spudulike

It often is and although I try to educate my customers, they seem to like to keep me in business!

It could be the low screw is a little lean but it could also be an air leak. If you are good at setting carbs then you can often tell if a saw has an air leak but if you haven't tuned saws daily then it is more difficult. The L screw should be 1 to 1&1/4 turns out, if the low screw is on this setting and your saw is racing like this then I would get it pressure and vacuum tested as the next thing to happen may be a seize and that isn't good. Air leak issues may be seals, impulse line, manifold issue/split or gasket issues.....you sometimes get a loose or cracked cylinder but it is rarer. If it was my saw............

I think taking the rock solid bar stud out of the lower clam to remove the engine doesn't help but to do simple cylinder work is a major pain on clam engines and with spares being difficult at the moment...........!

I am not sure about "down the bottom end", are you offering a personal service? You had better elaborate on what this means.....if it is about opening the metering section....I usually do just to check it out but it is the less problematic side.

Please don't...MS290 not my favourite that's for sure

Unless there is a flat on the other side of the pinion it looks OK. If the pickup pipe and filter isn't blocked - you can blow through it (Don't use a compressor as it will split the pipe). Take a close look at the pickup side of the oil pump and you may find a small plug of sawdust in the hole that will need to be cleared before reassembly. You can use a compressor from the other side or carb cleaner/WD40 etc. If that is all OK, the oiler should all work as these are the normal issues. I have seen a few blocked bar oiler holes and the owners not working it out!

Glad you are happy with the 395XP, been looking at other stuff tonight and missed all the fun - just knock the clutch off and take a look. The 550 I did last week had a really loose one and it was obvious without taking the clutch off but needed a new pinion and the clutch off to tighten the pump again. I use a tool for a 357 (think it is) which works just fine.

Yup, they certainly werenot that I ever did anything like that ever

I guess Ratman is getting to that age if he is checking his area for leakage, best get those Tennas on

The 560 and 550 pumps come loose and then the moving pump takes out the oil pinion. I have seen a fair number like that. The pump body is plastic and the mounting points are a bit lame, the screws come loose and then bingo, the pinion will wear to the point it doesn't contact the pump gear. If this happens, the oiler may put a little oil out without a bar but won't oil with either bar fitted. If you can prod the pump with a screwdriver, you may see it move if very loose.

You will need to clean the whole area and see where the oil is leaking from. If you can pressurize the tank by pumping air through the pickup pipe it should show if the tank has a leak or it may just need a new pump.

little tip, hold the clutch up against a light and see if you can see light between the coils, if not, change them. If the spring is under tension, you will be able to see light between the spring coils, if it is worn and relaxed, the spring coils will have closed up. Also look at the hooks, after a while they will wear significantly before breaking - mostly found on MS200Ts of an age! I did have a 441 in recently and the springs looked perfect, unworn but were slack and reckon they were aftermarket so stay OEM on these parts!

What sort od smell? Ours smells hot metallic for the first burn of the year, in the summer after heavy rain you can get a slightly tarry aroma but is helped by leaving the door slightly open. If it is smoky then it is to do with warming the chimney to increase draft. If you use any type of white spirit, turps, WD40, tung oil etc in the house, the log burner will drag this air in and make it smell heavily of kerosene, I have had that if I have really shitty chainsaws to clean in the garage even though the workshop is 25 feet away behind two closed doors. If it is this then open a window in the same room as the log burner and it will go away fast. That is if the room doesn't have an external vent if a 4.7KW type.

From our side, we kept saying it was the needle valve and it was like banging our heads hence some of the frustrated comments. I never expect my "Butt to be kissed", not sure I am in to that, a plain "thanks" always suffices if we help and unfortunately we often get new members asking for advice, we give it and then....nothing, no thanks, no info if we hit the target, nothing so we get a bit pissed off as it gives the forum nothing - see it from others perspective, us members know each other and don't know you! The sarcasm is free of charge and generally the help and advice offered far outweighs any sarcasm given - most of my customers like a bit of abuse in my experience Treat others.......been using that for 55 years and always do, the way I was brought up.................... My threads on here have helped hundreds maybe thousands so I guess I have gained some sort of gratitude, notoriety or something from that. Anyway - It would have been different if you had posted your response this morning and not going to argue, actions speak louder than words as Martin Stephenson said so lets see what you have to offer Arbtalk over the next few months!

