spudulike

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:

Not good but at least the visor caught the worst of it. Probably worth sharing how you think it happened - did the upper quadrant of the nose sprocket catch - good to learn from others experiences and hope it heals soon!

I can say that legaly, the neighbour has no right to get the trees reduced, they can claim for any damage or debris that has to be removed from gutters etc or for root damage etc. They can cut back any branches and roots over their boundary but if it makes the trees unsafe then it is their liabillity. Great thing garden law - lets pay the lawyers a fortune for not too much work! Has the chimney got a decent cowl on it? I think it would be reasonable thing to request before spending a fortune on tree work - this is ours - Downdraught Chimney Pot - Twin Wall Flue Cowl - Buy Online ? Windkat Chimney Cowls Next door but one reckons it looks like a Darlek:lol: Also, if the chimney gets cold, it can often take a while to draw and needs heat in it before it works OK - this is the issue we had and it was resolved by the new cowl! What happens if it is caused by a neighbours roof design - knock his house down:001_rolleyes: Perhaps my old neighbour has moved house:001_rolleyes:

Short answer...NO:001_rolleyes: Whats the point - most people overcome it by holding the throttle open and pulling the saw over hard - I, like you, replace the part and as you say....£3 - get over it, just fit the new part - they do last years in most cases!

Sounds like the start of what forced me to move house a few years back, neighbour was an end of a bell, said he had spent hours clearing pin needles from our pine tree and that the gnats around it may do him serious damage. He was a right male chicken IMO, neighbours.... Not too bad up here - think they all owe me favours now - thats the way I like it:thumbup:

Few words of advice, make sure the brake is on when you put the operating spring on, it will make it easier. When you put the internal plastic cover on, before you do the internal cover screws up fully, put the chain brake off so it sits squarely round the front screw. when you push the btake handle and the three art link on to the locating dowels, push the leaf spring downwards so the handle pushes home.

I fitted a damn expensive German WindKat cowl, gotta say that it works a treat and solved many of our bad draft problems! Got mine off eBay and fitted myself - electric angle grinder 40' up on the roof cutting the top of the chimney off. They do have some funky fitting options!

PM GardenKit, it is a C1Q something or other. He may be able to assist:thumbup:

I have an old Dolmar stone cutter that has some sort of air filter a bit like your K&N one, not sure if it would have fitted your 166! Make sure you check your high speed carb setting.

Never realised Jack Daniels did ride on mowers

If it was mine I would fit a new one, crank down the clutch and than use a thin screwdriver to make sure the oiler arm turns freely. I think GardenKit and I have put forward two reasonable issues that may have caused the problem - both will have the effect of locking the pinion in place and the oiler arm spining round the pinion thus melting it:thumbdown: Don't just refit the new one, check the oiler gear and shaft are turning in the actual oiler and then make sure you do the above - if you are sensible and approach it logically - the issue will be found and resolved:thumbup:

Just took the base gasket out and bingo, a nice lot of compression - you could do a pop up but the cost would be prohibitive on anything but a saw for anyone wanting to spend a much larger lump of dosh! The porting is pretty limited - piston windows can be enlarged, the exhaust port can be widened but wouldn't recommend modding the inlet port! The muffler can be drilled to good effect.

Looks like your oil pump gear and shaft are binding as the arm on the worm drive has slipped and melted the thing.

It's alright Andy, I will port your pacemaker:lol: