Homelite xl 12 saw missing plate and paint worn off

[Dieselshawn]

Hello, I have a homelite maybe xl 12 with green handle, orange body, white/green recoil cover, manual oiler and oil fill at the top near gas cap.

It's missing the tag and the paint has rubbed off on the cover.

Internet keeps pointing to blue/white xl12.

Anyone know what saw I have? It's needing crank bearings and seals but not exactly sure what model it is.

Thanks

 

[SkippyKtm]

A pic REALLY would help...
Too much guessing otherwise...

 

[gmax]

My guess would be a homelite XL automatic

View attachment 314156

 

[a. palmer jr.]

If it has an automatic oiler there's a good chance it's a Super XL, if it doesn't it may be an XL12. Also, in my experience the front handlebar goes all the way under the saw on the Super XL and if it's an XL12 the handlebar doesn't go under the saw, it stops at the corner of the starter assembly and is attached with 2 screws there.

 

[Dieselshawn]

I'll have to go back to the saw shop and take a pic of it.

Gmax: that's what it looks like but manual oiler. have to pump it and 16 inch bar.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I'll have to go back to the saw shop and take a pic of it.

Gmax: that's what it looks like but manual oiler. have to pump it and 16 inch bar.

The Super XL has a manual oiler also+the automatic oiler.

 

[rednecksawman]

if i remember right the xl12 oil cap is at the back kinda under the saw ans the superxl is on the top on the side across from the gas cap.

 

[Dieselshawn]

Ok, found the plate: I can make out the xl in the faded paint.

Type:10003.##Serial : 02580103.###

Let me know if this helps somewhat.

 

[pioneerguy600]

I'll have to go back to the saw shop and take a pic of it.

Gmax: that's what it looks like but manual oiler. have to pump it and 16 inch bar.

Look again, the XL is a manual oiler and multi coplored. The XL12 and Super XLA never came with parts colored like yours has, they were either blue and white, all red or all blue.

 

[workshop]

They also made one red with a green recoil housing. With a white bow tie on the recoil housing that said Homelite. A special edition I believe. I repaired it a couple of years ago for a lady I work with.

 

[pioneerguy600]

They also made one red with a green recoil housing. With a white bow tie on the recoil housing that said Homelite. A special edition I believe. I repaired it a couple of years ago for a lady I work with.

Was this a XL12 or a SXLA,..?

 

[Sprintcar]

Made by Terry Industries of Canada. Never seen one in person.

I think it is the same as a SXLAO, maybe wrong, maybe right.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Made by Terry Industries of Canada. Never seen one in person.

I think it is the same as a SXLAO, maybe wrong, maybe right.

They appear to have the parts of a SXLAO but were they labeled as one?

 

[Sprintcar]

They appear to have the parts of a SXLAO but were they labeled as one?

If I remember the labeling on some of the farmed out saws were different than the Port Chester saws. I have seen a Homelite model 36 that was based on the 360 and I know they made a model 35 based on the 350. Jerry I have heard, but never seen a model 41, based on the 410 and a model 54 based on the 540. I am looking for the John Deere model based on the 540 or the 8800. Now that is a rare saw.

Jerry

 

[Eccentric]

There was a mind boggling variety of these saws built over the 30+ year life span of the series. I've seen one red/white/green Super XL Automatic (not a SXL-AO, although they're largely the same except for badging and colors) in addition to many red/white/green and blue/white XL Automatics (most with no manual oiler), some blue/white Super XL Automatics, and one red/black XL Automatic (with no manual oiler).

Then there's the blue/white XL-12's (got a really nice one), red/white XL-15's (had one), blue/white XL Automatic gear drives, Super XL-Automatic Gear Drives (not sure what colors they were as I've only seen a B/W IPL), blue white Super XL-12's (had one), various flavors of red and red/black SXL-AO's (everybody has at least one), late red/black XL-12's (got one that's a parts saw), yellow/black John Deere branded SXL-AO's, black Canadian department store SXL-AO's (can't remember the store name or the model #.......but they had chainbrakes), late blue "Old Blue" labeled SXL-AO's, late blue SXL-AO "Limited Edition" saws, etc etc etc.

