Not long ago I was given a 044 in a box half stripped down from a buddy who had it given to him. The previous owner blew it up and my guess is they purchased a new oem piston and found a good oem used cylinder but upon pulling it apart realized the crank had actually snapped in half at the rotating assembly. So I found a good oem crank online, put new main bearings and seals and replaced a couple small parts like the impulse line, missing recoil pawl clip and she’s a good running saw now. Cleaned up really nice and runs well. I’m a husky guy but think I’ll hang onto this old girl. Keep up the great videos and content.
I’ve been seeing bad impulse hoses on 044 and 046 saws here recently. They’re getting to that age when hoses are going bad. When in doubt, change them out!
Tinman ,just totally rebuilt a 044 that was given to my brother ,previous owner loaned it out to a friend who straight gassed it ,had been tossed into the back of a barn for years , never saw a piston that had what looked like weld splatter on top of it ,she got real hot .thanks to you and iron horse wisdom I have ported several saws in the last couple years .the 044 ran great but had trouble idling, so rebuilt carb twice, then swapped out for a new one ,same result , my brother went ahead and cut wood with it ,then he dropped it back off and I dug back into it ,did another pressure/vac test and found a very small leak at cylinder base , 2nd time I have had moto seal fail me in the last couple weeks with curing for several days before even pressure/vac test .popped a base gasket in which messed up my squish # ,but wanted to try it with the gasket, then I did a timing advance, took about a 1/3 off the key thinking it may have some kick back , but it actually runs better and idles now , has that classic stihl Bing Bing Bing Bing sound now at idling. Thanks for all the help over the years.
You have me HOOKED on pipe mods and tunes!!!!! lol 😂 I just built 2 more.. One for a New Echo cs-3510 I got for my 76 yr old father for limbing, and another one for my Husqvarna 365 Special… I’m convinced once you run a saw Piped & Tuned, you’ll never grab a stock one again !! I put a couple short videos up of them.
Tinman, my 044 is still my favorite go to saw. I have completed a few Mod's, muffler, Air cleaner, but it is still mostly stock. Every 3 years or so, I go through it and replace all the rubber goods, filters etc. It is a beast just runs great. Love my 044. Thanks for the review.
Unscrew the spark plug wire from the coil base and look at the wire. I’ll bet there is corrosion on the wire. Cut about 1/4 off the end of the wire until you have nice clean internal wires and reinstall. I bet that’s part of the issue with the original coil.
Before you adjust the high jet put a bar and chain on it. It will put a load on the motor that will change how it runs from no bar at all. Just the same as tuning in the wood for perfection, in the wood it gets a load that will change how it sounds compared to not being in the wood.
I watched your old video of replacing crank seals in this saw yesterday in preparation for my first ever attempt at it (Husq 359). Only had 2 seals, fortunately went perfectly. Thanks for all the info you share.
The Stihl carb can be removed by simply going to WOT and pop the linkage out of the trigger. It will clear the handle on the top. Now ymwv with all the wires on this saw.
Tinman, I have a ms361 that I love like you love your 044. December of last year we had a tornado touch down here where I live outside of Nashville, Tn. Here it is the end of March and i'm taking a break from cutting to work on roof and ceiling damage. Last week my saw was doing like yours. I'm not going to mess with it now cause i've got too much other stuff to do. But wanted to thank you for the video and for giving me a heads up on where to go from here. I love working on stuff and have always done my own maintenance on everything, but at 73 it ain't getting any easier. Thanks again for an awesome video.
What I thought at the start was change your coil and open up the high jet a bit. It was running rich at the start because it was missing sparks due to a duff coil. Anyway you have it running now which is the main thing.😊
Not much left to replace! Hopefully she's cured! Got my jred 670 back together that i ported over the weekend. Starts, idles, and restarts. Fingers crossed. Got a few heat cycles on it and just over half a tank of idle time so far. P&C look good. My 670 champ might be a winner. Thanks for sharing all your tips, tricks, and guidance. Couldn't have done it without you.
Hi Tinnman!!😀😀 I only had 1 044 in my life. But it was the best saw I ever had. I cut professionally with it for 2 years steady and it was still running strong when I sold it and replaced it with a 046. I kick myself all the time for ever getting rid of it. Take care buddy!!😀😀💚💚 Logger Al
I had the same thing happen to me with a 372 Husky I built. Couldn’t get it to tune. Thought it was the carb or an air leak…… turned out to be a bad fuel filter. Sometimes the simple things get us.
