homelite xl12 no spark. Solid state, blue coil. Now what?

[ANewSawyer]

Got an old Homelite XL12 with no spark. It is a friends saw that I am working on. I don't know if it has points or solid state. I need to find that out asap. Can I find out without tearing into the saw? The guy showed me it had no spark. He grabbed the sparkplug and yanked on the starter rope for a while as we talked. I don't think there is spark there...

Anyway, new project! If I get it running, I would like to replace the safety chain with a better chain, which would please the owner. It is wearing 0.050 3/8ths. Don't know the DL count yet,

 

[ANewSawyer]

Yes, he did have the start switch in the "on" position. He said fresh gas. I would change it but no point until we have FIRE!

 

[67L36Driver]

You have to pull the recoil cover and look. Four screws and a spade connection on the kill switch.

Look for a wire running from the coil to under the flywheel. If it is there, you have points.

Points are sturdy like a stone age man. Bite the bullet and pull the flywheel. Remove the points and use a soft and then a hard arkansas stone to grind them smooth and flat. Reinstall, set gap and you are good to go.

Note: The next 'bad' condensor witll be the first I've seen. And, why spend money on a 'Nova' chip when you have to have a good coil in the first place.

 

[hotshot]

Note: The next 'bad' condensor witll be the first I've seen. And, why spend money on a 'Nova' chip when you have to have a good coil in the first place.

On the old Homelites you're right, but the old Stihls fail a lot. Here's an open one...no capacitance at all.

 

[pioneerguy600]

The electronic modules failed in those saws real often and are getting hard to find. The points /condenser saws hardly ever pack it in completely, usually as already stated the points need to be cleaned and reset, the contacts need to be really shiny bare metal and they will go on for almost ever.

 

[ANewSawyer]

It is solid state, blue coil. I did clean the spring that connects to the spark plug.

 

[67L36Driver]

It is solid state, blue coil. I did clean the spring that connects to the spark plug.

Then U R screwed.

I have a Pioneer Farmsaw II siting here same deal. Blue coil blues.

 

[ANewSawyer]

I am still going to try it because some one on here resurrected a saw just by cleaning the spring. The spring was pretty clean on this saw.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Then U R screwed.

I have a Pioneer Farmsaw II siting here same deal. Blue coil blues.

Only a hundred bucks or so to fix it Carl !

 

[ANewSawyer]

Shucks. I hate that we seem to know what is wrong but it is so expensive.

 

[pioneerguy600]

I have tossed more than a hundred XL 12`s and SXL`s in the dumpsters when those modules go out, just no sense keeping them around.

 

[ANewSawyer]

I would tell the guy "get a parts saw" but I bet it won't have spark either...

 

[pioneerguy600]

I would tell the guy "get a parts saw" but I bet it won't have spark either...

They seldom do, most of them up for sale don`t have spark. The older points saws just keep on running and cutting wood. I have two clients that still cut up their firewood with early points XL12`s that I have maintained since the early 70`s.

 

[pops21]

Has anyone ever tried to bake the coil in a oven. Give it a try. Just keep watch of it to make sure it does not start burning. I fixed a guys that I work with that way. Try it what can you loose. By the way they have to get pretty hot. I used a small toaster oven set to 450. The coil started to melt. Trust me I think I peed my pants when the saw started and ran.

 

[67L36Driver]

Only a hundred bucks or so to fix it Carl !

Not happening here. Just saving it for parts.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Has anyone ever tried to bake the coil in a oven. Give it a try. Just keep watch of it to make sure it does not start burning. I fixed a guys that I work with that way. Try it what can you loose. By the way they have to get pretty hot. I used a small toaster oven set to 450. The coil started to melt. Trust me I think I peed my pants when the saw started and ran.

Yes, and out of 20 or so it worked for me on three of them.

 

[hotshot]

Email Joyce by searching for "ChainsawLady", as she may still have some modules & is great to deal with.

Is the casting name on the flywheel Phelon or Wico? One of those you can just change out with Poulan solid state module by pressing the laminated frame out & swapping the black modules out

 

[pioneerguy600]

Email Joyce by searching for "ChainsawLady", as she may still have some modules & is great to deal with.

Is the casting name on the flywheel Phelon or Wico? One of those you can just change out with Poulan solid state module by pressing the laminated frame out & swapping the black modules out

I believe a lot of the blue modules were made by Prestolite also, the outer blue jacket just wraps around the regular dark black inner core, maybe to make it easily identifiable.

 

[olyman]

cant none of these, be made to run,,with the little electronic modules made?? the atom ones,or other brands???

 

[ANewSawyer]

It is a Wico flywheel. I grounded the plug with a screwdriver and pulled her over. After I flipped the switch to on, she gave one weak yellow spark then nothing.