Bringing a 394 back to life

[Macclay]

G'day, I've spent a fair amount of time lurking in here and i thought i might as well make a post or 2.
I've worked in the tree game for the last 15 years and like most guys in the industry,to me, a saw is just a tool of the trade. You buy 'em, you work 'em and you kill 'em, a vicious circle i know but what are you gunna do!
A while ago I had a bad run of luck with saws and dealers, and said to myself, "self, why don't you just fix 'em yourself?". Well that sort of went by the wayside, you know the deal, ya get home after swinging of a saw all day, the last thing you want is to look at a saw, let alone pull them apart.
The plus side to my run of bad luck was reading some of the posts here, at an attempt at DIY. Some really good info and a lot of inspiring builds.
Soooooo..... I've got a few saws laying around that have met an untimely demise, I may as well jump in and see if i can get 1 or more up and going again, slightly modified of course!
I run small stihl saws and large huskys, no particular reason, thats just what i like. In saying that, the dealer i have an account with now is stihl, they stock some husky parts (consumables) but it can take some time to order in anything they don't have on the shelf. So if anyone knows the part numbers for the gear im going to need or where i can find them, your help would be much appreciated.
I thought I'd start with something that i wouldn't miss if it all went pear shaped....Ye Olde 394, it hasn't run in....um....bout 2 years. Can't remember the job it died on, just remember that it was hard to start and after i ran it dry, i couldn't get 'er going again. I checked spark and it was weak and intermitant, so under the bench she went.
Now I'd like to get it up and running again maybe even better than new, you know the deal muff mod, clean up the ports etc. any hints, tips will be gladly taken on board.

Now for the pics, I have seen some of you guys work and while truly inspirational, its not what im after. What I want is a workhorse, not a show pony, no disrespect intended to those who love there saws. So please excuse the condition of this poor old beast

Im assuming that this might have something to do with the bad spark?

Will it live????

 

[Macclay]

Couple of quick questions,

Is it unusual to have marking/staining on the exhaust side of the piston?
I have read here that the best way to clean P&C is with acid, but not to get it in the ports? Is there something to clean the ports or should i scrape/file all the muck off?

Many more ? to come.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Yeah sure, it'll live.

What does it look like in the bottom end? Hard to see in the barrel, so how does it look in the bore? Piston?

Bunnings sell small grinder kits for $20 bucks. For a little heavier duty work get a Dremel of Ebay so you have a good choice with the Tungsten Carbide bits.

Widen the exhaust port and match the muffler. Mod the muffler using the 288 deflector and leave the base gasket out using a sealer.

Husqvarna Chainsaws, Outdoor Power Equipment and Tree Care Supplies from Bailey's
New parts and a parts lookup.

Chainsawr World's largest inventory of Chainsaw Parts
New and used parts.

Recoil set starter 395 XP (fits Husqvarna 394 XP ) (eBay item 390269156279 end time 04-Apr-11 16:07:46 AEST) : Home Garden
This fella is great for Ebay parts.

Now mate, what Husky's have got hiding there? :msp_smile:

 

[AUSSIE1]

Need to show a pic of the marked side of the piston.

Mate, you should have given her a clean prior to stripping down as this would help to keep muck out of the bottom end. :msp_scared:

 

[Macclay]

Mate, you should have given her a clean prior to stripping down as this would help to keep muck out of the bottom end. :msp_scared:

I did

I'll grab a pic of the piston. I've got a 395 rusting away and a 372 with a cracked tank that doesn't get used as well as a 385 that for some reason won't start, although i must admit that i don't really like the 385, dunno what it is about it but i have never liked it from day one, and some other gear that has been stripped for parts.

 

[Macclay]

Whats the best stuff for cleaning parts? fuel then soapy water be ok? no ultrasonic baths or dishwasher usage allowed here:msp_smile:

 

[Macclay]

Yeah sure, it'll live.

What does it look like in the bottom end? Hard to see in the barrel, so how does it look in the bore? Piston?

I think it looks ok down below, although I don't really know what im looking at, theres no 'blueing' or shards of metal:msp_unsure:

I can get some more pics tomorrow of the cylinder, the piston looks ok i think, just filthy.

Thanks for the links, i'm going to order my parts through my dealer, that way I can claim them as a work expense

 

[Nardoo]

Compressed air

Give your saw a good going over with compressed air as you pull it apart then a wash up in two stroke fuel. Then more air. Pretty messy business but it makes the saw a pleasure to work on. Lots of people use water and detergents but I have had problems bleaching the plastics.

Al provided good links for parts on the net as most of us source our parts outside of Australia for economic reasons - but it would be nice to buy our parts from local dealers. Guess you have deep pockets.

Good luck doing up the Huskies and if you really hate that 385 then please give me a call!

Al.

