What?s your dumbest mistake you?ve made when repairing a saw

[gink595]

I put a small screw driver in a 066 case with the cylinder off to jam the crank so I could spin the flywheel nut off and ended up cracking the case at the split. Made me sick when I realized what just happened... still pisses me off:msp_angry:

 

[kam]

I plugged the intake with a plastic bag to do a vac/pressure test...finished testing and mounted the carb back on
...the bag shifted enough to let it idle but wouldn't let enough air/fuel mix to run full speed. I disassembled the
carb several times and couldn't find any problem.


On another saw ,036, I used parts from 2 similar clutches 036/029 (one uses a back washer, the other didn't),
to make one. I used the back washer and it jammed the shoes from retracting but not expanding. It started and
ran normal at first ,but on the second start the clutch was locked to the chain, making the recoil jump out of my hands.
I blamed it on a backfire.

 

[cpr]

I am forever forgetting to put the plug boot in and then pulling the starter a billion times :jester:.

 

[sachsmo]

Put an old Husky 2100 back together, started it up and revved the heck out of it.

Shut it off, put it on the bench, and noticed the retaining rings sitting on the bench.

No harm, no foul I guess eh?

 

[a. palmer jr.]

did an echo 370 a while back for a guy,, got it all back together knowing i did a decent job on it and knew it would run good,,, hit the primer,, pulled the choke on and pulled and pulled,,and pulled,, :bang::bang: and pulled a few more times,, not even a pop :bang::bang:,, pulled the top and plug and it was soaked in mix,, geezzzzz,,, grabbed a new plug and put it in,, then it dawned on me that i needed to hit the on/off switch,,, 2 pulls and it was running

That's a lot more common than you might think..I had a fellow bring his Wild Thing to me saying he's tried and tried to get the thing running and it wouldn't hit, turns out he had the switch off. Kind of embarrassing for me to tell him what it was.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Not a saw but sold a snowblower on ebay a few weeks back, guy drove an hour
to pick it up. I had never run it but the other mechanic did a complete servicing and had I seen
it run, and it only took 1-2 pulls to get fired up. So the guy shows up to get his blower,
it doesn't have electric start so I give it 4 goods pulls nothing, prime it a couple more times
pull it another 4 times and nothing. So the guy is getting a little perturbed that his new blower isn't starting, and I'm out of breath, so I tell him I must have flooded it. I get a new plug put it in
and reach over and turn the SWITCH ON, and it fires right up.

 

[Fish]

Back in 1992 I rebuilt the carb on an old super ez and put on a new sprocket. Took it out to the test bench and just fired it up with no bar and chain and cover on it, that ol' clutch spun off and it bounced up and down three times like a yo-yo, the fourth time it got traction and shot out of
my parking lot and when shooting down the road at 100 mph until it was out of sight, never did find it.............

 

[Warped5]

Put together an old Mac last Spring. Everything looked good, felt good but just would not pop. Took the carb apart three times before I realized the fuel tank was dry. After that, second pull runner. :rolleyes2:

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Just finished fixing the recoils on two 10-10's for a guy and getting them both running pretty good after they were both dead to begin with.

My big mistake was accepting one of 'em for payment! :hmm3grin2orange:



Poge

 

[Mo. Jim]

Relate

I am forever forgetting to put the plug boot in and then pulling the starter a billion times :jester:.

I can reaiiy relate to this,I don't know how many times I have done this and the switch thing on saws,trimmers and mowers in the last 30 years.

 

[Fish]

I remember working on an old Green Machine/Shindaiwa trimmer, it was full of old nasty fuel, so I just walked out to the burn pile, I hadn't burned anything for a day or two, but there was a live coal or two in there..........

It would have made a helluva video, me beating the bushes and grass with a 5 foot torch, cussing and yelling, etc....








Also, the last time I ever used ether, I blew up a Ryobi trimmer, blew the cylinder off the piston.......It was a pretty new one too.
I actually enjoyed that one though.......

 

[blsnelling]

Seems like there was something about a broken cylinder fin. I have amnesia and can't remember the details. I think it's a naturally occurring defense mechanism to help cope with painful and stressful situations

 

[Saw Dr.]

I remember working on an old Green Machine/Shindaiwa trimmer, it was full of old nasty fuel, so I just walked out to the burn pile, I hadn't burned anything for a day or two, but there was a live coal or two in there..........

It would have made a helluva video, me beating the bushes and grass with a 5 foot torch, cussing and yelling, etc....








Also, the last time I ever used ether, I blew up a Ryobi trimmer, blew the cylinder off the piston.......It was a pretty new one too.
I actually enjoyed that one though.......

Wish I could like this more than once.

Here are mine. It is a tie.

#1: Just got done building up that Mini MAC. There was nothing left on the bench except the completed saw (including bar and chain), a pile of tools, and a rag. I picked up the rag to dust it off, and there it was.......




The %^&*$# points box cover. I considered leaving it off but after a bit of cursing I stripped it back down. I even put fuel and oil in that little prick before I discovered the part I left out. Which brings me to my next story...

#2: 044 showed up scored and having sat for a while. After a fresh top end and a few test cuts, it started running wonky. Not wanting to sieze the fresh top end, I shut it down right away. I stripped the carb off and it was fine. Compression was good, but the crank seals were un-changed. I had the clutch and flywheel off looking at the good seals when I remembered that the fuel can ran empty when I fueled it up...... Yep, no gas.

 

[Saw Dr.]

Seems like there was something about a broken cylinder fin. I have amnesia and can't remember the details. I think it's a naturally occurring defense mechanism to help cope with painful and stressful situations

I am glad to see we all can have a laugh over that one now. I'd rep ya, but there's really no point in that anymore.

 

[fearofpavement]

not a saw, but...

Tuesday, finished torquing down about 25 bolts on a transmission pan and walked over to the bench to...oh crap, there's the new filter that needs to be in there. "We know it's right, we did it twice!"

 

[FATGUY]

Tuesday, finished torquing down about 25 bolts on a transmission pan and walked over to the bench to...oh crap, there's the new filter that needs to be in there. "We know it's right, we did it twice!"

least you found it before the customer drove off with it (or should I say without it):msp_wink:

 

[tbow388]

Dumbest Mistake

The dumbest mistake I ever made working on was was "started working on it" enough said!!!!!!!!!!:help:

 

[sefh3]

I was rebuilding an 026. Put the piston in it without the rings on it to check the squish. Squish was fine so I left the saw sit for a few days. Had some extra time and finished rebuilding it. I never pulled the jug back off and put the rings in it. Finished putting the saw back together and tried fireing her up. Made a horrible noise when I pulled it over. I pulled the muffler off, then it hit me. Needless to say it needed a new cylinder and piston.

 

[Roanoker494]

Worst mistake I ever made was not following my dad's advice. He taught me two things that has saved me untold amounts of money. First was how to work anything with a engine and the second, this is the one I messed up on, was how to keep my mouth shut and not tell anyone that I know how to work on engines. Other than that the worst things I have done was drop a piston breaking a skirt off and I have popped a couple flywheel fins trying to lock them with a screwdriver.

 

[sefh3]

Other than that the worst things I have done was drop a piston breaking a skirt off and I have popped a couple flywheel fins trying to lock them with a screwdriver.

Been there and done that. Between my son and myself we have managed to do this three times now.