spudulike

Bloody useless. That shower tray probably wasn't put in right. The plaster should have been taken back to brick, the shower tray sealed to the wall with a flexible filler and mounted on at least an inch thick supported base then the tiles put down to the tray top and sealed with silicone filler but what do I know. This is why I rarely get a tradesman out!!

Nope, bog standard and quiet=happy neighbours.

At home I use a Black & Decker mains powered 1980s chainsaw as it is quiet and is unlikely to piss anybody off. It does the job without any issues. If I need to do any cutting elsewhere for others, the ported 346 is generally the favourite for most other work. Not sure my neighbours would put up with hours of using a petrol saw and the noise they make.

With my deerstalker on, I would deduct that the coil has been on the saw for a long while so would reckon it was someone pulling and swapping parts to make one saw work and that crap around the coil means that the saw has been running for a long while like this. You know that that coil case type was used on most 3 series machines with the HT lead length, rev limits and ignition advance ramp up being the only differences with most bring swappable without any perceivable difference in operation. I reckon it is probably OK. If the saw has compression...150+psi and a fat spark, the carb/ fuel system is probably at fault. Get the airleak sorted then check the impulse, fuel line and carb. The fuel line in these machines do split where they push through the fuel tank wall. Easy to check with a mityvac...plug one end and pump it up to check for leakage. AND, don't use the decomp valve on starting...this machine and the 395 used to give me issues on starting after big rebuilds so did without them on the first start.

I used to put the seal on the sleeve and then slide both on to the crank and fit the seal....carefully. If you fit the sleeve and then the seal, there is a risk of damaging the seal or dislodging the seal spring. You can use the factory seal fitting sleeve and did develop my own method of fitting seals on cranks with stepped shafts and have never heard of anyone else doing it so it is my little secret😉 Your idea of sealing the sleeve with a bit of sealant is fine as the sleeve doesn't need to rotate on the crankshaft. I think I often used a bit of heavy grease to seal it in the past and what you have is as I would expect on an old 372.

It really depends on your level of experience. Can you clarify the model number....did you mean the 254xp or is this the strimmer/ brush cutter? I had in mind that it was a chainsaw but am now thinking it may be a brush cutter.

The screws on the oil pump seal it as they are through holes. The leaks you have are pretty typical in old machines, they probably won't interfere with running unless the saw is in the edge of the carb max revs tuning it the fuel mix is oil lean or old. Not sure what "the ear" is but the oil pinion should have a single sided arm that slots in to the clutch drum cut out or the pinion will have two arms ( like a propeller) that slot in to the cut outs on the drum. If the pinion has no arms, it will not oil. I am pretty sure that what you have found won't stop the engine running.

Just experience, it often happens on screws that are clean like this. Good job

You can either bypass the CAT by drilling its mount plate if you can get to it or do a cut in the muffler box closest to the cylinder and Louvre it....a bit like the old MS260 used to have. Simple and effective. Don't forget the carb retune.

If the coil is limited, the saw can still run lean. I usually set up the carb and coil rev limiter to kick in at the same time so both limit the top end revs pretty much at the same time.

Ah, can picture it well😉

Glad it went well and everyone's experience helped.

Drills vary in quality....I did ask what manufacturer it came from. Our toolmakers always used Dormer but running to a budget, I have found Heller to be very good and not too expensive. Those screws are not that hard. Cobalt drills will go through a chainsaw bar easy enough.

I reckon that once the drill bites, the screw remains will unscrew as you drill as the screw remains will be under no tension. 2.5 - 3mm drill up it with an easy out in reserve. Relatively easy job. You can sharpen drills very effectively if you have a bench grinder and know the basic angles of a drill head.

If you take the CAT out, I would recommend retuning the carb in case the saw is over revving after removal.

The times I have had petrol saws with a super fast idle in and have found a bit of twig has entered the carb adjustment holes sticking the throttle open. Perhaps nothing has changed with the latest generation of saws!

I would drill it from the other side as that surface will be flat. Those screws are nothing special, relatively soft. Has your drill been used a few times before? Is it a decent brand...Dormer or Heller? Probably a blunt drill rather than the screw being overly hard. You could use a diamond dremel cut off bit to grind a flat on the other side part of the screw but a decent quality drill should go straight through it.

I have seen Squeeze on two occasions,once at Crystal Palace and then at The Stables at Wavendon. They were fantastic and great entertainers, even leading the audience to the bar during the break still playing.

I have a strong liking for a two part putty called "Milliput". You need to thoroughly degrease the surfaces inside and out. You then mix this putty and force it in to both sides of the hole. The putty can be dampened with water to smooth it and it dries hard as stone and is 100% resilient to fuel and pretty much anything else you throw at it. JB weld is also pretty good for repairs like this.

Just do what ADW says, apart from a liking of period dramas he is a fine fella and knows his stuff!!

I bore the outlet hole out so it is still shrouded by the outlet hole cover.

Yup, very common. The first sign is the stop switch not working, the second is a smart arse using the choke to switch the engine off, the third is the same smart arse finding the engine is knackered from their saw tech

I used to open up the muffler in a discrete way so it wasn't obvious and fit a plastic mesh air filter as it gave a decent increase and cost the customer a lot less than a full port job. When you can get good gains from simple mods, you do them and charge the customer for exactly that. Speed is a question of money, how fast do you want to go?

Those metal mesh air filters are pretty poor and years of letting through fine dust can take its toll on the inlet side of the cylinder around the inlet port. The chain spinning on idle is either down to the idle speed being too high or the clutch springs being shot. The stalling of the machine may be down to the idle being run low to stop the chain spinning or the carb being incorrectly set but as I said, a high idle or bad clutch springs are the normal reason for the chain to spin....I would suspect the clutch springs are shot. PM me with where you are but am not really doing much work now.

It will be even less. What brand is this tester? 10 years abuse is good for any saw, invest in a new one and keep the old one as a backup. With 90psi compression, the saw wouldn't run.