Stihl 036 Pro

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

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

Outback1

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
60
Reaction score
30
Location
California
Hello All,
I have a chance to pickup a Stihl 036 Pro.
It has a bad barrel and piston so I’d have to replace plus whatever else I come across. So is it worth to rebuild? I know it’s about 15 years old and I don’t know much about the 360 Pro so any thoughts will help.
 
Hello All,
I have a chance to pickup a Stihl 036 Pro.
It has a bad barrel and piston so I’d have to replace plus whatever else I come across. So is it worth to rebuild? I know it’s about 15 years old and I don’t know much about the 360 Pro so any thoughts will help.

I rebuilt one last year that I bought new in the late '90s. I slapped an after market top end on it and a new OEM carb. Running great. It compares favorably with anything else currently availible in the same size range IMHO. So yeah, if you're not paying someone to fix it up and it's not beat completely to death I'd say it's worth it breathing new life into it. New saws are pricey and trees don't care how old the saw is.
 
How much would you offer someone for a saw in the condition I described? It actually has a scored barrel and piston.
I’m trying to figure out how much to offer as the shop they took it too said it wasn’t worth the effort but then he could sell them another one instead!
 
How much would you offer someone for a saw in the condition I described? It actually has a scored barrel and piston.
I’m trying to figure out how much to offer as the shop they took it too said it wasn’t worth the effort but then he could sell them another one instead!
:thisthreadisworthlesswithoutpictures:
 
Maybe 60$- 75$ if it’s in decent condition. If it’s exceptionally clean, maybe as much as 125$, especially if it’s got a decent condition good quality bar with it. Think of the parts and labor going into it, and that if it comes out perfect you’ll have a saw that might be worth 350$ or so. If the point is to have a capable and reliable work saw, you’re not really taking a loss by spending a little more. If the point is to flip it and try to make 100$ profit, that might be a difficult profit.

They are lovely all around work saws, I’m a big fan of 60cc pro grade saws. In my opinion, 60cc is around when you can move onto bar lengths bigger than 20”, although I think 20” is a sweet spot for them. That point is arguable though, I’m sure.
 
Maybe 60$- 75$ if it’s in decent condition. If it’s exceptionally clean, maybe as much as 125$, especially if it’s got a decent condition good quality bar with it. Think of the parts and labor going into it, and that if it comes out perfect you’ll have a saw that might be worth 350$ or so. If the point is to have a capable and reliable work saw, you’re not really taking a loss by spending a little more. If the point is to flip it and try to make 100$ profit, that might be a difficult profit.

They are lovely all around work saws, I’m a big fan of 60cc pro grade saws. In my opinion, 60cc is around when you can move onto bar lengths bigger than 20”, although I think 20” is a sweet spot for them. That point is arguable though, I’m sure.
I got it for a new 18” chain for the person that I got it from so $32 and it’s mine now!
I need to get a top end kit as it has a scuffed piston and cylinder but the bar and chain are good so is the clutch and bearing. Now to figure out which top end kit to purchase? Meteor or Highway kit?
 
I got it for a new 18” chain for the person that I got it from so $32 and it’s mine now!
I need to get a top end kit as it has a scuffed piston and cylinder but the bar and chain are good so is the clutch and bearing. Now to figure out which top end kit to purchase? Meteor or Highway kit?
Are you sure you can't salvage the OEM cylinder?

Years back I got a 036 for free.

The piston looked like this.

piston.jpg

But I cleaned up the cylinder to look like this.

exhaust side.jpg
 
I really appreciated your input as I did indeed save the OEM barrel and my piston had the rings on the exhaust port side welded to the piston!! But I cleaned it up very well and now I’m waiting for my Flex Hone to finish it and install my new piston and boot a pair of Caber rings for it as well. The cab had been replaced but whoever did the job didn’t remove the restricters on the carb adjust screws so I fixed that turned both Low and High out to 11/2 turns out when I’m done hopefully it fire up pretty easy.
 
I really appreciated your input as I did indeed save the OEM barrel and my piston had the rings on the exhaust port side welded to the piston!! But I cleaned it up very well and now I’m waiting for my Flex Hone to finish it and install my new piston and boot a pair of Caber rings for it as well. The cab had been replaced but whoever did the job didn’t remove the restricters on the carb adjust screws so I fixed that turned both Low and High out to 11/2 turns out when I’m done hopefully it fire up pretty easy.
Cleaning transfer should not be done with a hone, nikasil is extremely thin and you may do permanent damage to your cylinder. Look up the Mastermind method of cleaning and preping your cylinder.
 
I think you’ll really enjoy that saw. I have a 036 Pro it’s one of my favorite saws to run.
Me also, I have two.

For firewood I take a 036 and a 038M (or one of my 038S---->038M conversions). 20" bar on the 036 and it does most all the cutting on smaller stuff, 25" bar on the 038M and it does most all the stuff ~20" thick and larger.


Randy uses a lot more coarse of a grit than I like in that video.

I use a combination of acid along with wet/dry honing using dish detergent solution. Most of the time just finger honing. But I'm working on my own stuff and not in a hurry. The picture of the 036 cylinder I posted above and here I finished up with 400 wet/dry.

DSC_0011.JPG
 
I use 400 grit emery cloth and penetrating oil for removing transfer as well. Afterwards I lightly hone the cylinder in a solvent tank with a ball hone. More often than not they come out looking like new.
I’m going to be ball honing my 036 barrel for my first time. So do you use a lubricant when honing? I bought the Flex Hone. I appreciate all your input.
 
Yes you should use some kind of lubricant when honing. Kerosene or diesel would work, you could also use WD-40 or something similar. The idea is to wash away the fine grit/dirt produced while running the hone. Also helps with surface finish.
 
I’m going to be ball honing my 036 barrel for my first time. So do you use a lubricant when honing? I bought the Flex Hone. I appreciate all your input.
Because Nikasil coatings are thin, honing stones can remove too much of the cylinder liner. Thank goodness rigid hones aren’t your only option. Does that mean that Flex-Hone® tools are a good choice for every Nikasil cylinder? Maybe! If the Nikasil plating is chipped, nicked, cut-through, has worn spots or is showing signs of wear, do not use Flex-Hone® tools. Instead, strip and re-plate the coating, or replace the cylinder altogether. Again, because Nikasil platings are very thin and very hard, honing will expose any existing damage. If the plating looks to be in good condition but needs a new surface, the Flex-Hone is a great choice. This was copied from a search on the net, the warning is, use extreme caution with your hone.
 
You are not honing the cylinder, you are cleaning debris and deglazing. A small engine ( spring loaded) hone ( which is actually named incorrectly) and lube is what you want. If you want to spend he money on a flex hone, it is preferred. Remove aluminum transfer before this process. Many posts on here on how that is done.
 
Back
Top