Homelite XL-12

[Cipher]

Hello im new here so take it easy on me lol,

anyhow, i have just got myself a Homelite XL-12 chainsaw for next to nothing due to it being seized solid, im a mechanic so its going to be a small project for me to get done over the next few months but is there anything that i should look out for when im stripping it down?

my dad has just told me when he was working in the woods he seen one of these but that was 40 years ago lol, it has the manual oiler and no chain break so how old would mine be?

 

[andrethegiant70]

Hello im new here so take it easy on me lol,

Why, whatever do you mean? :greenchainsaw:

 

[andrethegiant70]

They were fairly groundbreaking in their day in terms of power to weight ratio, and are still considered to be good firewood saws, notwithstanding the very sore thumb you'll have once you're finished using it. Lots of low end power and a wide, homeowner-friendly powerband. Great sound, too. I don't think the xl-12 EVER had a chain brake, nor did any of its derivatives which, by the way, included auto oiler versions, which are a bit more desirable. They did receive knuckle guards at some point, though. The only way to truly "DATE" your saw would be using the serial number near the on/off switch, presuming the cover on which the number lives is original.

New parts for this saw are very hard to come by.... you might get lucky, but you might just want to consider a parts saw to get things moving along, as there are lots of them out there.

It sounds like a good litle project... have you ever hear the acronym "CAD?" I'm just curious.

 

[Cipher]

It sounds like a good litle project... have you ever hear the acronym "CAD?" I'm just curious.

nope i dont even know what it is, please tell .

the saw its self has a knuckle gaurd which my dad said was a chain brake untill he tryed and said "this thing must be an antique", i will try and get some pictures up soon , i have them on my phone but i have mislayed the wire lol.

 

[andrethegiant70]

Chainsaw Aquisition Disorder. It afflicts most folks here. Its complicated, but let's just say you should clear some shop space. This is a very slippery slope. Welcome to the site!!

 

[Cipher]

lol, well my dad has an old jonsred (dont ask what model lol) which we have been trying to get running right for ages now, the carb screws are really badly worn so when it is running the screws come un-done and makes it run really bad lol.

i currently have a bet going saying that i can get this relic to run again and better than the jonsred lol.

anyways here are some pictures of my newly accuired homelite .

as you can see it looks in good condition but i really need to get it stripped down and unseized

 

[alderman]

Something to think about

My father and I had two of these seize up and took them into the shop to repair. Turns out a screw had backed out on both of them and got bound so they wouldn't turn over. Others on here have mentioned it before with these saws and may have more info as to what screw and how to fix it.

Incidentally I still fire mine up from time to time just for kicks.

 

[Cipher]

hmmm sounds like a simple fix, i will try and get more info on that .

i certainly dont think my dad would be pleased if i managed to get it running tomorrow after just tightening a screw lol, that would be an extra £5 in my pocket anyways lol.

 

[Scooterbum]

Pull the starter cover off and look in and around the flywheel.Case bolts will sometimes back out and lock it up.

 

[Cipher]

yeh ill get that done in the morning when i have access to more tools and there is some daylight.

i was wondering how big the engine was in these chainsaws?, from looking at it i would rekon its quite small for a chainsaw but who knows lol.

 

[jeeptj19992001]

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...a17d735d551f0f1e88256b78005f6a7b?OpenDocument

 

[Cipher]

hmmm 54cc, not bad if im not mistaken .

my main worry is right now that the engine is seized due to the piston getting locked up in the bore or the crankshaft has snapped, but in my way of thinking it is pretty rare for this to happen due to it being a 2-stroke rather than a 4-stroke where the oil in the sump can get to watery and cause the main bearing to seize or the piston to get to hot and expand in the bore causing serious damage.

so what do you guys think, is it possible for the engine to lock up due to not enough oil etc?

sorry if im going on a bit, im really tired and im going to bed after this post lol, im hoping for a few replies in the morning .

 

[andrethegiant70]

Yes, these can lock up just like any other 2-stroke... straight gas or FOD. However, it really didn't happen that much with these saws. More than anything, their rings just got tired and they lost compression. I recently inherited a Mac 10-10 that everyone ASSUMED was locked up... turns out the rewind was buggered. It was running inside an hour. Tear into it, you could easily get lucky on an XL-12.

 

[lawnmowertech37]

may i make a suggestion on parts for these saws they are not hard to find me kyle and some others have parts for the xl 12 i know i have a crank for one

calvin

 

[jeeptj19992001]

the last "LOCKED UP" saw i got was locked up alright, with mud wasp nest.

 

[Cipher]

well today, i got stuck into the saw with a load of spanners and screwdrivers, my dad was watching me and said that it was likley to be the crank that was seized after seeing that all the screws were tight in the case.

anyhow i got a big mofo of an ajustable spanner and put that on the shaft and wham, it was loose then i got some wd-40 and sprayed some into the open carb and turned the engine over a good few times, then some 3 in 1 oil which i left sitting for about 10 mins while i put the starter case back on, so i flicked the power switch to off and gave it a good few pull to get it all lubed up, then i added some premixed petrol and 2-stroke oil and bam, it started within 5 mins of pulling and shaking, what a rip it makes when you open it up, my ears hurt after a pew good blasts lol.

now all i need to do is get the bar and chain back on then its:greenchainsaw: time lol.

 

[abohac]

Hello im new here so take it easy on me lol,

anyhow, i have just got myself a Homelite XL-12 chainsaw for next to nothing due to it being seized solid, im a mechanic so its going to be a small project for me to get done over the next few months but is there anything that i should look out for when im stripping it down?

my dad has just told me when he was working in the woods he seen one of these but that was 40 years ago lol, it has the manual oiler and no chain break so how old would mine be?

I'm going to gues the early '70's. I had an XL12 super but it was red (newer). I bought that saw in 1974. Was a great saw (until anti-vibration stuff came out).

 

[spike60]

well today, i got stuck into the saw with a load of spanners and screwdrivers, my dad was watching me and said that it was likley to be the crank that was seized after seeing that all the screws were tight in the case.

anyhow i got a big mofo of an ajustable spanner and put that on the shaft and wham, it was loose then i got some wd-40 and sprayed some into the open carb and turned the engine over a good few times, then some 3 in 1 oil which i left sitting for about 10 mins while i put the starter case back on, so i flicked the power switch to off and gave it a good few pull to get it all lubed up, then i added some premixed petrol and 2-stroke oil and bam, it started within 5 mins of pulling and shaking, what a rip it makes when you open it up, my ears hurt after a pew good blasts lol.

now all i need to do is get the bar and chain back on then its:greenchainsaw: time lol.

So, I guess you won the bet, right?

Good work.

 

[Cipher]

yeh, i won that bet but my dad wont pay up lol, i was having a look at the clutch to see if it was all good and i hmmm accidently forgot the bell housing wasnt on and started her up :censored: i managed to find 2 of the metal pads but i couldnt find the springs or the other pad .

i was wondering tho if it might be possible to swap the bar, chain and all the clutch stuff from my dads jonsered?

 

[Cipher]

ohhh dam, just had a look on google and there inst any clutches that look like mine for sale , what should i do?

there is a chainsaw repair shop along the road from me which i will visit on monday if i cant figure out what i should do, until then im going out to have another look lol.