So I rolled the dice.... Echo CS-590

[MikeRC]

"If it sounds too good to be true it probably is."
FB Marketplace CS-590 "Currently does not run" $100
Figured i'd risked more money on worse gambles, so I bought it, hoping for the best, expecting the worst.
I am not a tree guy, no living/income involved. I'm retired, and like messing with small power equipment.
It pulled over, decomp valve was in, comp. was a little low. Didn't make any untoward banging or clanking noises, so I bought it.
Got it home, started cleaning/ disassembly. Compression was 60 (with decomp valve pulled out). Could see pretty bad scoring on piston through exhaust port, intake side looked pretty OK. In fact, could still see crosshatch in intake side of piston. Today pulled the cylinder, it's toast. Rod has a good amount of side to side play, nothing up & down, slight bit of rocking motion. P&V test before disassembly was perfect. Feels like a slight tight spot in one of the crank bearings, not sure if it's a bearing, or something else rotational. Bearings feel smooth except for the one slight tight spot. So here are the questions:
1. How much side play is supposed to be in the big end rod brg? Rod does not look discolored, but no spec is given in the service manual I rcvd here.
2. From pix, what is best guess at what happened? Seller said it was NOT straight gassed, but that's my guess.
3. Limiter caps are intact, don't look like they were ever touched. Lean from factory?
4. How stupid must I be to put $175 parts (p/c, gasket & brake handle) into a $100 saw that I don't really need, just because? (Hoping the crank is OK!!??) If I needed it, a new one is $450 at the Big Orange store.
5. Oh yeah, the brake handle is broken.
6. Should I sell it as a parts saw, or should I disassemble completely & sell parts on Flea-Bay?
Thanks for input/replies. Mike

 

[sean donato]

I'd call it a parts saw. Never saw the point of sinking 3/4 the value of a new saw in a burned up saw. If you could get the cylinder to clean up and get away with a piston and rings I may consider it. Bearings with a tight spot would concerning. A little side to side play in the rod isn't a major concern. Up and down is a no no.

 

[MikeRC]

"If it sounds too good to be true it probably is."
FB Marketplace CS-590 "Currently does not run" $100
Figured i'd risked more money on worse gambles, so I bought it, hoping for the best, expecting the worst.
I am not a tree guy, no living/income involved. I'm retired, and like messing with small power equipment.
It pulled over, decomp valve was in, comp. was a little low. Didn't make any untoward banging or clanking noises, so I bought it.
Got it home, started cleaning/ disassembly. Compression was 60 (with decomp valve pulled out). Could see pretty bad scoring on piston through exhaust port, intake side looked pretty OK. In fact, could still see crosshatch in intake side of piston. Today pulled the cylinder, it's toast. Rod has a good amount of side to side play, nothing up & down, slight bit of rocking motion. P&V test before disassembly was perfect. Feels like a slight tight spot in one of the crank bearings, not sure if it's a bearing, or something else rotational. Bearings feel smooth except for the one slight tight spot. So here are the questions:
1. How much side play is supposed to be in the big end rod brg? Rod does not look discolored, but no spec is given in the service manual I rcvd here.
2. From pix, what is best guess at what happened? Seller said it was NOT straight gassed, but that's my guess.
3. Limiter caps are intact, don't look like they were ever touched. Lean from factory?
4. How stupid must I be to put $175 parts (p/c, gasket & brake handle) into a $100 saw that I don't really need, just because? (Hoping the crank is OK!!??) If I needed it, a new one is $450 at the Big Orange store.
5. Oh yeah, the brake handle is broken.
6. Should I sell it as a parts saw, or should I disassemble completely & sell parts on Flea-Bay?
Thanks for input/replies. Mike

Update: Seems as though the perceived tight spot in the crank was just the flywheel magnet wanting to stay near the coil!!
Been cleaning the cylinder with scotchbrite, looks promising so far. Might get away with just a new piston & ring.

 

[ballisticdoughnut]

Update: Seems as though the perceived tight spot in the crank was just the flywheel magnet wanting to stay near the coil!!
Been cleaning the cylinder with scotchbrite, looks promising so far. Might get away with just a new piston & ring.

Would be worth fixing if it just needs a piston and ring.

 

[JohnnyBlade]

Looks pretty low use. Owner said it wasn't str8 gassed.........then you know it was str8 gassed
590 is a good saw. Well worth fixing. Used brake handle is like 20-25 bucks on ebay and like 67 bucks for a new OEM piston. If the cylinder cleans up ur under $200 for a nice saw. And your retired and like tinkering on engines. I say go for it.

 

[Johnwell]

If you’re planning on flipping it for a profit, I don’t know if that’ll happen; but it should still be a good value for a user. I really like my CS590; a bit heavier/larger than I feel like it should be for its cc’s, but it’s a very solid, capable saw.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

If you can get by with just the piston and you want a project, go for it..
Then again you could throw a 620 top end on it.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Sounds like a Husky 359 i got for free and seemed similarly bad but cylinder cleaned up w muriatic and sanding to passable and just needed a $39 Meteor piston and rings and goes good now. If you pay anything for such a saw my belief is sink the bare minimum into it to make it a runner and call it good, don’t try to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. My policy now since I’ve been donated a few broken saws is toasted saws that cost under $500 new should be free for me to bother with, and any toasted saw I pay $100 for should cost at least $700 new. Then I can rarely go wrong. Once I started repairing saws inexpensively for a tree service, he gave me to keep all his sub-$500 saws that I would’ve charged more than $200 to rebuild. Deeper you get into the small engine repair game, more you realize there’s no reason to attach any value to someone else’s junk. No matter what they say about it, assume it’s straight gassed trash unless an inspection reveals otherwise.

 

[MikeRC]

If you’re planning on flipping it for a profit, I don’t know if that’ll happen; but it should still be a good value for a user. I really like my CS590; a bit heavier/larger than I feel like it should be for its cc’s, but it’s a very solid, capable saw.

No, not looking to flip it, just adding it to my (starting out) addiction collection. So far, I have:
14" Echo CS-3000
16" Homelite super EZ Automatic
18" Echo CS-440
20" Echo CS-590

 

[HumBurner]

The piston says it was straight gassed, but maybe not ran for too long, but long enough to kill it.

There's a small amount of side-to-side play if you have the cylinder off.

For the cost of a new unit, it's probably not worth putting money into.

I hope you can recoup your $100.