Old Stihl 041 Farm Boss

[PT81man]

A neighbor asked me to look at his FB. The first problem was the saw would stop when idling. I did have to increase the idle speed and it corrected this problem.



The next request from the neighbor was the engine was hard to start after running for a long time. The air filter was quite clogged and did not sit flush with the carb plate. There were also remnants of sawdust on the choke plate.

I have ordered the filter/carb/plug/gas filter combo from an eBay seller. I bought this combo just in case the cleaning does not clear the problem.

I will try re-adjusting the mixture screws to see if this has any change after installing the new air filter.

Besides being very encrusted with oil-soaked wood chips, there are two plastic parts under the chain cover that should be replaced. I have the part numbers but I can not find any supplier of these parts. I contacted Stihl and they listed a number of vendors they said might have NOS.
I have cleaned as much as I can from all the encrusted casting pockets and behind covers.

Does anyone on this site know of a vendor they go to for 35-40-year-old Stihl parts?

Thanks for any reply.
PT81man

 

[gumneck]

A neighbor asked me to look at his FB. The first problem was the saw would stop when idling. I did have to increase the idle speed and it corrected this problem.



The next request from the neighbor was the engine was hard to start after running for a long time. The air filter was quite clogged and did not sit flush with the carb plate. There were also remnants of sawdust on the choke plate.

I have ordered the filter/carb/plug/gas filter combo from an eBay seller. I bought this combo just in case the cleaning does not clear the problem.

I will try re-adjusting the mixture screws to see if this has any change after installing the new air filter.

Besides being very encrusted with oil-soaked wood chips, there are two plastic parts under the chain cover that should be replaced. I have the part numbers but I can not find any supplier of these parts. I contacted Stihl and they listed a number of vendors they said might have NOS.
I have cleaned as much as I can from all the encrusted casting pockets and behind covers.

Does anyone on this site know of a vendor they go to for 35-40-year-old Stihl parts?

Thanks for any reply.
PT81man

Before I started adjusting the mix screws, i would pull the carb and open it up to see if / how much crud is inside based on what you said about the sawdust that's getting past the airfilter. It may just need a carb cleaning. IMO

 

[PT81man]

The part numbers for the two items I am looking for are:
1110 656 1502
1114 656 7700

Both are under the chain cover and are plastic. I have called and emailed 7 suppliers named by Stihl with either no response or not available.
Maybe I should just forget about replacing these items since they are not that important.
Regards,

 

[PT81man]

Every time I open a carb I find nothing to indicate a problem. That is the reason I purchased the kit for less than $20. It has the Air Filter, Carb, Spark Plug, Fuel Lines, Gaskets, and Fuel Filter. How can you go wrong if this carb works?

 

[Patrick1903]

A neighbor asked me to look at his FB. The first problem was the saw would stop when idling. I did have to increase the idle speed and it corrected this problem.



The next request from the neighbor was the engine was hard to start after running for a long time. The air filter was quite clogged and did not sit flush with the carb plate. There were also remnants of sawdust on the choke plate.

I have ordered the filter/carb/plug/gas filter combo from an eBay seller. I bought this combo just in case the cleaning does not clear the problem.

I will try re-adjusting the mixture screws to see if this has any change after installing the new air filter.

Besides being very encrusted with oil-soaked wood chips, there are two plastic parts under the chain cover that should be replaced. I have the part numbers but I can not find any supplier of these parts. I contacted Stihl and they listed a number of vendors they said might have NOS.
I have cleaned as much as I can from all the encrusted casting pockets and behind covers.

Does anyone on this site know of a vendor they go to for 35-40-year-old Stihl parts?

Thanks for any reply.
PT81man

How does the saw run as is now? And how hard is it to restart? Replacing the OEM Tillotson carb (or whichever) with a cheap carb may not be a good swap. Clean and kit the OEM car first would be a good approach. New fuel filter (pickup) also may be in order depending on when it was last done. Same as spark plug. The one in the $20 kit is not going to be a Bosch or NGK plug. Your mileage might vary. Even if you get a cheapie carb to test as a comparison, if it tells you the carb is the issue, I’d try to get the OEM going anyway.

There are a lot of threads out there on this site on the 041. The saw has a lot of places where air leaks can occur. Might be worth looking at this threads too. I ended up having o-rings on the oiler shaft causing bar oil to leak into the crankcase, fouling plug til saw died. Doesn’t sound like your issue, because I couldn’t get any restart at all.

 

[Patrick1903]

A neighbor asked me to look at his FB. The first problem was the saw would stop when idling. I did have to increase the idle speed and it corrected this problem.



The next request from the neighbor was the engine was hard to start after running for a long time. The air filter was quite clogged and did not sit flush with the carb plate. There were also remnants of sawdust on the choke plate.

I have ordered the filter/carb/plug/gas filter combo from an eBay seller. I bought this combo just in case the cleaning does not clear the problem.

I will try re-adjusting the mixture screws to see if this has any change after installing the new air filter.

Besides being very encrusted with oil-soaked wood chips, there are two plastic parts under the chain cover that should be replaced. I have the part numbers but I can not find any supplier of these parts. I contacted Stihl and they listed a number of vendors they said might have NOS.
I have cleaned as much as I can from all the encrusted casting pockets and behind covers.

