spudulike

Correct and of course, I know that.

The larger housing companies will revert to acquiring land for building projects and then start building when the economy picks up again. It will be hard for smaller building companies that expected the gravy chain to continue for ever and have projects in process that may not sell very quickly when completed. Interest rates high - we had 14% when we purchased our first house!

I often found that good old fashion fault finding got most of the Husky AT machines running. One thing I always checked was that the air filter was clean by looking at it with a magnifying glass and a bright light. People often wash them or just blow the dust off so the open areas get blocked having the same effect as having the choke engaged. The 80 Micron ones do often get blocked. Other than that, check out the fuel filter, the gauze strainer, the pump diaphragm (flaps may be perforated), muffler spark arrestor, piston through exhaust port etc etc - you know the score.... The only time I reset the machine AT is if I had repaired a fault that the AT may have changed its settings to accommodate such as an air leak or shot piston etc. I never really found an AT reset helped anything as the system just adjusts to the condition of the engine and fuel system. Husqvarnas CST does give the current carb H&L settings which can help diagnostics but is no "silver bullet". It may be worth you having a dialogue with ADW....perhaps via PM, he knows a little about these machines

Nice job Wes, I am a brick cleaner man myself, mainly because the previous owners of my previous house (if that makes sense), left 5L in the garden shed and Hydrochloric acid dissolves aluminium rather well....or Muriatic acid to you folk across the pond.

OK, Meteor Piston then....a decent piston but perhaps the circlips weren't fitted well.

On the decomp valve - not sure on the size but needs a "Deep" socket thin wall socket - no workshop is complete without a set. The circlips are definitely not OEM which makes me think the piston probably isnt. The piston markings - Stating "B" makes it sound like it may have been a decent brand. Stihl usually have an arrow plus a "S" engraved in dots and other marks. Is there a brand on the inside of the piston? Stihl usually has a "S" logo in a square box.

Trying some winter onions this year courtesy of a neighbour who over purchased and a first for me. Pretty simple crop and nothing much eats them so should work out.

Blimey Wes, where have you been? Sounds like you are having fun. On the 660, it is unusual for a ring to fragment like that, you may get a break but not it breaking in to small pieces and it is unusual to get no impact marks on the piston crown.

Every picture tells a story. Yours looks less like rings but more like either circlip damage or big end bearing failure. Both are extremely rare on a machine with OEM parts. The circlip is easy to check.....were both present in the piston - they should be without tangs if OEM. The big end cage is relatively easy to check by turning the cage around with the rod pushed to one side, the cage to another. The piston looks a bit clean for 2007 and its look doesn't sit right with me. The windows on the OEM part are wider at the bottom than the top and yours looks like aftermarket to me. Do a pic of the top with the carbon rubbed off - that will tell another tale.

Seeing as it is a "customers saw", shouldn't you have the answers!! Anyway, it could be an air leak but the 372 is generally a pretty robust unit in this area but worth doing a vac and pressure check to discount it. The impulse line can come off and cause this type of issue. One thing on top of the previous possibilities, is a holed fuel line. The Husky 3 series often had a fuel line that is pushed through the sidewall of the fuel tank and it can split/hole where the fuel line pushes through the wall so get the Mityvac on one end and block the other and pressurise it and see if it holds pressure.

Get a photo up of the piston and bore to give us an idea of what has failed. Hyway do make decent kits, their big bore may be difficult to get a good seal on the gasket, that is what I have found the one time I used one. Meteor and Hyway kits are fine and I have a strong hunch that Hyway make the cylinders for Meteor anyway. Forget the cheap kits, they are cheap for a reason....the plating is like cheese, soft cheese and the piston to bore clearance is poor at best. Before spending out, make sure the big end is in good shape. The 660 is a rock solid saw and worth repairing if you have a bit of know how.

Did Matty win the prize?

I just purchased a Rover garden chipper which is 6HP. It has both flails for the thinner woody stuff and a blade on the flail plates and a side entry for branches up to around 2.5". I don't know if the mentioned unit has both but if it is classed as a "Shredder and chipper" I would think it has. My unit will chip thinner branches reasonably well so in short, if it is for a bit of garden waste or for a semi pro gardener needing to dispose of waste then I am sure it will fit a job but forget sticking big lumps of wood in to it like it is a Timberwolf or similar. I did see a vid of the Forest Master chipping and it seemed to work OK but build quality with heavy use may be an issue. So, it may well have a use for heavy domestic gardening but not for 8 hrs a day use for tree work.

Subaru Impreza....Alfa Romeo Sud?

Like a dick I was looking at it from the top rather than from underneath if that makes sense.....anyway, losing a brush up the chimney isn't fun, did one once from not turning enough and managed to get it out with a very course wire brush that locked in to it and brought it down...phew!!

I think you are near Ilminster, Somerset. You may find someone on here may be able to help you if someone is relatively close by? £2500 seems extortionate but can't judge without seeing the offending branch.

It depends on how straight and the length of your chimney. I use nylon shaft rods/ brass pinned connectors of around 20mm diameter and they work fine for drains and a reasonably straight chimney. If your chimney is not that straight then, perhaps the thinner ones may be more suitable. Just remember....make sure you keep turning them anti clockwise as you sweep otherwise you will lose a head or length of rod up the chimney!!

I think he is passing a comment on the recent debacle where a new member got a bit excited about some of the comments coming back from the forum about his MS271 having the wrong top end fitted.....I guess you could make a Wallace and Grommet episode about that

The OP had the issue back in August. I would reckon he has fixed it and just not told us if our previous diagnosis was correct or not!!

Measure each block and order off one of the eBay suppliers. If the block is oversize, just trim it down with a wood saw, pretty easy stuff to work with We have had a couple of Stovax stoves and they aren't as bad as this. The Riva was pretty good, the current one is OK so far

As Pleasant said but if you can get them out, slotting them with a Dremel fitted with a diamond cut off disk will do the job. You can sometimes get them out using the plastic end of crimp connectors or a bit of fuel line pushed over the adjuster. Unusual for a replacement carb to have screws like this.

Nope, I just get them of eBay. I have used Sealey and Nielson brands in the past.

Neighbours eh.....Grrrrr. Any Civil action would need her to get legal representation and prove that you have been negligent or trespassing. Her insurance may cover her being the only fly in the ointment but she would have to prove as above.

Sorry, I missed the question. Ball hones are relatively expensive so unless you are going to use it on many other machines, try a much cheaper 3 leg hone but take a lot of care around open ports and lower transfers especially if the stones are likely to drop in to them. It is always a good idea to break the glaze/shiny surface of the used cylinder as it will help significantly on wearing the new ring and piston to match the old bore as cylinders/rings and pistons will never be 100% the exact same size. I used the 3 leg hone in the work I did and with great success.

3/4s to 4/5ths of an oil tank per full fuel tank.