346XP Low compression at 90 PSI

zeek · Jul 11, 2011

Dropped off my saw Friday got a call from the tech, he said "what was the problem? You said low power and low RPM, right?" I said yes, he said well I just cut wood for 10 minutes with it, it is fine. I said, well trust me it is not fine. I told him that if he had used the saw when it was 100% you would be shocked at how fast it cuts. I asked him if he would do a compression test and look at the piston. He called back and said compression was 90 and that it should be about 130, I read that it was supposed to be 150? What is it supposed to be?

They are replacing the cylinder and bottom gasket, hope that does it, but should they do the piton too, or maybe rings and no piston? By the way it will take 3 weeks. I will be running my 19 year old craftsman for now!
Zeek

w8ye · Jul 11, 2011

It depends on the condition of the parts

Could be just the ring.

Likely the piston too.

Most people on AS are able to save the cylinder.

angelo c · Jul 11, 2011

zeek said:
Dropped off my saw Friday got a call from the tech, he said "what was the problem? You said low power and low RPM, right?" I said yes, he said well I just cut wood for 10 minutes with it, it is fine. I said, well trust me it is not fine. I told him that if he had used the saw when it was 100% you would be shocked at how fast it cuts. I asked him if he would do a compression test and look at the piston. He called back and said compression was 90 and that it should be about 130, I read that it was supposed to be 150? What is it supposed to be?

They are replacing the cylinder and bottom gasket, hope that does it, but should they do the piton too, or maybe rings and no piston? By the way it will take 3 weeks. I will be running my 19 year old craftsman for now!
Zeek

I'd have a few concerns if my tech made those replys to me. first of all I've yet to see a saw run and cut wood with 90lbs compression. Not saying it aint possible, just saying I aint seen it. Also anyone who would replace the cyl w/o replacing the piston needs to attend remedial two-stroke tech courses. At least he is replacing the base gasket...I've seen a few cheap bastages try to get away with that once or twice.
best of luck with the saw and the tech...

blsnelling · Jul 11, 2011

It's impossible to ruin the cylinder without ruining the piston. I suspect you're getting both.

indiansprings · Jul 11, 2011

The question I would be asking is why the cylinder has to be replaced. Where was the air leak? Hope your not one of the guys who believe in Amsoil ar 100:1. I dang sure ask them to vac test it after it was put back together or it could just be a waste of time.

blsnelling · Jul 11, 2011

I'd be most concerned about having a tech work on my saw that thought a saw with 90 PSI compression ran good

porsche965 · Jul 11, 2011

If a shop told me three weeks I would take my saw right back out the door.

nmurph · Jul 11, 2011

Is this warranty work?

If not, I would want pics of the cylinder/piston. I would also want to know what his method was for testing compression. What kind of gauge (shrader valve at tip?), did he pull it until it stops? Compression should be about 155psi cold.

What was done to determine the cause of the failure? Vacuum/Pressure and a careful inspection of the fuel line.

Are they using a OEM P/C if it's not warranty work? If the cylinder is toast, the piston and rings should be replaced as well.

Three weeks??? It's a one hour job to replace the P/C and not much longer to pressure/vacuum test.

zeek · Jul 12, 2011

warranty work

Hi all, yes it is warranty work and obviously this guy has not run a fast saw before. He said it should be 130, I told him it was to be 150. I have only had the saw for about 18 months, I assume this is not normal . . . .

CJ1 · Jul 12, 2011

No it is not normal, If the saw has been ran for over a year without issue then suddenly fails, tell him you also want to know WHY it failed. There has to be a reason it did what it did and if it is not fixed it will just do it again. Like Indiansprings said, vac leak, boot ripped, carb dirty something needs to be found. CJ

zeek · Jul 12, 2011

CJ1 said:
No it is not normal, If the saw has been ran for over a year without issue then suddenly fails, tell him you also want to know WHY it failed. There has to be a reason it did what it did and if it is not fixed it will just do it again. Like Indiansprings said, vac leak, boot ripped, carb dirty something needs to be found. CJ

Thanks for the input, I have a feeling that it will do the same thing later and then I will be stuck buying parts and fixing it, a P/C is 200 bucks from Bailey's, not sure if it would be worth it; that is if it does this again after the warranty is up. Time will tell.

sunfish · Jul 12, 2011

zeek said:
Thanks for the input, I have a feeling that it will do the same thing later and then I will be stuck buying parts and fixing it, a P/C is 200 bucks from Bailey's, not sure if it would be worth it; that is if it does this again after the warranty is up. Time will tell.

Just ask the tech to find out why the P/C got fried. It should not happen again, if fixed right. And yes, it's worth fixin, if it does happen again. But Now is the time to make sure it does not happen again, either with the tech, or without. This is a very unusual / uncommon problem to have with this saw.

zeek · Jul 12, 2011

do it myself?

sunfish said:
Just ask the tech to find out why the P/C got fried. It should not happen again, if fixed right. And yes, it's worth fixin, if it does happen again. But Now is the time to make sure it does not happen again, either with the tech, or without. This is a very unusual / uncommon problem to have with this saw.

I kind of think I should buy what I need to do a vacuum leak test ( BTW I have yet to finish reading the post on vacuum/leak/pressure test and what they are, as I am not sure). Since I heat my house with wood I should probably start getting tools needed to fix my own saws. I will call the service center and ask if they are doing a P/C or just cylinder. I will run that saw a whole bunch before the warranty is up . . .
Zeek

nmurph · Jul 12, 2011

I would be interested in the cylinder. Tell them you want it for an ashtray.

sunfish · Jul 12, 2011

zeek said:
I kind of think I should buy what I need to do a vacuum leak test ( BTW I have yet to finish reading the post on vacuum/leak/pressure test and what they are, as I am not sure). Since I heat my house with wood I should probably start getting tools needed to fix my own saws. I will call the service center and ask if they are doing a P/C or just cylinder. I will run that saw a whole bunch before the warranty is up . . .
Zeek

Yes, it's best to do your own work and chainsaws are rather simple and easy to work on.

I've been using a 346xp since 2001 and only needed fuel lines, clutch springs and a carb cleaning. This saw has cut around 150 cords and done a bunch of clearing/clean up. Great saw!

Although your situation is very strange, I do hope it comes out well.

Oh, and do save the cylinder for nmurph. He's one of the good guys here.

umpkin2:

nmurph · Jul 12, 2011

If ya'll want to see some truely beautiful knives, search for Don's user name and the word forge. You will be impressed with the skill of this guy!

sunfish · Jul 12, 2011

nmurph said:
If ya'll want to see some truely beautiful knives, search for Don's user name and the word forge. You will be impressed with the skill of this guy!

Thanks man! That reminds me, I need to get off this computer and get my ass to work! :hmm3grin2orange:

nmurph · Jul 12, 2011

You need to put up some pics of available stuff.

sunfish · Jul 12, 2011

nmurph said:
You need to put up some pics of available stuff.

Yeah, I need to work on that. About the only time I have available stuff is at shows. Rest of the time I'm working on orders. Usually two years behind.

wsg · Jul 12, 2011

nmurph said:
If ya'll want to see some truely beautiful knives, search for Don's user name and the word forge. You will be impressed with the skill of this guy!

Awesome looking knives!

346XP Low compression at 90 PSI

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