Homelite C-5 bogs in the cut

[andrethegiant70]

Sounds to me like the clutch shoes or the clutch sprocket. I would try changing the sprocket first. At 120 psi. she should run real good yet. If it idles and starts fine it has plenty of compression! Those older saws didn't have as much compression as the new ones! You should be able to pull a 14" hardnose with .404 whether the rakers are that low or not! My uncle used to cut dry frozen oak with his C-5 and ran a 28" bar with skip .404. Worked her hard but she pulled it slow. I have the larger C-7 and C-9. I have ran .404 skip with a 30" roller tip buried in oak and they both pull it without any problems!

+ 1 ...The older reed valve saws seem to tolerate lower compression numbers better than the newer piston-ported designs. 120lbs ought to be ok for that saw. Sounds like the clutch may be getting weak but I have to say I'm thinking it really may be a combinations of factors, that may or may not be limited to clutch, low rakers, and tuning. As indicated earlier, if it was just rakers, the saw would want to yank you over the log. The combination of low rakers and slipping clutch would produce the result you describe. You might also want to do a little tuning work....if you're too lean, the saw would rev like a banshee out of the cut and bog once you're in wood. I'd richen up the H screw and see what happens. Great saw, good luck!

 

[bama]

Right on Bama, glad it was so simple fer ya!
Thanks for keeping us curious ones updated, it really is appreciated by most when folks do this as, when solutions/fixes aren't posted, it sort of leaves a void as to what solutions worked or didn't, knowing this helps the helpers



Serge

Thanks. I always appreciate the follow-ups from other posters, as well.
I ended up selling the C-5 to a guy down the road from me. He ran one as a kid, so he bought it to remind him of that. He already has it torn down and stripped. Probably painted by now. Of course, I sold it for less than I had in it, but that is the way it goes, sometimes.

 

[mjbilbo]

are there any clutches of the 6 shoe type that will work on the C5? From any other model? Trying to figure out what my options might be and hoping I didn't just piss away $50 for something I will not be able to use.
Thanks for the advice

 

[GPH85]

The C5 has the same spider setup as the other C-Series saws. All that was necessary to make them a 6 shoe setup was to add the other 3 shoes to them... I'de just keep an eye out or contact some people on here. I'm sure someone would probably have 6 new shoes somewhere.

 

[mountainlake]

I adjusted the carb a bit more and found that I was losing power due to my high speed adjustment. The only way I can get it to stop the chain, now, is to try to use the dogs to leverage it in the cut. It has no trouble cutting 16" oak. Thanks for all the advice. I should have monkeyed with it before I posted it. Simple fix.

Which way did you have to turn the high jet? I'd guess open more. If your rakers were down 1/8" that would be 125 thousands, a little much but I think you wre just guessing. Steve

 

[mjbilbo]

is the best way to tune the carb at high speed to get it started in wood, close the H speed jet until max rpm's and then back it out 1/2 turn?

 

[bama]

Which way did you have to turn the high jet? I'd guess open more. If your rakers were down 1/8" that would be 125 thousands, a little much but I think you wre just guessing. Steve

Yes, I went out further. It sounded like it was 4-stroking where I had it before, but not enough power. Not a familiar type of saw for me to work on.

 

[bama]

is the best way to tune the carb at high speed to get it started in wood, close the H speed jet until max rpm's and then back it out 1/2 turn?

The best is to use a reliable tach and set it to max rpm's at WOT. You can't adjust in the cut. It must be with bar/chain on, but not cutting anything.

 

[mjbilbo]

so there will not be a lot of difference load vs no load on the motor while tuning? Am just a home firewood cutter so do not have a tack available
besides my ear.

 

[bama]

so there will not be a lot of difference load vs no load on the motor while tuning? Am just a home firewood cutter so do not have a tack available
besides my ear.

Set it on the rich side so it "4-strokes". It will over-rev if set too lean. That is where the meltdown occurs. Hopefully, someone here will be able to be more specific on the C-5 setting. I didn't do so well on my first attempt. I don't remember how far out I had the adjustments.

 

[bama]

so there will not be a lot of difference load vs no load on the motor while tuning? Am just a home firewood cutter so do not have a tack available
besides my ear.

Definitely set it up under no load. Otherwise, bad things will happen.

 

[mjbilbo]

thanks for the info bama :greenchainsaw:

 

[mjbilbo]

so then 1/2 a turn out or or rich from max rpm's with WOT? Don't know how sensitive these saws will be and if 1/4 turn one way or the other can spell the difference between a crisp, strong running saw and engine failure. Thanks for the input

 

[bama]

Normal carb adjusting starts with both low and high at one turn out. I would say that you could start to do damage if you are off by 1/8 turn or more. Depends on what kind of cutting you are doing. There were some great articles on tuning a saw, but they are no longer on the Madsens website. I thought they were up on a mirror site, but I don't see them there, either. I will do some checking. Maybe someone here has the articles I am referring to.

 

[ray benson]

Is this what you were referring to?
http://web.archive.org/web/20041225121212/www.madsens1.com/sawtune.htm

 

[mjbilbo]

I'll look these over. Thanks for the info. I am cutting at 6,600 feet so some of the 2 stroke stuff is very tempermental to tune.

 

[mjbilbo]

Ray, I tried to look the URL up and got a message saying Data Retrieval Failure. Any ideas?

 

[bama]

Is this what you were referring to?
http://web.archive.org/web/20041225121212/www.madsens1.com/sawtune.htm

Thanks, Ray. I just found the link I was looking for to this same information. I knew someone would post the info.

http://chainsawr.com/chainsaw-repair-procedures/adjusting-and-tuning-a-chainsaw-carburetor/