Stihl Chainsaws

[pickle]

If you own a Stihl 021,023,025 chainsaw you have my commiserations. My original 025 coil pack made in Italy - Ducati- crude piece of engineering not liking vibrating much. Carb made in Indonesia or somesuch place. Copy carb/coil pack now comes from China or some such place and is not a very good fit - you have have been warned. Oil pump, well, probably designed by a mental midget without capacity. Will not flow synthetic Castrol Chain saw oil, why - well it just does not have the capacity - will probably flow something with very low - or should that be high viscosity rating but Stihl manual doesn't actually tell you what that might be - (except to advise you to use their very own expensive product). At least not in my manual. My advice for whats its worth, buy something designed to work, Swedish if you have confidence in the product preferably (sorry forgot the Swedes). And yes i have stripped the pump out and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it or the supply tube or the filter or the plastic drive wheel, nothing that is except the design parameters. The internet is full of deluded disappointed people - worldwide, who just do not understand why their Stihl 021,023 and 025 chainsaw will not oil or tickover. Well I think some actually do. Tee hee Tee hee.
Addendum. Tip. Having stripped out the oil pump on your 025 remove the rubber take up/feed pipe from the oil reservoir with filter attached and remove restricting oil filter - it does absolutely nothing other than restrict the flow rate (well it probably stops the nasty plastic clamshell sprue). If you do not put dirty oil in you will not block the feed. The system is so crude and ill defined I almost believe it was deliberately designed the Kraut way. You do so at your own risk but this action may improve the flow rate.
Addendum here in respect of sunndog. I should have been more specific with regard to Stihl chainsaw model number/s and can only apologise for any confusion. Also i herewith withdraw any recommendation to purchase American chainsaws.

[sunndog]

slim pickins for u.s made saws over pickle

how much wood do you cut mate?

[fizzbangwhallop]

Makes me glad I bought a Husky (secondhand 12 years ago)


fizz

[pickle]

Sunndog, not a hell of a lot - mother in laws apple tree and a forty foot (well 30 actually) Eucalyptus. I recollect there was this holly tree. And having seen a bit of the inside of your workshop I am more than a bit impressed and humbled it has to be said. I just expect expensive machinery to have a sensible shelf life. Having said that I reckon chainsaws need to be used regularly to get the best value for money. Domestic Stihl stuff is/was expensive and just a bit nasty in my view. Throw away comes to mind. Perhaps the Kraut ethos has changed - i don't know - I'm just bleddy annoyed at what I've just found. I will give one positive comment and that is that the Stihl design is modular and clever as regards to construction and dismantling it - unfortunately a hell of a lot of people worldwide (I'm reading) have been forced to to do just that through no fault of their own. The cost of genuine spares is prohibitive in my view and unnecessary with the advent of built in design flaws and or lack of information.

[sunndog]

Remember i do it for a living though buddy.
Stihl are still the world leader. I'v never used an 025 much less worked on one. I generally only use their pro grade saws and they work and work and work
theres many a humble ms171 (smallest rear handle they make) working way above its job

Stihl arent faultless by any means but you simply wont find a brand that really beats them. Husky are very good and you wont go wrong with either but if you look at the specs stihl do tend to just edge it in performance on comparable saws.


bit late now you have spent out on parts but if you only have a couple of jobs to do i'd buy a little ms170/171/180. do the job then flog it for a small loss
Those little saws are cheap and sell very well

[hairyyoda]

Savoury Relish
You only have 2 really good choices regarding your Stihl 025. You either do a Jimi Hendrix and invest your hard earned pennies in 2 cans of Lighter Fuel and then proceed to learn all the lyrics to "Voodoo Child" in readiness for a ceremonial barbecuing of your 025 which should then take place at a hour before sun-up on any day of any month that has a "Y" in it's spelling, or you get up extra early and make track to your local car boot venue and search out a good sized "sledge hammer" at a bargain price and then prepare yourself for a good work out by jogging on the spot while learning the chorus words to "We've been working on the chain gang" then pause for some deep breathing exercise and then drag your 025 out of the wood shed at 9am on the 2nd Sunday morning of any month that has a "R" in it's title and purposely proceed to beat your 025 into ever decreasing smaller pieces until it is beyond any hope of any repair possibilities/maintenance schedule .

