Stihl 029 Super.... need help, won't start!

[IowaDiver]

I found a Stihl 029 Super Farm Boss 20".... litterally found this thing, in the case on the side of the road! So I took it home... it looks like a much better saw than my Husquvarna, so I'd like to see if I can get it operational. At first glance the saw is pretty clean with minimal wear, but it could have taken a tumble off the back of a truck or something, so i need help trouble shooting to get this thing going if possible.
First off I cleaned the saw up and of course tried to start it.... no luck. I pulled the spark plug to dry out the cylinder in case i flooded it, no luck. I bought a new spark plug, replaced, no luck. I tried plugging the spark plug into the cord (sorry for lack of technical language), pulled the cord and I do see a spark (good sign!)... still no luck. I dissambled the saw... removed all the body parts, fuel lines, carb, exhaust, bar/chain, etc... cleaned out all debris, checked all electrical connectors (in case one came undone in "the fall"), reassembled.... no luck. I read a bunch of posts on this forum with guys trying to trouble shoot the same saw and decided to check compression. I actually had a brand new in the package compression tester I bought several years ago and never used.... i never used one of these, so I read the directions, hooked it up to the cylinder, opened to full choke and gave it a few pulls... the tester first read approx. 60, then 90 on the second pull, then maxed out at 100. I reset and got the same results several times. I also removed the exhaust to inspect the cylinder head.... i've never done this before, so who knows if I am giving a proper evaluation... but the head looked clean yet had streaks that ran up and down... not sure if they are scratches or just simply oil/fuel streaks. I watched the head move up and down as I pulled the cord slowly... noticed some fuel actively seeping along the sides of the piston... normal?
It seems like everyone on here suggest rebuilding the carb first off for troubleshooting.... cheap enough and easy, but I thought I would ask for any additional suggestions or troubleshooting tricks prior to doing that. Any ideas?

Matt

 

[rupedoggy]

Sawtroll told me to tell you to put it back out alongside the road.:msp_rolleyes:

 

[71dart]

Try the compression tester again without setting it at 'full choke' and pull it hard... like 8 times. If you're still seeing 100 psi you need at least new rings and probably a piston.

 

[excess650]

I see you list your location as a Florida Island. Do you have a boat? You have an anchor! :msp_w00t:





Seriously, the compression sounds low and you've described the appearance of a scored piston. More than likely you have aluminum smeared on the cylinder walls and the rings stuck in their grooves. You can try to clean the cylinder and replace the piston and rings if the cylinder cleans up, buy a shortblock kit form Bailey's and make the swap, or attach your anchor rope....:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[jus2fat]

I would keep the case, bar and chain and put the power-head back on the road or leave in post office.
{folks going in and out there will take anything..!! - (once saw a roll of 3" tape..only one wrap left) gone in seconds!!}

You could put a 390 kit in..if you want to spend $$ and take the gamble..Too heavy for me..I'm old....

You could also put it on eBay and sell as a parts saw..you won't get much

J2F

 

[rmh3481]

Pick up one of the aftermarket 039 cylinder and piston kits from Baileys. You need more than 100psi to run. You can try a shot of straight 30wt down the plug hole and see if that builds more compression but it will need to be rebuilt to be reliable.

 

[dswensen]

Does your new compression tester have a schrader valve (looks like a tire valve stem core) in the tip? If not, you can't use it to test that saw - it won't give you an accurate reading.

When testing for spark with the spark plug, did you gound the side of the park plug to the engine? If not, it wasn't grounded - go try 'er again.

 

[IowaDiver]

thanks

Hey guys... sorry, new to the forum and I wasn't getting notifications that you had replied to my post. I will double check that I am testing compression correctly and see what results... I would be interested in replacing the rings and or piston, not because I really need the saw, but would rather use it as a learning experience to build my knowledge and abilities with small engines. How challenging is this project? Any feedback on doing that repair would be great.... also besides doing the ring/piston kit, do you recommend doing any additional repairs (carb rebuild) prior to running the saw?

 

[IowaDiver]

Does your new compression tester have a schrader valve (looks like a tire valve stem core) in the tip? If not, you can't use it to test that saw - it won't give you an accurate reading.

good advice... I didn't realize my tester has a removable piece on the end... when I removed that extension adapater I found the Schrader valve you were speaking of.... the results did seem a bit more "firm".... with the needle reading a strong 100-110 psi..... so I would assume I am still needing to do the piston and rings.
I see we have a lot of anti-Stihl saw advocates on this forum.... free is free... and if I can drop a couple bucks to get this saw in reliable working condition, I can turn it on craigslist or ebay and make some bucks while building my knowledge of small engine repair. I think the 039 piston upgrade sounds like a fun project, so I think I will give it a whirl.

 

[IowaDiver]

piston/ring kits

trying to make sure I end up with the right kit.... can someone point me in the right direction. Do I need to make sure the kit matches up with the model year of my saw? Sorry, you are dealing with a newbie to the piston replacement project world... I have found several 029 replacement piston/ring kits and the only difference I am seeing is the bore diameter... how do I know which is right for this saw? I would like to try to upgrade to the 039 if it is not too tough to complete, but hadn't found this particular kit. Anyone who has done this upgrade, please post a link to the kit you used. Thanks for helping the rookie!

 

[kr5258]

Pull the muffler and take a look at the piston before going any further. There are three 8mm nuts at the front. Apply some penetrating oil. Work the nuts back and forth a little at a time to get them completely off. This will hopefully prevent you from snapping off the bolts. Post up some pics of the piston and the saw. We should be able to help you from there.

 

[IowaDiver]

pictures

here are a few pics of the muffler removed and also of the serial number... thought that might help with determining the age of the saw in reference to potential replacement parts needed.View attachment 290346View attachment 290347View attachment 290348View attachment 290349View attachment 290350

 

[IowaDiver]

side question on forum

I don't seem to get email notifications when there are responses to this thread.... I have activated "receive email notification".... what am I doing wrong? I really appreciate the help and advice from you all and want to know when there are new responses or posts on my threads.

 

[elanjoe]

any 039, 031, 029, 390,310 or 290 piston and cylinder will work.

 

[Frogfarmer]

The piston and rings are toast and the cyl might be as well but wont know until you tear it down. Saw looks nice for its age and worth the 039 upgrade if you wanted to keep the saw. For a project to sell to someone I would do as little as possible to get it running. Around nere it wont bring a great amount of money.

 

[71dart]

As said before check out Baileys 390 kit. Search on their site for sbn 390. One little catch on that saw is you have to remove the rear bar stud to pull the motor. There are good build threads on this site for that model saw.

 

[IowaDiver]

out with the old

I've got a husquvarna 445.... my thought is that if I can upgrade this saw it would be better to keep it and sell the husquvarna.... would you think comparably the upgraded Stihl would be the better of the two?

Matt

 

[IowaDiver]

As said before check out Baileys 390 kit. Search on their site for sbn 390. One little catch on that saw is you have to remove the rear bar stud to pull the motor. There are good build threads on this site for that model saw.

I am guessing that the 029 does not have a compression release? I would need to also purchase one when doing this upgrade?

 

[bushwackr]

just get a compression plug

 

[kr5258]

If you're looking to do it as cheap as possible tear it down and try to clean up the cylinder. If it cleans up good, throw a piston into it and run it.

If you want more power ($$), get the 49mm kit.

Some useful links:
http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/130474.htm

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/133453.htm

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/109180-2.htm