Tired Stihl 044 rebuild it or upgrade to new?

[509bbc]

Hi new to this thread, just a homeowner weekend warrior, lots of great info on this site. My question is I have an older Stihl 044 with a 20" bar I use for clearing some of the bigger trees on my land and use it for a lot of fire wood cutting. It is about ten years old. Seems to be getting more tired and lazy the past year or so. I feel I might have to either have it rebuilt or move on to a new saw. Do you think it would be wiser to have one of the guys on this site who works on these saws for a living, go over the whole engine and renew it or buy new? Money wise I was wondering if they would be close in price. Any disadvantages or disadvantages on going rebuilt? I figure you pros out there would know better than I. If I do go new I would prefer to stay in that 70cc range. I got a lot of Maple, oak and ash around here. Thanks!

 

[SandMan]

Hi,
Just another weekend warrior like you- we get huge oaks and poplar, ash, hickory, locust, and osage orange. I have an old all-metal Craftsman 3.7 that just won't die and an 066 Mag I picked up super cheap which is in the process of minor repairs and 'woods mod'. Depending upon how much you actually use the saw, it might not be as bad as you think. Replacing the spark plug, cleaning or replacing the muffler screen, and cleaning or replacing the air filter may make all the difference if these maintenance items have not been completed lately. How's the compression? Bearings OK? Can you do the work yourself? Chain well maintained?

044's, 066's etc. are perhaps overkill for us, so if they are properly maintained should provide years of service and more than enough power. I'd get an estimate of the rebuild and compare against the price of the new saw. If you have not been doing it already, try the cheap easy stuff listed above. I don't see a huge difference between the MS440/660 and the 044/066's. Reading the threads, the MS361 is supposed to include significant improvements, but I don't think the larger saws have changed much. Will be interesting to hear what the pros think.

 

[Diesel JD]

You can get a brand new jug and piston from Baileys and from certain places on Ebay. Are you able to go over it yourself...? or do you wnat a hot saw from one of these builders. Also be sure it really is worn out before you go to the trouble and expense of rebuild or buying new. Good luck and welcome to teh site. Where in PA are you from?

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Good advice above. Check the easy things frist-filters, plug, carb kit and so on. As far as rebuilding it, the 044 is a saw very much worthy of a rebuild. If you've read any of the homeowner vs. professional model threads, you'll consistently see the rebuildability of the saw mentioned. If you're going for a basic rebuild, a new jugs and pistons are available from a dealer, Bailey's (but they aren't factory Stihl if that matters to you) and klickitatsacket here on this site. But then again, it may just need new rings, and that would cheaper and easier. Now, there are some small differences between the older 44's and the new ones. One is the wrist pin. The newer ones are lager, and I can't remember the size, but it's something like 13mm to 15 mm or something like that. That would be a consideration if buying a new piston-you'd need to get the right one. I've got the P/N's around here somewhere. I'm moving right now, so it's packed away, but if I can find it by the end of the weekend, and they haven't been posted yet, I'll get them on here for ya.

If you're just a weekend guy, I'd say it'd be hard to justify having the saw built for anything beyond stock use. It's plenty for you. You can get a factory dual port muffler cover for it during the rebuild/overhaul. I think the P/N is 1128 140 0801. Again, my pubs are packed away right now, so I'll check that for you and get back if that isn't it. That muffler cover is a factory, bolt on part that'll add a noticable increase in power for you. They should be about $30 from your dealer.

But yes, I'd rebuild the saw if it's in any kind of good shape. It's a good saw. The 361 is a fine saw as well and will run you about $570 or so. A rebuild for your 044 will be substantially less, especially if you do it yourself. Do it yourself, and you can rebuild the whole thing with factory parts for less than $275-$300 easily. Even less if you go with the jug kits from Bailey's, as they're only $99. If you have a shop do it, it'll be that plus labor.

Welcome to AS.

Jeff

 

[Lakeside53]

adding to fishhuntcutwood, yes, rebuild it if the bottom end is in decent shape, and, replace the shaft seals at the same time. It's cheaper to buy a complete set of gaskets and seals (1128 007 1050) than the individual seals, and you need a couple of the gaskets anyhow. If you don't have a vacuum and pressure tester, still replace the seals. Make sure you grease the lips and they will be fine. Very rare to have a bad seal after replacement. Oh yes, if you aren't experienced, get a factory service manual.

 

[509bbc]

044 stihl

Thanks for the replys. I am located in southeast Pa., Berks and Lancaster county area. About one hour west of Philly. Anyway nothing on the Stihl is broken. Carb has never been rebuilt on the 044. I rebuilt a few Holley's before for the street cars I have had over the many years. Did motor work on them too. I never did chainsaw engines before. The saw has a new plug and new filters, always ran Mobil MX2T oil in it at 40:1 ratio, using Sunoco 94 octane gas. I would prefer to rebuild as I really prefer to keep quailty equiptment. You pay more initially but in the long run I feel you are better off. I really do not know the condition of the bore along with the piston and rings. The bearing and rods should be still decent, but I am just guessing. If it gets rebuilt I would not mind maybe opening her up a little bit for some more power. I was watching those videos of the member here by EHP. I quess he hot rods them up. Really cool stuff. Those videos were giving me the itch. Nothing radical just a little more power by means of making the motor more efficient. This 044 saw has been a really good saw, never let me down. I would still like to keep her around. Thanks guys.

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

If that carb has not been rebuilt, that'd be my first priority. Very, very easy to do. You can have it off and on again in half and hour.

And it sounds like the factory dual port muffler cover would be right up your alley in the hp gain department. While you've got the muffler off, you can take a look in the cylinder. It sounds like you've really taken care of the saw, and if it's not scored or severly worn, rings may be all you need.

Good sentiment on buying quality up front. Too bad more folks don't think that way.

Jeff

 

[pallis]

Hello 509bbc,

I don't own a Stihl, but after looking at the prices Bailey's is getting for the 044 and 046 overbore kits, I've thought about buying an old one. Check out Bailey's in the sponsor section, and the thread about the kits.

 

[Diesel JD]

I'd pick up an 044 with a blown motor for teh overhaul if I didn't have to pay 200-300 just for teh skeleton

 

[046]

take a compression test with a tester or do the simple handle drop test. to see if compression holds saw up when holding on to handle