Anyone ever cracked a piston using a piston stop??

[superduty5.4guy]

You guessed it, i get the moron of the day award. I was just cleaning up the ole' MS660 and checking everything over to make sure shes good for spring when I decided I might as well pull the clutch off and clean all the gunk behind there since I got the saw used and it's probably never been cleaned under there. So I pull the plug and put the piston stop in and slowly turn the clutch until the piston bottoms on the piston stop, umph the wrench a little (not like holy crap umph but a nice stiff umph), and feel something break loose, it made me shudder immediately because I knew it didnt have the feeling of threads breaking loose. I thought "Oh no!" and pulled the piston stop and saw a nice dent with a couple thin cracks leading to it in the top of the piston. Needless to say, there were plenty of swear words involved but I knew at that point in time there was no undoing it. So I immediately started the teardown and got a new piston on order. I just want to kick myself in the a@$ so bad. I know I am an absolute idiot but please tell me someone else has done this to make me feel a little better. At least now I have a good excuse to check out every single thing on the saw but I wish it wouldnt have happened this way. :bang: Have mercy on the picking fun at me because I already know I am an idiot doing this.

 

[Fish]

It is always a possibility, which is why I never use one, it seems to focus
a lot of stress on a small area. The offset plastic ones look better suited,
but I always us an impact, or impact action.

 

[spacemule]

Which direction were you turning the clutch? It's a left handed thread.

 

[superduty5.4guy]

Yeah I was turning it the correct direction. I almost thought about throwing the impact on it without the piston stop but i've used the piston stop so many times with no issues i didnt even think twice about it.

 

[Mad Professor]

1/4" braided nylon rope, just don't get it in a port.

 

[madhatte]

Once watched a (very experienced!) mechanic poke a hole in the top of an old flat-top 066's piston using a screwdriver as a stop... and an air ratchet. BRR-RRR-RRR-APPP-PING! Saw's got a Bailey's BB kit on it now. Dunno to this day what he was thinking.

 

[Trigger Man]

Once watched a (very experienced!) mechanic poke a hole in the top of an old flat-top 066's piston using a screwdriver as a stop... and an air ratchet. BRR-RRR-RRR-APPP-PING! Saw's got a Bailey's BB kit on it now. Dunno to this day what he was thinking.

I'd say he was'nt thinking! What did you say after you seen that?lol

 

[madhatte]

I said, "You'll want to check out www.baileysonline.com".

 

[Trigger Man]

I said, "You'll want to check out www.baileysonline.com".

I hope it was'nt your 066. Damn.

 

[madhatte]

I hope it was'nt your 066. Damn.

Naw. Lucky me, too, since, according to the "rules", he's supposed to be the guy who works on my saws, but I just built my own shop, and maintain my own fleet, because it's cheaper and faster than going through "channels". Still, he's a guy with a lot of years' experience, and I've learned more than a few useful tricks from him, so I'm in no position to bad-mouth him. He knows his business. He just makes mistakes like any of us do. That right there, for example, is a mistake I will never make, because I have seen first-hand how it works out. We both learned a lesson. I call that a two-fer!

 

[gmax]

I've always used rope, jamming a piston against a metal piston stop looks risky to me.

 

[Fish]

I don't jam the piston, too risky.

 

[Tzed250]

I don't jam the piston, too risky.

I've never used a stop...


.

 

[GlenM]

I've always used rope, jamming a piston against a metal piston stop looks risky to me.

Ditto !

 

[rob066]

I also use rope in the cylinder. Atleast using rope you are working on the entire surface area of the piston. Rope also has a slight give to it. I never had a problem using rope. It especially works good on high torque saws that the clutch is screwed on real tight.

 

[nmurph]

one word- IMPACT.

 

[superduty5.4guy]

Thats a good idea with the nylon rope. Thats what the dealer told me to do when I was talking to him about ordering the piston yesterday (I'm an oem parts dweeb kinda guy). He said what he does is turn it just so the piston is above the ports so you dont get any rope jammed in there and then stuff as much as possible into the cylinder. I was like " Wow, i'm an idiot, why could't I think of something like that". Oh well live and learn, I'm young yet so I am definately still learning things every day, unfortunately at my expense haha. It just really surprised the heck out of me because I have used the piston stop method numerous times, all with no issues, then I use it on my most expensive saw.... and then i biff it up. :bang:. And yes the piston stop has now been trown in the trash can, never again will it hurt one of my babies .

And by the way, what is the proper method for using an impact for doing this? I was just always afraid that between hits of the impact if there was any slop between anything, on the next hit it could put some serious pressure on things... and lead to what I have now lol.

Also, one last thing, does anyone know what the cost of just the oem piston is? I just told the dealer to order it because I'm going to buy it either way and never asked the price (too scared haha) but just wondering if anyone had an approximate price.

 

[belgian]

Lakeside always warned explicitely for use of impact guns. I have seen some stubborn clutches on oldie saws in the past few years, but the rope never has let me down.

 

[superduty5.4guy]

So you used an impact with the rope, or just a wrench when using the rope?

 

[rob066]

one word- IMPACT.

I used an impact gun one time only. I was removing a clutch from an 066. The impact from the gun broke one of the shoes in half.