Similar story, my ms440 magnum was run over by a tractor in a cow barn yard. Plastics, brake handle, handle, filter, plug and new bar. Oh and cleaned a manure spreader full of #%€& out of every crevice. Its a great pairing to my old faithful 026
id say try swapping the coil my 064 was exactly same except i would get weird pop out exhaust every once in while. then i swapped coil and flywheel and narrowed the problem down. put the oem flyhweel on, with nos shoebox coil saw runs good.
I'm having a horrible time with my 044. It's an older slant fin and mostly oem.other then an aftermarket dual port muffler. I bought it about 2 years ago from a local guy and absolutely loved it immediately. I used it this last spring and it was running absolutely perfect.it sat all summer and I took it out in the fall and the idle was racing and I couldn't turn it down. Tried a carb off another saw and same thing,took the intake boot and impulse line and they looked fairly new with no cracks and nice and soft so I checked the crank seals and the flywheel side looked newer and was still soft but put in a new one then I pulled the clutch side seal off and it was shot,it was brittle ,hard and had part broken off, I was happy and thought 100% that was it,but put it all back together and same 😢.so I'm going to pull the cylinder and see if the base gasket is good. I'm not an expert on these but I have built about 15-20 saws from 028,038 magnum and countless ms290s and ms390s with great success but my beloved 044 is killing me!
Mine had a leak between the boot and the carb, I had a gasket and I trimmed it and put it between the carb and boot and it runs great . I used it today and trimmed and bucked up some logs at the sawmill . Ran about two tanks and it ran great. I put a 8 tooth on it and filed it and that old saw rips
Runs great, sounds great, fuel line farmertec the hole is not centred when formed and it might constrict and starve it. Nice example of a chainsaw. Regards Dorin.
Glad to see it’s back running brother, I think o mentioned but I had that same issue and replacing the fuel line fixed mine. Pretty sure I mentioned it in the live stream, those fuel lines just fall apart it seems
Seems like a common thing with 044 to get smashed. My 044 was run over by my uncle with the tractor my second 044 sits on the shelf both need new crank seals and rubber like you just did then maybe I’ll bring them out to play again
Is Fab Willie still running his 038 Magnum? I seem to remember he was the source of your 044.... Have yet to find a good 044 to buy or even a damaged saw I'd rebuild but I have a few 038s I have rebuilt and two 064s to finish up.
Hey Tinman, hope you are doing well! If it works out, I think I am going to be picking up an OBS 7.3 f350, and I was wondering if you have any advice on what to look for when buying that motor, or some advice on first maintenance things that I will need to do on it? Thanks for the great content as always!
Question. I use MotoSeal and I see you do too. I recently split a case where I had use it and want to know if you know of a good solvent to remove it before I reapply?
Tim man stihl don’t run right unless you got sugar in your pocket buddy . Went I work in wood 🪵 logging guys put sugar in there pocket. Make a stihl run better Tinman. 😊
Not long ago I was given a 044 in a box half stripped down from a buddy who had it given to him. The previous owner blew it up and my guess is they purchased a new oem piston and found a good oem used cylinder but upon pulling it apart realized the crank had actually snapped in half at the rotating assembly. So I found a good oem crank online, put new main bearings and seals and replaced a couple small parts like the impulse line, missing recoil pawl clip and she’s a good running saw now. Cleaned up really nice and runs well. I’m a husky guy but think I’ll hang onto this old girl. Keep up the great videos and content.
I’ve been seeing bad impulse hoses on 044 and 046 saws here recently. They’re getting to that age when hoses are going bad. When in doubt, change them out!
Tinman ,just totally rebuilt a 044 that was given to my brother ,previous owner loaned it out to a friend who straight gassed it ,had been tossed into the back of a barn for years , never saw a piston that had what looked like weld splatter on top of it ,she got real hot .thanks to you and iron horse wisdom I have ported several saws in the last couple years .the 044 ran great but had trouble idling, so rebuilt carb twice, then swapped out for a new one ,same result , my brother went ahead and cut wood with it ,then he dropped it back off and I dug back into it ,did another pressure/vac test and found a very small leak at cylinder base , 2nd time I have had moto seal fail me in the last couple weeks with curing for several days before even pressure/vac test .popped a base gasket in which messed up my squish # ,but wanted to try it with the gasket, then I did a timing advance, took about a 1/3 off the key thinking it may have some kick back , but it actually runs better and idles now , has that classic stihl Bing Bing Bing Bing sound now at idling. Thanks for all the help over the years.
