Stihl 034 vs 034S Crankcase Differences?

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SteveSr

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I just picked up what appears to be a late production 034. It has
  • A plastic top handle
  • Newer quarter turn adjust oil pump
  • Plastic (not aluminum) emblem on the recoil
  • Metal tag on the top cover but missing "AV, Electronic, Quickstop" verbiage
  • Side (not front) outlet muffler
  • Low profile tank vent with duckbill valve.
  • C3A-S19 carb
However, the crankcase appears to be ancient missing the metal inner side plate and the ability to install a side chain tensioner. Before anyone says "Frankensaw" the serial number is 231620729 which appears to put it in the later production numbers.

So I am wondering why a late production saw appears to be using an early production crankcase. I know that the side tensioner was introduced for the 034S variant which was first sold in the early 90s.

So why doesn't the newer production saw have the updated crankcase that will accept the metal side plate and the side tensioner? Usually Stihl will carry these improvements through to all similar models. Any thoughts on why Stihl didn't do this in this case? Was Stihl trying to use up leftover spare parts from older models because the regular 034 was only supposed to have the front chain tensioner?
 
An 034 pre dates the side tensioner. These came in with the 036. That saw is just before those updates.As you said, Stihl did note update the 034 as it was discontinued soon after the Super appeared.
 
An 034 pre dates the side tensioner. These came in with the 036. That saw is just before those updates.As you said, Stihl did note update the 034 as it was discontinued soon after the Super appeared.

Maybe I'm not reading this right?......But I have at least three 034 saws with the side chain tensioner.
 
Some have the side tensioner and some have the front tensioner. Both are very usable if in good shape. Also the MS360 is the same except for the flippy caps. I am looking for a case right now and not picky on which just needs to be in good useable shape.

Some of the early 034 have 4mm recoil bolts as easy to convert to 5mm if you desire. Also some of the very early 034 have a different chain brake cover plate which is just as good, but hard to find if you need one.
 
An 034 pre dates the side tensioner. These came in with the 036. That saw is just before those updates.As you said, Stihl did note update the 034 as it was discontinued soon after the Super appeared.
I don't believe that this is correct. I have an 034 Super with the side tensioner that was made in 1993 (by date code on the carb) with a serial number prefix of 119. BTW, I believe that the first digit of the SN denoted country of manufacture (1=germany, 2=USA?) So the saw in question has an x31 serial which is considerably later than the x19 of my '93 super.

You are correct that the 034S eventually became the 036 but Stihl continued to sell the 034 for a considerable time after the 034S/036 was introduced, perhaps as a stripped down, cost reduced, homeowner/farm saw..
 
034 did come with a side bar adjustment being I have two here, one a metal tag regular 034 the other came from Dan with no top cover actually on it so it's unknown.

The big miss is most people don't know the plastic cover (s) on the PTO side are different from 034 to 036 with some other case changes I'm aware of except possibly the oil pump itself. I have not crossed the parts to see if the pumps interchange on the different pto cases. Most likely they will swap with no issues. I've found that some cases have an extra protrusion on the pto side near the cylinder transfer port. Not sure if it was essentially an 034S option or not.

Pretty bad info from a Stihl tech.

The bit about a 360 just having flippy caps isn't true either. The top cover, air filter cover and tank handle assembly are different from 034/034S and the later 036/036P/360/360P. One Does Not fit the other or the air filters. Only a complete assembly will interchange as a whole setup.

The issues about top cover fitment and cylinders I'm not getting into here but they do fit different and can be altered to swap around such parts.

@SteveSr on your last question in your first post.
Possibly and most likely or it could have been a dealer built saw from parts or something else we haven't found out yet. These saws were produced for many markets to be sold in several countries with different trimmings like, mufflers, muffler spacers and bar adjusters. The handle was likely replaced with a plastic one at some point. I'm not up on the clutch covers but it seems variants did happen at some point to accommodate the side adjust deal. Hope this helps you sort the thing better.

Doc has more experience and time on these models but will not answer me anymore even when texting him. I think I know why but that is another story related to pure BS is my best guess.
 
034 did come with a side bar adjustment being I have two here, one a metal tag regular 034 the other came from Dan with no top cover actually on it so it's unknown.
That is what I suspected. In some saws I believe that the crankcases can accommodate either tensioner. However, without tearing it apart I can't verify this on my 034S.

The big miss is most people don't know the plastic cover (s) on the PTO side are different from 034 to 036 with some other case changes I'm aware of except possibly the oil pump itself. I have not crossed the parts to see if the pumps interchange on the different pto cases. Most likely they will swap with no issues. I've found that some cases have an extra protrusion on the pto side near the cylinder transfer port. Not sure if it was essentially an 034S option or not.
That was another thing that I was surprised to find was a plastic side cover on the 034 whereas my 034S has a metal one.