Soon I'm going to start a thread for folks to post pictures and data for the multitude of saws in this series. I'll shoot pics of what I've got to start, and we'll roll from there. Hoping to compile a good collection of photos of the various models (hopefully with descriptions of the unique charactaristics/parts/etc that they have). Will also attempt to discuss the changes in parts (carbs, ignitions, intake types, oiler types, etc). Arrowhead (Ed) came up with the idea. He'll be starting a similar thread for the E-Z/Super E-Z/XL-1/XL-Mini/E-Z 250/etc series. That'll be interesting, as Homelite went ape#### with all of the running parts changes on that series....

 

[Dieselshawn]

Sprintcar: That's how mine looks, oil cap on top near gas cap, but with a 4 slot muffler.

I've always had to pump the oil, no idea if it's automatic either.

 

[Eccentric]

Sprintcar: That's how mine looks, oil cap on top near gas cap, but with a 4 slot muffler.

I've always had to pump the oil, no idea if it's automatic either.

If the oil fill cap is up top/front (and there's a large brass or plastic plug with a screwdriver slot next to the cap), then your saw has the auto oiler pump. The manual oiler only saws have the fill cap down at the bottom/rear of the saw near the cylinder (as others have stated). The manual oiler and auto oiler saws have different drivecase and oil/fuel tank castings.

I've seen one extremely interesting exception to that. Ckelp (Dave) has a manual oiler only Super XL variant which has the auto oiler saw drivecase with the filler up top/front. The plug next to the cap (which is actually the threaded oil pickup body on the AO equipped saws) is not there however. There's a welch type plug in it's place. VERY strange. Dave's saw also has the 4 petal pyramid reed setup. VERY unusual on a manual oiler only variant of this series.

Here's Dave's extremely interesting (at least to this saw geek) Super XL. You can see the welch plug by the filler hole on what is 'normally' an auto oiler type drivecase.

Here's the 'normal' fill location for a manual oiler only variant in this series. In this case, it's an XL-15 gear drive that somebody 'converted' to direct drive using a regular clutch drum and an SXL-AO clutch cover.

If you look closely through the grime, you can see the head of the threaded brass oil pickup body (next to the cap) on this Super XL Automatic (which of course has the auto oiler).

If you're having oiler issues, I suggest you carefully unscrew the oil pickup body and inspect the pickup tube and screen that hang below it. If that tube gets soft it'll pinch flat like a tapeworm, cutting off oil flow. Same thing if the screen gets clogged with chips and such. I have a very nice SXL-AO that suddenly stopped oiling. Turned out the tube had softened and was doing the tapeworm thing. Replacing the tube cured the issue.

 

[Dieselshawn]

Eccentric: I'll have to get a closer look. The manual pump works, but the automatic (if it has one) may have a bad tube pinching off the oil supply?

 

[Eccentric]

Eccentric: I'll have to get a closer look. The manual pump works, but the automatic (if it has one) may have a bad tube pinching off the oil supply?

That's where I'd look. Plugged AO tube pickup and/or soft/pinching pickup tube. Use a large flat head screwdriver to unscrew the pickup body and lift it out (remove the cap first). Should have a short length of tube with a screened metal pickup hanging below it.

 

[Dieselshawn]

Eccentric: Thank you, I'll check it over. First I am trying to determine the exact model so I can get some crank bearings and seals if I ever find them.

I'll go and take some pics tomorrow and post on here. It's in pieces in a box right now.

This homelite is my Dad's saw and my first saw I ever used. The last time I used it I raced a ms260 and running neck and neck down a 30" tree that fell over in a storm. The saw shut off 3/4 of the way down and a billowing cloud of smoke came out of it. Everyone watching laughed that it blew up to them.

The 260 finished, I pulled the rope on the homelite, it started and :jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: from everyone and finished cutting.

The ms260 blew up 10 minutes later. oooopsss.

The guy was not happy and ms260 was given to me for free

The stilh 260 became the "Abnormal" after I rebuilt it.

So there's a lot of sentimental value to this little Homelite.