It takes twice as long to detail with one arm. LolHave 6 weeks of downtime after an elbow surgery, and I just have to say…you are costing me a lot of money my friend.
Hope you're healing up well. Keep reading and the pain in your elbow will soon be overshadowed by the pain in your wallet ....Have 6 weeks of downtime after an elbow surgery, and I just have to say…you are costing me a lot of money my friend
Fortunately there is zero detailing going on in upstate NY winters so I have time
Ya also slows down the healing process when the wife sees what I’m buying and hits me lol.Hope you're healing up well. Keep reading and the pain in your elbow will soon be overshadowed by the pain in your wallet ....
I picked up my "new" Stihl 028AV Super today after a month at the Stihl dealer. As you can see, I also brought home a Woodsman Case for it to live in.Holiday Project Two - Cleaning An Old Chainsaw
This project has also been on the cards for a while too after I was given this saw by a Neighbour recently. This saw has a somewhat emotional attachment, we once went firewood collecting with this Neighbour's husband, this saw was the workhorse and I looked at it with lustful eyes.
After he died, the saw was taken out of its locked cabinet and left hanging on a hook in the open garage. Due to a spate of crime in the street recently, I mentioned it would probably be a good idea to put the saw in a safer place. She then offered it to me, mentioning that it was not something she could ever use. Not wanting the thing stolen or given to someone who wouldn't give it a second chance like I would had me nodding instantly. Not that I needed another chainsaw, having three already including a brand-new MS 271, a refurbished 009L and a battery powered MSA 140C.
From what I can gather, this Stihl 028 AV Super was made in the late 80's, so almost as old as I am. The AV designation stands for Anti-Vibration, Super is in reference to the larger 51.5cc engine this model has over the regular 47cc 028. It has not run in many years; the fuel lines are perished and overall, it's absolutely filthy. Smells bad too.
The plan was to clean it as much as I possibly could, allowing either me or the local Stihl dealer to sort out the mechanical problems. For context, this is what I was starting with..........
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I had planned this all out in advance, having a generous supply of cleaning chemicals and solvents, parts trays and drop sheets all ready to go.
I also decided to try out a product I bought with no particular use in mind, Bilt Hamber Surfex.............see, there is a small link to car detailing.
https://detailingshed.com.au/produc...and-degreaser-apc?_pos=1&_sid=8124cc090&_ss=r
Bilt Hmaber Surfex is a water based heavy duty all-purpose-cleaner and degreaser. It's extremely concentrated and can be diluted right down to 0.5% or used at 100% for heavy duty applications. In my case, I cut it at 1:1 in an old spray bottle, it's ability here was stunning, more on that later.
Despite there being 35+ years difference between my new MS 271 and this 028, it's amazing how similar they are in overall layout. These are very simple to strip down, in this case I started by removing the sprocket cover, bar and chain. The bar and chain will be replaced, but I washed them anyway.
Removal of the orange top covers, the recoil, chain brake, handle and finally the outer muffler cover followed. Each set of components had it's own tray, keeping everything organized. As each part was removed, I soaked them down with Surfex and left till later.
The muffler is a two-piece design, the drilled outer cover was removed and cleaned with Surfex and a wire brush. Surprisingly, the removable spark arrestor screen was clean and clear.
This is as far as I stripped it down. I could have gone further in removing the dogs, the primary section of the muffler, the flywheel and clutch cover but felt this was enough.
I then started working through each parts tray, starting with the handle which I cleaned, wiped with IPA and then touched up some of the black paint that had long worn away.
Each set of components were further doused with Surfex, scrubbed with an old detailing brush and rinsed with the hose. As mentioned earlier, the Surfex worked wonders here, dissolving most of the dirt, oil and sawdust with ease. If you do stuff like this yourself, using Surfex is certainly a nicer thing to use compared to more harsh solvents.
Having said that, some parts needed more persuasion with degreaser and some scraping. The recoil cover was the worst, the myriad of vent holes all caked in oil and dirt which necessitated several rounds of degreaser, agitation and rinsing to get presentable. I also needed compressed air here too.
Finally, the part I was dreading, the body of the saw.
There is no other way of putting it, but this was not a pleasant job. I had oil, dirt and grease all over myself. I used compressed air to blast away as much as I could, followed by several rounds of Surfex, brushing and rinsing. I then used compressed air to blast away as much water and any remaining chunks of gunk.
Back on my fabulous work bench, the tray of my Ranger, ready for a final wipe over and reassembly. Granted, some of this will be removed again when the mechanical work starts, at least it will be more pleasant to work on being clean.
Before we get to the finished result, this is how it looked in my Neighbours garage a couple of months ago...............
And now the results................
I have decided to leave the mechanical work to the local Stihl dealer. The carby will need rebuilding and the fuel system overhauled, the fuel lines crumbled as I cleaned the air box. It needs a new air cleaner as the material has broken down. I also want them to check the oiling system and will have them supply and install a new spark plug, bar and chain. The old, mangled bar cover went straight in the bin, I have a brand-new replacement waiting for it.
So, a departure from usual proceedings in here, although still along the lines of taking something and making it look better. I'm super happy with how it came up, certainly well used but a complete transformation compared to what I started with. A brand-new bar will make a big difference too.
They don't make em like they used to so you probably get another 34 years out of that whereas a new one maybe not so likely . I am a bit of a cheapskate and just buy the Edison disposable saws , i mean $140 for a 75cc 22 inch bar chainsaw , if it lasts 2 years i am fine with that , surprisingly good tbhI picked up my "new" Stihl 028AV Super today after a month at the Stihl dealer. As you can see, I also brought home a Woodsman Case for it to live in.
I knew it was going to take a while for it to be ready, it needed a lot of work combined with a backlog of work on their part and delays with parts. Not that I'm complaining, I left it with them with a "whatever it needs" mandate.
The list of replacements was extensive -
- 16 inch bar
- 16 inch 325 26RMC chain
- Spur sproket
- Clutch Spring
- Fuel pickup hose
- Impulse Line
- Pickup body (fuel filter?)
- Inlet Manifold
- Air Filter
- Spark Plug
- Oil Cap
- Fuel Cap
Other items included a carburetor rebuild and lubricant on the clutch bearing and recoil assembly. Then of course it was retuned an given a test run.
I started it up and did a couple of cuts with it this afternoon, and it's sounding VERY healthy. One pull on the choke, one pull off choke and she idles so smoothly. It's also got brilliant throttle response, building to a rowdy top end scream. This saw has some grunt for sure, I think being run-in compared to my brand-new MS 271 makes a big difference in how it responds to throttle and runs so hard at the top end.
I am absolutely over the moon with the result. The mechanical work cost about what I thought it would, and I'm pleased that genuine Stihl parts were used. To spend this sort of money on a 34-year-old chainsaw is probably not the best financial decision, but it was never about the money with this project. It has sentimental value, something that I consider priceless. And the fact that it runs so good, it would have been a shame to have left it to rot, throw it away or have it stolen.
In honor of my Neighbour, the machine will from now on be named Bill.
Different dealer, probably the only place in town I would trust with my machines from now on. I would have otherwise worked on it myself. Considering how fiddly and dangerous chainsaws are, I'm happy to have left it to them, not to mention finding correct spare parts. After the strip down and clean, I sort of knew what was needing attention and included a list of items I wanted changed or inspected. They did a great job and will be getting more work from me in the future.
Which model EGO blower are you using?using the EGO to remove the water was exceptionally easy.
EGO LB765..........................
