spudulike

Did a 242 recently and it needed an open windowed piston as the transfers were closed, It was a Golf one from GHS. The closed piston will reduce the performance considerably if it isn't the correct one. Why not just remove the cylinder - it is a pretty quick job!

Had this in on Thursday, a little bit of diversification on my side. Wouldn't start and a strong smell of petrol......badly flooded so took the choke off and gave it a fistfull on starting and bingo, one damn loud kiddies KTM fixed. Gave the neighbours a laugh racing up the road on it - got a bit wobbly at speed though:lol: must be my 6'2" frame and 14 stone:001_rolleyes:

Just lock the crank in place using the Stihl plastic piston stop or recoil rope and then spin the nut off, you may need a puller on the flywheel then although sometimes lifting the engine by the flywheel and a sharp crack on the crank end with a hard mallet will shift it. If you can tap a big screwdriver between the crankcase and flywheel, it will help:thumbup:

Get an awl or grind a very sharp point on a screwdriver. drive this in to the seal and prise it out. You can sometimes get a decent woodscrew to do up in to the hole and use that and a pair of grips to pop it out. I have used both methods for speed and ease

I missed the bit about pulling up the chain:blushing: Thought we were looking at the bottom of the bar:001_rolleyes: TBH, I pull he chain up as I do the bar nuts up so the bar is pre tensioned upwards at teh tip - chocking up the end under the bar would have a similar effect. I then check to see if the chain hangs down off the bar and retension if loose and spin it round until it is semi tight on the bar.......it works for me!

Good point Andy, it is why I always check this out on a repair even if the owner thinks he knows the reason for failure!

The links should be completely hidden in the bar rails and if you pull on the chain and pull it round fast, it should keep going round for a short period after releasing it and not stop dead. The chain should also be smooth when pulling it round the bar.

My first option would be to try to save the original pot and fit a quality aftermarket piston (If available) or the OEM piston. I have salvaged some pretty ropey cylinders in my time and as long as the plating is relatively OK, the piston will bed in OK. Other than that, Meteor kits are pretty much the best aftermarket kits and will give near OEM performance, Hyway are not bad Chinese kits but expect a looser piston fit and not the same level of finish. The main issues on these non OEM kits are loose piston fit, brittle piston rings, poor circlips, poor port bevel and different port timing. They are a cheap way out but maintain, if you can salvage the cylinder then do this! Unfortunately there are not too many parts available for your machine!

I think it must have been me you hit as I had the same call and no recollection of any such accident!

Over the last two years, 30% growth has been quite possible on equities, prices now are fluctuating down to these damn wars and issues in Russia, Ukraine, Iraq and Israel - they all seem to have an effect. If the Bank of England change their base rate of interest, be ready for the reduction or stagnation on housing values again. I can't see them being vicious enough to throw a large number of voters in to negative equity though, especially months before the General Election. It is all swings and roundabouts - one thing works for one and one for another. The only real answer I have on all of this is to work your proverbials off when you are young and get clever with any excess cash you have - the earlier you start, the more time it has to accumulate in value! Pensions, ISAs and property - all are valid and have their own pros and cons!

When you put the exhaust back on, make sure the gasket isn't dislodged and covering the port - also, it worries me when people need a service manual - I usually only reference them when I need a specification or something won't move:lol:

Busy weekend, got the two MS361s back together, stripped both carbs as both had uneven idles and fitted new accelerator pumps - thanks to Hugo at Rowena Motors for a bit of technical input. Go the MS660 back together with a new crank, did a bit of porting on it and all seems good. Started a clean, strip, port and rebuild on an MS200 and a 034. The 034is in good nick and is a bit of an old banger to be ported but will be interesting one to see how it turns out!

The Gunson compression gauge is fine and gives good results, I do pull the engine over in single pulses to build compression up to 100 before pulling it over hard as I have had the Schrader valves blow when measuring some higher compression saws but is more my type of work than the gauge. I have a bastardised Gunson Low gauge for vacuum and a Sealy brake bleader pump and gauge for vacuum - total cost for these two was around £45!

