farm boss041av

[maddog40]

hi im new to this thread, i just bought a farm boss 041 av  for 30.00 the guy said it got hot and he couldnt get it started, i got it home and took it to the garage and it started up on the second pull, so i took it and cut a 8 foot log in 2foot sections it cut great,my question is, is it worth putting a new piston and rings in it,also would that be the reason it got hot and wouldnt start, are is there maybe something else wrong with it, i havent been able to find a cylinder kit, but ive found a piston kit on flea bay.

[T Welsh]

Maddog, run another couple of tanks of gas through it and let it  tell you! first pull the plug and see how its burning, if its a light brown color keep on running the saw,if its a white color on the tip and insulator its running on the lean side,be careful this is a sign that its going to get hot and maybe seize. a new piston and cylinder will run about $200+ from Stihl. if it has already seized up from the previous owner and you got it running you can not do to much more damage. and imo its worth a rebuild. good saw with good torque and weight. I can not talk about after market kits,I have never used one. I am sure that they would work,but when I rebuild a good tool I want it to be as good as new when I am done with it,OEM parts will do that. I just went through this with an 066 and put a new jug and piston in it and it runs like a beast again. another thought is to ask your self why did it seize up in the first place? couple of factors could lead to it,straight gas in tank,carb circuit blocked in high speed circuit, wrong heat range in spark plug.but for 30 bucks!!!!!!!! you got a deal. Tim

[Bandmill Bandit]

did quit because it seized or did it quit because the heat caused a fuel vapor lock and shut off the fuel flow? 

mad dog is bang on on everything as far as a repair goes.

no matter what you have to do for repair is well worth it on that saw. I have on occasion put in a new set of rings for a few friends that did about the same thing to their saws and it was from running lean and and cutting with a dull chain at the same time. Have had to do a total rebuild on some as well. OEM is always best
 

[sawguy21]

I would pull the muffler and take a peek at the piston and cylinder. That is an old timer, who knows what kind of abuse it has been subjected to. New piston and rings with a worn pot and bottom end is like a band aid on a chest wound.

[Bandmill Bandit]

I would pull the muffler and take a peek at the piston and cylinder. That is an old timer, who knows what kind of abuse it has been subjected to. New piston and rings with a worn pot and bottom end is like a band aid on a chest wound.

yes very true. but rings can be preventive maintenance IF the ONLY thing that has happened is over heating. takes the temper out of the rings and can start the down ward spiral of the motor. a a quick tear down will tell you if that is all you need to do. I dont think that one will have a chrome jug  so you would want to make sure you do a good hone job before you install new rings.

If there are even small scores in the jug do a proper rebuild. you wont regret it.

you only do rings if the piston and jug are not scored at all and the only known stress issue was over heating. I do this to all 2 cycles that have stalled due to over heating. When you pull it apart DO NOT put it back with the orignal rings.   
 

[maddog40]

thanks for all the sound advice, i pulled the plug and its running a little rich plug was oily wet ,wasnt white like it really got hot,i think ill go ahead and put a new piston and rings,i dont have that much in , and it looks good for its age,what oil ratio do they run ? and can they handle a24 inch bar, thanks again

[aquacanis]

Personally I think you are getting bad advice on this saw.  First of all you don't know FOR SURE that it overheated.  Secondly there may be absolutely no scoring of the rings or cylinder wall at this point.  If it were mine I would run a good quality two cycle oil with a JSEA rating in it at 40/1 for a while and see how it holds out.  If it continues to run well go
to the standard 50/1 mix if it makes you more comfortable or you idle your saw a lot.   I always use 40/1 and never idle my saws for long periods.  I had
an 041 without the vibration dampers and it was my favorite saw of all time until I tried an AV!! I would never run more than a 20 inch bar on it unless you had some special purpose.  You may have bought a saw that vapor locked and just needs a little TLC.  Every saw that won't start when it heats up is not dead.  Poulans are noted for vapor locking.  As my saws run 40/1 most of the time I run one heat range up for a spark plug as they get older.  They don't overheat and I have never run one into the ground.

[aquacanis]

Maddog,  I been thinkin.  If you want to get your money back on the 041 av I will give you thirty bucks and pay shipping to my house.

[maddog40]

no thanks i think ill keep it, i looked up the specs on it, its says 20: 1 on mixing is that right?

[sawguy21]

The original mix was 24:1 but that was on the oil of the day. With modern blends such as Stihl Ultra 40:1 would be the heaviest I would run. I'll get flamed for this but would go 50:1 if it were mine.

[gspren]

I have a 041 farm boss I bought new 30 plus years ago, a 044 about 15 years old,  6 year old weedeater and a leafblower at least 10 years old and they all use 50-1 Stihl oil. I am NOT going to have multiple mixes setting around the farm, if its a 2 stroke thats what I use. I  ran that old 041 for a few hours last week and it made my wrist numb, thats why I bought the 044.

[mad murdock]

maddog, good luck on that one.  I have heard that there are some 041 parts available from china, as I believe they are  being built over there.  Quality would be the ??