Husqvarna 266-SE Suddenly Starter Pulls Hard

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KCOLC

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Have an older 1983 (Metal Chain Brake Lever) Husqvarna 266SE since new. After sitting in the weather for an extended period of time ( I know...I know....) it's now difficult to pull. Nothing to do with the recoil starter....the sensation when trying to start it is that it has much more compression. Runs fine. Is now an absolute bear to pull. Any thoughts?

Also...
Is the chain brake / clutch cover assembly interchangeable with the newer version which has a plastic lever? The
old style brake band is no longer available.

Many thanks!
 
If the engine is hard to turn over I would check the following:

* Bearings
* Piston and cylinder
* Clutch
* Chain brake (if clutch shoes are stuck to the drum)

Many thanks. Clutch, drum and shoes are fine. Will check cylinder next. Which bearings would you suspect if piston and cylinder check out ok?
 
If it doesn't have the Spark Arrester Screen check for Mud Dobber nests.for some reason the Mud Dobbers like 266's around here
 
My 362XPG had a similar problem that was caused by the fins on the flywheel being broken off where the starter pawls rest against them. That caused the starter mechanism to not stay centered on the flywheel but rather it would be forced against one (or the other) side of the the starter housing. I made it VERY difficult to pull over.
 
I've had the pulley for the starter rope crack on a 268 and sometimes the rope would not wind/unwind well and it would flex at the broken spot causing friction and hard pulling.
 
266 had a common problem of the starter pulley warping. This allowed the rope to double over itself when it encountered resistance from compression. It made it very difficult to pull. They corrected it in later models by increasing the size of the starter pulley post.
 
OK.....More than two years later I'm still....on and off....trying to resolve the hard pull issue with my 266SE. The starter is extremely hard to pull. To the point that I can't spin the engine fast enough to get the saw started. Know this is a "hard pull" saw but this is well beyond that. I've had it since new and know something is wrong. Of course the saw pulls like a charm with the plug removed and I I can turn it over (by hand) buy turning the flywheel even with the plug in. Cylinder and piston are fine. No carbon. Flywheel and key are fine. No cracks, nothing bent and nothing broken. Saw is clean. No sawdust packed in anywhere. The starter pulley looks fine though I have another on the way to be sure. The rope is the correct size. Chain break is not binding and the clutch isn't either. Muffler screens appear to be clear. WHAT AM I MISSING? ! I'd be extremely grateful if we can take a look at this once more.
 
well I built a 266 had the same prob...it was the starter pulley it didn't look cracked till I took the rope out and looked down the groove where the rope goes...I was skeptical but a new pulley solved the problem. THe rope would try to double over on it self and just about jam the pull rope....I know you checked it over well already but that was my experience...

good luck

sap can
 
well I built a 266 had the same prob...it was the starter pulley it didn't look cracked till I took the rope out and looked down the groove where the rope goes...I was skeptical but a new pulley solved the problem. THe rope would try to double over on it self and just about jam the pull rope....I know you checked it over well already but that was my experience...

good luck

sap can
Thanks very much. Haven't had the pulley apart. Just a visual on the saw with the rope pulled out as far as I could get it so there is no doubt there can be hidden damage. And I hope there is. Can't wait till the new pulley arrives so I can try it.
 
Ok....Here's an update...Pulled the starter pulley & recoil housing and spring apart and found 30 years worth of oily gunk that had completely filled every available space under the pulley. The mating surfaces of the pulley also had
a "good" coating of dirt on them. Scrubbed everything down, put a thin coating of low temp Lubriplate on the pulley shaft and put it all back together. Seems much better and was able to spin the flywheel fast enough to start the saw.
Will know for sure when I use the saw for a while but it seems dirt was the culprit. Are the mating surfaces of the plastic pulley / recoil assembly self lubricating? Thanks for your input everyone!
 
A good cleaning of the entire the recoil assembly solved the problem. Cut today and no issues at all. Saw is back to normal!


Did you end up using a new pulley? Im dealing with this same issue i believe. Cleaning the crap out didnt work for my 55 rancher..
 
No, couldn't see anything with the old one. Just a complete cleaning. Pulled everything apart. Pulled the pulley, the rope, the "housing" (that holds pulley and installs over the spring) after removing the two screws and the spring. Found and heavy greasy dirt between every surface that met another (except the shaft) .Cleaned and washed everything and inspected very carefully and found no issues. Lubed the pulley shaft with Lubriplate AERO (low temp lithium based grease), sprayed the spring with CorrosionX and put everything back together. Problem went away.
 
Yep! Cleaned everything last night, tried without any lubricant and it worked a little better.

Replaced the cord today with size #4 1/2 which was one size bigger. I used a little mil-comm tw25B on the pulley and post. Its a mil spec lithium i use on all my guns. Good stuff! As long as I pull to where the pawls and pulley engage before i reef on the cord the saw turns over good for me..

I talked to the owner of a local mah and pop husky dealer today and he agreed, with a pulley this small its already a tough puller. Says thats why later models have the decomp valve. I have considered installing one since the saw belongs to an older guy but we'll see what he says after giving her a few tugs. I bought plugs for all my decomps, but it would help this issue quite a bit.

Thanks for having the same issue and everyones input. Glad we both found resolve.
 

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Glad that helped. This forum has been a huge help to me. There's a ton of knowledge here...nearly none of it is mine! I too have considered adding a decomp valve to my 266. If someone who has already done it could tell me exactly where to put it I'd do it in a heartbeat. Otherwise I don't want to experiment and ruin the saw.
 
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