spudulike

Can't say I have ever had problems getting spares for these saws secondhand or new, they have been in existance forever and there are loads of them about knackered and new condition. What are you after???

Go by the colour of the plug, coffee brown is good, bleached white is lean, graphite grey is overheating! If the cooling fins are clean and the mix is right then I can't see Aspen making it run at a hotter temperature:confused1: You could go out and buy one of those laser thermal heat guns - got one myself but can't saw I have used it!

I would expect some images of the offending damage to the bore and piston. Dealers may not salvage the pot as I know can often be done, it may be able to clean it up and fit a new piston rather than get a £250 parts bill plus labour. I have had one saw in that seized and I know it had no air leak and the carb was set correctly so you can get problems like this, we put it down to fuel and I got it going again and set it rich - perhaps the 550XP was just running that bit hotter than the other saws - the new Huskys do run pretty hard.

Like I also said in the PM - make sure the carb is adjusted to the new exhaust, there is a risk the change may make the saw run lean and do it some damage. The dual port muffler is part - 1122 140 0800 and is the front part of the muffler only - you may have trouble finding one in the UK as a quick check online hasn't found one but dealers may be able to hook them in! My solution was to open up the restrictive exhaust outlet hole and the internal baffle plate until the saw has bareable noise and an increase in flow. If you have the tools, the cost is free and relatively easy to do. These big saws are damn loud with muffler mods!

Novel way of splitting the crankcase, always a loathsome job, are you sure that plastic bag isn't some sort of tank sealer - bit of a strange one!

As per the previous post, the normal problem areas are the oil tank filter is blocked, the pump is plugged with fine sawdust, the oiler outlet next to the bar is plugged or the bar oiler hole is plugged. Checking the bar is easy, flushing the tank is easy. If that doesn't do it, pull of the clutch and sprocket, remove the covers, undo the two pump retaining bolts, blast some WD40 down the outlet pipe to make sure it is clear. Check the pump isn't plugged, pull out the oil pick up pipe and blast some WD40 down the pipe to make sure it isn't blocked. The pump can become worn, I have a nifty way of testing for this - let me know if the above doesn't work

Interparcel are just a facilitator, they use the typical DHL, Yodel Hermese etc. The organization just gaurantee to get X amount or parcels through each courier company and then offer the end user the best prices - the prices are usually £2-3 lower than going to the courier company direct. I have used Hermese and Yodel and both have given good service.

Go pinch the neighbours saw and buy him a beer:thumbup: Personally I would buy a petrol one but have saws sitting on shelves gathering dust at the best of times. Petrol would be a lot faster, just get a decent saw horse and go at it!

Sugihara have a good rep in the US an adorn many a hot saw but to date, haven't hit our shores!

The judge is out on greasing the nose sprocket! I know the Oregon bars have greasing holes but the grease can pick up dirt and sawdust, locking up the nose sprocket quickly. I now just turn the oiler up and let that lube the thing!

I have worked on a 353 but not tuned it. I thought they were pretty gutless compared to the 346 but it may be that I am spoilt with my own saws. The MO will be pretty much the same as with the 346, I am pretty sure it won't go like one but am sure it will go better. One very simple option is just to fit a narrower kerf bar and chain that will make it more lively!

Well Martin, you have been busy, at least this bad weather hasn't been all bad. All that bar is missing is the Sugihara logo:thumbup:

You can tell you are getting old when your music idols of a misspent youth start thinning out - Deep Purple, Richie Blackmoors Rainbow, Ian Gillan Band Whitesnake - quite a legacy from just one band! God Rest his soul - Heaven is probably rocking tonight:rock:

Measured the compression on the 357XP - 200psi cold and with a new ring-100psi on the first pull - I think this saw may go rather well:thumbup:

I would imagine all the electrics are potted and waterproof to high levels - the most important thing is to clear as much water as you can from the cylinder and crankcase and flush the fuel tank out with preferably Methalated Spirit as it will mix with the water and draw the moisture out. A good flush with petrol and it should go, personally I would use it as soon as this has been done, get it hot and let the heat dissipate the water. The only saw to beat me had a mug full of water in the crankcase - problem was that it had been there a few months and it had seized solid, I did get it running but only for two seconds before it died - all the plating had come of the bore:thumbdown:

Had some real issues with my 357XP after fitting the pop up piston and taking some metal off the bottom of the cylinder, had a bad air leak around the boot so had to mod the small wall on the crankcase that retains the carb manifold so it was 1mm lower. Fitted an O ring on the boot retaining plate so it forces the boot against the cylinder and fit a new retaining plate and all is good - just filled the garage up with smoke and time will tell if it has made a difference to cut speed.

Well thats me:001_rolleyes: always aproaching things at a different angle:lol: Hope all is well!

If you know a toolmaker/engineer, get them to do it or and engineering shop may be an option - you may find your local dealer may not be set up to do it but worth a try.

Everything starts with your intended use - cutting wood isn't the end of it....one tone a year or one ton a week etc Then comes budget - how much do you want to spend and have you considered tools, PPE and any other abcillary kit - saw horse ..... Then will you consider just brand new or secondhand. Then we advise what is best for your budget and use. Simple as that:thumbup: Husky or Stihl - choice is yours, both do good saws, lately Husqvarna are coming up with some belters, Stihl have a good long term reputation but the 261 you mention has had some serious issues with their crankshafts and sprocket bearings. I have used the new 560 briefly and it is very fast and feels good. The old 346XP is one damn good saw. Answer the above and you will get some good info in return:thumbup:

I think anyone who has started a thread that has hit 40K and over should get a free one:thumbup:

Typically in the simplest form, you get a die set and see what die screws on to the stud or if you have nuts around that size, see what screws on to the stud and then do the same with a tap - see which one screws in to the nut. If you don't have a tap and die set you will not be able to use a helicoil unless yo purchase the correct tap for the helicoil/insert. The threads are designated M and then a number, the M I believe to be metric and the next number is the diameter of the stud including thread. So M5 is Metric 5mm. The number after this is the pitch of the thread so M5 1.5 is 1.5 threads per mm and you will see this as M5 1.5. I don't have a 026 stud out and don't really want to remove one. To do the job you will need to identify the diameter of the stud, the pitch of the thread (may be able the amount of threads in 10mm and divide by 10 to get the pitch), buy the helicoil for this thread and then you will need to purchase the drill and tap that allows you to drill and tap the hole the helicoil needs to fit in to. I always degrease the newly threaded hole and the helicoil and put it in with a little bearing lock to make the repair good. It isn't a particularly easy job for someone that hasn't done thisw sort of work before. The oil tank will need a good flush out after the repair to get rid of the debris! Good luck

Yes Martin, seems to have a little more compression than usual - reckon I could get a fair price on ebay for it:thumbup: The 357 will be right once I put it together again - just needs a little sorting!

Just purchased in to refurb a Stihl 034, this was a runner that dies after running some time, I thought carb/fuel problem. On getting it in, I noticed it was stiff to pull over, it wasnt siezed so took off the recoil - OK there so took the sprocket off - OMG, one smashed up clutch and a fooked oiler pinion. Anyone got a spare 034 clutch and oiler pinion - they are smashed up as in the pic. Got a MS200 I did for Burrell in the porch - he is lending it out to a local guy and it looks like the local estate agent knows a quality product when he sees it after his flyer dropped through the letterbox:thumbup: The 357XP pop up piston is on hold - got an air leak in the carb boot due to the modification and needs further fettling to sort it out.

1) What a silly question:001_rolleyes: 2) The Ark is well on its way to completion, changing my name to Noah and am on the lookout for a pair of Aardvark to kick things off:thumbup: