Need to rebuild 038 magnum

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

steveotm357

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Oct 12, 2021
Messages
48
Reaction score
9
Location
nj
Hi everyone...newb here...i am a woodturner and have had this saw for about 15 years now...i am an older guy so i am not using it daily...stopped running...then couldnt pull the starter anymore...took it the repair guy...piston and cylinder...unfixable...guess they just dont want to do the job...so i am thinking of giving it a try and have been searching here for a walkthrough of some sort but have come up empty handed...is there a certain search term to use??? Would appreciate any advice!!!! Thanks...steve
 
Hi everyone...newb here...i am a woodturner and have had this saw for about 15 years now...i am an older guy so i am not using it daily...stopped running...then couldnt pull the starter anymore...took it the repair guy...piston and cylinder...unfixable...guess they just dont want to do the job...so i am thinking of giving it a try and have been searching here for a walkthrough of some sort but have come up empty handed...is there a certain search term to use??? Would appreciate any advice!!!! Thanks...steve
Welcome to site. Get an IPL and workshop manual to start.

If you can salvage the OEM cylinder that would best. Lots here on scored cylinders.

You might want to get clutch (left hand thread) and flywheel loose before pulling cylinder to check it out.

Pull off the muffler and post some pictures of the piston. Will give you and us an idea of how bad things are
 
1634163005380.pngI have the IPL and a pdf called Stihl- 028-038 service manual...is that the right one???
 
Check your Inbox for a link to a manual for the 038.
I'd be willing to bet that there is very little damage to the cylinder (but it WILL need attention - many threads on removing transfer) and a new piston & rings will do. First task, though, is to determine why the damage occurred.
 
Check your Inbox for a link to a manual for the 038.
I'd be willing to bet that there is very little damage to the cylinder (but it WILL need attention - many threads on removing transfer) and a new piston & rings will do. First task, though, is to determine why the damage occurred.
Thanks for the manual! I was using a synthetic premix fuel as i dont use the saw all the time...it is 50:1 tho...would that be the problem???
 
thats only minor damage to the piston, very likely the cylinder is easily cleaned up and reused. I have learned the hard way its best to fully disassemble a saw to thoroughly clean every thing and replace every gasket, seal and bearings (have them on standby just incase) while your doing internal repairs. It's far better to go the full distance once and complain about parts costs once than to do half the work and find other problems shortly after completion. People very often overlook cleanliness on saws resulting in debris entering the engine where it then causes damaged bearings/cylinder/piston skirts etc.. A good high quality teardown and rebuild will last many many years of hard everyday use. Every single saw I have torn down I have found something that needed attention-- hardened seals, pitted bearings, sludge/trash accumulation in the crank case, pulled threads or damaged fasteners, peeling paint inside the case etc that all will cause problems or catastrophe at some point. What you do or do not do now will always affect the saws future. Run 40-1 and use a tac to adjust the carb!
 
thats only minor damage to the piston, very likely the cylinder is easily cleaned up and reused. I have learned the hard way its best to fully disassemble a saw to thoroughly clean every thing and replace every gasket, seal and bearings (have them on standby just incase) while your doing internal repairs. It's far better to go the full distance once and complain about parts costs once than to do half the work and find other problems shortly after completion. People very often overlook cleanliness on saws resulting in debris entering the engine where it then causes damaged bearings/cylinder/piston skirts etc.. A good high quality teardown and rebuild will last many many years of hard everyday use. Every single saw I have torn down I have found something that needed attention-- hardened seals, pitted bearings, sludge/trash accumulation in the crank case, pulled threads or damaged fasteners, peeling paint inside the case etc that all will cause problems or catastrophe at some point. What you do or do not do now will always affect the saws future. Run 40-1 and use a tac to adjust the carb!
Cookies...you have a good point there and i agree...i plan on getting started on dissasembly this weekend...any chance of a source oem parts??? or a quality aftermarket company???
 
Welcome to site. Get an IPL and workshop manual to start.

If you can salvage the OEM cylinder that would best. Lots here on scored cylinders.

You might want to get clutch (left hand thread) and flywheel loose before pulling cylinder to check it out.

Pull off the muffler and post some pictures of the piston. Will give you and us an idea of how bad things are
Then thats where i will start...i will post pics when i get there...thanks!
 
Cookies...you have a good point there and i agree...i plan on getting started on dissasembly this weekend...any chance of a source oem parts??? or a quality aftermarket company???
038 parts are usually available, for a quality aftermarket part Meteor is about the only known source for consistency and quality.
 
Hello guys...hope all had a great weekend! Got home from work and started disassembly...got down to the flywheel nut off and have fought with aluminum castings before so i dont want to warp/brak it...in the manual it says use a puller ....a few videos says tap the shaft till it comes loose...tried it with no luck yet...will a penetrating oil like Kroil do any good???or is there a better way???
 

Attachments

  • 246278674_176135364695820_5906416130452323269_n.jpg
    246278674_176135364695820_5906416130452323269_n.jpg
    222.8 KB · Views: 18
  • 246308252_152821020385089_7834318806232825591_n.jpg
    246308252_152821020385089_7834318806232825591_n.jpg
    107.2 KB · Views: 18
Hello guys...hope all had a great weekend! Got home from work and started disassembly...got down to the flywheel nut off and have fought with aluminum castings before so i dont want to warp/brak it...in the manual it says use a puller ....a few videos says tap the shaft till it comes loose...tried it with no luck yet...will a penetrating oil like Kroil do any good???or is there a better way???
I'm a big fan of Kroil and I use it when removing flywheels, but you really need to get the puller. I use one similar to this one - https://www.ebay.com/itm/222428414377?hash=item33c9c441a9:g:XUoAAOSw4cVhSh4D
 
Hello guys...hope all had a great weekend! Got home from work and started disassembly...got down to the flywheel nut off and have fought with aluminum castings before so i dont want to warp/brak it...in the manual it says use a puller ....a few videos says tap the shaft till it comes loose...tried it with no luck yet...will a penetrating oil like Kroil do any good???or is there a better way???

It's a piece of cake with the right tool. Here is one - nice price but SLOW delivery:
https://www.amazon.com/Farmertec-Fl...s=flywheel+puller+stihl&qid=1634523786&sr=8-4
Is there a member who lives near you who has a puller on hand? Worth asking.

That said, the Kroil won't hurt and will make the hammer method more effective. Just be sure to use the nut to protect the threads. If that's not clear, I'll bet there a few YT vids showing the method.
 
Back
Top