046 Refurbishing

[BlackBikeDave]

Hello, I am helping a friend from Black Mountain NC that got hit hard from hurricane Helene. He has an 046 that wasn't running great before the storm and now he has absolutely no time or the funds to tend to it so I volunteered to look it over and give it what it needs.
1st off it was very dirty. I started dismantling it to clean everything. I figured at least the diaphrams in the carb should be replaced so I pulled it and there were saw chips on top.
I pulled the clutch and very black oily chunky inside. I don;t know if its just never seen any love at all or something else.
While I am at this I would also like to change the intake manifold boot and fuel lines as well as anthing else I should do. Spark plug/Air filter.
Is there a primo kit to get that has the boot and lines? Also the plastic bumps and chip guard? Aftermarket or not seems to be 50/50.
I really want to return this saw and make him happy. Get him his money maker back with lipstick and heels.
Thank you

 

[Kaveman]

My little brother is a Stihl saw tech, I sent him the link to your post. Now we wait for the young stud to send us part numbers.

 

[Kaveman]

Update: it's his weekend, take a deep breath, he'll be back in the shop soon. He mentioned joining the House, finally, so that's a thing.

 

[SkwerI]

You can stop by your local Stihl dealer and get prices and part numbers, then look on Amazon for Chinese aftermarket replacements. Some things like sprockets you want real Stihl parts but most of the less critical stuff is fine buying aftermarket. A buddy has a couple Holzforma saws which are ripoffs of Stihl painted blue, and they do ok.

 

[Trains]

hope this helps, dont have time to reply at the moment.

 

[BlackBikeDave]

Thank you all. I have the part numbers. There are just so many kits on amazon with the usual mixed reviews.
Still not sure which to get tho. Still hoping someone here has had experience with a particular kit.

 

[BlackBikeDave]

Here is an example of one of the kits. They go from 20 bucks on up.

Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Harbot-MS460-Carburetor-Ignition-Chainsaw/dp/B078S8R2VN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2K2PJ8FYUG6XC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7XSXVWLDe25txMNb-fTZrfjACGjeL_yv8Ih8u-jvcocV8FtkGC3YN8RrBR2CvpvdZjz7y0YpNQnzJySRpYadD6jw9ZIbhSMAdj2Kp19luf66Szro6XbQbE0y_hVd3OeOetFPYQSd_DQieILC86D_npgHyvhYpkRxTSW9af9UNC_3-CoyrScIeLBXhRx16yWweWoGZFFDyv3b1VdKrq0qnhy5HueeShRC7qp4J79OiiU.00JV3-KjtYbTjJG8dYf50ApJpBxVwTKRxfyAWvuIWSo&dib_tag=se&keywords=stihl+046&qid=1734112056&sprefix=%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-4

 

[Trains]

I rely on my saws, and I have been caught out many times on friends saws with stuff like this failing, I just go into the stihl shop with part nos and order there, pay once, cry once, and enjoy a reliable fix.

 

[davidwyby]

Yup

@huskihl might have input

 

[huskihl]

Yup

@huskihl might have input

Moving parts and things that matter, go oem.

Chinese rubber is more plastic than rubber. I’ve seen China intake boots melt around the intake clamp. So no boots or hoses. Their spark plugs work until the electrode or ceramic breaks off and ruins your oem cylinder and piston. Carbs are 50-50 at best, and their coils are notorious for lasting a few hours.

 

[SkwerI]

Carbs, coils and spark plugs, buy real parts. If you want to pinch pennies on the other stuff, fine. Also, why exactly are you replacing the carb? What is wrong with the old one? I understand swapping out old, dirty fuel and air filters but changing out hard parts is done when they fail.

 

[Nutball]

And carbs can be serviced with a carb kit. Usually they just need a cleaning, clean the internal filter, fresh rubber parts, and replace any rusty parts.

 

[BlackBikeDave]

Since this post I have advanced on the saw breakdown. Meaning its all apart..lol I just removed the handle/tank assembly to inspect and give this its much needed cleaning. Found a crack in the bottom tank handle assembly. Aftermarket assembly or used on bay of E?
I opened the carb as one of the first things just guessing the diaphrams at the very least should be replaced. . I ordered an aftermarket carb kit and was only gonna change them. Thinking I should get new Bushing for the End Cover.
The intake manifold boot looked good. Acellerator hose looks good. Fuel hose looks good. Looks good meaning no dry rotting and can squeeze and feels springy. Or should I just replace them while everything is apart. I'm thinking yes.

