spudulike

There is another thread on this subject, general conscensus was to use an angle grinder with a thin flexible disk so your mate is about right, I have used a dremmel with a diamond bit and also used a decent hand file in the past. If both parts of the cutters are mating well then a sharpen is about the only thing left - you should aim for a good shearing action - just like a good pair of scissors or secateurs!

Yes, the carb boot, it is inserted in to a plastic holder that has the guide for carb adjustment and impulse line connector on it. The older ones had a plastic clip that was a bit lame so Husqvarna clipped the clip off leaving about 1.5mm gap and fitted a metal band that improved things - there is also a plate that loctes on the uper body of the crankcase and forces the boot on to the cylinder. The nipple that fits in to the cylinder intake also has a tendancy to split so always worth inspecting. I seal with a slight smear of blue gasket just to get it right. If the saw is the EPA model then the automatic decompressor can also play up and would plug the hole in the crankcase and fit the standard one. The EPA model is a US version esigned to meet their ever stringent environmental laws.

I can even fire the saws up in the garage without gassing myself if they are running on Aspen but don't really recommend it:thumbup:

The petrol will have destroyed the oil in the mix - after around 3 - 4 weeks, the lubricating properties are reduced. Take the muffler off to check the front of the pston. The racing is a classic symptom of an air leak - check the rubber boot - lots in the chainsaw section on this site.

Yup - thats what I said/meant, sometimes this fact is overlooked, the nipple then pushes continously on the arm and causes the engine to flood. Hopefully Miker will sort it out with our diagnosis!

I had this on a 535 Jonsered with a Walbro carb but believe yours may have the same type of diaphragm - best to push the diaphragm in the middle so it looks like one of Madonnas tities and hook it on the needle arm and then position the cover - easily missed as most modern carbs don't fit the diaphragm this way! By the way - I always accept payment in beer if offered:001_tt2:.....ot firewood:thumbup:

List the model No and the part number if it is on the part - Magatron is the Stihl Whizz but I have a few decent contacts!

If it fires on choke then it will probably be the needle valve - on some carbs, the metal central nipple on the diaphragm actualy pushes on to the needle arm - it will be horse shoe shaped if it does - worth looking at!

Mmm - ran out of talent again:001_rolleyes: If it is flooding, it may be the needle valve isn't sealing correctly and fuel is dripping through it and passing it in to the crank case - take the carb off, connect a bit of tube on to the fuel connection, suck the tube and stick your tongue on the tube, it should hold pressure for 10 secs or more. You can blow and also see if it leaks. Common faults when rebuilding carbs are the gaskets being in the wrong sequence - the pumping gasket with small flaps is next to the carb body and the diaphragm spacer gasket also fits next to the carb body - this stumped me for a while. Have you compression - I am assuming you have as I know you do a bit! Is your choke sealing properly? Is your fast idle mechanism working correctly - have you tried starting it holding the throttle wide open with the choke off? Unlikely to be an air leak as it would lean out the saw and just cause a poor or racing idle. If you get stuck, I am sure I can fix it! Oh - did you replace the welch plug? This can cause issues that I will let you know if you have!

Take a look at this - http://s30387.gridserver.com/partsDiagrams/Husqvarna%20353.pdf The saw MUST have a H&L screw close side by side and an Idle screw as on slide "G" - there are only a few saws where the L mixture screw also adjusts the idle and none of the pro saws. The plastic bits are to stop the un-initiated - we shall call them "numptys", adjusting the mix and seizing their engines. I usually prize them off but they do have their place. The saw should be idleing around 2,800rpm but if you have experience, you should be able to know if the idle is too high. By ear, you adjust the idle down to a point where the engine may stall and then increase it a little but not enough that the clutch is catching the sprocket or spinning the chain. Find the adjuster - you do have one!

Difficult to tell if it is the clutch but if the idle is correct and the chain is moving then it points toward the clutch. If the saws idle is playing up and the revs can't be brought down using the idle screw then and the "L" screw is two or more turns out to compensate it points toward an airleak but is less likely.

The chain and clutch will be getting hot if the chain is blunt or the oiler isn't working well - those will cause this, the cover may get hot if the brake band is rubbing on the clutch but is unlikely with the chain running at idle problem you have. The chain running at idle could be a number of things, normally I would say the clutch springs are shagged but unlikely if you have fitted a replacement unless it is faulty. The other reason can be a gunked up sprocket bearing or clutch. You haven't said if your saw is running at normal idle speed or not but if the carb has been set to run excessivly rich at idle, it may be a sign of an air leak and a rich carb setting to keep the revs down personally, I would take the carb back to factory settings and see what this does to the idle, if you can't bring the idle down you have a bad airleak - had a Jonsered 630 like that - crankcase seal was shot. Have you issues with your idle?

Yup - 100% agree with that - the small Husky will drive you mad after the 026!