 

[AUSSIE1]

I think it looks ok down below, although I don't really know what im looking at, theres no 'blueing' or shards of metal:msp_unsure:

I can get some more pics tomorrow of the cylinder, the piston looks ok i think, just filthy.

Thanks for the links, i'm going to order my parts through my dealer, that way I can claim them as a work expense

If everything internally looks ok, it maybe as little as a set of rings, plus do as mentioned earlier and you will be happy.

I did these minor mods to a mates 394 as he didn't want anything further done to it and was very happy with the outcome.

 

[AUSSIE1]

I did

I'll grab a pic of the piston. I've got a 395 rusting away and a 372 with a cracked tank that doesn't get used as well as a 385 that for some reason won't start, although i must admit that i don't really like the 385, dunno what it is about it but i have never liked it from day one, and some other gear that has been stripped for parts.

Yep dogs of saws that lot, so if I can help you out cleaning out the garage let me know!
:cool2:

 

[AUSSIE1]

Give your saw a good going over with compressed air as you pull it apart then a wash up in two stroke fuel. Then more air. Pretty messy business but it makes the saw a pleasure to work on. Lots of people use water and detergents but I have had problems bleaching the plastics.

Al provided good links for parts on the net as most of us source our parts outside of Australia for economic reasons - but it would be nice to buy our parts from local dealers. Guess you have deep pockets.

Good luck doing up the Huskies and if you really hate that 385 then please give me a call!

Al.

Your quick Al, I was eying off that 385 also!

The 372 would do fine as I have a BB kit here that would fit nicely! :msp_rolleyes:

 

[Macclay]

Give your saw a good going over with compressed air as you pull it apart then a wash up in two stroke fuel. Then more air. Pretty messy business but it makes the saw a pleasure to work on. Lots of people use water and detergents but I have had problems bleaching the plastics.

Al provided good links for parts on the net as most of us source our parts outside of Australia for economic reasons - but it would be nice to buy our parts from local dealers. Guess you have deep pockets.

Good luck doing up the Huskies and if you really hate that 385 then please give me a call!

Al.

Thanks for the advice on the clean up. No deep pockets here, just like my dealer and like i said it's a claimable expense. I don't expect to spend to much anyway, top cover, 288 muff parts and some misc parts, I hope.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Thanks for the advice on the clean up. No deep pockets here, just like my dealer and like i said it's a claimable expense. I don't expect to spend to much anyway, top cover, 288 muff parts and some misc parts, I hope.

Mate, I've claimed brand new saws/parts from the States.

Parts are alot cheaper including the postage!

 

[Macclay]

Mate, I've claimed brand new saws/parts from the States.

Parts are alot cheaper including the postage!

Ok I'll look into it, cheers

 

[AUSSIE1]

Ok I'll look into it, cheers

Yeah do that. Most of us here do as the savings can be substantial and as much as we'd like to keep our buck here we are just fed up with being ripped off!

 

[Macclay]

Mate, I've claimed brand new saws/parts from the States.

Parts are alot cheaper including the postage!

Do our parts differ from the states i.e. the air filter cover in the US seem to have slots where ours/mine doesn't. Are the rings i need 'non EPA'?:msp_sad:

 

[AUSSIE1]

Do our parts differ from the states i.e. the air filter cover in the US seem to have slots where ours/mine doesn't. Are the rings i need 'non EPA'?:msp_sad:

No the top cover should be the same. If you order that item from Bailey's there will be a bit of a wait as they seem to not stock Husky parts on the shelf.

Rings are $26.00, piston kit $45.00 HD air filter cover assy $44.00
The cover assy makes me wonder if it's both plastic pieces like the 372 kit I purchased.

If you need to question Bailey's on anything, speak to Gregg in the Bailey's forum here.

http://www.arboristsite.com/baileys/

Anything else I can help you with, just holler.

 

[Macclay]

I discovered that a 395 air filter cover fits right on, prob solved:msp_biggrin: Still interested to find out why US spec has holes/slots at the front but aussie spec is enclosed. would that create 'breathing' issues if i interchange parts?

 

[Macclay]

TA DAAAAA, finished this a week or so ago but didn't grab pics till now.

Heres a vid, timber is seasoned Sydney Blue Gum, hard stuff!
YouTube - Husqvarna 394xp

This is the next project, my first ever saw, 026. It gets used and abused often then put away for 6 months. It has sentimental value and has knocked over more trees than most people have had hot dinners, new rings (this thing had no compression, it dropped like a yo-yo) little bit of transfer smoothing, carby kit and MM. just waiting on impulse line and she is all good to go:msp_thumbup:

When thats finished, this poor little fella is going to get a seeing to, it was in the bottom of an old toolbox, can't even remember why it was put there. Loving this stuff, just wish i could get back all the $ i've paid for labour over the years:bang:

 

[Macclay]

One thing I'll pass on to anyone thinking about new rings, is that they are VERY brittle, just take your time. Only cost me $24 to find that out:hmm3grin2orange: