How is an 038 Mag

Super easy to work on. 2 nuts and the carb slides right off, design features on this saw were so well thought out is good reason why they still make the MS381 today which also has a side chain tensioner.
Your 38 is in beautiful shape Pete.
 
Clean saws rock. I've run the magnum a fair bit. Probably best to take off the black top part of the handle to remove the throttle linkage from the throttle lock gizmo before sliding out the carb, but the photo looks like you already did that. Very reliable saw for your kit, nice score. A bit of a lug yeah, good for jobs close to your
truck. :lol: I suspect that you probably aren't going to be climbing hills with it, but the type that can roll down inclines and not suffer damage. Amazing how that series or era of saws will fire up with old gas in them too, hardly seem to be bothered.
 
When you compare the 67cc Super and the 72cc Magnum you'll notice the wider fuel tank and sprocket cover on the Magnum bulks it up pretty good .
But you need that bigger tank for those extra 5 cc.
I liked my Super the best.
My first 038 was the 61cc model, reliable but not a performance equal to the 61cc Jonsered 630.
 
My magnum is modded so besides the extra cc's it's just plain rank anyways.

I had 25 saws I think when I sold my business and the 038 was one of four saws I kept. So imo, it's a keeper.
 
Some that ran them in the day remarked the 038 series was a hot weather saw .A few years I did some some work in 95 degree weather .I found that true when they would fire right up with no vapor lock as did several other saws I was using those several days would lock up because of the heat and not start . Evidently the fan cooling must have been well thought out too .
 
Back in the day Stihl 038 was a great summer saw and the Husqvarna 266 / Jonsered 630 were great winter saws. The solid carb mount to the cylinder on the Husky and Jonsereds kept the carb from freezing up in winter, but would vapor lock in the summer.

The rubber intake manifold on the Stihl isolated the carb from cylinder heat in the summer, but the carb would freeze up in the winter.
 
I have an annoying issue with dust getting sucked between the filter and carb. Grease didn't work. I'll try some paper gasket next. A good soak in cleaner and a blow out brings it back, but it sucks how much it happens. Every 3rd tree or so.

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I'm not sure they still make a flocked filter with the fuzzy stuff .The last OEM Stihl filter I bought was for an 036 and it had a kind of paper like filter media .
 
Honestly, around here that would be akin to walking into a ford dealership and asking for an air filter for a modet T.

( Actually I doubt they had air filters, As Jay Leno alwaus says, the air was much cleaner back then)
 
I never had problems finding parts for an 038 . The 038 much like the 10-10 McCulloch was so popular I'd imagine you could find used parts for the next 40 years because they made so many .
 
I never had problems finding parts for an 038 . The 038 much like the 10-10 McCulloch was so popular I'd imagine you could find used parts for the next 40 years because they made so many .

After market parts are no problems, but I have to drive to London to get them. The parts counter at my local Stihl dealer go into toxic shock or something when I order parts. They say they see the right part number, it takes them a while on the 'puter, but it always comes in wrong. I'll just have to go out of town.
 
Peter. See if you can get the IPL's for Stihl. Then you just go with your own part numbers. I'm not technically adept enough otherwise I could get them to you. Maybe someone else here could help you out?
 
If I could figure out why my freakin e-mail won't send I could send a file with the part numbers.My son the I-T guru will be here around Christmas time then maybe I can do something.

I think I have them on a CD as well as scanned from paper IPL's .
 
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