Stihl 044 Restomod. Build and Test Cuts.

[@hidhshsj123]

My dad had an 044 Arctic that he sold to his friend 20 some odd years ago for $250. I recently had the pleasure to buy that saw back and it still has the original machining marks of the piston. I got a better deal when buying it back. I got it for $250 and a spare 25" bar.

[@crossan008]

I need to get my hands on one of these old muscle saws! The 661 gets a little heavy lugging around all day 🤣

[@joefykes2074]

Sounds great Rich, hands down my favorite saw is my 12mm 044, they are fun to run.

[@jamesb6899]

Good job cuts great and sounds even better

[@chadhenwood6007]

Saw looks great

[@bornforfreetaxtothedeath..7542]

Would love own 044, they are great working horse chainsaws!

[@460sw3]

I had a 440 magnum back in the day...by far my favorite saw I'll never get back

[@aaronpowell4885]

Love turning someone else's "junk" into gold! Turned out awesome👍🏻

[@Mike_Mike_0]

Rich nice build ❤❤❤ 😊😊😊

[@batmantiss]

A face only a mother could love. How could I pass up the like button??

[@chapsmaketory3960]

Built myself a no-decomp 044 couple years ago using a clone kit saw n oem parts..one of my favorites n run it all the time..

[@REDLINERUNNER]

That saw sounds very angry!! :) Cheers from Croatia!!

[@TheGreasyShopRag]

Seems like a nice saw. I recently stripped one and listed all the parts on ebay just to have one person buy every part for reassembly. At first I thought this was odd but because I clean everything before listing, it must have saved him a bunch of time. I guess he thinks this is a nice saw too. Good work, the saw sounded great!

[@richardflagg3084]

Thanks!

[@tedneitzel]

Your a saw wizard! Sweet looking saw that's absolutely a beast. Well done!

[@woodstacker5241]

What a sweet build! That is a real beauty.

[@Chucky-b7v]

Great re-build, Richard. That’s one nice saw.

[@tylerheard1279]

10mm 044 is the best stihl saw I've ever run in stock form. That saw looks to be an improvement!

[@hayesrutherford9415]

One of the great saws! Been making some videos and run an 044 mostly. I also have a "few" extras just in case.

[@chrischiampo7647]

Awesome Build Richard 😊😀👍🏼

[@saltrock9642]

Absolutely beautiful build. 😍

[@qdogbenson3112]

044. My favorite saw as a teenager. Wish I stihl had one. I have a ported 461 that runs stronger, but just does not feel as good in the hands.

[@richevy5224]

Nice job Rich! Nice worksaw.

[@danz0007]

The 044 was one of the best saws stihl ever produced , what were they thinking giving up this model

[@andrewfitzgerald1174]

epa made that decision for them unfortunately

[@richardflagg3084]

@@andrewfitzgerald1174 Exactly!

[@alan-dr8uo]

If i new a 100th of what you know i woud be good just found this sight and slready subscibed

[@lukereynolds9907]

King of 70cc. 👑👑👑

[@sawmanbigtreeslayer2360]

Hey Richard. Nice job!! 30 years of Stihl oil carbon on the crank. Lol Echo Red Armor rules!

[@richardflagg3084]

🤣🤣

[@sawmanbigtreeslayer2360]

​@richardflagg3084 I wish you would redo the Red Armor test. I send that video to so many people and then they always say the rod got hot. Please redo it. Thank you!!

[@902hand7]

Nice build. I agree that the 12mm saw is stronger but you'll have some folks drooling over that 10mm red lever carcass on your bench....

[@TroyMencke]

Richard good job yep you said it everyone wants the10mm But you're saying a 12mm wood be better for a good work saw like watching your stuff 👍 looking for a good 044

[@nateolmsted899]

Those things are legend

[@mattw5729]

Excellent Sir!!!!

