What's in your toolbox?

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If you have pulled as many seals as I have you wouldn`t bother with those factory Stihl seal pullers, far too slow and cumbersome to set up and play around with. I can have the seal out and replaced before a tech can even get that seal puller set up for use. 50 years of working at this stuff gives one a lot more insight into how things can be done in a more expedient manner. Does not mean that things have to be done in a rough or foolhardy manner, just means there there is always a better more efficient means of completing any task, mostly learned from working at the trade or if someone with more time in than you will show some of the, tricks, they have learned.

OK..so what's the secret for pulling the flywheel seal on an 026 ?
 
You make your own puller/ hook and develop your own technique. It involves a little tapping, insert hook and pull up, seal comes out/up on one side, grab with needlenose locking pliers and pull the old seal out. I do more seal replacements on the 026 and 034-036 saws than all the other Stihl saws. Owners don`t know how to sharpen chains or don`t know when to change a dull chain out.
 
my dealer will not order the stihl tools. can anyone order the special stihl tool? i would like to have a couple of the special ones. thanks
 
I'd be glad to order them for you, but you'll have to drive to Georgia to get them. Otherwise I'd be violating the Stihl dealer agreement. Also, the carb tools are off limits unless you want to pay $37,500 each for the tools. That is the EPA fine.

If a guy does much bottom end work at all, the tool AS and ZS are essential. The factory fuel line hook for Stihl and the brake spring tool are also both very nice and inexpensive. Factory feeler gauges for valves on 4 mixers are so cheap that it makes no sense not to have them.
 
my dealer will not order the stihl tools. can anyone order the special stihl tool? i would like to have a couple of the special ones. thanks

Try Bailey's. They can usually get you any Stihl part that's available. And since "Bailey's is NOT an authorized STIHL Dealer. OEM parts are new. They come from various sources." they are not bound by a dealer agreement limiting them from shipping stuff. I am guessing they have a stock clerk run to a local dealer, buy stuff over the counter, then bring it back and ship it to you but, I can't say for sure. The down side is they're usually more expensive than most dealers. But if you can't get something from your dealer it's probably worth paying the premium to get it from them. I have lived places where the closest Stihl dealer was an hour away and not open evenings after work. It was often worth paying the Bailey's premium to save the gas money and the two hours of my time on a Saturday.

You can see if they can get a part by entering it as such www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=qs+5910+890+4400 where 5910 890 4400 is the Stihl part number. On some web browsers you can use spaces instead of the plus signs, like "www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=qs 5910 890 4400", which makes it easier if you copy and paste from an IPL. In this case it was for a seal puller. The page confirms you have the right number and they can get it and it normally shows the price. I think they must be updating prices or something right now because none of their Stihl parts are coming up with a price, everything is saying out of stock, even stuff I have ordered from them before. Worst case you would have to call them. They are a site sponsor and Gregg monitors their forum, and many others, so you can always ask a question there or PM him.

-Eric
 
I'd be glad to order them for you, but you'll have to drive to Georgia to get them. Otherwise I'd be violating the Stihl dealer agreement. Also, the carb tools are off limits unless you want to pay $37,500 each for the tools. That is the EPA fine.

If a guy does much bottom end work at all, the tool AS and ZS are essential. The factory fuel line hook for Stihl and the brake spring tool are also both very nice and inexpensive. Factory feeler gauges for valves on 4 mixers are so cheap that it makes no sense not to have them.

What carb tools are we talking about? I got several specialty carb tools from baileys. you just have to know the part numbers...
 
OK..so what's the secret for pulling the flywheel seal on an 026 ?

You make your own puller/ hook and develop your own technique. It involves a little tapping, insert hook and pull up, seal comes out/up on one side, grab with needlenose locking pliers and pull the old seal out. I do more seal replacements on the 026 and 034-036 saws than all the other Stihl saws. Owners don`t know how to sharpen chains or don`t know when to change a dull chain out.

Here is my secret tool for pulling seals

005-6.jpg


And my secret for pulling off flywheels and clutches is a 1/2 air impact wrench and a brass hammer :msp_ohmy:
 
I like Torx fasteners, but I run into some that are in tight spaces that make them inaccessible without further disassembly. Allen wrenches can easily be made into custom stubby Torx wrenches. After cutting the Allen wrench to the proper length, the six flats on the end can be grooved using a thin cutting disc on a Dremel grinder. A new crisp Torx fastener can be used as a gauge to get a good fit.
 
I like Torx fasteners, but I run into some that are in tight spaces that make them inaccessible without further disassembly. Allen wrenches can easily be made into custom stubby Torx wrenches. After cutting the Allen wrench to the proper length, the six flats on the end can be grooved using a thin cutting disc on a Dremel grinder. A new crisp Torx fastener can be used as a gauge to get a good fit.

You know they make torx bit allen wrenches and bits? Just seems like less hassle than cutting your own.
 
Yep,...I is old as dirt, won`t be long before I join it again and all the **** I learned coming up through the ranks will be gone with me. Many friends and acquaintances keep telling me to get this stuff written down on paper. I just tell them there is always someone else that knows all this and more.

I'm 65 as of April this year. My friend Mr. Kenny (the MR. is deserved out of respect for age and knowledge) 79 passed this year and boy do I miss him. All that knowledge is GONE with him. Please mentor a younger guy that's interested in learning. I've learned every skilled labor trade from skilled, older and wiser men. The bad news is most of the kids these days just want to know how to play X-Box or some other trash.
Shep
 
The WiHa kit from Baileys and their ring compressor kit is a must if doing saw work. Also a pressure/vac gauge and compression tester are nice. If you take the class on how to properly adjust the carbs per EPA specs then Stihl will allow you to buy their carb adjustment tool according to the service manager at my local JD dealer. The carb adjustment tool kit for all other carbs (except for the new Echo micro D) pops up on Amazon from time to time and is a must. The new Echo tool is a major pain as Echo will not sell you one even if you are a tech at one of their dealerships, (each store is only allowed ONE and if you break it you have to send it back to get a new one) but if you buy the master service kit it comes (or came, may have taken it out) in there.

Joe
 
There is always a way around every piece of crap the manufacturers have been forced to make and sell due to EPA regs, just have to use your head and figure it out. Not always easy as buying the tool off the shelf but so far anything man has made can be duplicated.
 
agreed, you can use a small piece of copper pipe tapped over the adjustment screw with a hammer to make a temporary adjuster. this method will get you buy however the pipe strips out quickly so work with intent.

Joe
 

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