Anybody have problems with screws loosening up on Husky 372's? I have rebuilt several and it seems like the side cover screws back out, are you using anything on them? Thanks
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- Thread starter kz1000
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I have not had personal problems like that in the chainsaws. It is a design limitation with magnesium and I have had that sort of problems in other magnesium stuff. Pretty sure thread fatigue is a good reason for buying new if you are a commercial user. I think I have read such on here at some point.
Big_Wood
westcoast dweller
the problem for most guys is the fact they limp wrist the screws tight out of fear of stripping them. there is also the fact that nearly all saws new from the dealer will have some screws loosen off the bat cause the manufacturer torque is just snug. like a 1/16 turn past finger tight LOL. every saw i get i go over all screws tightening them how i always do and i never have them come loose even without loctite. i've done trades with members here where i can't believe how loose they left some of their fasteners. use them in the woods where you gotta rely on them not falling apart and you'll soon figure out how tight the fasteners need to be. of course none are gonna come lose cutting a tank worth of cookies once every couple months LOL
I don't have many problems with metal to metal, I think that I fear the plastic to metal on the recoils and such. I usually tighten to the point of having a half twist in the t-handle on metal parts.
Nothing new with Huskys rattling themselves apart, lock washers and deformed nuts on the muffler studs are a good idea also.
spindrift7mm
Changing the World One Saw at a time !
On a work saw you tighten screws if they strip you fix'em. Ken
It's not a biggie, I just had a person that I sold a saw to tell me that three or four screws had backed out. I may have let it out the door without that last once over.
I have in years past spent a little too much time rummaging through the leaves, sawdust and understory looking for fasteners that had fallen out of the Orange saws I was running as well as a few that the crew were running. I find the Stihl style/type screws stay in better, actually I have yet to loose one and I have been running them since around 1990.
Big_Wood
westcoast dweller
i find the stihl fasteners way better too. i really do. husky's have what they have though and if your losing them your not tightening them tight enough. i have some husky saws that i haven't even taken a screwdriver to in forever because nothing vibrates lose for me. no loctite on them either. just unclip the filter cover, clean filter, and reinstall. that's all some ever need. people often use those wiha T handles to work on saws but they don't get the husky screws tight enough and if you actually turn them enough the get them tight enough it is hard to know what torque your at because of the twisting in the tool. i got a few solid t handles that don't twist for the finishing torque of the husky bolts. when i say they don't loosen for me i mean during actual use too. my saws hardly ever sit.
Perry pioneer
ArboristSite Guru
Yeah I worry about striping them out I hate thread repair, blue locktite for me.
spindrift7mm
Changing the World One Saw at a time !
I've found a lot of the older falling saws with threads almost worn out. When I get a well used 066 out of the woods to be ported I test the cylinder screws with my tee handle torx. If the threads feel soft, rough or anything but perfect I Timesert all 4 of them. You can get away with a stripped recoil screw or even a case screw but not a cylinder screw. Ken
gomoto69
ArboristSite Operative
I use a quality thread sealer on any bolts that pass through into the crankcase or oil tank, but otherwise don't use locktite. It is a fine line between loose and over tight, pulling threads beyond repair. I haven't worked on many stihls, but find husky at least smart enough to have screws for top cover and air filter captive when loose, maybe that's just my old models, don't know. I was cursing working on my dads 028 when i turned the top cover over and all the screws fell on the floor, wasn't ready for that!
I guess I am in the minority so far. I use a torque wrench for all my screws but then I don't do this for a living so time is not money for me. So far, I have not had any bolts back out on me. Like gomoto69, I use Loctite on all bolt that pass into the crankcase, mostly to prevent air leaks. I also will use it on any bolts that Husky has put thread locker on - the pawl bolts on the flywheel come to mind.
It does surprise me what the spec'ed torque feels like, especially for exhaust bolts and flywheel nuts - they just feel like something should strip. I did have a screw (M3) that holds the oil pump for a 242 strip out when torqued but I believe the crankcase may have had a touch of white death that had eaten a couple of the innermost threads. But to be safe I no longer torque that one so much (3.5 Nm rather than spec'd 4 Nm).
It does surprise me what the spec'ed torque feels like, especially for exhaust bolts and flywheel nuts - they just feel like something should strip. I did have a screw (M3) that holds the oil pump for a 242 strip out when torqued but I believe the crankcase may have had a touch of white death that had eaten a couple of the innermost threads. But to be safe I no longer torque that one so much (3.5 Nm rather than spec'd 4 Nm).