You have me HOOKED on pipe mods and tunes!!!!! lol 😂 I just built 2 more.. One for a New Echo cs-3510 I got for my 76 yr old father for limbing, and another one for my Husqvarna 365 Special…
I’m convinced once you run a saw Piped & Tuned, you’ll never grab a stock one again !!
I put a couple short videos up of them.
Tinman, my 044 is still my favorite go to saw. I have completed a few Mod's, muffler, Air cleaner, but it is still mostly stock. Every 3 years or so, I go through it and replace all the rubber goods, filters etc. It is a beast just runs great. Love my 044. Thanks for the review.
Unscrew the spark plug wire from the coil base and look at the wire. I’ll bet there is corrosion on the wire.
Cut about 1/4 off the end of the wire until you have nice clean internal wires and reinstall.
I bet that’s part of the issue with the original coil.
That sounds fantastic, and as you well know, the 044 is a rugged beast of a saw!
Before you adjust the high jet put a bar and chain on it. It will put a load on the motor that will change how it runs from no bar at all. Just the same as tuning in the wood for perfection, in the wood it gets a load that will change how it sounds compared to not being in the wood.
I watched your old video of replacing crank seals in this saw yesterday in preparation for my first ever attempt at it (Husq 359). Only had 2 seals, fortunately went perfectly. Thanks for all the info you share.
The Stihl carb can be removed by simply going to WOT and pop the linkage out of the trigger. It will clear the handle on the top. Now ymwv with all the wires on this saw.
Tinman, I have a ms361 that I love like you love your 044. December of last year we had a tornado touch down here where I live outside of Nashville, Tn. Here it is the end of March and i'm taking a break from cutting to work on roof and ceiling damage. Last week my saw was doing like yours. I'm not going to mess with it now cause i've got too much other stuff to do. But wanted to thank you for the video and for giving me a heads up on where to go from here. I love working on stuff and have always done my own maintenance on everything, but at 73 it ain't getting any easier. Thanks again for an awesome video.
Glad to see you got her back,
I can relate with my first power saw.
Hope you and the family are doing well, stay warm.
What I thought at the start was change your coil and open up the high jet a bit. It was running rich at the start because it was missing sparks due to a duff coil. Anyway you have it running now which is the main thing.😊
An 044 not ported is one of the best stock saws ever made in my opinion, and almost 30 years old ;D
Yep agree. Great saw
All those old O series pre epa saws were great. 028, 034, 044, 066. Best saws ever made in my opinion and would last! 👍🏼
Sweet! Always feels good to get a favorite piece of equipment back in service.
Not much left to replace! Hopefully she's cured! Got my jred 670 back together that i ported over the weekend. Starts, idles, and restarts. Fingers crossed. Got a few heat cycles on it and just over half a tank of idle time so far. P&C look good. My 670 champ might be a winner. Thanks for sharing all your tips, tricks, and guidance. Couldn't have done it without you.
Glad you got her running right again, look forward to seeing you cutting with her. Good video thanks Tinman.
One of the best firewood saws ever. Good job Tinman!
Hi Tinnman!!😀😀
I only had 1 044 in my life. But it was the best saw I ever had. I cut professionally with it for 2 years steady and it was still running strong when I sold it and replaced it with a 046. I kick myself all the time for ever getting rid of it.
Take care buddy!!😀😀💚💚
Logger Al
Power cutting with a great saw! Be safe my friend 👍👍
I had the same thing happen to me with a 372 Husky I built. Couldn’t get it to tune. Thought it was the carb or an air leak…… turned out to be a bad fuel filter. Sometimes the simple things get us.
Similar story, my ms440 magnum was run over by a tractor in a cow barn yard. Plastics, brake handle, handle, filter, plug and new bar. Oh and cleaned a manure spreader full of #%€& out of every crevice. Its a great pairing to my old faithful 026
id say try swapping the coil my 064 was exactly same except i would get weird pop out exhaust every once in while. then i swapped coil and flywheel and narrowed the problem down. put the oem flyhweel on, with nos shoebox coil saw runs good.
