Chain Saw Experts

L

Little6pack

Active Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2002
My Chain saw from 1986 is on the fritz..
need expets help.

Found my chain saw today tipped sidways in its case.
I think one of the kids moved it while it was in my shed.
It was sitting with the clutch side down in a puddle of the BAR oil.

When I started it the clutch was smoking like Cheech & Chong & the chain would not spin.
Has the oil soaked into the clutch pads making them useless?
Or will it dry out over time.

Maybe it is time for new Pads since they have never been changed since new in 86.
 
I'm no expert but do know once a clutch gets soaked in oil it is pretty much worthless and won't come back. Probably better off just getting a new saw.
 
I would just get a new one..

I know it sucks to have to give up your ol' faithful chain saw, but as cheap as they are these days, it might be your best bet. My old chainsaw was sitting in a puddle of water, in the case for god knows how long. Rotted out the gas lines and god knows what else. When I was told how much to get it up and runnin', I passed and bought a new one. 16" bar.. starts like a champ.
 
I would just get a new one..

I know it sucks to have to give up your ol' faithful chain saw, but as cheap as they are these days, it might be your best bet. My old chainsaw was sitting in a puddle of water, in the case for god knows how long. Rotted out the gas lines and god knows what else. When I was told how much to get it up and runnin', I passed and bought a new one. 16" bar.. starts like a champ.

Just don't do like my neighbor and buy and electric one... *snicker*. He got his stuck in a tree branch that he was trying to cut down. Had to break out the real thing and show 'em how it's done. :)

Sorry about your loss. :)
 
Well, I'm not one to but a new saw right away, but be prepaired, it may come to that. But before you just toss it out, you can try to clean it up. If it doesen't work now, you can't do any more damage. :D I would prob. Try to blast it out with a can of brake cleaner or something. Any heavy cleaner that will remove the oil is worth a shot. What do you have to loose.
 
Dont throw the saw out just yet (unless its a cheapy).. Hose the clutch down with brake clean to get most of the oil out/off the clutch. Then go after it with a can of ether (starting fluid) and hose it out again (careful with that stuff around flame or enclosed areas).

Let the ether evaporate by laying the saw out in the sun or blowing it out REAL good with compressed air. Once the clutch is dry fire the thing up and snap the throttle a few times to see if it will grab. If not then the clutch is prolly junk unless you want to tinker with it further. If so read on....

You can mess with the cleaning/running routine a few more times and maybe the clutch will come around but its a crap shoot. If its been "glazed" over it will never grab worth a crap if at all so dont fire up the saw and go WOT trying to get the clutch to grab. That'll just over heat it and glaze it if it isnt already.

Feeling REALY adventuresome? Remove clutch from saw, disassemble, clean all parts as mentioned above with solvent, let dry, use ~80 grit sand paper on the clutch friction surfaces and driven surfaces, re-assemble, and finally try to fire it up and run it like I mentioned above. If that wont work then the clutch is beyond saving. Go get a new one. Dunno what kind of saw you have but for the STHL I have a new clutch is ~$40. Thats a LOT cheaper than buying a new saw IMO.

HTH
 
Taking the clutch out is really easy. There are shoes in there held in place by springs. Once you get the sprocket off, you will see the clutch and you would be able to clean it up then. You dont need a new saw for the clutch. But, if the saw sits a long time the seals sometimes stick to the crank. When you try to crank it, the seals will tear, giving you an intake leak. If it idles really high, you prolly have an intake leak.

What kind of saw is it??
 
Yeah throw out that POS and I will PM you with my address and send you a check for shipping LOL

I cant believe someone would suggest throwing out a good saw because it got bar oil on the clutch????

Take the clutch off. You will need a piston stop (or a sh!tload of string for the cylinder) The clutch comes off by turning it the OPPOSITE way you would normally turn it for removal. That means turn it clockwise. Pay attention to the order in which the parts come off. Soak the clutch and drum in a solvent over night to get the oil out of the pores, or just get a new clutch if you intend to keep the saw a long time. This is a good time to replace the chain sprocket also, I guarantee it is wore and they are only about $7

Do not overtighten the clutch when you put it back together, just tighten it up decent. Running the engine will get it to the right torque.

I have 11 chainsaws and have seen this a few times

PS What kind of saw is it and what model #
 
I have burned oil off of large brake shoes with a torch before. Works extremely well. May want to try that if the solvent cleaning trick does not work.
 
Originally posted by blackbuick87


PS What kind of saw is it and what model #
Click to expand...


I am not ready to go out & buy one just yet!
I like the brake cleaner idea & let dry in SUN..

OH dam it is an oldie from 1986 & don't laugh it is a HOMELIGHT 16" bar.
I used it a lot over the years on my own places & friends.

I always keep a 3 chain rotation so a have a sharpie on at all times.

thanks i will keep you all posted to how I make out..
 
Yeah - my half brother is the Jonsereds distributor for the entire Unired States. Seriously, David Tilton - if you know Jonsereds, you know him

:D
 
Hmm - I rarely see him these days but, when I do I will ask about it for you. What exactly do you mean by "damaged" ?
 
I would try to fix the clutch first too.

I know that all of the hardcore guys will jump on me for this but I just used a Echo this past weekend and for a cheap saw it did pretty well, I think it was from home depot of all places. Not bad for light duty, it was new so I expected it to run well, time will tell I guess.

If you are going to use it a lot I do agree to go with Stihl, Johnsereds, or Husky.

Mark F.

87 GN 11.9 @ 115
 
Originally posted by Bonden
Hmm - I rarely see him these days but, when I do I will ask about it for you. What exactly do you mean by "damaged" ?
Click to expand...


You know, the ones that fall out of the box and get cracked somewhere in the plastic and have to be sent back. Sometimes they can be sold cheaper.

The saw I am really looking for is an older Super 930. That would be the ultimate saw for me. Throw a 125cc Dirt bike tuned pipe on it and some porting and go to work:D
 
Heh, first saw I ported was a Jons 601 w/13" roller nose. Used it in the woods for 2 years - thing had some grunt :D
 
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