spudulike

Top man - does your wife complain about them, mine has given up but likes the money they bring in once in a while - meals out and holidays!! Spud

Probably a carb rebuild needed but would be worth pressure checking - the seals on the clutch side are prone to going. Spud

I have a confession - the top part of a Honda fork stanchion - they make excellent canons - misspent youth:thumbup1: Spud

I have that Powermac 6 saw in a working state in my garage - worlds smallest saw at the time! Spud

Had a 266 like that - turned out to be the gap between the coil and the flywheel magnets - use a doubled up piece of A4 paper! Spud

Clean the cylinder wall, work on it with muriatic acid and a q tip until the aluminium transfer has gone, lightly rub the bore in a circular (not up and down action) with 400 grit emery until the nikasil plating is very slightly honed and clean. Fit a new piston, reasemble, pressure check ensuring crank seals, boots etc are sealing, re-adjust the carb for a slightly richer L setting and ensure four stroking at WOT then use a 40:1 petrol oil mix in future! I never knew Stihls don't seize because they are German, no one told that to the Stihl 020T with a tear in the carb boot that is sitting on my bench with a scored piston!!! Don't knock the Husky, it probably had an air leak, old fuel or just sawdust encrusted air filter etc! Spud

Not sure about the coil end - some screw in, some push in, some are potted or glued. The cap end - the cap comes in two parts, a rubber cap and a metal connector. The metal connector has two sharpened ends facing each other but stepped. These push in to the lead firmly, you then put a little oil, grease or similar on the metal end and on the cap then push it in to the cap where the HT lead comes out of and ensure it locates in to the cap correctly. Hope this helps - it is relatively simple. Spud

Depends where the play is, if it is side to side then don't worry, if the saw has needle crank bearings then don't worry, if it has "up and down play" with roller bearings then worry:001_smile:!!! Spud

I have used diamond files, diamond dremmel bits, traditional files and a grinder. A grinder is great for ensuring all cutters have the same length and angle so every third sharpen a grinder is good, since having the grinder I havent bothered with the diamond bits or files but just use the traditional files between grinds. Spud

No problem - always keen to help out others with similar interests. Good luck with the saw. Spud

Mine didn't and it was an XP - later model. Can't say I never needed it even with 175psi. Try pulling over a 298XP and you will know what I mean:laugh1: Spud

I have a log burner and it took me a time to understand that I could lay my hands on a lot of wood if I had a chainsaw, I now get it from family, friends, local farms, freecycle and off the side of the road. I am now buying and fixing chainsaws that adds a bit to my income and all the wood is free. This green living is great, I have a few years of firewood in the back garden seasoning nicely - Mr Middleclass man in my case, likes getting his hands dirty!! Spud

http://www.jurec.hr/pdf/jonsered-920.pdf Got a 910 and an 820 in the collection! Spud

Nope - it just adds a level of protection against air leak and poorly adjusted carb lean seizure. Spud

IPL is here - Plance éclatées 021-023-025 : Smaf-Touseau.com I have no experience of this saw but failure is usually down to chippings and oil around the oil pump drive or stripped pinion (worm drive) Spud

Many years ago in the dark ages, two stroke oil was not what it is today and 25:1 was the norm, oil technology has come on since then and 40:1 - 50:1 is quite normal now and the ratio is dependant on the oil used rather than the engine using it. I use a 40:1 mix as the extra cost is minimal and it protects the engine a bit more if the fuel/oil mix goes past it's optimal life and also if you spring an air leak, H setting lean etc. Amsoil is mixed at 100:1 - they also sponsor the Lowerstoft FC powerboat - that is one decent bit of kit:thumbup: Spud

Depends if you intend to learn for say 1 year and then upgrade or to buy a saw now and keep it for three years. As a starter the MS 170 0r 180 or Husky 141, if you want to buy and keep then the MS260 or Husky 346 are fine machines, if you dont have spare cash then the Husky 345 is a good saw IMO. Spud

Do yourself a favour and purchase a Stihl sharpening guide, it allows you to get the rakers filed down to the correct height and is simple to use! Spud

Right - step 1 - take the plug out, put the cap on it, earth it on the cylinder and pull the saw over and look for a spark, if it is missing, it could be the plug, coil or the stop wiring or switch, if it is there proceed to step two. Step two, put the plug back in with the plug in, put the choke on full and the fast idle on if not linked to the choke, give the saw 8-10 pulls and check the plug, if it is wet, the carb is fine and you will need to check the compression, if it is dry then the carb is probably gummed up and needs a clean up. Carb clean - pop off th etop and bottom cover, check there is fuel in the diaphragm part of the carb, remove the H&L carb adjusters and blast some carb cleaner down the holes and put both screws back in fully then turn out one turn on each screw. Compression - lift the saw by the start handle and it should fall slowly - 10-12 seconds is about right, 4 seconds and your piston is fried - this can be checked by removing the muffler and looking at the skirt of the piston. There you go - 30 years of motor repair in four paragraphs - in three words - spark, fuel and compression!!! Personally - forget the plug unless you have no spark and the air filter unless it looks like the insides of your vacuum cleaner bag. Spud

Parts diagram here (IPL) - Plance éclatées MS 250-MS250C : Smaf-Touseau.com Click on "ok" if it doesnt display. Spud

I spend some time on the Arborist site and many of the Yanks are really in to porting and muffler mods etc, one guy took his Stihl 026 as standard and measured the head temperature at idle and WOT, he then ported and muffler modded it and did the same and the temperatures were significantly lower - the general concensus was that the saw was clearing the gasses out faster thus making it run cooler whilst producing more power, revving higher.......and burning more fuel! Spud

It is possible the spark arrestor in the exhaust is clogged, it could also be an air leak so a pressure check would be worthwhile - normally you get an increase in idle speed that can't be brought down with this though. Worth checking the impulse hole in the rubber boot lines up with the carb and lines up with the carb. Check out the carb filters and make sure the fuel tank breather is clear of dirt. Goodluck Spud

Yes - all 16 meg of it!! You can get it here http://www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/content/husqwm254_hw1987_1018812-96.pdf Search and ye will find Spud

The longest guide bar specified was 36", rule of thumb is divide the cc of the engine by 3 which gives you 26" so a 36" is pushing it - you could try this and a semi or full skip chain to keep the speed up! Spud