spudulike

Evening Jon - glad to hear it, that saw sounded sweet when I ran it up for a final tune:thumbup:

The carb kits are probably still readily available and I keep a good range of gasket paper to make gaskets that are EOL or difficult to source:thumbup: TBH I think Matt just wants to have a backup saw that is in good fettle and reliable rather than working on a wing and a prayer:lol: The maintenance I do is sensible maintenance to make sure the saw works OK and for the minimum of cost:thumbup:

I had one of these where the gudgeon pin had worn in the piston and made for loads of play and caused low compression. I would measure the compression but failing that, if you are stripping it and it has had "a life" then fit a complete piston - preferably a Meteor one, the one I did was sweet after I fitted one. Check the plating in the cylinder is OK before ordering it though! You can check for vapour lock/blocked breather by loosening the fuel filler cap and seeing if it clears the issues.

I would pressure & vacuum test it to ensure the rubber parts and crank seals are OK, clean and rebuild the carb, check the fuel line, breathers and filters, general clean up then run it up, tach it and make sure it is oiling. Sounds about right to me:thumbup:

Been using an Erbauer from Screwfix fo a while just make sure it has a clutch, is reversible for undoing screws as well and the Li batteries are better than the NiCad ones I have on mine. They are great tools, especially if you are doing work away from the house - got mine to fit double glazing in my house - just the job:thumbup:

Mmmm - yours is done now, just ran it up and needs a the carb tuning but is 98% there at the moment - sounds great:thumbup:

Humour me Rich - go back to the earth wire where it joins the crimp connector that bolts to the top of the crankcase, hold the wire and pull on the connector, the wire often looks perfect, can measure out OK but the internal wire is fractured - you can normally tell as it is a bit limp just as it joins the connector - if you know what I mean:blushing: Good luck bud

Been asked to put up some pics of the refurbed MS200t I have just finished, seems rude not to oblige:lol:

If it is like th eone in the picture, only use it one way up as fitted!

Mmm, chainsaw maintenance is easy....isn't it:confused1:

Thats a bad one, looks like one of those metal spark plug stops has been used on a .......Husqvarna?? Best only used on old machines where the plug hole is at the very top of the combustion chamber - even then I don't like them! I have found the Stihl dog bone plastic one to be damn good, you wedge it down the plug hole between the piston edge and squish band - I use rope on the real difficult ones and if used correctly, gives good support to the piston and spreads the load well - just keep it clear of the exhaust port!

Good to hear, hope it stays that way for you:thumbup:

German engineers never get it wrong and hope you aren't slagging Stihl:blushing:

Possible power steering pump, anything bearing or drive shaft wise, shouldn't impact if the steering is moved only slightly. I would expect it to not be so obvious when moving. I do warn you that I know cock all about 4x4s though:blushing: Is it at standstill or moving....slow/fast???

Good news Dave, glad my work is appreciated, thanks for the custom:thumbup:

Dremmel "type thing" with a mix of diamond bits and HSS bits depending on the area - the uppers are a bit more delicate!

Been porting a 346XP today, pretty standard method by now, pictures below show the widened exhaust and inlet port, a little re-modeling of the uppers and lowers. The muffler has been opened up and will be running a 13" Sugihara bar and 8 pin rim:thumbup:

The logical way of sorting out this MS660 handle issue is to get rid of the heat away from the brake handle and to perhaps use a steel skeleton or struts inside the plastic handle. I reckon heat is probably retained on long cuts and warms the handle - the handle is some sort of thermo plastic and softens as it heats. Big dogs may keep the exhaust clear of the wood, a new exhaust outlet at the front of the muffler would help - a dual port would get rid of circa 50% out the front of the muffler - extending the top cover and putting reflective aluminium heat shield inside it would again help. If Stihl admit there is a fault, it would mean an expensive recall on top of the bad press they have already received - guess they won't do anything until someone is badly hurt and the brake handle is a contributing cause. In their defence, the saw is donkeys years old and the design has changed very little since the 064 came out!

There is loads of fallen timber by the roadside that has come down in the recent storms - I have pulled out at least a ton or two within a mile of my house - straight out of the ditches and undergrowth:thumbup: I am NOT condoning traspass or theiving but many farmers are happy to get rid of boughs lying in their fields (ask first) and any timber in ditches or that has been thrown in to the undergrowth by the side of the road is fair game as long as it hasn't been stacked for picking up later or is clearly owned by others! I always ask if the timber is on a farmers field but the local stuff I have had was just cut and thrown in to the undergrowth - just leave the road clear and the area clean after you have been there - all common sense and reasonable.

From your side, your defence should be: - 1) He said he was happy with it AFTER using it so it was running (I like Ray, always do vids as it stops any claim that it doesn't run) 2) He may have used neat petrol in it 3) He may have not mixed the oil and petrol properly 4) he may have adjusted the carb H screws 5) He may have put the fuel in the tank and then oil and shaken it - not too well 6) He may have used low grade two stroke oil 7) He may have had a bad batch of pump petrol. 8) The fuel may have had an ingress of water/fine wood dust/diesel etc in it None of this is your issue, if there is an inquest, point out you are a professional Arborist and that the saw had been used for hours before selling and the only logical explanation is one of the above - all not your problem. The dealer changing the carb is IMO very dubious, I have only taken a carb off a machine once and that had been araldited around the low speed injectors so was Fubar. Why change the carb??? sounds like he doesn't know what he is up to IMO. Most of the saws that I have had in have seized due to old fuel or no oil, a few down to an air leak and some down to bad carb adjustment - one or two for no apparent reason. Good luck with it, Ebay does sway with the purchaser but the fact he was happy with it will help - probably a two stroke mix issue.

There you go Ed, get whingy pants to fit a fecking cowl - my money is on the fact he won't bother - sounds like the type who likes to complain but doesn't want to leave his armchair and do something about it. I am sure Martin could sweet talk him:blushing::lol: Now that is something I would pay money to see:lol: Good luck bud!

Personally I just go through the rings with a chainsaw if it is too hard to split. It creates loads of noodles and can jam the clutch cover up but is a damn sight easier than trying to split well seasoned dead wood! I am just doing my own personal firewood this way - the wood is fine fire wood though:thumbup: