Picked up an Olympyk 999 todayfor $50!!!!

[Tinman204]

Been working away on this saw.

I rinsed out the bottom end with gas several times as it was super dirty and full of crap. Once I did that I oiled the bearings and they seemed to feel gritty. I then felt what seemed like a slight bit of up and down play in the pto side bearing.

So I decided I wouldn't risk having a bad bearing so I split the cases. Bearings are cheap, blown up bearings in a saw are expensive!!

Grabbed new bearings today from a bearing supplier. I can't get 6mm thick seals as it seems nobody makes them so I bought 7mm thick seals, hopefully I can make those work, theres lots of room for a thicker seal in this saw so hopefully they will work.



And finally I have a horseshoe up my arse!!

I emailed 6 or 7 places in both Canada, the States and in Europe looking for a piston and had zero results. Contacted the efco Canada importer and they gave me a few leads but nothing panned out.

I was thinking the husqvarna 395 or 298 piston modified and fit to this cylinder was going to be my only option til I could source a piston on ebay or from a different source.

On a whim I contacted the local shop that sold this saw in the 90s. I said "This may be a longshot but I'm looking for a 999 oleo mac piston." Figured this would be a very longshot, that shop hasn't been an Oleo-mac dealer in like 20 years or more.

Guy at the parts desk got back to me and said "You're in luck we actually have a piston here in stock."

Here it is:

Sounds like this piston was sitting on a shelf in a deep, dark corner for a coupke decades. They had a base gasket to and even gave me a huge break on the price of the piston cause I probably have the only 999 in the area.

So went from this saw being a long term hard to find parts for project to having all my parts to rebuild it in under a week!!!

If I have time tomorrow morning I'll assemble the bottom end and see if those 7mm thick seals will work. I think they will as one seal mounts into the oil pump housing so its like an inch from the bearing and the other side is like 1/2" from the bearing so they should work.

Keeping my fingers crossed that they will!!

I've built quite a few saws since starting my CAD journey but this one excites me the most!!

 

[Tinman204]

Yesterday after a day of canning with my wife, the Oleo-mac was calling me.. So at 11 pm I decided that I'd install the bearings on the crankshaft.

They went on super nicely so I decided to prep the cases, then ended up cutting a new gasket from a sheet I had here..

Next thing I knew it was 2 am and I had a completed bottm end.

I glued the rubber coated crank seals in and went to bed at about 3 am.

Woke back up at 8 and once again the 999 was calling.

All in all this saw went together very easy. The only 2 issues were that I couldnt source the original 6mm thick crank seals so I had to use 7mm seals. Theres so much room on the left case and the oil pump housing that you could probably use an 8mm or 9mm seal and not have any clearance issue.

The other problem was when I tightened down the oil pump the crank got stiff to move. I thought first the seal was rubbing and then that the pinion gear for the pump was binding.

Turned out that the pump was pushing slightly on the bearing creating a side load. I used the oil pump as a stop when installing the crank so I guess things moved a little after it all cooled down over night . I gave the crank good wrap with the mallet and it relieved the load and then it all moved freely again.

Heres a few pics of the completed saw. The recoil handle is missing cause I pulled the knot off my brand new pull cord. This saw is definitely a bear to pull over, lots of compression.

The saw turned out to be super clean and I'm of the oppinion that this saw wasn't used much by the last owner. Its so clean.

I made a few cuts on a 24" log here in the yard, this thing is a beast. It pulls a chain as good as any big bore husky I've run, I'd say its got 394/395 or 298xp type power. Its only run for like 5 mins, I'm sure it will wake up and have even more grunt after a couple tanks.

The craziest thing about this saw is I bought it as a long term project saw. Ended up finnishing it in 6 days!! Crazy but I'll take it. We all get lucky sometimes.

Hardest part now will be holding on to this saw. My chainsaw buddy REALLY REALLY wants it!!

 

[cbfarmall]

Some 999s are more notorious than others.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/dave-neiger-and-the-infamous-oleo-mac-999.31804/

 

[Tinman204]

I loaded the 999 in my truck this morning and went cutting.

After a tank I will say this is more saw then I'll ever need. I burried the bar in some dead ash today and this thing motored through it.

Makes my 044 or 576 seem weak.

Oleo-mac sure makes a quality saw. They are very very nice. I will scoop up more in the future for sure.

I have to admit I probably wont use this saw much, its kinda overkill!!

My buddy has a 394xp he wants to trade. Im considering it mainly due the fact that a 394 weights like 7lbs less then a 999. 394 is still too much saw but at least its only 2lbs heavier then my 576 meaning it would be easier to run on a more regular basis..

Im on the fence though, really like this 999, its a neat saw and is completely rebuilt so it should last me the rest of my life!

 

[Jacob J.]

I would keep the 999. You have the satisfaction of knowing you rebuilt it and you can think about that every time you run it.

 

[Tinman204]

I would keep the 999. You have the satisfaction of knowing you rebuilt it and you can think about that every time you run it.

Yeah I'm on the fence about keeping vs trading.

If it makes any difference every saw I own was bought as a non runner and rebuilt by me. I like it that way..

394xp is a nice saw though.....decisions.

Only reason I'm considering the trade is its a good buddy who has hooked me up with some great saw projects. My 044 cane from him, he didnt want sell it but he wanted me to have an 044..

Hes the guy whos tought me chainsaw wrenching.. Hes a great guy.

He also has a lot of money invested in 880 bars and his 880 has been a lemon so he doesnt want to buy another 880.

Trading this saw would help him out a lot and since hes always helping me its hard to not trade. 394 is minty also so its not like im not getting a nice saw back..

Still though, 999 is awesome. Only one in these parts for sure.

 

[Tinman204]

Heres a video of litterally the first cuts the saw made.

Once I got the powerhead back together I pulled the starter rope twice and she fired right up..

I giggled a bit and then remembered the only chain I have to run on this saw is the one it came with. So I through it on the grinder and made it real nice and then took the rakers down real low.

She makes chips thats for sure. Big saws are fun!!

 

[farmguywithasaw]

Nice!