Chainsaw adjustment

[RobertN]

The 024 is the same family as the 026/260, and shares many parts.

The Stihl web site has online manuals for a lot of saws, but not the 024. The manuals for other saws may help. The site includes a link allowing you to order printed manuals.

STIHL Incorporated USA -- Information -- Manufacturing the World's Number One Selling Brand of Chain Saws

 

[Chilly807]

If the saw is pushing 20 years old, you're likely due for a carb rebuild and maybe crank seal replacement. Usually leaking crank seals will give "surging" effect, too lean fuel-air mixture. Sometimes if you tip the saw on it's side, the rpm will change, good indication of crank seal problems. Running it with leaky crank seals will eventually lead to a scored cylinder and piston, since the lean mixture doesn't have enough cooling effect on the cylinder and piston.

If it ran ok when you put it away, you're wasting your time fiddling with the carb screws, those aren't the problem.

Unless you can do the work yourself, take it into a decent Stihl dealer for an estimate. If it's only a carb rebuild, you should be looking at about a hundred bucks or less out the door. If it's crank seals, you may want to consider a new saw. Dismantling the whole saw to replace the seals gets expensive. I've done quite a few over the years, but not an 024.

My 2 cents

Chilly

 

[Rat Rod Mac]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Took the saw apart yesterday and replaced the fuel filter and line and like I said before the air cleaner, spark plug and gas. I used 89 octane ( bought a gallon , but I think I will buy another one this time go with 93 octane ). Took the muffler apart and cleaned it. Put it all back together and set the carb. settings back to where they were at the beginning. Fired right up and with a little bit of adjustment the ole girl now runs like a new one. Spent the afternoon sawing away. Thank everyone one of you for your help and assistant. Life is good. RRM

 

[FredH]

One of my 041's had a similar problem . Rebuilt the carb , new air and fuel filter in tank , even tried switching carbs with newer 041 , No Change .

When switching back to original carb , dropped 1 of the nuts down around the side of carb , which ended up slipping past and under the shield . So had to take that off and behold !!! I see a piece of gasket material sticking out from under the manifold . Pulled manifold and sure enough gasket had about a 3/4" blow out on 1 side . Made new gasket out of some high temp gasket material and darn saw still runs like new .

This is the same saw that 20+ years ago I had to take back to the Stihl dealer in a paper sack when I skidded a log over it . New Bar , couple of new and used body parts , about 30 minutes putting it all back together , then we went behind saw shop and it started on 1'st pull .

Ironically , Saw shop made at least 2 sales that day because of what happened , as there were quite a few people in that day for a sale going on and when the witnessed my saw going from a paper sack back to the beast they are , it sold them on the durability of Stihl .

Fred H.

 

[Kubota 2350]

Ironically , Saw shop made at least 2 sales that day because of what happened , as there were quite a few people in that day for a sale going on and when the witnessed my saw going from a paper sack back to the beast they are , it sold them on the durability of Stihl .

Fred H.

Your right, you can't beat the Stihl quality.

 

[Chilly807]

I was always a Husqvarna fan until I owned a couple of Stihls, now I think Stihl would get the nod if I was ever to buy a new saw. I try to pick up something decent used, and either repair or rebuild it. The fleet right now stands at a 242 and 262 XP Husky, and an 023 and 044 Stihl, all older saws. The small ones do the felling and limbing, the bigger ones do the bucking and bigger stuff.

Both the 262 and the 044 remind me of something that should be running nitromethane for fuel, particularly the 044. Incredible power and cutting speed.

Chilly

 

[arrow]

I was always a Husqvarna fan until I owned a couple of Stihls, now I think Stihl would get the nod if I was ever to buy a new saw. I try to pick up something decent used, and either repair or rebuild it. The fleet right now stands at a 242 and 262 XP Husky, and an 023 and 044 Stihl, all older saws. The small ones do the felling and limbing, the bigger ones do the bucking and bigger stuff.

Both the 262 and the 044 remind me of something that should be running nitromethane for fuel, particularly the 044. Incredible power and cutting speed.

Chilly

262 one of my favorite pro saws. It had a lighter piston assembly and would rev like the dickens. If you had a light touch as opposed to trying to bully the saw down and kept a sharp chain, weren't much that would beat it in its power to weight class. The newer 357XP is supposed to be similar.

 

[JRobyn]

Found a new trick to help keep all the little 2-cycles running better - All of the gas you can buy in most major metro areas contains ethanol - it is required by the EPA. The ethanol is hygroscopic - it absorbs moisture from the air, etc., and the resulting compounds cause damage and corrosion inside the itty-bitty 2-cycle carbs. But outside the metros, you can still buy plain gasoline. Many of the stations around us in TN advertise that they have "no ethanol" fuel. So I make a point to use non-ethanol fuel in my 2-cycle mix can. Haven't had any fuel/carb problems since, despite leaving fuel in some of them over the winter (knock, knock). I also religiously use Stabil in every tank of mix.

- Jay

 

[AlbertaDan]

I have a Stihl 024 chainsaw I bought new 20 years ago and it still runs fine until recently. Ran good last fall when I put it away. Got it out yesterday and it would not idle at all and even when it was revved up would surge ( rev up then down then up slighty ). Thought it might be the gas since it sat all winter. Bought a gallon of 89 octane with a small bottle of oil and a new plug and air filter. Ran a little better, but now I think I need to go back to the original carburator settings and start over with the carb. adjustments. Does anyone here know how to adjust these carbs? High speed jet, Low speed jet and idle. Thanks. RRM

I may a little too late on this but before you start re-seeting the carbs try to celan them out first. My brother in law had a mower that did exactly the same. Let it sit all winter and it wouldnt run in the spring. New gas didn't help at all. When i took the mower apart found all the aprts were gummed up with varnish from the old gas. When i cleaned the carb it ran just like new.

Unfortunately i can't remeber what i used to clean it with. I think i used a mixture of different things. A different times of course to avoid creating some toxic chemical mixture.

 

[varmint]

The statements about ethanol in gas are right on. I spoke with an experienced outboard engine repair guy on Maryland's Eastern Shore (lots of boats over there) who's about to close up his shop due to endless problems with gasohol and "open" fuel storage systems that absorb moisture and cause repeat problems. He fixes 'em, then a couple of weeks later fixes 'em again, and so on, until he doesn't have time for any regular work, and the customer are mad as ****. He said that only aviation gas is alcholol free around here, and the fuel distributors dump the alcohol into the underground tanks after delivery, since they have problems too.

I've had lots of problems with plastic fuel system parts, carbs and such the last couple of years, so I pour the gas out and run the engines dry every time I shut them off for more than a few days. Seems to work, but what a hassle. I complained about swollen fuel tank caps, and the manuf. said there was nothing they could do right now, just don't leave fuel in there!