Find a sleeping "Stihl 026 or a Husky 55" you will not look back

Serious this is a short cut to happiness for you Phil

[rodp]

Savoury Relish
You only have 2 really good choices regarding your Stihl 025. You either do a Jimi Hendrix and invest your hard earned pennies in 2 cans of Lighter Fuel and then proceed to learn all the lyrics to "Voodoo Child" in readiness for a ceremonial barbecuing of your 025 which should then take place at a hour before sun-up on any day of any month that has a "Y" in it's spelling, or you get up extra early and make track to your local car boot venue and search out a good sized "sledge hammer" at a bargain price and then prepare yourself for a good work out by jogging on the spot while learning the chorus words to "We've been working on the chain gang" then pause for some deep breathing exercise and then drag your 025 out of the wood shed at 9am on the 2nd Sunday morning of any month that has a "R" in it's title and purposely proceed to beat your 025 into ever decreasing smaller pieces until it is beyond any hope of any repair possibilities/maintenance schedule .

Find a sleeping "Stihl 026 or a Husky 55" you will not look back

Serious this is a short cut to happiness for you Phil

I would go for this ..


There's a lot to be said nowadays for buying from Aldi / Lidl, doing the job then throwing said item away (or sell it if it still runs)

[pickle]

Love you guys. Truth be told I'm not man enough to wield a big chain saw, however this one has got my goat and it vill be made to vork. Not done any work, recalcitrant, German (bits of it but no telling) by origin and never worked properly from the outset. The second time I used it on a Holly tree that just happened to have a medium sized stone inside the trunk fer crying out. New far eastern coil pack, carb and plug and it does now run. Sunndog, if you do this kind of work for a living then you have my utmost respect. If this 025 had a Bosch magneto then you could guarantee it would run for ever - almost. I would like to thank all those American and English guys on YouTube who took time out to show how to get the damn Stihl thing apart. Am very pleased sunndog that you have a biggun' that works - I wish I had a biggun. Trusting my rant has not offended. I meant to add that there will be no ceremonial destruction of this gay little saw but it may be taken to a far flung field and buried. Who the hell is Jimmi Hendrix by the way. On a serious note what type of oil do you use sunndog in your Stihl chainsaws to lubricate the chains. Any synthetic or Stihls own brand - given that your professional saws will have a decent pumping system unlike mine. Addendum here. Could I use some 5-40 synthetic car oil - that would flow really well, dunno how effective it might be though. Also the Stihl chain oil looks to be very similar to the Stihl petroil mix which I have. What do you guys think.

[rodp]

Love you guys. Truth be told I'm not man enough to wield a big chain saw, however this one has got my goat and it vill be made to vork. Not done any work, recalcitrant, German (bits of it but no telling) by origin and never worked properly from the outset. The second time I used it on a Holly tree that just happened to have a medium sized stone inside the trunk fer crying out. New far eastern coil pack, carb and plug and it does now run. Sunndog, if you do this kind of work for a living then you have my utmost respect. If this 025 had a Bosch magneto then you could guarantee it would run for ever - almost. I would like to thank all those American and English guys on YouTube who took time out to show how to get the damn Stihl thing apart. Am very pleased sunndog that you have a biggun' that works - I wish I had a biggun. Trusting my rant has not offended. I meant to add that there will be no ceremonial destruction of this gay little saw but it may be taken to a far flung field and buried. Who the hell is Jimmi Hendrix by the way.

Branston, I don't think you could offend anyone here, you seem to fit in too well. You take what you give and you give what you take, that's all anyone could ask. ( There again, I do struggle to keep up with your verbal ramblings sometimes )

You jest surely about Mr Hendrix? Although I'm a fan of classical music even I know of him, although I do think there's better guitarists about

[pickle]

Ok rodp, at risk of offending you, the rest of the world and my wife I have indeed heard of Jimi Hendrix, I just never listened to his music. I'll have to have a go! Very bad tinnitus and attention span. Now, Madelaine Bell, Whitney Houston almost pitch perfect - sheer velvet and the most attractive of ladies - whoa (to name but a few).