Tips for a Stihl 048

[StihlSolo]

Been working on this first version 048. Came with non-op SEM ignition. After trying two more coils, tried a coil from a Solo 662. Nice big spark, timed right. So that gave the go ahead to fully sort this thing out. Replacement OEM top end. Double pawl starter yanks my arm off. Bottom good. Added a working chain brake. Last mechanical issue was the air cover, was tricky to fit on.

Found that the cover was scrunching the ground wire. Found that the wire has to be routed exactly: in the air box it has to go behind the tank vent and through a notch in the ridge where the air filter lands otherwise the filter squeezes the wire. Red arrow in first and second pictures.

Then found the air cover baffling lands into the a trench in the air filter. Wire has to go where it can loop so the the control rod can work and there it has nowhere to fit, so the cover baffling squeezes down on the wire. Second picture blue and green arrows.

So ground away about a 1/4inch from the baffling and a tang that also pinched the wire. Circled area in third picture. Now air cover slips on no problem, thing starts and runs fine, and cosmetics are next. All these interference problems explains why the two earlier coils I tried had ruined ground wires.

BTW, This has been the most frustrating overweight PoS I've worked on. Hope the Stihl design team that came up with the 048 got fired, after three major tries to get it right in as many years and then it got discontinued. They're the same ones that did the 028 and 038 which are only just a little bit easier to work on...

 

[catbuster]

My grandfather had an 048 Magnum for quite a few years, ran a 28” bar in mostly hedgeapple (to date,the hardest wood I’ve come across) and other hardwoods. He had it up until ‘07 or so. It was a very good saw to him. I think in 2007 it became apparent that it was easier for him to let dad and I run the big saws, and run our own.

I really liked the 028 and 038, the Magnum in particular, too. What is your problem with them? Other than it being “overweight?” The 048 is pretty much the precursor to the 046. And a lot carried over to the 046.

 

[trappermike]

The 048 was actually an excellent saw,it's precursor was the 042. They were very reliable and suffered from no factory problems. But all the fallers wanted the larger 056,and it was too big for most firewooders,but some buckermen working on the landings liked them,so it was a good saw but didn't really fit in anywhere,so hence it's demise. I can't remember doing any warranty repairs on them. The only thing to watch for on them is installing a carb kit,the 048 carb was a bit of an oddball and had a "metering plate" inside,and carb kits came with 2 different gaskets you could install under the metering plate,put in the wrong one(not the same as original) and the saw had no low speed circuit fuel,I saw that happen several times.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Of the three (045, 048, 056), the 045 was the worst and almost impossible to rebuild. When it gave up, it usually went straight to the landfill or was used to anchor row boats so that at least it could help catch fish. It weighed more than an MS660 and had less grunt.

 

[trappermike]

They(056) were a *itch to rebuild,but super tough,a customer finally admitted to me one day that when climbing down a steep tangled mountainside with it he would just hurl the saw down the mountainside as far as he could until he caught up with it and then just hurled it down further(on warranty of course)... I don't know many modern saws can survive that kind of abuse. They did have their share of problems,especially in extreme cold conditions.