395xp cylinder seized

[bmp01]

I'd be checking your repair shops claim before going too much further,  not saying they are wrong but I'd be wanting to know what the evidence was to draw the conclusion they did. Pull the exhaust off and have a look at piston - that's easy enough. 

Did the saw stop unexpectedly - you said it wouldn't restart. If it has trashed the piston I would have expected it to stop running by itself.

When I rebuilt the top end on my secondhand 395 (lots of hours ) I did the crank seals as a precaution. Sure enough the flywheel side had been leaking, lots of muck on the bearing cage on that side, lucky to have got away with it I guess.

 

The only other thing - emptying fuel is good plan but make sure you then run the saw until it's dry otherwise you are just leaving fuel in the carb to evaporate away.

 

 

[Crocky]

Hi all,
 
I have a lovely 395xp which has run for me for a few years with irregular use. Home milling and firewood mainly.
I am really careful with my fuel mixing 33:1 and emptying when finished.
The saw ran for an hour or so last weekend and wouldn’t start again. A local dealer says this pot and piston are knackered and quote over £500 to sort it.
 
Does anyone have any recommendations?
 
Shall I repair the saw? Or chop it in for a new 661 or similar.
 
Has this happened because of the fuelling issue or is it just general wear and tear the saw is a 2003 model.
 
Thanks in advance

I’d have a look at it if you want to send it up. I have a source I can usually get genuine parts at decent prices. But it could just need a clean up and a new piston. Spuds right though it needs checked over properly.

I’m pretty booked up with port work but could at least check it over to let you know where your at and what it needs.

[Muddy42]

Get the saw seen to by someone trustworthy that knows their saws.

Ive heard of so many saws pronounced as scrap by dealers or needing expensive repairs when they just need a service.

This happened recently to my brother, he looks after tools and had used aspen since buying the saw new. Saw stopped working and dealer said £300 for new piston set. I took it back and asked how he had reached this conclusion. Dealer had simply removed the spark plug !

We took it apart, blew, cleaned and checked everything, replaced filters and spark plug. Piston looked lightly scored or should I say ‘used’ from the exhaust end, but the saw runs fine again now. Plenty of compression.

I have to say I can’t be 100% sure what the issue was, but we checked and sorted everything in turn - fueling, air, spark etc.

[Crocky]

Get the saw seen to by someone trustworthy that knows their saws.

Ive heard of so many saws pronounced as scrap by dealers or needing expensive repairs when they just need a service.

This happened recently to my brother, he looks after tools and had used aspen since buying the saw new. Saw stopped working and dealer said £300 for new piston set. I took it back and asked how he had reached this conclusion. Dealer had simply removed the spark plug !

We took it apart, blew, cleaned and checked everything, replaced filters and spark plug. Piston looked lightly scored or should I say ‘used’ from the exhaust end, but the saw runs fine again now. Plenty of compression.

I have to say I can’t be 100% sure what the issue was, but we checked and sorted everything in turn - fueling, air, spark etc.

Agree with this 100%. Unfortunately some dealers don’t take the time to check the saws properly. Pressure, vac test etc. They try and throw parts at issues without finding the route cause.

I once bought a saw from a dealer for repair as it was supposed to be seized and they were scraping it. Turned out a clutch retainer had snapped and jammed the clutch. It cost me less than £2 to fix.