You will find the 372 a fair bit heavier than the 357! The EPA model has a tube coming out of the decompressor valve and leads in to the bottom of the cylinder head - they usually leak - EPA is the American Environmental Protection Agency - messing up saws from the 90s onwards!! Look at your decompressor - if it has no tube then you are fine! Closed cylinder ports are where the walls of the clinder are solid and the fuel is moved from the crankcase to combustion chamber by way of a closed channel in the cylinder wall - most pro saws are like this, the MS200 is one of them. Open ports are where this transfer channel is open and the piston closes it. I am sure someone will post some images for you - there is a limit to what I can do with a blackberry! My opinion is your carb boot probably has a split in it, probably around the impulse connection, this has given you a weak mixture that has seized the saw. I would check this, get the cylinder kit from ArbIreland off ebay, fit it, if you cab- pressure check the engine and then run the engine up on a rich top end and run it in before leaning it off. The saws are good when they are running but the rubber boot is always its weak point.

The main weakness is the rubber carb boot, there are a couple of problems - the plastic attachment clip needs to be replaced with the metal one and the impulse join between the boot and the cylinder has a weakness so inspection and or replacement are recommended. If it is the EPA model, the decomp is best ripped out, the crank connector plugged and replaced with a standard decomp. I would use a non OEM kit and find one with closed transfer ports if possible - ArbIreland on Ebay do one - Chris Shepperd has used one and think he got on ok in the end. I would always pressure check the engine before running it up and tach the saw or tune it by ear if you have the experience.

If they are standard allen bolts, use stainless ones!

The Saw is worth fixing - good pro saw with good residual prices. The oil pipe and filter can be got to by removing the clutch, sprocket and oil pump - the pipe can then be withdrawn and fixed. The other issue you have sounds like an air leak in the carb boot or impulse line but could just be running lean - would be careful as if you keep running it, the saw may seize. I could fix it but have a bit of a backlog at the moment - just depends how soon you need it!

I did very quickly but to be honest, I had already ascertained that the ties are not always the same gauge as the drive link as I had thought! I was trying to get a 254XP apart and the cylinder cleaned, a hedge trimmer re-assembled and an MS170 chain sharpened so didn't have much time to do much more but my findings were as per my post on Thursday, after the infamous pie Paul is sorted now so all is good!

Think I am owed a brewery in total from a few guys on this site - long way to go for a pint:001_rolleyes: Glad you got there in the end - just re-seal the base gasket with a smear of grease - should be OK. Carefully check the oiler pinion for damaged thread and flat spots - it is very easy to miss a damaged thread on it - when they are stripped bare it is clearer. I place them in the removed oiler and turn the pinion to make sure it rotates the oiler gear correctly!

Oh bugger - now you have done it - the US members are not going to be happy:001_rolleyes:

Bent rod, bent crank, flywheel missing fins/out of ballance, damaged big end, damaged small end, loose gudgeon pin - could be this or more - difficult to tell without inspection!

Sounds like you have done a real job on it:001_rolleyes: personally I would get thehead back to the crankcase by rotating the crank and thus pulling the head down, would bolt the cylinder down, get a good load of WD40 down the bore to lube it up and then try to rock the crank to and forth to loosen it up. I am just hoping that the transfer ports havent been distorted by the rope or caved in! If the worse comes to the worse, you could heat the head up very hot with a gas torch to melt the rope and get the piston moving when hot - extreme but ok as a last option! You could try the WD40 with the cylinder loose and try a SLIGHT rotating movement of a few degrees - dont go to far as it may cause damage from the ring to the ports. The oil pump - blast carb cleaner/WD40 down the oil tank pipe after removing the pump - do the same to the oil outlet, attach a tube on to the oil pump inlet or outlet and blow down the tube and rotate the oiler gear - at one position you should be able to blow a little air through the pipe - if not - the pump is plugged. Check the pinion gear - this is the most likely problem - sometimes the thread may have a slight distortion of flat that can stop it working - place it in to the pump and rotate it one revolution to make sure it turns the gear consistantly. That is about it - good luck

Yup - veg out of the garden, a bit of mash and gravy - nice:thumbup:

Right - just back from a 2.5hr drive from Telford, had a big slab of chicken pie and can confirm te following: - Traffic good Pie was nice - good chunks of Chicken and Chorizo 1.1mm chain has 1.1mm side tie straps 1.3mm has 1.3mm tie straps 1.5 and 1.6mm chain also has 1.3mm tie straps The 1.1mm chain was stihl and the other three Oregon - other manufacturers may well be different! My calipers are 6" with a pointed jaw so I can fit enough of the jaw between the chain to measure it. Probably get someone commenting about my pie now:001_rolleyes: Hope Paul got his bar and chain sorted:thumbup1: Can we say

I checked a 1.1mm Stihl chain, a 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6mm (don't know the make) chain with a set of callipers - wasn't an easy task but the thickness of the drive links pretty much matched the thickness of the side tie as far as I could tell, the chains were loops and not the links for making up loops - I am thinking that perhaps these links are different thickness but may look in to this further if I get time. I am sure that the ties were not a different thickness to the drive links but perhaps Stihl are different from others:confused1: I may investigate further and report back - just reporting what I find and measure, too tired to argue to be honest:lol: I can state that the chain on my 3/8 Husky 181 (80cc) is a tad stronger than the 3/8 chain on my MS170:001_tt2: