Question on 028 diagnosis...crank seals

[TOPH R]

Hey there, I brought my 028 to a friend of a friend (an arbourist thats also a small engine guy) for a tune up, as it was running kinda wonky, and I didn't have the time to play with it.

He did clutch springs and a carb kit, and when he went to test the saw it was bogging down once it was hot, cold compression is good, and he suspects the crank seals. I am inclined to take his word on it.

My question is really this, he said it will cost about 100 bux to fix, is it worth it for an older 028 ( i cant remember which model 028, but its from the 'west germany' days pre 89. It was a great saw for a long time for my old man, and now that I have removed it from his garage and placed it in my own, I think it would be a nice compliment to my ms360.

Do it, or don't do it?

I'm thinking do it!

 

[sefh3]

It all depends on if you want to spend the money on the saw. I would do it myself and save some money. If you do it yourself and have questions we are here to help. $100 seems steep to just replace the seals. How much is he charging for labor?

 

[Justsaws]

Bogging down is not a typical symptom of crank seals. $100.00 for seals would be more than a Stihl dealer would charge here.

Most likely not tuned correctly after the carb kit. Hopefully there is a new fuel filter in front of the recently cleaned carb and new kit.

If your friend meant to say that the saw needed rings that would make more sense and the best way to know is to measure the ring gap or the rings themselves. The price would be more in line with rings but still steep.

 

[rotarysound]

I disagree with this statement below. No disrespect intended. It's simply wrong and some of us have learned it the hard way.

>>Bogging down is not a typical symptom of crank seals.

I am working on a 028 AV Super that is suffering from this exact problem right now and this is after cylinder restoration, piston and rings replacement. The bearings were also very shot on my saw, especially the ignition side bearing.

Crank seals provide a rubber seal around the crank shaft. Over time, the rubber drys up and no longer makes a seal. When the engine heats up is when the problem shows itself most dramatically. Put the bar into a cut and the engine bogs down. Additional symptoms are unreliable carb settings.

A complete rebuild gasket set that includes crank seals costs $15. These are getting harder to find for the 028 so get it now while you still can. Banta saw is the only place that I know of that sells the complete kit.
It's a labor intensive job to tear a saw down for bottom end work. Make sure that you replace both bearings...combined cost is ~ $60 and re-seal the crank case with new gasket and Dirko Red gasket sealant. The clutch side bearing is a specially made for Stihl and you will not find it from any bearings supply house... Unlike the universal 6002 Ignition side bearing. In the long run, I think you would save money by ordering both bearings from Stihl. Anything short of the compete bottom end repair on a 028, seems like a waste of time and money.

To the guy who originally posted the question, If you can talk your friend into doing the above job for $100, then I think you are getting a good deal. I also suggest that you gather up all of the parts ahead of time. Lots of folks really like the 028 for good reason, myself included. For the money that you will likely spend fixing this saw, especially if you pay someone else to do it, you could quite likely buy a new one. These are the facts.

Rotarysound

 

[Fish]

Hey there, I brought my 028 to a friend of a friend (an arbourist thats also a small engine guy) for a tune up, as it was running kinda wonky, and I didn't have the time to play with it.

He did clutch springs and a carb kit, and when he went to test the saw it was bogging down once it was hot, cold compression is good, and he suspects the crank seals. I am inclined to take his word on it.

My question is really this, he said it will cost about 100 bux to fix, is it worth it for an older 028 ( i cant remember which model 028, but its from the 'west germany' days pre 89. It was a great saw for a long time for my old man, and now that I have removed it from his garage and placed it in my own, I think it would be a nice compliment to my ms360.

Do it, or don't do it?

I'm thinking do it!

I say, you need to find a guy that can determine the problem, other than
suspecting, or listen to someone that had a similar saw tell you what to do without looking at it.

How much did he charge you for the clutch springs and carb kit, total????
Why did he do it???

Several guys here would take care of it for you cheap enough if you ship them the powerhead. Around $10 each way..
Could just be a fuel or impulse line {likely bad anyway}.

 

[Mad Professor]

Have you done a bottom end leakdown/compression test?

E.g. pissing in the wind will not fix things........

P.S. yes it's worth fixing, unless you get into crankshaft/cylinder repairs. We'll maybe a tecomec cyl assy................