Rebuild or Buy new ?

[Lunker]

I have a Husky 55Rancher that just stopped working. The piston is all scratched up, and no compression.

I'm 100% sure the gas had 50:1 oil mix.

It leaves me 3 options.

have a local shop rebuild it with OEM part $400 (not gonna happen)

rebuild it myself with a bailey kit + gaskets, filters, plug etc, could use a new chain bar and chain as well, and when all said and done will probably cost me $200-250.

buy a new stihl farmboss $400.

What worries me about the rebuild is that since I know the gas had oilmix, what caused it to burn up? air leak? something else?

any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated...

 

[z71mike]

Start by pulling the jug and checking it out. Post some pics of the piston/cylinder.

 

[galde]

Those saws sometimes developed air leaks at the intake sleeve between carb and jug or at the impulse hose. If the fuel mix was good and at the right air/fuel ratio, then an air leak is likely could have caused a too-lean condition. I find good 55's and 51's regularly in the $100 - $150 range, and I would put that much money into a good used one and keep your fried saw for spare parts.

 

[sunfish]

I'd see if the cylinder could be cleaned up.
If so I'd put a meteor piston in it and call it good. less than $50.

Air leak is your cause, find and fix. Could be as simple as a fuel line...

 

[Lunker]

View attachment 302040View attachment 302041Here are a pictures.... How can one tell if there was an air leak?

View attachment 302039

 

[half_full]

I'm guessing that would clean up well enough to use it. Hard to tell from pics though.
You can pressure/vac test the saw to find the air leak.

 

[Modifiedmark]

View attachment 302040View attachment 302041Here are a pictures.... How can one tell if there was an air leak?

View attachment 302039

More then likely it did have a air leak or was just tuned too lean.

No offence at all intended but you should have cleaned that saw before you pulled that jug if you had any intentions of rebuilding it at all. All that crap on the saw will now end up down in the crankcase.

I think you maybe should buy a new saw...

 

[z71mike]

Here are a pictures.... How can one tell if there was an air leak?

All that scoring is indicative of an over-heating seizure caused by a lean condition. So like Mark says, either lean by air leak, or lean by bad carb tuning.

I think you maybe should buy a new saw...

Agreed.

 

[DexterDay]

More then likely it did have a air leak or was just tuned too lean.

No offence at all intended but you should have cleaned that saw before you pulled that jug if you had any intentions of rebuilding it at all. All that crap on the saw will now end up down in the crankcase.

I think you maybe should buy a new saw...

Yep. Should have def blown away any and all Debris with a compressor and air nozzle.

Typical exhaust side. If you never messed with the jetting. Then air leak is likely cause?

 

[Lunker]

no offense taken... I blew off most of the junk before I took it apart, and nothing went down in the rank case.... Yet

I guess I can clean the cylinder with muriatic acid, and throw in a new piston and new gaskets. But how the heck do i find the air leak?

When it stopped working, there were quite a lot of smoke that seemed to come from the starter assembly ... Would that be an indication of anything ?

I'm leaning towards buying a new saw, but I'm intrigued by the challenge of the rebuild... Kinda reminds me of rebuilding the moped back in the days....

 

[WKEND LUMBERJAK]

no offense taken... I blew off most of the junk before I took it apart, and nothing went down in the rank case.... Yet

I guess I can clean the cylinder with muriatic acid, and throw in a new piston and new gaskets. But how the heck do i find the air leak?

When it stopped working, there were quite a lot of smoke that seemed to come from the starter assembly ... Would that be an indication of anything ?

I'm leaning towards buying a new saw, but I'm intrigued by the challenge of the rebuild... Kinda reminds me of rebuilding the moped back in the days....

Buy a new saw and rebuild best of both worlds.:msp_thumbup::msp_thumbup:

 

[71dart]

no offense taken... I blew off most of the junk before I took it apart, and nothing went down in the rank case.... Yet

I guess I can clean the cylinder with muriatic acid, and throw in a new piston and new gaskets. But how the heck do i find the air leak?

When it stopped working, there were quite a lot of smoke that seemed to come from the starter assembly ... Would that be an indication of anything ?

I'm leaning towards buying a new saw, but I'm intrigued by the challenge of the rebuild... Kinda reminds me of rebuilding the moped back in the days....

As half full said you'll need to do a vac./pressure test to find the air leak. Do a search for it. You can use a bicycle inner tube in place of the muffler gasket and carb./intake gasket and on that model you'll need to rig up a way to perform the test through the spark plug hole. Bust the white insulator part off of a spark plug, slip the male threads of an air hose barb into it and seal it all up with JB weld. Once dry, screw that into your spark plug hole and run the test. There's many different ways to do the test but I use a mighty vac 8500.

 

[bucknfeller]

I've seen a dozen or more 55's with cracked/split fuel lines, right in between the air box, and the tank. They flex right there, and it is usually the first place to go bad, pull your fuel line out and check for that. I'd bet that cylinder will clean up, most of the damage is below the exhaust port. If you do rebuild it, get a new impulse grommet, they are pretty cheap, and the old ones dry up and won't seal properly. Be careful with the carb screws, they screw into that plastic partition, and are prone to stripping. A pressure/vac test is a must any time you rebuild a saw.

If you're used to running that 55, and you go buy a farmboss, I'd be willing to bet you won't be happy with it.

 

[bucknfeller]

You also need to clean everything thoroughly, and flush out the crankcase with fuel mix several times. I know you said nothing fell in there, but it only takes a tiny bit of gunk or grit to take out the bearings.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I know with ear plugs and all you may not notice it. But, it is a good idea to rev a saw up no load every now and then to check what it sounds like. With a little experience you won't let it happen again.

 

[Lunker]

Now that you mention it, it sounded odd before it died, almost like the muffler had a hole in it or something.... Guess I should have stopped cutting ...doh!!

 

[Philip Wheelock]

There's a Husky 55 on ebay here. Maybe get that or another 55 so you can get some work done and fix your 55 when you have time or keep it for parts. Don't spend money on an MS290.

 

[Lunker]

That eBay one might be worth bidding on, thanks. How do you guys feel about the Husky 450 Rancher?

 

[Philip Wheelock]

...How do you guys feel about the Husky 450 Rancher?

My cousin across the street has a 450; good power and starts easily.

 

[sunfish]

That eBay one might be worth bidding on, thanks. How do you guys feel about the Husky 450 Rancher?

450 is a decent plastic case homeowner grade saw, similar to the ms290, but better in my opinion. Better metal case models would be 545, 555, 550xp. Or if you can find one, 353, 346xp, 359, 357xp...