Husqvarna 359 for $25. Is it worth fixing ?

[BING38RT]

All good advice so far!! Definitely get rid of the cat muffler and do a metal intake clamp if those things haven’t already been done. For your $25 investment you scored….. no pun intended!!
Cyl looks like it would clean up just from the pics. I would stay with OEM on the cyl if it doesn’t. I would go with a meteor piston. You’ll end up with a real good runner on the cheap!
One last tip…. when you get ready to put it all together save yourself tons of grief and install the intake boot and carb on the cyl off the saw then install as a unit! You use a lot less foul words…. Trust me!! Good luck!!

Thank you, it does have a metal intake clamp. I already ordered a Hyway Nikasil Head kit for it and a meteor piston. Both arrive Friday. I just wish I could have found the whole meteor kit.

Maybe I'll return the Hyway one and buy a meteor top end kit if the OEM jug can't be saved.

Also thank you for the tip on installing the carb and intake boot first.

 

[Cantdog]

Thank you, it does have a metal intake clamp. I already ordered a Hyway Nikasil Head kit for it and a meteor piston. Both arrive Friday. I just wish I could have found the whole meteor kit.

Maybe I'll return the Hyway one and buy a meteor top end kit if the OEM jug can't be saved.

Also thank you for the tip on installing the carb and intake boot first.

But is it an adjustable clamp or the bent Husky type?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

I've only ever done a compression test. Is there a way to do a vacuum test....do I need a fancy tool to do it or would it be something I'd have in my garage ?

I'm pretty new to saw building, I only have 7 clamshell's under my belt( all this winter ) and 2 pro saws so my experience.

Also fyi I bought this of a crackhead So I doubt he took care of anything. The bar has been over heated and turned blue in some spots.

If the bar is blue- things elsewhere might have been real hot- check over your conrod big end bearing real close while the cylinder is off.
Ideally, you would pressure and vacuum test pre strip down to ascertain any seal of gasket leaks, repair those and test again after reassembly.
You may or may not own a vacuum brake bleeder kit, you can use that, You can (not ideal mind- just can) submerge the saw in water and introduce air from a blow down gun in small bursts and look for bubbles, you can make a tester with a heart pressure bulb, some tubing and a gauge- lots of ways to skin a cat.
If you are going to repair more saws- Mityvac 8500 is the tool to aim for.

Easier for these to make a tube through an old sparkplug to introduce (or remove) air into the cylinder for testing.

 

[Gord404]

It might hold pressur one way but not vac- quite common- 8500 is a tool I use every day, about 100$ but well worth it and come with a lot of attachments and if you have CAD setting in you will need it

 

[sean donato]

Thank you, it does have a metal intake clamp. I already ordered a Hyway Nikasil Head kit for it and a meteor piston. Both arrive Friday. I just wish I could have found the whole meteor kit.

Maybe I'll return the Hyway one and buy a meteor top end kit if the OEM jug can't be saved.

Also thank you for the tip on installing the carb and intake boot first.

The hyway "hybrid" cylinder isn't terrible, retains the 59cc displacement but has closed transfers like the 357xp. Used a few of them over the years, including my personal 359. If I remember correctly, it didn't take much to get it close to the factory p/c numbers for port timing, casting was nice, nikasil looked nice. I just widened up the intake and exhaust ports a bit, and I think I raised the transfers up a few * to better match the factory port timing. Opened up the muffler, slight timing advance. Did the carb mods as per tree monkeys video (pretty sure it was his video.) It's been a good runner ever since. Not going to win any races, but runs better then a friend's 359 with a muff mod and timing advance.

 

[Husky77]

at that price its a nice little project to play with

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

I've only ever done a compression test. Is there a way to do a vacuum test....do I need a fancy tool to do it or would it be something I'd have in my garage ?

Mityvac MV8500 for crankcase vac/compression tests, about $85. Must have if you're going to rebuild saws. Different deal than compression tester for cylinder. Neighbor brought me a 359 to fix a month or two ago, only had 80psi compression so looked at piston and cylinder and similarly trashed to yours. Told him at least $200 repair, he said keep it. Found that ugly as the cylinder was, it was mostly transfer and cleaned up well with muriatic acid on a Q tip and some sanding. One score left on the cylinder wall that would give me 10-20 less psi than new but was fine living with it. Bought a Meteor piston w Caber rings and banged it back together and ran great. I got by okay with minimally removing much of anything to pull the cylinder off, and got the intake boot back on okay when putting it back together without much cursing but it is kind of a PITA.

 

[9050lx]

I got two piston scorched 359's for cheap. Both got a Meteor piston. They sit on the bench as ready to use saws. Durable, oil well,decent power.I feel they handle well.They kinda grow on you.

 

[BING38RT]

I got two piston scorched 359's for cheap. Both got a Meteor piston. They sit on the bench as ready to use saws. Durable, oil well,decent power.I feel they handle well.They kinda grow

The hyway "hybrid" cylinder isn't terrible, retains the 59cc displacement but has closed transfers like the 357xp. Used a few of them over the years, including my personal 359. If I remember correctly, it didn't take much to get it close to the factory p/c numbers for port timing, casting was nice, nikasil looked nice. I just widened up the intake and exhaust ports a bit, and I think I raised the transfers up a few * to better match the factory port timing. Opened up the muffler, slight timing advance. Did the carb mods as per tree monkeys video (pretty sure it was his video.) It's been a good runner ever since. Not going to win any races, but runs better then a friend's 359 with a muff mod and timing advance.

I ended up shelving the Hyway kit and bought a Meteor one instead. I also got a OEM modified dual port Muffler for it, new boot, impulse line, and fuel line. I got the zama carb rebuild kit too if need be and I bought an adjustable clamp for it. It did have a metal one but I didn't see anyway I could adjust it. I do have a timing wheel but I'd have to look up the stock numbers off hand. I'm still kicking around the idea of opening the transfers a bit on the new head.