stihl 046 & hyway big bore kit

[kljahnz]

I bought a basket case 046 and plan on bringing it back to life with an hlsupply big bore kit. I plan on a decent port clean up and slight reshaping, no port timing changes, just more efficient fuel air flow. The biggest change i'm considering is to bump up the compression with adjusting the piston and head clearance measurement. Any successful suggestions are sure welcome. Thanks.

 

[fearofpavement]

Most of the big bore kits for the larger Stihl saws don't bring anything to the table. Not sure about the one you're considering but I would hold off ordering it until some of the people with more experience in the big bores throw in their opinions.

 

[Deets066]

.020" on the squish, that's what I always shoot for.
Good luck on the am top end

 

[old-cat]

OEM

 

[MustangMike]

I agree with Fear, wait to hear from some with experience (or PM Brian or Randy). I don't think the kit you are considering has been highly recommended. I believe others are better, but still have some flaws. OEM is best, at least for the cylinder (some AM pistons are OK, but check the brands recommended). You don't want to put a lot of work into something that won't last or perform.

 

[old-cat]

You have to do major work on that after market jug to just get OEM performance

 

[kljahnz]

I've played with two 026's last year. One was oem cylinder the other was a aftermarket cylinder. Both are running strong, I gave the oem to my brother and kept the aftermarket rebuild, those were both fun to rebuild. This 046 rebuild is for fun also, just to see how it might fit in with my 066,036 and 026. I'm not expecting pro results. But not expecting to melt the piston anytime soon either, oem parts are just to expensive to be playing with, only to guess if that size saw deserve a spot in the line up. All replies are "helpful" Thanks.

 

[Moparmyway]

A good woods ported Stihl cylinder for an 046 will walk all over your stock 066, your lineup might change, but the 046 will stay

 

[old-cat]

If you were to get serious about chainsaw performance it would be a whole different world for you!

 

[watsonr]

We talking life or death here... or chainsaws?

 

[lly_duramax]

I installed a Meteor piston and cylinder on my buddies MS460 a year and a half ago and it is still going with no problems. That's the only aftermarket kit I've had experience with.

 

[watsonr]

I installed a Meteor piston and cylinder on my buddies MS460 a year and a half ago and it is still going with no problems. That's the only aftermarket kit I've had experience with.

And that kit is the best one on the market today for a 046/460. The big bore kits are using the same port timing numbers, no real gain in the bigger bore, but if your going to play around with it... go for it.

 

[kljahnz]

.020" on the squish, that's what I always shoot for.
Good luck on the am top end

With .020 squish what have you been using for fuel? My saws get non-oxygenated when the motocross supply is available, otherwise the octane rating can vary.

Again, thanks for the feed back. This is for fun, I only burn about 4-5 cords of dry wood per year in my gasification boiler.

 

[Deets066]

With .020 squish what have you been using for fuel? My saws get non-oxygenated when the motocross supply is available, otherwise the octane rating can vary.

Again, thanks for the feed back. This is for fun, I only burn about 4-5 cords of dry wood per year in my gasification boiler.

I see no noticeable hp increase running 100 octane over 91 non ethanol. Even at 200 psi of compression, just make sure your tune is right and always use fresh mix

 

[Toad22t]

I put a nwp big bore kit on my 044! I thought it ran good until I just picked up another 044 2weeks ago. The stock 044 noticeably has more power. When I put on the jug without the base gasket I only got .032" for the squish. I know others have had better luck then myself ,but if I had it to do over I would have waited for a good used oem or a meteor kit.

 

[Trx250r180]

If you can not get an OEM,the meteor kit on one of my saws has held up great.

 

[Brushwacker]

I think you will much like the 046 in your line up. Is a good size gap between 036 to 066. I don't use my 046 much because it is 1 of my nicest condition saws. Have an 064 and 044 a bit on the ugly side but they cover the same work I'd use the 046 for if they were not there to grab instead..

 

[watsonr]

I put a nwp big bore kit on my 044! I thought it ran good until I just picked up another 044 2weeks ago. The stock 044 noticeably has more power. When I put on the jug without the base gasket I only got .032" for the squish. I know others have had better luck then myself ,but if I had it to do over I would have waited for a good used oem or a meteor kit.

The big bore kits are not making power like they should because they use stock timing. They will run, just not really rip like you would expect by a bigger jug. Are you using the stock rings that came with the kit? I'd use Caber rings and get another 10-15psi of compression, should help it a bunch.

 

[MustangMike]

That is a good tip, big difference just from using different rings.

 

[JC360]

I bought an 044 a couple months back, nice clean saw, ran fine. But the comp felt low when pulling it over. The gauge seconded that thought at 125 psi. Ends up that the previous owner installed a NWP BB kit on it. I tore the saw down to find out why the comp was low. Turns out that the squish was 0.066 with a base gasket. I pulled the base gasket out and and installed some OEM 046 rings that my dealer happened to have.
When I put it back together, I had 150 psi cold before I ran it, 165 psi after3-4 min run. I have 2 tanks thru it now and it keeps getting better.
the oem rings are 10 times the ring that the NWP rings are.