550XP... is there a knack to getting them started?

[Hoggin]

OK, time to swallow my pride, hand in my man card, and ask for help.

 

I've got a brand spanking new, if slightly scratched up, 550XP. At the moment it's about as much use as an orange chocolate teapot because it just will not run.

 

Has anybody got any pearls of wisdom that they would like to share? What could I be doing wrong?

 

I've followed the starting instructions in the manual to the letter. Fresh pump fuel mixed 50:1 with Husqvarna LS oil. It has obviously been run in the past because the plug shows some signs of use. I replaced it anyway and there is a weak spark. At one point yesterday, it did fire up and run for a couple of minutes but died as soon as I squeezed the throttle (gently) and has refused to restart. I've been trying, on and off, for two days now and am about at the stage where I could punch kittens.

[Andy Collins]

Sounds like you may be flooding the carb?

[Stubby]

This is what I do with my 560 . Think it should be the same . Cold start is choke out decomp in 2-3 pumps on primer pull til it coughs . choke off decomp in again pull and it starts . reve to take off half throttle . Hot start one push of primer bulb and pull and it starts . Remember the ignition is always on . It resets to on as soon as you have switched off . If you are doing all this and it won't run it may be the auto tune paying up but you can't set the auto tune if you can't get it to run so take it in to your dealer . Oh the other thing it might be is if its been run on aspen and then on normal mix and then on aspen again it could have stiffened the carb rubber components .. may be .

[Ed McCarthy]

This is what I do with my 560 . Think it should be the same . Cold start is choke out decomp in 2-3 pumps on primer pull til it coughs . choke off decomp in again pull and it starts . reve to take off half throttle . Hot start one push of primer bulb and pull and it starts . Remember the ignition is always on . It resets to on as soon as you have switched off . If you are doing all this and it won't run it may be the auto tune paying up but you can't set the auto tune if you can't get it to run so take it in to your dealer . Oh the other thing it might be is if its been run on aspen and then on normal mix and then on aspen again it could have stiffened the carb rubber components .. may be .

 

works for me

[Chris Sheppard]

Yep, there's definitely a knack, especially if it's still fairly low hours - mine seemed to get better once it had done some work.

 

Try like Stubby says, but if you still can't get it to run, try starting it as though it's flooded (so chain brake on, no choke, throttle wide open and pull it over like that till it fires.)

 

Mine was fine from cold and fine on warm starts but was a bit of a pig after refueling from empty.

 

As much as I hate the idea of a primer bubble, it's the one saw I've found that really does seem to need priming. You should feel the first few pumps of the primer don't do much and then it'll get a bit of pressure once the air's out. Give it 2/3 good pumps once there's pressure and it should be fine.

 

When you said about it running for a couple of minutes and then when you went to rev it, it died, that's the autotune adjusting itself - they're not like old type saws and need to be worked hard. Try whipping the spark arrester screen out of the exhaust as that seems to help it ick up a bit cleaner off the bottom if it's been idling a bit.

 

Once you get used to it I'm pretty sure you'll love it

[Stubby]

Once ( if you do ) get it running you need to set the auto tune by cutting the full length of your bar quite heavy in some big wood for 3-5mins continuously . I think Huky shopuld supply a chunk of evergreen oak with every saw they sell !

[Le Sanglier]

If it's a new saw it should start no problem, there must be something wrong, take it back to the dealer.

[markieg31]

i have a 3 month old 550. twice i had it where i couldn't start it hot but i think i was flooding it.

i have stopped using the primmer bulb now. to start choke on... pull (usually 2-3 times) till it fires. choke off (onto half choke) pull again and then its allive!!!!

 

havent had any problems since i stopped using that bulb

[Hoggin]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like I was flooding it. To rule out any problems with the saw itself, I took it into a dealer. Ian at Spa Engineering in Chesterfield got it running and recommended that the warm start procedure is tried first. He also mentioned that they get easier as they are run in.

[Stubby]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like I was flooding it. To rule out any problems with the saw itself, I took it into a dealer. Ian at Spa Engineering in Chesterfield got it running and recommended that the warm start procedure is tried first. He also mentioned that they get easier as they are run in.

 

one thing I forgot to say was I had the next up hotter plug fitted . This was on Husky technical s recommendation for hot starting . .