I'm having a horrible time with my 044. It's an older slant fin and mostly oem.other then an aftermarket dual port muffler. I bought it about 2 years ago from a local guy and absolutely loved it immediately. I used it this last spring and it was running absolutely perfect.it sat all summer and I took it out in the fall and the idle was racing and I couldn't turn it down. Tried a carb off another saw and same thing,took the intake boot and impulse line and they looked fairly new with no cracks and nice and soft so I checked the crank seals and the flywheel side looked newer and was still soft but put in a new one then I pulled the clutch side seal off and it was shot,it was brittle ,hard and had part broken off, I was happy and thought 100% that was it,but put it all back together and same 😢.so I'm going to pull the cylinder and see if the base gasket is good. I'm not an expert on these but I have built about 15-20 saws from 028,038 magnum and countless ms290s and ms390s with great success but my beloved 044 is killing me!
Very good maintenance video for the 044. TC Mahalo Tinman 🤙🤙🤙
Man u ripping it,good work, n one more thank you for your reply and advice 👍👍👍✊
Mine had a leak between the boot and the carb, I had a gasket and I trimmed it and put it between the carb and boot and it runs great . I used it today and trimmed and bucked up some logs at the sawmill . Ran about two tanks and it ran great. I put a 8 tooth on it and filed it and that old saw rips
Runs great, sounds great, fuel line farmertec the hole is not centred when formed and it might constrict and starve it. Nice example of a chainsaw.
Regards Dorin.
Glad to see it’s back running brother, I think o mentioned but I had that same issue and replacing the fuel line fixed mine. Pretty sure I mentioned it in the live stream, those fuel lines just fall apart it seems
Love the content Tinman! I hope to have a 044 in my arsenal one day.
Hope it stays running smoothly
I’ve fix a lot of saws just with a carb kit fuel lines and an intake boot
noice, i'm busy rebuilding my 044 as well.
Relatively new to the channel but gotta say its epic man! 🤘
Yes Sir, you got er' dialed! 044!!
Really want an 044!! (And a 346, and an 046, and a 385.. 🙈)
Seems like a common thing with 044 to get smashed. My 044 was run over by my uncle with the tractor my second 044 sits on the shelf both need new crank seals and rubber like you just did then maybe I’ll bring them out to play again
Rite on running nice again
I would replace the tank vent first.
Well heck yeah!
Hey Tinman, you ought to cut that fuel line open and take a look to see if you see anything obvious.
Awesome saw and awesome diagnostic on fixing the worn out parts. Curious if you still have the olympic 999F?
Is Fab Willie still running his 038 Magnum? I seem to remember he was the source of your 044.... Have yet to find a good 044 to buy or even a damaged saw I'd rebuild but I have a few 038s I have rebuilt and two 064s to finish up.
Hey Tinman, hope you are doing well! If it works out, I think I am going to be picking up an OBS 7.3 f350, and I was wondering if you have any advice on what to look for when buying that motor, or some advice on first maintenance things that I will need to do on it? Thanks for the great content as always!
I'll have to mention that in a video on 7.3 buying I think That's for the comment.
just the sound that crispy impulse line made when it landed on the bench was wrong!
Stay warm people 😊
Comment from me today 😊
Question. I use MotoSeal and I see you do too. I recently split a case where I had use it and want to know if you know of a good solvent to remove it before I reapply?
Hey Tinman why do you pull on the starter when you kill it?
let's go friends smash that thumbs up !.
I have a 064 I’m going to put a big bore kit in do I need to replace the crank on it ?
How's the Tinman and family
Hey tinman do you know if there's a kit or something of the sort to put heated handles on a 044?
No kits available that I'm aware of.
Would probably cost a fortune to order all the oem parts if they are still available unfortunately.
Stihl 044 este un unchi mai bătrân a lui ms440?
Abit rich don’t lean it to much
Seems lean at first start.
Tim man stihl don’t run right unless you got sugar in your pocket buddy . Went I work in wood 🪵 logging guys put sugar in there pocket. Make a stihl run better Tinman. 😊