Husqvarna 44 - General Questions and Advice

[44Owner]

Hello, new member and domestic chainsaw user here…

I have an old Husqvarna 44 which has recently stopped working. Compression testing shows approx. 90psi - is this considered low or ok?

Been advised it may have a scored barrel but I haven’t stripped it down to confirm yet.

Can’t seem to find any piston & cylinder kits for this model so wondering if any other models could be used for a straight transplant if the cylinder is jiggered.

This is the first mechanical project I’ve looked at so hopeful I can repair it… any advice/guidance would be appreciated!

[pleasant]

Ideally 100psi minimum to at least have a chance of at least firing....a bit.

 

A good, used saw ideal psi would be 125psi to 150psi.

 

New or hardly used psi 160-175psi

 

90psi is too low to be healthy.....whip of the exhaust and have a look at the condition of the piston. Suggests wear / scoring to me.

 

Incidentally, I have one in my collection. They are a good reliable saw and quite collectable. Working and nice they go for £150-£200 even as old as they are.

Edited March 25, 2023 by pleasant

[adw]

44 nice little saw, semi pro version of the 444, so open transpher port cylinder, as said your compression is very low, cant imagine a genuine cylinder is still available so try to clean up the cylinder and find amn after market piston, do you have any idea why it seized? if not you may be looking at more issues.

[44Owner]

47 minutes ago, pleasant said:

Ideally 100psi minimum to at least have a chance of at least firing....a bit.

 

A good, used saw ideal psi would be 125psi to 150psi.

 

New or hardly used psi 160-175psi

 

90psi is too low to be healthy.....whip of the exhaust and have a look at the condition of the piston. Suggests wear / scoring to me.

 

Incidentally, I have one in my collection. They are a good reliable saw and quite collectable. Working and nice they go for £150-£200 even as old as they are.

 

23 minutes ago, adw said:

44 nice little saw, semi pro version of the 444, so open transpher port cylinder, as said your compression is very low, cant imagine a genuine cylinder is still available so try to clean up the cylinder and find amn after market piston, do you have any idea why it seized? if not you may be looking at more issues.

Thank you for the advice, I noticed the pull chord has far less resistance than when I first inherited it, so assumed 90psi was low, but couldn’t find any figures for what to expect when I had a quick browse.  I’ll get the exhaust muffler off in the morning and have a good look at the piston for signs of scoring then report back. 
 

Not sure why it’s having issues, but the saw was my granda’s and is probably as old as me. It started getting very hot the last 2-3 times it was used before it packed up.

To my knowledge it’s only ever had general maintenance like new spark plugs, chains and the carb cleaned out so it’s probably just age/use.

[pleasant]

Crankcase air leak due to aged crank seals? If the piston and barrel are scored dont just change them before checking those seals.

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by pleasant

[Muddy42]

Unscrew the muffler and see what that exhaust side of the piston looks like. Maybe post a pic here. You’ll soon know if its scored and damaged.

[44Owner]

Good afternoon, took the muffler off the saw this morning and I can clearly see scores on the piston, I’ve attached an image below. 
Would anyone happen to know the diameter of the piston so I can order one before I strip it all down? I’ll order some new seals at the same time so I can do all the work in one hit. (I’ve got no experience in stripping down and rebuilding things so I’m reluctant to go any further without taking photos at each stage or doing the whole job in one day so I can remember how to put it back together)

[adw]

42mm, I have a shop manual which may help you if you would like a copy.

[pleasant]

Hmmmm.... I wouldn't order a piston just yet. If you need a barrel as well, you won't buy one of those without a piston included, so if you buy a piston now, you could end up with two pistons and waste your money not using one of them.

 

 

And here's the manual:

 

https://www.hlsproparts.com/v/vspfiles/downloadables/WM_40-44-340-344-444-1987_1018808-96.pdf

Edited March 26, 2023 by pleasant

[adw]

31 minutes ago, pleasant said:

Hmmmm.... I wouldn't order a piston just yet. If you need a barrel as well, you won't buy one of those without a piston included, so if you buy a piston now, you could end up with two pistons and waste your money not using one of them.

 

 

And here's the manual:

 

https://www.hlsproparts.com/v/vspfiles/downloadables/WM_40-44-340-344-444-1987_1018808-96.pdf

Good point, that cylinder is going to need a good clean up before assembling a new piston into it, that’s if it cleans up at all, flex hone is my go to tool.