5mins before)
i've downloaded the dealer workshop manual, but don't want to disassemble the head etc to find the issue. because of the nature of it working one minute and not the next i think it must be something basic and common on these models for it not to be know...
cheers for any assistance
Regards
kelly
hard to pull, jerkie. strange thing is...i was using the saw before putting it down and switching it off to move the the tree stump and other stuff, went back to it 5 mins latter and bugger me...hard to pull and jerkie...removed spark plug and pulls freely.
I have an 038av super (never any problems with it, brought it as a teenager), this saw has a metal screw with a rubber washer that screws into the side of the cylinder head, is this screw what you guys call a compression release button???
If it is, i'v removed, plugged the spark plug back in and still hard to pull, so much so something is clearly wrong, i can't see how its the rewind starter component as when the spark plug is removed all is sweet (just like it was running 5mins before)
i've downloaded the dealer workshop manual, but don't want to disassemble the head etc to find the issue. because of the nature of it working one minute and not the next i think it must be something basic and common on these models for it not to be know...
cheers for any assistance
Regards
kelly
Last edited:
UPDATE People...got my brother to have a look at it, he said its compression mate, easy fix...watch this....he pulled it 4-5 times all the way too the end of the cord, every time it was jerking/stop/starting pull as stated previously in the forum, but on the 5-6 pull right at the end of it started to go back to its normal resistance, on the 7-8 pull it was normal and turned over...
As stated earlier in the forum also, my brother did sneak up on it, meaning he started slow until it jerked and applied my power as it engaged and just keep doing it until it went back to normal pull resistance. So the guys on here are correct, compression is the cause, so sneak up on it and just keep pulling until it goes back to normal....
The 038av super has no compression release, i'm now a happy camper with a working sthil again..life's good...
cheers guys....
