spudulike

Firstly the "black residue" is where the piston has melted and deposited aluminium on the exhaust side of the clinder - this can be removed chemically and can be lightly abraded to sort out part of the problem. The end of the circlip is almost definitely NOT the problem, if both circlips are different, it makes me wonder if the saw has already been apart - if you look at the bottom of the piston does it say "Mahle" on the underside of the piston? The only time I have seen damage like this on the inlet side of the piston, the big end of the saw had exploded sending metal debris up in to the upper cylinder. I would inspect the big end as much as possible, inspect the crankcase and muffler for debris like rollers from the big end and bits of bearing cage, plus pull the rod up and down and look for excessive play! If the scores are deep, have broken through the Nikasil plating and more importantly - are in the upper combustion part of the cylinder then it is scrap. The cylinder is plated and can't be rebored and oversize pistons fitted. Looks buggered to me and would think the oil wasn't up to much or went off if the saw was left unused for a few weeks, the saw has heat seized and this may have done the big end in! If th episton is non OEM - the ring location pins may have come out of the piston - worth checking! Spud

Seen them in Tenerife - supposed to be worlds oldest tree! Spud

Personally with a saw worth that much, I would take the head off and inspect the damage, at bare minimum, make sure the loose bit is removed and hopefull all will be good but a strip down would be a couple of hours well spent! Spud

Just read the last post - oh bugger:thumbdown: Think I would pull the cylinder off and check out the damage to the piston crown, cylinder walls and cylinder top. If you are lucky, all will be fine, if you are not then it could be ans expensive repair. You could inspect through the spark plug hole and extract the thing through the hole or exhaust port but know what I would do if it was my saw. Spud

From what you have said, the end has fallen off the decompressor, if it had started leaking then the saw would have probably stalled rather than seized. Just unscrew the thing and fit a new one. If you are worried about it coming loose then use a little studlock on it. Spud

Excellent vid - was you weraring a Rastafarian hat or the hard hat that day:thumbup: Spud

Just purchased a £28 tach from the US, got stung for £4 on customs duty and £8 handling fee from the Royal Mail:thumbdown: On a £300 import, you will have to pay VAT on it but I think you are ok if it is an import from an EU country with tax paid within that country. Spud

I have PMed you, I think you are local to me and reckon I can help. Spud

Keep an eye out on ebay, gumtree and preloved - if the thief is stupid, he will advertise them out for sale. Spud

Don't know the 362, the 357 has a great rep - light, powerful, low AV - weakness is the carb boot - has a tendancy for air leaks. Spud PS - the 357 comes in 3/4 or .325 sizes

Have you thought about openiong up the muffler and re-tuning the carb, did this on my 345 Husky and it goes like a 350. I worked on my brothers 026 recently and saw that the exhaust outlet was pretty small - may be worth looking at this. I am surprised that you find the 260 a bit lacking as they have a great rep. Spud

Sometimes people just don't know the true value of their saws, I have picked up some bargains in my time, and been ripped off as well. What makes this guy look dodgey, has he a bad rep - selling at lower than market value may mean he is just a bit slow and hasn't done his homework:confused1: Spud

I pressure checked my saw and air was pissing out of this joint, personally I would use a decent quality jubilee clip on the saw, I think there may be a Husqvarna upgrade on this part - sure I have heard something about this. I am glad your saws piston is ok, many people just take out the H&L screw half a turn at a time until the saw works - for a short while. Glad I was of help Spud

I don't know for sure it they are the same material but would be pretty sure that they would be. As long as the pipe is a tight fit on the connection then you will be ok. Do yourself a favour and check that the impulse part that plugs in to the cylinder head is clear and isnt blocked, just been working on a Jonsered 2149 that had been seized, caused by the plastic impulse end slightly melting and blocking it - used a small drill to open it up. The previous owner had the H setting almost falling out to keep it running.....numpty:001_rolleyes: Also be aware that if you have the old plastic clip design carb boot then it is pretty crap as they leak and you would be better grinding off the clip and replacing it with a jubilee clip and sealing with a little liquid gasket - just done this fix and the saw now works fine - I gather this saw is prone to idle problems and my money is on the poor design of this boot. Good luck - hope the piston is still in good condition on your saw. Spud

Another great loss - beginning to feel old - Thin Lizzy were a great band, Phil Lynott was a good lead man and Gary Moore a great guitarist, sad that we have neither of them now - not a good way to end the weekend. Spud

Has anyone got one of those grey conical rear plug covers for a Husqvarna 335/338 top handled saw? I have a saw that is missing one - PM me if you have a spare to discuss cost. Cheers Spud

Top bloke - way to go, man with time on his hands - dangerous combination, post a video cutting some cookies, always interested in other peoples work:thumbup: Spud

Good little saws, no power house but competant and ideal for the homeowner cutting small logs. Just make sure it gets fresh mix on each use and don't leave fuel in it from one year to the next as the fuel attacks the oil and will cause seizure - same for all saws! They come with widdley 1.1mm drive thickness chain and bar but do work and the narrow kerf cut makes the saws power work a bit better. Spud

To be brutal - it is an £80 saw, you may get £100 but at a real push. No chainbrake means that you cant ask any employee to use it and you have to treat it with care and decent PPE. Your mate is now £475 in, if I had that money and needed to cut wood, a decent 346xp silverside secondhand is £300 - £350 and I would still have at least £125 and own one of the best saws on the market. Sorry but he was done big style - he doesn't want and old JOBU L65 does he - £400 should do it:thumbup: Spud

Some of the guys in the US on arboristsite have tried them and the general consensus is they are poo, in life you get what you pay for, Huskys and Stihl will last for years, last Chinese saw I owned was a year old and it had to have a new chainbrake cover, the starter rope had broken twice, the top cover had melted around the plug and the recoil starter pulley had started to crack! Not quite so good value now - a professional would not put up with it on a bread winning saw. Spud

Without de-valuing the tests going on as they will prove valuable to many members, my basic test is to put the saw on a concrete floor and start it, if it moves all over the place its AV is not the best and if it stays put, all is good - I have no figures but the Husqvarna 345, 346, 350, 357 series of saws have some of the best AV and don't walk once started! I personally use a muffler modded 345 for my logs - wearing ear defenders:thumbup: - the AV is excellent. Spud

Pressure check - block the exhaust port, the inlet port and impulse line and then use a specialised plug with a suitable valve and gauge and pump up the crankcase to 7-9psi to ensure it holds pressure, you can also plug the plug hole and pressurise through the impulse line. It should hold pressure for 10 minutes. I have never used non OEM cylinders but they are probably worth a go if the saw is worth between £100 and £300, on a pro saw that will see lots of use worth £500 + then OEM may be best. Spud

Great saws, a real classic, it is almost definitely 3/8, I would look at the Oregon configurator - you should have no problem getting something suitable - OREGON®: Selector Guide good luck - these saws are worth a bit - £250+ for a good one - see my avatar Spud