Stihl 034 Chainsaw After Muffler Mod + Sharper Chain

In this video, I show the muffler mod that I did on my Stihl 034 and then show it cutting. I share my thoughts on how the muffler mod and sharpening the chain affected the performance of the saw.

[@tomintexas817]

That's why I love my old stihls 08 075av

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

The older Stihl's are much better than the newer ones for sure !

[@EV1926-BLV]

I have cut hundreds of face coards with my two 034 sthil chainsaws over the last 30 plus years both with 18 inch bars ,best length bar for this saw,the 034 is a great firewood saw.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

You are right about the 034 being a good firewood saw. Using a short bar makes it a real performer, but with a long bar not so much. The 034 is a strange saw, works great in the right situation.

[@timberray9572]

Opening the muffler also lets more heat escape, giving the saw a longer life.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Yes it does!

[@IowaPerformanceSaws]

Merry Christmas!!! I was hoping that you'd do another Christmas episode like you have in the past!!

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Our Christmas video will be on the 26th. Stay tuned !

[@agkleppel6235]

well done, muffler has a nice sound

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

The muffler mod did some minor improvements to the 034's performance, and yes it sounds much better.

[@claudemansoniii6751]

If you want to achieve more torque you can do a base gasket delete. Pull the cylinder and remove the base gasket. Seal the cylinder to crankcase with Dirko HT red. It’s available at your local Stihl dealer,Amazon. Before final assembly and sealing check the squish by inserting a piece of soft solder between the top of the piston and cylinder and rotating the crankshaft 360 degrees squishing the lead solder. Measure the “ squish “. Do not assemble if the squish is less than .020”. Deletion of the base gasket actually increases torque by slightly changing port timing and increasing compression. The 034 is also best suited with a 20” bar and chain running a .325 pitch chain. If you want to run a 24” on a 56cc saw a skip chain would be a good option or upgrade to the 034 super. Additionally a 24” bar and chain is pushing the saws bar oiling capability even when adjusting the pump for maximum flow. Great saw! Have fun experimenting!

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Thanks for all the info about the 034. I am not going to do any mods to the saw because if I need a saw that cuts fast, has torque and horsepower, I will just get out one of my McCullochs. If I were to modify the saw, I would upgrade to an 036 cylinder and piston kit, which would also have a decomp valve. If I took out the base gasket, the compression would be worse than it already is. The high compression is very hard on the recoil parts already. I do run a 3/8 skip tooth chain on it now, and wouldn't want to buy another new bar and sprocket to convert it to .325. I don't like .325 chain anyway. Since it performs really well doing branching, limbing and small tree work with the 24" bar, the only upgrade I am going to do is put a full wrap handlebar on it. With that, it will be very handy. I have had no issues with the oiler keeping up with the 24" bar, so that has not been an issue.

[@davidcharles3131]

Merry Christmas! May not have been much improved, but sure sounds better.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

I was surprised that the muffler mod on the 034 didn't improve the performance much, but the quicker pick up, a few more revs and a bit easier starting was worth the effort. Merry Christmas to you !

[@EightWheelsRollin]

To me, It seemed like it didn't bog as much with the muffler mod. If you combine that with the fact that it starts easier, I'd say the mod was well worth your time. A full wrap handle would look good!

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

The saw runs better with the muffler mod, and starts a bit easier also, so the mod was worthwhile. Since I am going to use it for branching and small diameter wood, the full wrap bar will make it better suited for those operations.

[@ironleatherwood]

Muffler mods always help, in my opinion.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

In most cases they do !

[@chrischiampo7647]

Merry Christmas Mr and Mrs Obsolete 😊😀😊❤️

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Thank you, and Merry Christmas.

[@leonardobatistarocha7956]

Merry Christmas

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

[@jeffreyrubish347]

Thanks, Mr. Obso! Merry Christmas!

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Merry Christmas to you too !

[@dwhallon21]

Merry Christmas. 034 mods showed improvement but still can't run with the 2 macs

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

It's tough to beat the ol Mac's. That is why they are still my go to saws for most of my work. Merry Christmas and happy Holidays.

[@brianking1138]

I would probably put a 20 inch bar on it but like you said it will be good for limbing as is.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

The 034 is going to be used mostly for limbing and small diameter firewood, where it will be more in its element. I like a 24" bar on most of my mid size saws, so I will leave it on the saw, and just won't use it to cut bigger wood.

[@TheNorvikWay]

Nice Mr Obsolete.... I like it.....👍🤙

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

An interesting experiment, but mediocre results !

[@takeashawnoutdoors5518]

Two of my most used saws are a 034 super and a pro Mac 60

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

I am curious as to how close the performance is between your two saws. My 034, 57cc, can't match the performance of my McCulloch pro mac 610 or 650 of 60cc's, even with a muffler mod.

[@takeashawnoutdoors5518]

@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 with out a doubt the pro Mac 60 will out pull the 034. I run a 28 inch full comp chisel chain on the Mac. With no trouble. The 24 on the stihl is all it wants.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Interesting. Thanks for the message.

[@JourneyNorthAK]

Howdy, hope your winter is going well.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Things are going well so far. Nice to see you are still around. Always enjoyed your tool videos. Hope all is well for you too.

[@tedneitzel]

Good stuff! Yea I take both those baffles out but on that saw not sure about much of a difference. They are really made for 20in bar max but I hate bending over also!! See ya next week!

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

I was hoping for a bigger improvement in the 034's performance after the muffler mod, but there really wasn't much of a gain. Oh well ! Interesting experiment though.

[@liljoeii6091]

Thank you for the video.Very good video and Merry christmas on a happy new year

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you. Thanks for watching.

[@jimgroulx3956]

Hey Mr. O. Thanks for the vid

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

You're welcome.

[@leslifrance1001]

Mr. Obsolete, do you know where we might get a replacement muffler for Stihl 034 AV Super (electronic quickstop)? Thank you.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

I am sure their are cheapo aftermarket mufflers available on EBAY. If you want a used original, you might check with CHEAPCHAINSAWPARTS located in Washington state.

[@Indeewoods]

Was that thing 57 or 61 cc’s? I see on chainsaw, collectors corner there were two models of the O34.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

The standard 034, like ours is 57cc. The 034 Super is 61.5cc's, same as the 036.

[@outboardfixer]

I have one of these with a 20 inch bar. There is something not right with that saw. What does a compression test show? Did someone swap carbs somewhere down the line? Are the drags filed to low? Mine is about 170 lbs compression with new CABER piston rings...NOT Chinese ones and has much better power than that....just some thoughts.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

My 034 is completely stock. It came with a 20" bar, but it was completely worn out, and I use 24" bars on almost all my mid-size saws, so I put on a 24." I put an 18" bar on it when I first ran it, and it worked excellent, but the no torque powerband is not a good match with the 24" bar. I have not tested the compression, but it is real stout. I have received messages from Pro's and farm users and they say the same thing, which is that the saw is not good for heavy duty cutting, due to no torque, The late version of the saw, the 034 Super has more displacement, some torque and a compression release, and is a much better all around saw.

[@johnclarke6647]

Just remember, if you do not have a spark arrestor on you saw, you cannot use it on public lands. God forbid it throws a spark and starts a fire - you will be liable for the damages. I try to put functional spark arrestors on all of my saws to insure I don’t have to spend money hiring lawyers and paying bureaucrats.

[@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156]

The mod I did on the 034 muffler did not eliminate the spark arrestor. It is fully intact and functional. Good advice though.