Does anyone on this site know of a vendor they go to for 35-40-year-old Stihl parts?

Thanks for any reply.
PT81man

Why do those plastic parts need to be replaced? Broken? For old parts for that saw, eBay is a good source. There’s a lot of New Old Stock (ie NOS) out there for that saw. Plenty of used parts too.

 

[Stihl029Stihl011]

Have u pulled the muffler to check to see if the piston isnt scored up.

 

[stihltech]

So many things to check on a saw this old. Pulse hose, intake gaskets, fuel supply integrity, internal engine condition, vacuum and pressure test.
The choice is throw parts at it or diagnose the issues.

 

[PT81man]

I found a supplier for those parts but will ask the owner if he wants to invest $. I am still waiting for the carb stuff and will see what happens when I change the filters. I am going to take the suggestion and look at the piston thru the exhaust port. I have to see if the restart problem is flooding or starving. I can't take the owner's description since he is not well-versed in engines.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[PT81man]

Have u pulled the muffler to check to see if the piston isnt scored up.

I went out to the shop today to look at the piston for scoring. Well, first the cover to the muffler is rusted in place and I don't want to do any hammering and break it. Second, the attachment point of the muffler to the jug is buried inside the housing. I would need a bore scope to look inside, that is if I could even get to the hardware holding the muffler to the jug.
All the carb parts should be here on Tuesday so I'll wait to install the fuel filter and air filter and then see how it runs without changing the carb. At least if I have to do a carb cleaning and I screw it up I'll have a backup carb. Never did like messing with carbs.
PT81man

 

[PT81man]

Why do those plastic parts need to be replaced? Broken? For old parts for that saw, eBay is a good source. There’s a lot of New Old Stock (ie NOS) out there for that saw. Plenty of used parts too.

The parts are badly chewed up from the chain hitting them. I found a supplier in MA that has them. With shipping it is $39. When I see the neighbor again I'll ask if he wants to invest in these parts. I did the drop test this morning and it held in place on the compression stroke. I have not put my pressure gauge on it, maybe if it is giving me trouble starting, I'll check to see what the pressure is.
PT81man

 

[PT81man]

Just got an email from Stihl stating the fuel mixture should be "1:25 when using two-stroke oil or 1:40 for Stihl two-stroke engine oil". I wonder what oil they are referring to with the the1:25 ratio? Are they stating some two-cycle oil is not good? Also with Stihl oil at 1:40, I seem to recall the ratio being 1:50.
What is correct?

 

[PT81man]

I purchased a kit from eBay for an 041 which included the Air Filter, Carb, Gaskets, Spark Plug, Fuel Filter, and Fuel lines. It seemed like a good deal. The Air filter did not fit and the carb gaskets were for another carb. I packed it up and returned it. Luckily the vendor gave a full refund.
Further investigation indicates this is an early 041 and the Air Filter for this model fits the 040. I did find one on eBay 110 656 1611 for more than the kit price but at least this should fit.
I have not heard back from the owner pertaining to the plastic parts for replacement. I think there was a death in the family so I am not pushing it.

PT81man

 

[sonny580]

ebay and amazon can be your friend at times, BUT can take ages for needed parts to come up for sale.
I put a new carb kit in my 041 and it runs but I have to reset the float,---sounds its not letting quite enough gas in. runs quite a while at fast idle but falls on its face at cutting speed. Got a Homelite 290 did the same thing, so gotta re-do them.
the 041 is an interesting saw but I kinda like it cause it has weight and dont bounce around in the cut like the plastics do! lol!

 

[gumneck]

Every time I open a carb I find nothing to indicate a problem. That is the reason I purchased the kit for less than $20. It has the Air Filter, Carb, Spark Plug, Fuel Lines, Gaskets, and Fuel Filter. How can you go wrong if this carb works?

So you're going to alot of trouble to order parts return them order more parts rather than just opening up the carb and seeing what is inside or not inside? You might just find a dirty carb in what takes about 10 minutes to open up and see. May not be the problem but you might find some super stiff diaphragms or just a stuck fuel pump side diaphragm.

As an example, I just started work on a Jreds 621. Carb opened up shows the needle valve lever sitting higher than level with chamber floor, adjusted to correct to be level. Also, the metering diaphragm and gasket were not in correct order to carb body. Those were just quick fixes.

 

[PT81man]

I am down to the last challenge. Replacing the air filter. All documents indicate the P/N is 1110120 1601. This does not fit. Does anyone know of the correct filter for an 041 Farm Boss Serial Number 113368681? I even tried 1110 656 1611 and it is much too small. I have been searching for days for this part with no luck.

 

[sonny580]

the filter that came in my kit was a tad big so I trimmed it a bit with the Dremel and made it fit like the old broken one that was in the saw when I got it.

 

[stihltech]

We need pictures, please.

 

[PT81man]

Here is the latest one I got from eBay. It is too small. Others I have received were too big, they did not fit the casting hole spacing. I received an email from Stihl stating 1110 120 1601 is the correct P/N for the 041 but most come from China so they are not correct. My next option is to go to my local Stihl dealer and order the filter. The dimensions I need are 89.6mm between pegs 104 mm large end, 92.75 small end with a length of 107mm. The mounting hole is 77.75mm from the large end.

Regards,
PT81man

 

[sonny580]

Dealer stock more than likely is from chimna too!!!