There was a lot of oil under the clutch. Wondering if the oil supply hose flat end, that the oil pump sandwiches against, isn't sealing? or the Sealing Ring B4x2 isn't sealing? Or has this saw been so abused that the oil to bar was clogged and the pump was compromising the seal?
These parts on the list too. Gonna go to the Stihl place in Mars Hill and see what they have and get a price guage goin tommorrow.

Trains was excellent and his Stihl 046 parts diagram and numbers pdf was GREAT! I printed it out and have an excellent parts number list. Big thanks again for that.
While I think of it does the 046 only have 1 bumper strip inside the cover? My 260pro has 2. Anyway thanks for all the comments. Every little bit helps.
Everything is sitting clean sorted and labeled and ready to assemble when I get the replacement parts

 

[BIGTWIG]

If I were going through the effort of rebuilding a saw, I would only replace the handle with an OEM.

 

[Trains]

Yep, what BigTwig said, tho I have also gotten out of trouble and back into spraying woodchips around by doing some plastic welding when nothing was available short term.
I think that would be ok to weld back up, if you know what your doing.

Regarding the rebuild, anything rubber, ie fuel hose, impulse hose, intake boot etc, just go genuine and be done with it, and enjoy a reliable fix for years to come, same with the carb kits, chinga ones are just too hit and miss.
Regarding oil under the clutch cover, that area gets soaked in oil and chips, so clean it up, get the drum off, and remove the clutch assy, its rh thread, so opposite to normal, (I pull the spark plug, rotate the saw in the direction to undo the clutch, in this case, clockwise looking at the clutch side, make sure the piston has swept past the exhaust port and closed it, then stuff in some 8mm soft cord evenly into the cyld, should get at least 6-8 inches worth, then rotate to compress the rope, this type of piston stop reduces the direct pressure the normal stops can put on the crown/ edge of the piston, and remove the clutch.)
Under the clutch will be heaps of oil/chips mess, etc, clean that up, put some 2t oil on the bronze bush that the oil pump drive gear has where it locates on the crank, and a bit of grease on the worm drive/ oil pump, and put back together.
Clutch shoe springs are really cheap, and often need replacement as they loose their temper due to heat ( I can relate to that on another level hehe), and the clutch / chain can spin much earlier than the 3600 it should start to rotate at, often happens on older saws that have seen a bit of overheating on the clutch.
When you go to refit the clutch, reverse the rotation of the crank, remove the rope from the spark plug hole, make sure the piston sweeps past the exhaust again, and then refill rope into cyld to act as piston stop, make sure you use a tension wrench and not an impact to tighten it, its 50nm, or 36ftlbs.

Also, get a straight edge and put over the bar pad area where the 2 bar studs are, and check for flatness, not uncommon to find that pad gets deformed, or the oil delivery gallery can get damaged, ive had success in rebuilding chipped, eroded edge to the oil gallery there with a very good clean of solvent and acetone before using jbweld, and then refiling flat.


Post up some pics of it all cleaned up and we can help you from there, take your time, lets get this done right and its a good learning experience for you.

 

[Nutball]

I prefer to thoroughly clean and leave dry the bronze bushing and shaft it rides on. Maybe even draw some graphite on it with a pencil, because oil and grease can both attract dirt and dry out getting sticky. Better to let bronze do it's thing as a dry bushing perhaps assisted by dry lube like graphite.

 

[Trains]

Its a bronze bush, its designed to hold oil in it, some oil on it, and the way the nylon worm gear seals up on the oil pump keeps the internals very clean, have come across many that are dry and have siezed on the crank resulting in the oil pump always pumping, or the worm gear melting due to the heat when the chain brake is on, and /or the worm drive moving on its bronze bush resulting in the drive wire that indexes with the clutch drum moving so it no longer engages etc.
It needs lubrication.

 

[Nutball]

As far as I know, they come dry from the factory. Oil impregnated bronze is a thing, and maybe they use that. I just know that sometimes they get sticky soon after an oiling, so I clean, dry, and apply graphite, and have had no problems.

 

[BlackBikeDave]

Thanks for replys.
The OEM handles are crazy expensive on the fleabay. I see the aftermarket handle tank assemblies. Tempted at the 35 low point. The repair is doable I think.
I'll post pics of the repair. waiting on stihl for the new hoses. Then I'll start getting it put back together.