Darkslider

Seems to be the case more often than not, I used to think nothing of driving to the other end of the country for a vehicle when I was younger, but I try an stick local nowadays just in case its a lemon, my time seems to be more valuable these days so I'm less inclined to waste a day of it taking a chance on a far flung car!

So what's the issue with the eBay Husqvarna? The finish looks rough like he's missed the last couple of stages, anything else? Doesn't look like he's changed the actual port opening into the cylinder at all but is that always necessary? I've never had a saw apart much less done a port job, just trying to educate myself for when the inevitable time comes 😂

Husqvarna Chainsaw Ported 372XP 365 18 inch bar WWW.EBAY.CO.UK 
The cylinder on the left “is” the ported cylinder used on this saw. The new OEM cylinder on the right is for comparison...

MS261s used to chew through these bearings, nobody ever really found out why but the official line was a bad batch of sprocket drums, though the suspicion is it was a bit more serious i.e crankshaft misalignment. Are the needle bearings steel or composite caged? I've never found the plastic ones to last anything like as well despite being rated to sufficient temps and good quality i.e skf. Sometimes in a particular size though they're all that's available at the time.

Most arb work is going to be carrying/towing tools for the purpose of your work which is tacho exempt. Think it would only become an issue if you were delivering goods or equipment i.e firewood deliveries. My understanding from my previous employer anyway. Towing a digger if I was going to use it was fine, delivering it (or anything else) for someone else wasn't.

That'd do me if I was in the market. Realistically anything 3" and bigger I'd be keeping for firewood anyway. It's a big price jump from these Chinese entry level jobs up to the big boys.

Even if clutch springs look ok externally they can wear through the hooks and the spider so there's no tension on them anymore, not always obvious till you take the clutch off and it's a bit looser/more wobbly than you remember. I'd bet Spud is on the money with something jamming or binding the shaft or clutch to the drum though that's the problem 9 times out of ten for me. Cheap needle bearings off eBay seem to cause it more often in my experience, doesn't take much of a bind in a cheap bearing to turn a well oiled chain with no resistance 👍

Most bits my local echo dealer got in for me, a couple of other bits I ordered from eBay in other countries and I think Mowers plus. When I start full time arb work I'll probably need a new ground saw to replace my cheapie, always fancied a 550xp but thinking the Echo 501SX could be a good shout too as I have a dealer on my doorstep. It's only the parts availability letting them down compared to Stihl/Husky I think.

Cheers for that, would you say it's also really stiff compared to your other saws? Maybe I've gotten weak in lockdown but I can see my hand cramping up if I were to put the brake on and off a couple dozen times while also clambering round a tree. A new genuine spring is only £2.70 so I think I might stick one on the next order just to compare it to what's fitted, I could replace the nylon block with a nylon washer too if that doesn't get me anywhere.

Yup my thoughts exactly, that's why I thought I'd put it to the hive mind before taking a saw with bits missing from its designed safety system into the woods! I'm confident it's assembled correctly, its not actually possible to get any of the bits in upside-down or back to front, its been designed such that it can only go together the correct way. I'm also confident that there's no way the brake handle should need this much force to overcome the spring, its quite a job to even get it assembled each time as the spring is so long and hard to compress. The fact I bought it with melted plastics, a broken brake band and knackered chain tensioner makes me think its not impossible the spring might have been replaced with a stiffer one that was about the right size 🤔 Shame its old and rare enough I don't know anyone else with one, something like a 201t I know half a dozen of I could try to compare it to, but you don't see the Echos very frequently.

Bumping this as I did half an hour on the log pile today, and I can't get on with the chain brake its far too stiff to release. You need to operate it right next to the pivot and put loads of effort in, or hook your fingers underneath the handle and lift it up and back. If you just try to operate it like any other saw the handle flexes and contacts the top handle before overcoming the spring pressure. Everything definitely assembled 100% correctly as per the diagram, and the excessive force is only needed to overcome the spring there's no other binding or resistance anywhere. I experimented by removing the small nylon spacer (circled blue on the pic, no. 54 on the parts diag.) and it feels perfect with it out, the brake clicks on and off nicely with similar effort levels to other saws I'm used to, and the spring still has enough power to stop the chain at full throttle no probs. Only problem is I've now got metal on metal contact between the spring seat and the brake band which I'm not happy about. Any ideas what to do about this? The spacer is a full 5mm thick so should I try and shave it down a bit? Or should I try replacing the spring in case it's been replaced with one the right dimensions but too heavy? The chain brake assembly was all in bits when I got it so this could be possible. There's no way these saws are meant to have a chain brake so stiff, nobody would have bought them if so! It'd be nearly impossible to use up a tree that's for sure. Any ideas what's happened or best way to sort would be appreciated, never hurts to get multiple opinions when tinkering with safety systems IMO 👍

That's probably it, Joe public on the whole won't know the difference between a good reduction/prune/removal or a bad one, and as long as you get the job done without destroying his shed he'll probably be happy. Not many industries you can get tickets in a few months and start learning on paying jobs and get away with it if your luck holds out. If you tried that on someone's plumbing or electrics you wouldn't last long!