[@danielbenedict9236]

Another good video Rich thanks for bringing it to us. I am curious how did you remove the coking in the cases? I have a husky 395 that has some I would like to remove if possible and tried dawn multiple times and even a parts washer with solvent and haven't made much progress. Thanks for everything you do!

[@richardflagg3084]

I wish I had a good answer for that. The coking in the crankcase seemed to imbedded in the paint. It's much easier to remove from bare metal.

[@danielbenedict9236]

@@richardflagg3084 That is what I am finding. I even scrubbed with scotch brite in the parts washer and it didn't seem to do much. I appreciate the response!

[@andrewgorman7905]

Have you ever tried oven cleaner

[@tomintexas817]

Damn richard you got me excited about my 150 dollar 044 red lever I think mine is 10mm but am thinking about a 12mm crank I think the 10mm flow better around the piston windows but I agree with you stronger is better should I do the 460 jug and piston or keep it original?

[@OGLD]

All that coking might be from running castor oil from the 90s. I’m not sure when fully synthetic 2 cycle oil started to become more prominent

[@crazyfeller5704]

👍👍

[@albertkropp]

Hello Richard! I have an MS261C (2015 model) that I've been working on, and I'm trying to get it to recalibrate, but it won't idle, so I've been trying to feather the throttle at lower rpms to get it to adjust, but it doesn't seem to do anything to help. I got a carburetor rebuild kit, and will see if that helps, but I'm wondering if there's any other common causes for non-idling?

[@richardflagg3084]

Have you replaced the fuel filter? I'm sure you have but I have to ask. Quite possibly it has the original black solenoid on the side of the carb. They are known to fail. The updated one is light gray and are more reliable. If possible, perform a pressure/vacuum test on the crankcase. That will eliminate an air leak and you can move on to focusing on the fuel issue. Without the saw in front of me, I'm just guessing some of the possibilities.

[@albertkropp]

@@richardflagg3084 I will check the fuel solenoid next time I go out. To my shame, I didn't replace the fuel filter, that will be another part I replace when I rebuild the carburetor. Thanks for the pointers, man. I was mainly focused on getting it to hold pressure/vacuum. I had to use RTV on the bottom of the cylinder to get it to hold, as the cylinder is an aftermarket, and the bottom face isn't smooth...

[@albertkropp]

@@richardflagg3084 Alright, so I replaced the filter with an OEM filter, tested the fuel solenoid, and now it idles perfectly, but bogs when you try to throttle up, if you hold the throttle down it will stall. I'm still waiting for the carb kit to come in, my operating assumption is that the metering diophram is stiff, which I believe could easily cause that kind of problem. I do plan on also getting a replacement tank vent, just for good measure, as that is most likely also original...

[@albertkropp]

Alright, so I've now rebuilt the carburetor, replaced fuel filter, tank vent, fuel cap, and fuel solenoid, and the saw idles fine, and doesn't completely bog when throttled and put into wood, but it still lacks power in the cut..since it's a 2015 model saw, is it possible that the carburetor isn't adjusting itself unless you do the manual reset procedure? This one is really beginning to annoy me...

[@RUM123]

Hey man, question for you. I'm needing a decent smaller saw for clean up. I've been looking at the 261. My thing is, should I get the m tronic version, or the regular one? Any pros or cons you can give me?

[@richardflagg3084]

Unless your savvy with tuning, I'd get the MTronic version. I rarely see electronic issues with them.

[@RUM123]

@@richardflagg3084 that's what I needed to hear. I like aggravation free stuff, I haven't heard much either way on the electronics. Thanks!

[@richardflagg3084]

@@RUM123 👊

[@Robert-uh6bx]

She cuts

[@evans5803]

What is coaking sorry for butchering the spelling

[@richardflagg3084]

As I understand it, coking comes from an oil that does not handle heat very well or is lacking a good detergent package. I imagine it happens after shut down when the oil film in the engine breaks down and bakes to the internal components. I'm no scientist tho...

[@crazyfeller5704]

👍👍