400c Rumors… or just internet trolls.

[JKendrick87]

Has anyone heard anything negative about the 400c? Someone on a fb chainsaw repair page was claiming that he knows of several 400c’s with pistons melted down on fairly new machines. Not sure if this guy is just a hater or is there some truth to these claims?

 

[huskihl]

Has anyone heard anything negative about the 400c? Someone on a fb chainsaw repair page was claiming that he knows of several 400c’s with pistons melted down on fairly new machines. Not sure if this guy is just a hater or is there some truth to these claims?

I’m in the same groups. There are a couple with issues, but it’s the 1%, or .1% that we hear about. Only the failures get mentioned and repeated to their friends. Pretty quick that 1 saw that got mentioned to 5 friends and then got mentioned to each of their friends. Now 25 guys are bítching about the model being junk, but in reality those 25 experiences are all about the same 1 saw

 

[Franny K]

Isn't the magnesium piston supposed to be able to melt down without damaging the cylinder? I read something along those lines on here most likely. I doubt melt down is a good way to phrase some sort of seizure.

 

[bwalker]

Isn't the magnesium piston supposed to be able to melt down without damaging the cylinder? I read something along those lines on here most likely. I doubt melt down is a good way to phrase some sort of seizure.

When a meltdown occurs its the rings you have to worry about, not the pistons regardless if they are aluminum or magnesium.

 

[bwalker]

It will be years before we know the long term reliability of the 400C. Thus far mine has been fine save a bad coil that gave me some head aches.
However, I also had an early Husky 562xp that most call a problematic saw. I ran the snot out of for years with zero issues.

 

[farmer steve]

I'm also in some of those groups. It's usually is one guy that shouldn't be running a chainsaw to begin with and then cries when he blows it up from running pi$$ poor mix or a chain so dull you couldn't cut butter with it. When you call them out they tell you to go watch YouTube.

 

[sean donato]

Had mine 2 years now, zero issues. If there was any major issues there should be tons of threads about it by now. Not 25 guys on wastebook crying about one saw that 24 of them have never seen.

 

[jltrent]

There is always that one. The NASA space shuttle is not perfect with the best engineers in the world.

 

[Lightning Performance]

It's like a shampoo commercial from the 1970s. Tell two friends, rinse and repeat.

The 400 was the dream of having a bad ass 361 except they cheaped out on bigger crank bearings to save weight. Besides that everything else is quite solid from the real users feedback. I ran two of these when they were factory demos just getting here. Rodney had one in PA quite a few years ago. Somebody else had one that same year. Was lucky enough to be the first one to fuel and run it. By tank two it is starting to come around. Ran one at another gtg broken in and it wasn't too bad in stock trim. Good mids to dig in with a 20" bar. Overall it had the least hiccups of newer models compared to the 661 and 441.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Has anyone heard anything negative about the 400c? Someone on a fb chainsaw repair page was claiming that he knows of several 400c’s with pistons melted down on fairly new machines. Not sure if this guy is just a hater or is there some truth to these claims?

The sky is falling

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Only seen a few posted there myself so far, so dont know where that amount came from.

Most guys I talk to that own them love them.

Pic of one a guy posted. looked like pin came out on. Nope made pic bigger I can see pin still there.

I was just pricing piston and p+c kits for them too.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Only seen a few posted there myself so far, so dont know where that amount came from.

Most guys I talk to that own them love them.

Pic of one a guy posted. looked like pin came out on.

I was just pricing piston and p+c kits for them too.

View attachment 1136665

Likely it was overheated, pinched the pin and lifted it from the seat hole. Expanded rings grab like vice grips on the ring pins. Notice all the black soot on the sides?
It was clearly overheated.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

I just read current 400 thread. No such info I can find.

All I read was happy 400 owners and techs saying guys switching to 400 from the 562's over having 15 562 waiting for bearings right now in shop.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Found a thread back in Jan 2023. Dealer talking about thinning crews burning them up. They said they think because they dont warm them up. Then just peg them for commercial thinning.

Also just a couple saws not nothing like OP is going on about. He must be on page not group

Dealer - I've gotten a few 400's in already from contractors doing commercial thinning and similar work with completely blown up top ends.
Like catastrophic damage, piston grenade inside and taking out both the cylinder and crankcase. All that after just a couple months of use.

OP send me a message with link so I can read this too. Dont seem to be on CR group FB.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Likely it was overheated, pinched the pin and lifted it from the seat hole. Expanded rings grab like vice grips on the ring pins. Notice all the black soot on the sides?
It was clearly overheated.

I made pic bigger. Pin still there. That was from a dealer back in Jan.

 

[LuDookie]

I'm also in some of those groups. It's usually is one guy that shouldn't be running a chainsaw to begin with and then cries when he blows it up from running pi$$ poor mix or a chain so dull you couldn't cut butter with it. When you call them out they tell you to go watch YouTube.

In 20+ years, not sure I’ve met more than one person that should be running anything but an electric saw with a brand new chain on it.

 

[altatim]

Anyone can say that a saw is bad just because they don't want to take responsibility for not knowing how to run a saw lol

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

I tagged you there John. I want to see this thread with all these melted down 400's you talk about?

I can only find a couple from the dealers that posted them above.

New oem piston is only 75 by what a dealer just showed me. Topend kit was 389.

 

[Lightning Performance]

I made pic bigger. Pin still there. That was from a dealer back in Jan.

Just because it's still there doesn't mean it didn't walk out to start the carnage. I have 394xp piston where the pin became a rattle. Fell out when the piston was removed. Not scored ir scratched. Strange days indeed.

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

John got back over there. It was some stihl group. That explains it all. =
It was someone on Stihl owners worldwide saying he knows of several that have melted down.