spudulike

Few observations - the transfer port on the aftermarket cylinder looks pretty rough as far as I can see and looks like it may be of open design but can't really tell. The cylinder you cleaned - how did you clean it? If it was chemically with a light rub over with fine grit paper then as long as the plating is intact and there are no scores above the exhaust port then fit a new piston as the Mahle original will be of better manufacture than the original. If you can get hold of Meteor or Episan pistons then use these otherwise use Golf with OEM circlips and if none of these are available - a non branded one but be careful that the thing is ok. In the picture it looks like the aluminium may have been sanded off - a bit harsh but as long as it is a general ebrading rather confined to a small area, you may be lucky - worth a punt!

I have heard that there is a way of boring a hole in the back of the case and revealing the battery - would wait for it to run out first though and fully agree - mine is sealed and will take it appart once the battery has gone!

Look at the resale value 10 year old Huskys and Stihls still make good money - parts readily available, non OEM parts available including sprockets - well made, solid powerful....... Have it fail on a job and you may lose the cost of the saw each day it isn't running

I know that exact feeling - one day you can fiddle around for hours trying to get something back together then the next day you lose your rag after two minutes and smash it up:lol:

Quite possible, I didn't know the history, just that the owner had low compression and very bad starting. Just a warning on this type of tool!

Being an ex biker and motorsport fan - it was a bad one - only saw it tonight when I got in - when the helmet comes off in the accident it is bad - not a good day

If the bore is clean of aluminium transfer and the plating looks fine then I would fit a quality piston, if the cylinder is scored then this looks OK - CYLINDER & PISTON FITS HUSQVARNA CHAINSAW 359 357 357XP | eBay From the picture, it looks like it has closed transfer ports which is good and as per the original.

Yup, bad bad bad, very sad news and he was a good new character on the grid - great hair and will be missed - sorry for Colin Edwards as well as he is near the end of his Moto GP racing and is a real nice guy - not good news and pulled a cloud down over the day:thumbdown:

All true - I hate seeing fixable saws getting junked because a dealer says it is too expensive to fix, I try to meet the demand of a saw to be repaired with the overall value of it - many saws have sentimental value and as such, the owners want them working but perhaps being returned to "almost new" and a charge of £400 won't cut it so replace exactly what is needed and leave out all the typical "new plug and filter" etc a dealer may slap on:001_rolleyes: or...you need a new saw!!! All the people I have done work for appear to be very happy and never lose sight that the saws are the owners living so make sure that they get back a saw that will do that whether it is a repair or a refurb saw:thumbup:

Pulling the muffler and looking at the piston is excellent advice and one of the first things I do on all saws - almost quicker to do than a compression check. One good thing to do is to check a known good reasonably new saw with your gauge and see what it reads and then use this to understand if your own saw is ok or not. One thing to add is that I had a Poulan Countevibe 3400 once and couldn't get over 130psi but found out that this is quite normal so different saws vary and some domed topped saws have incredible compression - got 220psi from and old Jonsered once:biggrin:

Had a couple of these I bought in, believe they are manufactured by Zomax....sounds a little like Zenoah:001_rolleyes: they also have a 395XP one that is branded Husqvarna. I have seen them branded Zomax, McDillen:001_rolleyes:, Bergen and many more. From a workshop point of view and for the record, they are poop but for £60........ Common faults - chainbrake is dire, very weak with poor mouldings, the top cover melts around the sparkplug, the AV mounts keep coming adrift, the pull start is awful, very weak and can start breaking and cracking around the pulley - Oh, they leak chain oil all the time. I would recommend them as doorstops or Christmas presents for those you don't like:thumbup:

That old scherader valve on the end of the pipe or by the gauge is a load of:001_rolleyes: The vast majority of gauges have some sort of valve near the gauge but this meerly lets out the air after taking the reading and has no bearing on the pressure read. The critical valve is the one in the bit that screws in to the engine - some have a soft spring schrader valve and these are fine but can read a little low, some have a stronger spring schrader valve and may not even take a reading off a small engine and the others use a brass bullet like valve with an o ring on it - these tend to take a higher reading and are good for smaller engines such as strimmers etc. The compression in the engine has to be strong enough to open the valve and this causes some difference in how they work! All I can say is the guy is using the newer type Gunson using the soft sprung schrader - I have one of these and 150psi is a good reading on this gauge - I have got the same on an engine with a new piston! I don't mean to find fault in others comments but have three types of commpression gauge plus one that didn't work so have compared all and all have their own benefits and have taken note of how each works so speak with much experience. The guys 150psi is fine when measured with this gauge.

