Stihl 200T rebuild needed

robpm

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I am new to this forum. I have a Stihl 200T which I bought brand new in in I think was 2004 s/n 162905336. It has been a great saw but I figured I messed up with my gas and did not mix the oil like normal. I have been running chain saws for over 40 years, I have an 044 that I purchased in 1997 and it is still running strong. So I froze the engine 200T. I am thinking that I could rebuild it. I am guessing I would need a new cylinder, piston rings, head etc. Is this worth doing? Where would I purchase the parts from, directly from Stihl or are there other avenues available? Any input would be greatly appreciated. As I said this has been a great saw for me and I am really sorry that I messed up in this way but these things do happen at times and I understand that. Thanks for your help.
 

Bob Hedgecutter

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Well, it all depends on how messed up things are inside where the action happens.
You are almost certainly going to need a new piston and rings- cylinder may or may not be savable- you just wont know till you tear it all apart and inspect each part.
These are a well respected much coveted saw for the professional user. It deserves proper parts.
There are "other" options- but they are as a rule pretty crappy options.
Photos of how bad/good the damage is will help.
 

robpm

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Well, it all depends on how messed up things are inside where the action happens.
You are almost certainly going to need a new piston and rings- cylinder may or may not be savable- you just wont know till you tear it all apart and inspect each part.
These are a well respected much coveted saw for the professional user. It deserves proper parts.
There are "other" options- but they are as a rule pretty crappy options.
Photos of how bad/good the damage is will help.
I agree that this is an excellent and coveted saw and I want to replace it with the right parts. I was figuring I would replace it using a complete cylinder kit and not mess with just replacing the piston and rings. My next question would be do I need to replace anything else. I have not torn it down yet but I will look to do that soon. I found several complete cylinder kits here. They are not Stihl but it looks like the Metor brand is as good as an OEM replacement. https://www.wolfcreeksawshop.com/pr...l-ms200t-ms200-020-020t-40mm-italy-w-gaskets/
 

Bob Hedgecutter

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If it did a tank of straight fuel- you might want to check the con rod and bottom rod bearing fairly well.
You might consider new main crank bearings and oil seals- but neither are run of the mill types for this wee gem and can be "interesting" so personally I leave well alone there unless the bearings are gritty/noisy.

Generally speaking- Stihl = best, Meteor next best and Hyway if they do one for these comes in third.
If the original cylinder will clean up that is the best, easiest and cheapest option with a new piston kit. But your tool, your money and your choice.
Depends on how deep you decide to go if you need a full gasket kit for the saw.
 

robpm

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If it did a tank of straight fuel- you might want to check the con rod and bottom rod bearing fairly well.
You might consider new main crank bearings and oil seals- but neither are run of the mill types for this wee gem and can be "interesting" so personally I leave well alone there unless the bearings are gritty/noisy.

Generally speaking- Stihl = best, Meteor next best and Hyway if they do one for these comes in third.
If the original cylinder will clean up that is the best, easiest and cheapest option with a new piston kit. But your tool, your money and your choice.
Depends on how deep you decide to go if you need a full gasket kit for the saw.
Hyway does make a complete cylinder kit for the 200T as well. I learned this evening that Stihl no longer supplies a cylinder for the 200T so it has to be after market. if I need to replace the cylinder So in that case I would go with the Meteor kit. I did not run a whole tank of gas through it. It was just about 1 min that it ran and then it stopped. The piston seems to be frozen so I am going to guess that the cylinder is scored or worse. I need to pull the saw apart to see. I can then check the bearings as you have suggested as well. I am also talking to another guy on the Arborist forum who is a wiz kid at rebuilding 200T's. He rebuilds them all the time. His labor is $150 plus the cost of parts. I kind of like the idea of rebuilding it myself for the challeng but of course you can get in over your head as well.
 

treefella

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I sent a 200t to Iowa performance chainsaw(look him up on facebook,or YouTube) he did a great job on mine. At a reasonable price.
 

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