@SteveSr on your last question in your first post.
Possibly and most likely or it could have been a dealer built saw from parts or something else we haven't found out yet. These saws were produced for many markets to be sold in several countries with different trimmings like, mufflers, muffler spacers and bar adjusters. The handle was likely replaced with a plastic one at some point. I'm not up on the clutch covers but it seems variants did happen at some point to accommodate the side adjust deal. Hope this helps you sort the thing better.
This looks to be a factory saw since it has a SN on the case. The side adjust tensioner pre-dates this saw by a considerable amount of years and the side cover on this saw has the whole for the side tensioner but no tenstioner screw. It looks like the previous user (or someone else) tried on more than one occasion to put a screwdriver in there.

So the mystery remains. Perhaps @DND 9000 could provide some insight?

I also have a late production 044 that showed up without a decomp valve or top cover long after it was introduced.
 
The dealer could have built one from an existing case that was in production at one point.

The side cover being plastic was not what I was referencing. The metal shape, discharge deflector or not and the side adjust arrangement is what I was referring to. Bosses being drilled for accessories such as an outer bucking spike changed over time as more parts were added and became available.

I have no claims to be an expert on any chainsaw let alone one this old and made for so many applications.
 
Insite is good.

We are not on the same page here. Your references are to the clutch cover not the side case cover or covers. The early 034 takes a two piece brake cover/oil pump cover assembly that does not interchange with a 360 case. The 360 brake cover is one piece. They are different, period. Check your part numbers and production dates.
 
remove the clutch cover, remove the bar mounting plate. Is the tensioner cut out in the case made to accept only the front tensioner or is it cast to hold both. I believe there was a budget model 034 fitted with plastic handle, front tensioner, spur sprocket, plastic clutch cover, side exit muffler. The cylinder/piston casting letters and piston ring thickness can also aid in telling if its a Frankenstein. The older 034 had 1.5mm thick rings and A or A+ version cylinder/piston. Does the metal tag on the starter recoil say made in west germany?
 
remove the clutch cover, remove the bar mounting plate. Is the tensioner cut out in the case made to accept only the front tensioner or is it cast to hold both. I believe there was a budget model 034 fitted with plastic handle, front tensioner, spur sprocket, plastic clutch cover, side exit muffler. The cylinder/piston casting letters and piston ring thickness can also aid in telling if its a Frankenstein. The older 034 had 1.5mm thick rings and A or A+ version cylinder/piston. Does the metal tag on the starter recoil say made in west germany?
Bingo! The crankcase will not accept the side tensioner and the emblem on the recoil is plastic and just says "Stihl". There are no piston sizing marks on the top of the cylinder. My initial impression was that either this saw was a highly cost reduced version or was made up of leftover parts at the end of the production run.
 
remove the clutch cover, remove the bar mounting plate. Is the tensioner cut out in the case made to accept only the front tensioner or is it cast to hold both. I believe there was a budget model 034 fitted with plastic handle, front tensioner, spur sprocket, plastic clutch cover, side exit muffler. The cylinder/piston casting letters and piston ring thickness can also aid in telling if its a Frankenstein. The older 034 had 1.5mm thick rings and A or A+ version cylinder/piston. Does the metal tag on the starter recoil say made in west germany?
I've never ran across the thick ring piston, yet. I did get both sets of rings before the next one comes apart.

Being popular was never my main concern in life so if anyone was offended oh well.
 
The later 034 versions had 1.2mm thick rings, the markings on the cylinder are at the base. The difference between the cylinder top covers fitting properly are due to the cylinder cooling fins. 034 and 034S covers can interchange, 036 and 036 pro covers can interchange until they went to the flip cap style where the handles are different. I suggest 3/8 16" or 18" .325 on the 034 and 3/8 18" or 20" .325 on the 036 stock. You can modify the oil pump for greater output by beveling the adjustment bolt bead so it may turn out further before the case stops it. The 034 came with either a zama or tilly, 034S and 036/036 pro came with a zama. Early zamas were made in japan then later china, the tilly will adequately fuel the 036/034S with a good deal of folks deeming it the superior version though I find it tends to flood the saw easier at start up.
These saws were made for over a decade, its fully possible a case half was replaced due to a clutch bearing failure, someone built a Frankenstein or it came this way. The TS400 clutch swaps in and used with the updated rim/bearing pulls better than the original setup. Stay away at all costs from the metal caged aftermarket clutch bearings for the original design smaller bearing clutch drum, they are inferior, they do not support the clutch drum properly on the crank and will come apart.
 

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