You're right there, and a chunky bank loan and second hand kit would be cheaper still. Surprising everyone isn't at it really. Oh wait, they are 😂

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of it (mostly because I've got the horn for the new 2.8 Hilux invincible 😈) but you've got to have balls of steel to jump in with both feet like that without a single customer lined up. I have taken up a 0% transfer offer on a CC to cover training costs though, and should be able to buy climbing kit and possibly a trailer out of that too if needs be (already got a pickup just not a Hilux sadly)

Cheers for the support! Still stings though as if I wanted a complete rebuild I could have bought a seized one for £100-150 and probably had a working saw for around the £250 mark, whereas that's how much I'm in already and its going to need all the same parts as one thats seized or has no compression. I've started the appeal process anyway out of principle as they seem to have made this decision after he's been in contact with them on the phone without getting in touch with me to hear my version of events at all, so not going to touch it or order any parts till that's done with whatever the outcome.

Not the outcome I hoped for, the seller made sure he bleated on that 'you've taken it apart so not my problem' in every message and it looks like this is the only thing eBay have taken on board, not any of my well reasoned mechanical logic. There's an option to appeal the decision but not sure it'll get anywhere. I should have taken some shots with the bore scope instead! 'We're sorry you had a problem with your purchase. However, to return an item, it needs to be in the same condition that you received it. After reviewing all the details of this case, we've determined that you won't receive a refund.' The fact it is in exactly the same condition as I received it doesn't seem to matter. Cheers for all the comments anyhow!

I use Stihl HP Super though, the green stuff rather than ordinary red as it's got a stabilizer in and sometimes I have a machine sitting for 6-9 months before I use it next. Works a treat but it's a bit less obvious just looks like petrol with a very faint green tinge, don't think you'd spot it through a translucent plastic can.

We're just back and forward with messages and he isn't willing to give an inch so I've suggested we just wait and see what eBay make of it. If I get stuck with it I'll probably replace the inlet boot, Impulse and fuel lines as a preventative measure as even if they haven't split 14 year old rubber can't be far off perishing.

The thought had crossed my mind, if you had a knackered saw you could buy a not so knackered one and try and swap them if you were pond scum, the serial no. Is complete and legible still though so that should give him some comfort (assuming he made a note of it before posting the thing I suppose) So I can see the counter argument and there's a chance it was sold in good faith, I'll just have to wait for the eBay ruling and if they find in his favour so be it, I'll have to make the best of being stuck with it.

That's what I've told him in my reply, taking the exhaust off to examine the piston is a standard service procedure and not the massive stripdown fraught with danger he's making it out to be. Gives some insight in to how well he maintains his kit if that's his opinion. I'd go so far as to say popping the exhaust off should be the very first thing you do if a poorly running saw is brought to you for a service, as it quickly tells you whether it's worth having money spending or parts fitted to it. I'd have considered myself a pretty useless mechanic if I'd rebuilt the carb , changed filters and a new plug and then found the piston damage when it still wasn't running right.

Yup, one of those situations where there's no winners I'd wager. I suppose it'll come down to eBay making a judgement as we're obviously not going to agree. I did reply stating that 'you've taken the saw apart' is an exaggeration, all I've done is pop the exhaust off and there's even a viewing port in the bottom of the casing designed to let you examine the piston, something that would have been done during a routine service by any half decent tech. Judging by the state of it though I don't think the saw has had anything amounting to a full service for some time. Cheers for everyone's input so far, massively appreciated and reassuring to hear I'm not being unreasonable or unrealistic in my expectations to be honest.

Do you think because these are pretty powerful in good fettle it would still cut decently even with a knackered piston? Should I offer to keep it for the cost of a pot and piston perhaps as I knew I'd have to spend a little bit on it on other parts? 🤔

Reply from the seller: 'Hi there The chain saw was starting fine and running fine as stated in the description before being packaged and posted The description states that there was a problem with the chain saw it states that (The chain saw starts and runs fine but sometimes it won’t tick over but will start straight back up with a pull it might it just needs tuning or a service ?) As described in the description it did start back up with a pull every time it cut out also it says IT MIGHT JUST NEED TUNING OR A SERVICE ? with a question mark This was meaning that I could be that problem or it could be something else I’m not a tool mechanic and cannot see the components inside a small engine that’s why that description was stated as it was As the pictures show you have sent you have taken the chain saw apart to get inside the engine to see those parts which are INSIDE the engine and could not be seen from the outside without taking the chain saw apart into loads of bits As I’ve said you’ve taken the chain saw apart into bits to get those pictures and how would I know if it was put back together correctly ? or if bits have been changed on the saw even seals and gaskets would have been broken when the saw was being taken apart ? In my opinion I’ve been honest with the description I’ve stated Kind regards' I can't make my mind up, on the one hand I think maybe he's being honest and had no idea, but on the other I just can't see how this saw would have run anything like 'brilliant with loads of power' with a piston in this state. Maybe because it made the same power as his mates MS150T he thought it was alright 🤔

See what you mean, someone will probably be taken in by the new poorly fitting plastics and pay that though what with the cult following these things have.

No feedback left yet, wanted to eyeball the piston first 😅