Glad it is appreciated, many guys like to fix their own kit and am happy to advise but if things get a bit wobbly, am happy to pick up the pieces and effect a cost effective repair and try to keep costs to a minimum but the repair to a good standard. Hope others appreciate it as much as you do and thanks for the comments:thumbup:

Bit of confusion over which bit Windfall broke - was it this elbow as it looks fine to me:confused1:

Looks good, now for the next one, and the next, and the next - it is known as Chainsaw aquisition dissorder (CAD)

Very possible, also check the needle valve - classic symptoms.

I am in North Hertfordshire and seem to have most of Arbtalks broken saws in my workshop:001_rolleyes: To tach a saw correctly, the bar and chain used on the saw should be fitted to supply the correct drag and friction on the saw - if a varying selection of bar and chains are used, the max revs should be set with the shortest bar used as this will make the saw rev higher. Shame you aren't a little closer - a 36" bar and Stihls largest in the post would be interesting:lol: Picked up the one in "Whats on my bench" thread when I was on holiday - much to the wifes dismay:thumbup:

Then 150psi is good - can't imagine that 3120 is being pulled over very fast either - the OEM P&C is Mahle and the Chinese one will never be as good - if it aint broke - don't fix it. Go buy a buggered saw and fix that:lol:

Mmmm - finding that this is pretty well spread, seems most repair centres use their best techs on more expensive kit and don't appreciate that chainsaws are the GP cars of the garden world:thumbdown: or just sell new kit! IMO, a change in the idle can be signs of something not being right - just fixed an MS880 for being lean - it seized and the H screw was around 1/2 out when it should be around 1 turn - the plug whas white:001_rolleyes: Your plug colour sounds fine - it may just need a tweak to the L screw and idle but best left to the tech with a good ear or better still, the tach reading - expensive saw to cock it up on!

If it is the latest Gunson with the long brass connector and schrader valve then 150psi sounds just fine - my 346XP with much lowered squish pulls 165psi! If it is the older version with the purple packing then 150psi is ok but a test with a schrader type will verify the full compression - the older version is good with smaller engines on strimmers and small saws as the end valve is much more sensitive!# TBH 150psi on an OEM P&C is fine - don't mess with it, you may well not improve on this!

My advice on a saw of this value is to get it to a service technician and get it pressure checked, compression checked and then get the carb reset if all OK, a lumpy idle or change of idle properties is a possible sign of an air leak but in general raises the idle speed rather then dropping it. The saw may just need a tweak but something else may be wrong with it but the bottom line is to make sure the top end revs are within spec and is in no risk of seizing - a new P&C is £400 without fitting:thumbdown: One quick check is to check the plug colour by stopping the saw halfway through a big cut - should NOT be bleached white or very clean - a tan colour or tan grey colour is OK but isn't the best check - using a tach is! Simple ones to check are that the air-filter isn't filthy or the fuel filter isn't partially clogged up and the plug condition and colour.

It's been a while since I have had one appart, generally it isn't worth spending the hours reparing the saws unless you have time on your hands so tend to avoid them and stick to the Pro saws. the four extra screws will indeed make the job much easier:thumbup: Good learning curve for the uninitiated though - just done a 023 for someone - not a bad runner now and that had the four screw fixing.

TBH, it depends on what gauge you use and what sort of valve the gauge has in it, generally anything over 120psi will run and 150psi isn't bad at all. I have had anything from 130psi to 240psi, the latter with a domed piston. The compression will get better with use if a new piston has been fitted and is also higher on a fueled saw that is cold and the throttle is open - measuring with the decomp on will lower it a bit.

I always get the piston past the exhaust port before filling the cylinder with rope - cuts down the chance of this and the 3 thou piston to cylinder gap isn't enough to allow rope to enter! Here is one damn good reason not to use metal piston stops, especially when the plug enters the side of the combustion chamber as on most chainsaws. The Husky 262XP came to me with 120PSI compression - damage to the top of the piston and a crack right through the crown:thumbdown: Rope is a good option - the plastic Stihl ones are pretty good IMO

It doesn't require any specialist tools other than a Torx 27 drive to dismantle and reassemble but personally I always check the seal between the upper and lower cranckase assembly with a pressure gauge - if you get a leak it will cause some bad problems. I have done one of these and they are not as simple as vertical split crankcases but if you have pulled the engine out before then you have done well - I can't rememember if the flywheel must come off but the clutch etc must removed but if it has been off recently, should be easy to shift. From memory, I think the four bolts that join the crankcases together also join the engine to the plastic saw body and the sealing between parts is important. I know the guy that runs Mister Solutions - their P&C kits are as good as any - GHS (Garden Hire Spares) and ARB Ireland are also worth considering.