Husqvarna 185CD Head Bolts NOT Metric....?

[Stu in Tokyo]

I have a 1976 Husqvarna 185CD, bought used here in Japan, I want to take the cylinder off the saw to check the rings and bore and also to install a decomp valve, this thing is hard to pull start.

In trying to take the head off the hex bolts seem to be a size that is neither 4mm or 8mm, is it possible they are 3/16" which would be 4.76mm? Yes they were dirty, but I cleaned the hex bolts out and I cannot get the 5mm to go in, not even close they are NOT rusty, just they here dirty.

Is it possible they are inch heck bolts?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[harrygrey382]

unlikely but anything is possible. Who knows - in the past they may imperial bolts may have been forced in... Give the 3/16 a go if the 5mm really won't go.

On a slightly different note, working on our Volvo N12 drives me round the bend sometimes - it's a true mix of metric and imperial. Sometimes even in one casting there are both types machined into it... Talked to some other truck mechanics and they said that was totally normal back then - the Swedes made no pretense of being all metric (truck is a 1990 model). Maybe this extends to husky, but my gut says unlikely.

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

unlikely but anything is possible. Who knows - in the past they may imperial bolts may have been forced in... Give the 3/16 a go if the 5mm really won't go.

On a slightly different note, working on our Volvo N12 drives me round the bend sometimes - it's a true mix of metric and imperial. Sometimes even in one casting there are both types machined into it... Talked to some other truck mechanics and they said that was totally normal back then - the Swedes made no pretense of being all metric (truck is a 1990 model). Maybe this extends to husky, but my gut says unlikely.

Thanks for the reply.

I can understand how frustrating it must be to have both metric and standard on one vehicle.

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

I finally got a picture of what is happening, it is very close to going in but not quite....

I used a ball end hex wrench because I thought it might go in easier because of the ball end, but it did not help.

In the picture you can see the top of the cylinder hex bolt, I took a 5mm ball end wrench and tapped it quite hard a few times to try to get it to go in, but this is as far as it would go.

I have sprayed everything with penetrating oil, but what I'm going to try next is to every lightly grind or sand the six sides of a 5mm hex wrench to make a very slight taper, then I'll try tapping that in to each head bolt, I have an electric impact driver and I also have an impact driver from my motorcycle stuff, the kind you hit on the end with a hammer, both will be tried if I can get the hex wrench into the hex bolt.
Wish me luck!

 

[mdavlee]

They are 3/16". The 288, 394/5, and several others of the 1xx and 2xx series.

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

They are 3/16". The 288, 394/5, and several others of the 1xx and 2xx series.

Thank you so very much, next time you are in Tokyo the beer is on me!

Now I have to find a LONG 3/16" wrench....

 

[mdavlee]

Thank you so very much, next time you are in Tokyo the beer is on me!

Now I have to find a LONG 3/16" wrench....

I've got a bondhus brand

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

I've got a bondhus brand

I've looked but I cannot seem to find any 3/16" socket mounted hex wrenches, I'll have to dig out the TIG welder and make one myself I guess.

Cheers!

 

[mdavlee]

Mine is a t handle.

 

[Agrarian]

I bumped into that problem on the 272's as well. A 4.5mm, which some metric sets have, will also work in a pinch but I can't find that in a T handler either. Its best to use the 3/16 though, to reduce the possibility of rounding.

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Mine is a t handle.

I can't find that either.....
I'll get the TIG going and make one

 

[hamish]

Seems back in the day Husqvarna had some Americans working for them, using 3/16 and Philips fasteners, and they still use some Philips fasteners..................WHY!!!!!!!!!

 

[JC360]

Yup. My 288 has the 3/16 hex bolts on the cylinder. Most everything else was m4 or phillips. Made me wonder too

 

[Bilge Rat LT 20]

Get a long pick and some solvent,cleaner etc. Spray some cleaner into the bolt head then with the pick clean out the crud in the bottom and sides of the socket in the bolt head. Break up the crud with the pic then blast it out with cleaner.

The crud may be stopping the wrench from fully entering.
It only takes a little crud to block a hex or torx bit from fitting.

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Get a long pick and some solvent,cleaner etc. Spray some cleaner into the bolt head then with the pick clean out the crud in the bottom and sides of the socket in the bolt head. Break up the crud with the pic then blast it out with cleaner.

The crud may be stopping the wrench from fully entering.
It only takes a little crud to block a hex or torx bit from fitting.

Thanks.

Yes I've done that, I have a background in off road motorcycles so I know all about crud on and in stuff.

Cheers!

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Yup. My 288 has the 3/16 hex bolts on the cylinder. Most everything else was m4 or phillips. Made me wonder too

Yep everything else on this saw is M4 or some M5, but that or Phillips screws.
Maybe they got a good price on 3/16" head bolts buy the ton or something?

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Seems back in the day Husqvarna had some Americans working for them, using 3/16 and Philips fasteners, and they still use some Philips fasteners..................WHY!!!!!!!!!

Damn Yankees

 

[JC360]

Just a heads up on the ball end hex wrenches, if you really put the meat to them you can break the ball end off and leave it stuck in the head of an inaccessible
bolt. Dont ask me how I know that. :/

 

[AKDoug]

I ponied up for these last year. http://www.weedeaterman.com/product_p/wtk.htm It's been nice to have all the tools I needed for Husky and Stihl.

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Just a heads up on the ball end hex wrenches, if you really put the meat to them you can break the ball end off and leave it stuck in the head of an inaccessible
bolt. Dont ask me how I know that. :/

Thanks for that.

I'm just using the ball end to show how the 5mm hex wrench does not fit into the heck bolt head, I'd never torque down on a hex bolt with a ball end.