Not knocking your statement on the stock market but in reality, pension providers generally invest in big companies with sound trading and dividends. Their share price will go up and down but the only time you lose is if you buy high and sell when the price drops soon after. A pension is a long term investment and over a long period of time will keep up and even outstrip many other types of investment including property. When the stock market falls dramatically, that is a good time to buy more, when the markets are high, that is a good time not to buy. With pensions, these rise and falls are taken out of the equation by regular monthly purchases! All I know is that by the time I hit pension age, the state pension system will be in free fall with too many people claiming pension and not enough paying in - that is why the government are bringing in these new pension rules! The best time to start a pension is in your early 20s, easy to say but it gives 40+ years to rise in value, starting it at 45 only gives you 20+ years to accumulate through payments and more importantly, compound interest and dividend purchases in further shares - I am no expert but value the need to look after your old age - no one else will!!

Setting carb is a bit of a black art but once you have done a number, it becomes relatively easy or at least easier:thumbup: The art on the L screw is to wind it in until the idle speed rises and starts to falter and then to wind it back out around 1/4 turn - I go on the engine note to set it as it sounds sort of poppy but 1/4 turn from the peak should do it. The H screw can cause all sorts of issue - set it to as rich as the limiters will allow and see if it sounds OK. The best way to set it is with a tach but unless you know what you are doing, rich is preferable to lean and this can cause a seize.

5% is a healthy contribution, many just do 1%, the bare minimum and the good thing is that any pension contributions are pre tax so you are making pension payments that are free of tax:thumbup: I believe all companies over a certain size will have to offer a pension to their employees -it is in reaction to the ever increasing number of pensioners and the fact the government can't afford to give them a pension!

Typical things that cause these issues are accelerator pump issues or leaking welch plug, both are fixable. It is possible the saw has overheated and partially seized, if this has happened, the compression will have dropped off but removing the muffler will give you the answer on this one. A quick retune of the carb may fix the issue but if it doesn't, check the above.

I don't know the answer to your question but one thing is for sure, the earlier you start a pension, the more impact it will have on the final amount you have to retire on! If you leave this sort of decision to your 30s, you will be having to save double what you would if you start in your early 20s - it is all about compound interest and how equities gain in value over long periods of time - just depends what sort of retirement you want in your later life!

That..........thing is worthy of some of the kit I get in, we need to get compressor leaflets and send them out with the repaired and cleaned machines:001_rolleyes:

I may have to do that Patrick, got home to find the wife has spent £300 on curtains:lol: 3 weeks on a current production Stihl part is crazy, only had that once on a FS380 piston - out of production and a very old machine which is acceptable!

A broken clutch spring is possible. It is also possible you have some twine of fibrous debris wrapped around the crank end. Pull off the clutch drum and check out the above, grease the needle bearing, make sure the clutch has a little lube sprayed on it and try again - if the clutch drum is binding on the clutch or crank, this will have the effect you have. In all the above, I am assuming your idle is runing as normal - around 2800rpm.

Like others have said, the rounded end with the location dowel pushed through should be bent more and located firmly in to the plastic moulding. If the thing shows any sign of fracturing when bending, replace it. I would imagine this would fix it:confused1:

Sometimes I feel for posters when they get hacked down, the OP has purchased a saw for a price, that saw should look after him for many years:thumbup1: The important bit is that if the saw gives a few years fault free service, he will make his money back thousands of times over so the few quid he may or may not have spent over the top will be insignificant. I know having said this, someone will say - "well, what about warranty" - well, what about it! If you had seen a warranty claim that I have seen recently being turned down then you may have a different opinion! You have to remember the VALUE of the purchase and not the COST. If you don't understand this then.......the cost is the price in £££££, the value is the ability to go and earn a living:thumbup: