Muddy42

It seems stupid now, but I missed the holes in this fuel line when I first checked a chainsaw. Photo below. when I checked again (after rebuilding the carb) I found the signs that this hose was perishing. Its worth really checking these lines, bend the rubber about and really scrutinize it in good light. and pressure test whilst doing so.

Totally agree. As I said in post 3, I think there is something else wrong with the fuel delivery system, that can be masked by opening up the fuel cap or breather valve. Buy the right carb kit, spray carb cleaner and disassemble and replace each side of the carb's diaphragms. I find it safer to clean and tackle each side in turn. Be liberal with the carb cleaner, spray it in everywhere - you can even get tiny bottlebrushes - H/L screws, needle/ regulator arm/ tiny fuel guaze. Check meter height. Pressure test and replace fuel lines and purge lines. Lots of youtube videos on this.

I've used 36' on a 500i and even milled with it. It wasn't ideal, the chain speed kept dropping and the it struggled. I stay away from all modifications. The way I see it, if you want more power, buy a bigger saw where all the parts are stronger (chassis, crank, flywheel, clutch etc.) and designed together for the horsepower of the saw.

Or kill the ivy and resort to the most tried and tested neat surface = grass.

Ivy when growing on the ground can be pretty stubborn. Try and remove as much of the organic matter as possible (grass, leaves, moss) as possible but leave small ivy stumps for the weed killer to act on. I use Rosate but any Glyphosate herbicide will work. I use the strongest recommended mix. I did this last spring as so far so good.

Could there be dirt in the throttle control on the carb or the idle screw, or the butterfly valve etc. Have you tried firing in lots of carb cleaner? You might need to take the carb off to clean and check everything.

All I can say is a lot of small 30cc chainsaws only have one bolt and one bolt will clamp a lot better than the wing nut

….and ear defenders according to Stihl. Yes I have tried an MSA 300. It was OK, but didnt exactly blow the lights out. I can think of lots of things I’d rather spend £700 on. I think I’ll stick to handsaws and petrol for now.

indeed, thanks for your help (and others who posted here).

Ah OK, sorry I have worked on other Huskys where the fuel tank is separate. Have you tried running the saw without a fuel filter to see if the fuel filter is blocked? Its not recommended for long periods, but I have done this for testing. You're going to open up the carb anyway which is where any dirt will end up. Make sure the fuel tank is really clean - neat unleaded is good for this.

inches not feet. Cut me some slack I'm from the metric generation! I think I first used this saw when I was 5 years old.

I am open to the idea that one day electric chainsaws may impress me. However to date I have always felt a sharp triangular 21' bow saw with a new blade is way better. Ideal for path clearing and around the garden. People talk of the advantages of electric saws as light/easy to start and quiet, well a bow saw wins on every count. As others have said, get a petrol chainsaw for firewood, pretty much anything over 35cc. You could get a second hand 135 for £130ish.

How annoying. If it has one, have you checked the spark arrester screen is clean in the muffler? I think it would be helpful for you to disassemble the fuel tank half of the saw completely, to help with the diagnosis and testing. There are plenty of youtube videos if you google "rebuild husqvarna chainsaw" or something. Just take your time, have a large clear bench so you can put each part aside with its screws (or keep the screws in the holes). Once the fuel tank is off you can clean everything in hot soapy water. Then you can connect the hoses back up and submerge it under water. Plug the fuel line and send pressure through the fuel return line and look for bubbles. Buy a new fuel filter, the genuine ones are best. Yes to carb cleaning with carb cleaner. Buy a carb kit compatible with your make of saw. I generally find a partial rebuild is fine. In layman's terms I unscrew each side of the carb in turn and put in new gaskets and diaphragms exactly as they were before. Whilst the carb is exposed, spray everywhere and with carb cleaner and into the holes and passageways. Unscrew each jet in turn (H,L,idle) and spray in there too.

I also would try and measure how much the sprocket is out of line whilst rotating it. Clamp the saw to a table and then use vernier Calipers, or just calipers or you could DIY by clamping down a knitting needle or something pointy that just touches the sprocket.

Right so, I dismantled the saw again to pressure test the crankcase again with a proper mityvac. I tested it every which way, its fine. The only issue was the new decomp valve was leaking again, but I sorted this by cleaning it out and greasing the threads and mating surfaces. I'm going to have to watch that! I started the saw up with 30:1 fuel and cut some firewood last night. The saw needs a bit of tuning but otherwise works great. I've learned a lot an and its very satisfying to know that I can do this. I have a few old sentimental smaller chainsaws which have pretty beaten up and scored pistons. Knowing this always affected my decision making "its an old saw, it might not last much longer no need to replace bar/sprocket etc." Now I know I can fix them if they die.

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My apologies I stand corrected, I thought most of the island still belonged to North Uist Estate. Lovely part of the world, my I go there most years.

@nooie and @Johnsond if you go near Langlass wood with a chainsaw you'll have The Estate and every eco group under the sun after you!

Me too. I have seen sparks off the bar, but never from the exhaust. I guess it stems from a litigation culture and drier climates than the UK

For comparison I bought my 088 (no bar) for £840 a 18 months ago. Since then ebay prices have gone nuts. I'm very happy with it so far, all the parts are genuine and it has clearly been looked after. On the cost saved versus new, I guess it depends on what you use the saw for and how happy you are fixing things yourself (because let's face it, only one major repair at a mainstream dealer would eliminate the cost saving). If you use the saw for milling as a hobby, rather than as a job, you care less about the down time. Which is linked to my point above about - who actually 'needs' a 120cc saw day in day out?

I've not used one, but I believe people think they are not as good/powerful as the 088 (which I have) or the 881. Realistically you don't 'need' a 120cc saw for 90% of European work - just cutting down the odd stump or chainsaw milling. So you need buyers active in those two activities or be prepared to ship it. Not sure there are big enough trees in the Netherlands? You bar looks like it has had a lot of use and enough to replace the tip. Maybe sell the bar and the chains separately? A lot of people just want to mill with a lighter 3 ft bar. Assuming everything is tip top and you are prepared to share a photo of the piston, I'm going to guess £975 for the saw alone. Just my opinion and there are a few examples on ebay for around that price.

Let us know if straightening the kink and cleaning everything fixes it. As I said the new one might also be defective. I assume you’ve tried sucking carb cleaner or petrol through the tank breather with your pump? Or poking it with a pin?

It will be possible to dissasemble the saw in two. Look at youtube videos for help. Have you connected the primer back up the wrong way? We’ve all done it. Presuming you have tested everything and cleaned the breather, maybe the new breather is just defective and needs returning to the seller and replacing?

Try this. Disconnect the whole fuel tank section of the saw. Clean, empty and dry out the fuel tank and fuel line. Clean breather valve with toothbrush and/or a pin. Connect mityvac to the fuel line, which in turn is linked up to the fuel tank in the normal way. Try pumping small vacuum and pressure. It should hold very little vacuum the vacuum will vanish immediately and you should hear the breather hissing/sucking in air. The tank should hold more pressure and for longer - to be honest you're looking for leaks rather than an exact number.

Sprockets tend to have the pitch written on them - 3/8ths etc.. Sprockets should last 2 or 3 chains, but when the sprocket is getting worn, replace both sprocket and pitch at the same time, so they wear together.