"china doll" AM ms440 results--

[jd548esco]

i finished up the ms440 rebuild last Saturday and have had time to run a couple tanks of fuel--

and it is a very good saw! real crisp throttle raspy with the dual port muffler , and with the new bar and chain i got from bailes it is real sweet in the hardwoods--

i could not rebuild the saw with 100% china parts , i did have some issues --

my 52mm jug i got from hudzl was a bit of a lemon --rough ports and poor finish so i ended up going with a 50mm jug and cylinder off ebay. don't know who made it but it is really nice and very close to OEM.

and i had some problems with the china made clutch drum -- it kept locking up the saw and binding up the chain break.

i ended up using a stihl OEM drum -- that cured the binding problems and works perfectly now.

the crankcase i got from hudzel is well 'perfect" it came in a box marked polaris italy and has italian stampings on it-- but it came from china??-- LOL

the crankshaft although looks a big rougher than the OEM parts seems to run fine along with the berings and seals it came with.

the carb i got for peanuts off flea-bay runs like a champ --and i could even get a kit for what it costs--

the coil is as hot as a firecracker .


the bar studs they sent seem a little too long--LOL--


overall i can't complain. it runs real hard and really pulls through the wood , cranks and starts well -- i don't see how you could come up with more saw for the little $$ this china doll overhaul.

i like it so well i think i am going to build another--LOL

 

[67L36Driver]

Somewhat related, I'm waiting on a chink MS390 engine to use leftover plastic from a pile of 290's.
Just to see how it turns out.

 

[Definitive Dave]

Somewhat related, I'm waiting on a chink MS390 engine to use leftover plastic from a pile of 290's.
Just to see how it turns out.

really?? must be a typo

 

[Brushwacker]

Any body know how well the chinese sprocket rims hold out ?

 

[67L36Driver]

really?? must be a typo

Typo?? Where?

 

[Ironworker]

Typo?? Where?

Might be the derogatory remark towards Chinese people.

 

[67L36Driver]

Might be the derogatory remark towards Chinese people.

Not intended to be derogatory toward Chinese people but some of the shoddy products that they produce.

 

[jd548esco]

from what i have seen at least some/most of their parts are good enough to build a running saw.

i really didn't have much problems getting it assembled and running . and i'm not a two-stroke kind of mechanic either .

the big problem with ordering this stuff direct from china is sometimes 7 days and sometimes two weeks for the parts-- you can't build one in a hurry!! remember the term "slow-boat"? so your allways waiting for some little part to arrive in the post--

i have another bid on a big bore jug and piston kit --we see how this one does.

the other saw i built with OEM 460 jug and meteor piston caber rings and clips

this one i even used the china made circle clips -- i did go through a couple pairs of um before finding two that had good tension-- their clips are easy to install wrong!--LOL once their fully seated in the groove they do seem to work--

if you decide to gamble with the china made clips make sure their absolutely seated fully in the grove-- it not they will pop out at the worst possible time--


the rings on the 50mm were the right size and gapped perfectly. the 50mm piston looked very nice too, much better than the 52mm .



i'm going to post some photos of my econo ms440 when i figure out this $10 digital camera--

 

[67L36Driver]

For the MS290-390 Farm Boss family, there is enuff China parts offered on evilbay to build a complete saw. All you need OEM is the top plastic. Even complete engines in tank/chassis is listed.

How well all those parts would fit together is the big unknown.

 

[jd548esco]

i think you can build an entire 066 /ms660 and maybe a 038 super-- i've been tempted to build a 066 -- though i have little use for a saw that big.

i wish they had ms440 fuel tanks and handle stuff-- and plastics for the o44/ms440.

what i can't figure out is they make short blocks, long blocks and most all the small parts and most plastics --their just a few parts away from making a entire saw-- why don't they make a finished saw>???

probably some legal reason-- or tax or something??

there are a few china/repo saws on flea-bay for way under $200 -- though i hear their real "clunkers" ---

 

[Definitive Dave]

I am 99% sure you can build these saws entirely from AM parts - MS180, MS250, MS260, MS360, MS361, MS380, MS381, MS390, MS660, 070, never checked on Husky but I am sure a few popular models are buildable. The real fun comes in trying to find out which parts come from where and which are junk and which are usable.
DDave

 

[67L36Driver]

Dave: Which one on your list would be best bang for the bux.

Geezers with too much time on their hands. LOL

(I'm hoping the 660, as I likes 'em big.)

 

[Definitive Dave]

Dave: Which one on your list would be best bang for the bux.

Geezers with too much time on their hands. LOL

(I'm hoping the 660, as I likes 'em big.)

I use the BS361 on dang near every job

I have built the 660, 260 and 361.
260 ran great till I tried it at a job and then acted like it had an oil seal leak right out of the gate, it is sitting on a shelf missing an air filter cover that a local customer needed, some day I will mess with it some more
361 best of the three by far, I run one on jobs, only about 6 months old but I like it and so do a couple other guys who have bought/built kits.
660 has a few issues relating to the top ends, but the rest is pretty nice. A little recent writeup here:

http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...nkcase-w-cylinder-piston-kits-on-ebay.271564/

You can find a longwinded dissertation on the Riff Raff Roundup Site
DDave

 

[67L36Driver]

Geezer now watchin' evilbay for 361 stuff.

My 390 engine showed up this am. Threads on each end of the crank could be a tad better finished. Maker not changing out worn tooling often enuff I bet.

 

[Stihlofadeal64]

 

[67L36Driver]

K!!!

 

[67L36Driver]

Do I need the comp. release?
I'll have to cut a hole.

Can someone post a picture?

I bet I can make an ugly mess of this.[emoji12]

 

[Stihlofadeal64]

Do I need the comp. release?
I'll have to cut a hole.

Can someone post a picture?

I bet I can make an ugly mess of this.[emoji12]

NO! You don't need the comp release. There were quite a few 390's before Stihl came out with the comp release "do-hicky". Plug it and never look back. Leave your OEM cover (though not pictured, I'm assuming ) in tact and roll with it. A muffler mod and hopefully you'll be smiling

 

[67L36Driver]

OK. I did see some 390's on evilbay both with and without.

Yup, we drill holes in mufflers as SOP.

Been dragging my feet getting it together as I'm waiting on clutch covers from China. May have to resort to a stack of flat washers.

 

[jd548esco]

the old MS440 cleaned up pretty good with the new crancase , starter and clutch cover--