I did see that, the US guys said the same as us...funny that! Hope he enjoys the revenue from our knowledge!

In my experience, people with one or two posts, come on, rape us for info then feck off with little thanks for the years of information and experience we divulge for no gain...but we are GIVERS and not TAKERS, and that makes us better people! Hopefully I will be found wrong but there you go, live and learn!

I tend to give up and think Darwin has a point!

Pretty much the only way you will get lots of fuel in the engine is a stuck needle valve unless you are pulling it over forever with the choke on. Three carbs faulty - yup, spooky but as we keep saying....needle valve. There were a number of carbs on these machines, some had a very short nipple on the diaphragm and some had a long one, one metering arm levels with the body of the carb, the other levels with the bottom of the diaphragm bowl. Something tells me the needle valve has been set incorrectly, the US clean has made the needle valve stick on (shouldn't leave them in when cleaning) or the incorrect diaphragm has been fitted. The tests I have banged on about should tell you if the carb isn't holding pressure and just understand that some of us do this for a living and as such, we have to hit the bulls eye first time, every time and also own a fair bit of experience between us! How are Arboristsite doing on the issue?

take the air filter off, turn the saw on its side, fill the tank, look down the carb and put the fuel cap on. Does fuel piss through that little brass thing in the bore of the carb??? If it does - IT IS THE NEEDLE VALVE!!! What a life

Lack of compression = NO fuel ....not what you have. It will also not cause loads of fuel to enter the engine like you have. Here we go, another tip - get a piece of fuel line on the carb that is pissing fuel, blow down the pipe. Does it hold pressure or does it blow through. Suck on it and stick your tongue over the end When you pull your tongue off, does it hold vacuum for a while? I am guessing you don't know what pop off gauges and Mityvacs are.....back to basics! If this test shows a leak, you either have a leaking carb pump section or probably more likely, a leaking needle valve as we keep saying!

That much fuel - it has to be needle valve, it is the only logical solution, pressure check the carbs. You are putting fuel in the fuel tank and not down the plug hole when you fill it up

Three pulls on choke WILL NOT flood the engine unless the needle jet is stuck open as others have suggested. Just pressure test the carbs - pop off tester or Mityvac on the fuel line connector and see if it holds pressure. Seals - I have had saws with NO seals completely that still fire up, top end.....really, three pulls and flooding! Lack of fuel would be a side effect of lack of compression - you have the complete opposite! Are you clearing the muffler of fuel when drying the saw?

And if it isn't that, then are you pulling the saw over too many times on full choke? Anymore than 5-8 and you risk flooding. If it doesn't pop on the choke then if you have spark, is the flywheel key sheared? What is the compression like? Should be around 160-170 on a new top end. If all else fails, clear the engine of fuel as Bill said, heat the plug with a plumbers torch, take the air filter off, hold the saw throttle open with your right hand and pull it over hard with your left. I KNOW IT IS DANGEROUS BUT REALLY.....THIS IS HOW THE REST OF THE WORLD SWINGS AND IT WORKS!

Well all the guys on here say carb and that is telling you something isn't it? If you have rebuilt six of these then you must know that the rest of the engine won't make the saw flood UNLESS you keep pulling it over with the choke ON. From some of your own suggestions I can see you don't have much of a clue about how it all works. How about looking at the air filter and finding the choke flap is stuck shut causing all three carbs to not work and flood the machine - how about that.....reckon it may just work!

These jobs are always easy, if you know what the issue is and have a reasonable aptitude with spanners. Some can't even adjust an idle speed and that isn't just 1 or 2 of my customers!