MS 441 Sthil

hedgerow · July 29, 2020, 12:40:40 PM

Quote from: Tom King on July 28, 2020, 10:47:12 AM
Not about the saw, but the sprayer.

I've had a Fimco sprayer for more years than I remember, mounted on a rotary cutter.

Long story short, Chapin just came out with one that has the large tank to just hold water, and separate, smaller concentrate tanks.

My trouble with the Fimco was not that it didn't work fine, but it was always guesswork to figure out how much to mix in the 40 gallon tank.

The new Chapin allows me to swap out the concentrate tanks, and go do a small amount of spot spraying.

I haven't had the chance to swap out the rig, but the new system came. You can buy the concentrate tanks separately, and have several ready to go. I'm keeping one with detergent, to wash out the guts before switching from herbicide, to insecticide, etc. They make smaller ones than this one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N1G6Z88/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Tom Thanks for posting about this sprayer. I do a ton of spot spraying and some days change chemical three of four times a day. I will look into one of these the next time my old Fimco needs a pump.

Tom King · July 29, 2020, 12:56:08 PM

I expected there would be others with the same issues, and would appreciate the benefits. I spray a few different chemicals too.

For pump sprayers, these 2 and 3 gallon cheap ones, from Tractor Supply, are pretty good. I especially like the pressure relief valve. I have a utility sink in this shed just for taking care of the mixers. I buy them when they are on sale for about 30 bucks for a box with two in it. I keep one of those with detergent in it too, and swap out the wand after washing it, after use.

They do develop some problems, and no replacement parts available, but I just keep a couple of extra ones to pull parts off of. Haven't had much trouble, but in the three years that I've been using them, one pressure relief valve, and one trigger assembly went bad.

WV Sawmiller · July 30, 2020, 02:56:01 PM

Dang! Tom collects sprayers like the MagicMan collects LogRites!

ZeroJunk · July 30, 2020, 04:59:14 PM

The guy who said the compression should be 90 psi is getting mixed up with something. Should be more like 140 to 160. They run OK at 120 usually. Likely he has a gauge that just won't read low displacement equipment, so he may be factoring that in to his analysis.

I think those saws are borderline too lean off the shelf. And, something does not need to change much and you have aluminum melted in to your rings.

WV Sawmiller · July 30, 2020, 06:05:27 PM

Zero,

That is mostly Greek to me but it sounds like the tech did not check something correctly or with the right gauge. I have not been over to pick it up yet and take it to the next repair shop for a second opinion. Any thoughts on likely problems and whether it is likely worth fixing or not?

ZeroJunk · July 30, 2020, 08:44:58 PM

It's definitely worth fixing if it is not broke broke, like run over or dropped out of a tree broke.

If it indeed has lost compression you are at a big disadvantage if you don't do this yourself, which is why so many of us have gotten in to it to start with.

Somebody will give you good money for that saw on eBay because they can fix it for $40.

So, I think I would eBay the saw and buy a new one before I would pay a dealer $300 or $400 hundred bucks.

Al_Smith · July 31, 2020, 12:39:36 PM

An engine of any kind does not just lose compression like you lost your car keys .There is a reason for it .Find that you got it licked .Could be a completely blown out crankshaft seal .I've seen that too .
Fact one of my 038 mags blew a seal out twice .The third time I red lock-tited it .It will take heat if I ever need to do it again to remove it .

Woodfarmer · August 02, 2020, 09:35:52 PM

I'll give you $100 for it towards your new saw purchase?

WV Sawmiller · August 02, 2020, 10:31:16 PM

Its worth more than that to me for parts.

WV Sawmiller · September 10, 2020, 09:03:38 PM

Well, this may be another mistake I have made but I had the new Stihl dealer rebuild this saw for me. $632!!! $350 for parts and $237 for labor. $10 Misc (I assume shop rags and WD40, etc) and $35 tax. I was expecting around $500 based on their discussion. Their mechanic quit the day I turned in my saw so I don't know if the new one was just slow or it that is reasonable, well, normal on labor. The cylinder & piston was over $310 and was biggest parts cost.

I tested it in the shop and it did crank readily and sounds good. We will see how it holds up.

Old Greenhorn · September 10, 2020, 09:21:05 PM

Man, that sucks. Lets see how it holds up with some run time. For that cost, it should run, cut, and stack it in the truck.

BeerFarmer · September 12, 2020, 01:06:01 AM

I agree, that does suck, especially when I realized that's in US dollars. I just replaced my 441 piston with OEM parts and it was over $200 CDN. I've seen the prices in the US and a good Meteor replacement could have been way cheaper. It's pretty easy work, especially with YouTube and Forestry Forum. Good luck with the saw, I'm sure it will last long now!

ZeroJunk · September 23, 2020, 06:37:24 PM

The Stihl dealer called me today and they want me to rebuild a scored MS460 for a friend of one of their employees. They obviously have rules for what they can and cannot do. Unless I run in to something unusual I will clean the cylinder, put an OEM piston in and charge them $100.

You should really learn to do this. Find you an old junk saw and figure out what makes it tic .

Al_Smith · September 26, 2020, 09:05:56 AM

A chainsaw engine is not a lunar rocket .By design a 2 cycle is about as simple as any internal combustion engine ever made and the least understood .If a person were really interested in learning about them they'll never know until they delve into it .
Now dealers ,any dealer no matter if it's a chainsaw, automobile or a dishwasher will not be inexpensive .That's just the way it is and always has been and will be forever .
Now that being said it's none of my business what a person does with their stuff .At this stage of life money is not that big of an issue, finding somebody with enough brain power to repair things is .I've came to the conclusion to just do it myself no matter what it is .I do however verbally assault my computer from time to time when it doesn't do what I want it to do .It doesn't mind too well .

barbender · September 26, 2020, 01:54:17 PM

If you've never done engine work, a chainsaw is a great place to learn. I really don't like letting what saw shops exist now do this kind of work, because they will tend to repair a saw (like Howard's) without finding the root cause. They'll usually assume you straight gassed it, and didn't look into it to find the leaking crank seal, lean carb settings, or other issues that caused the problem. I have never seen a saw "wore out" to the point where they lost compression. I've had saws that pro pulp cutter ran for years, the body of the saw was wired together but the internals were still very good. I would be very cautious of just running your saw. If I can't figure out my saws myself, they've unfortunately become not worth fixing. I had one saw that a spark plug failed and destroyed the P&C, and it would've cost $500-600 to have a shop repair it. I might as well get a new saw for that, is my thinking. I did get an aftermarket P&C and repair it myself for about $150.