Husqvarna 268 XP (Special) restoration

[mikey78]

Hello guys,

I’m from Italy and am new to this forum but hope you can help me !!!

I’ve been surfing the web looking for some info about a chainsaw I’ve bought recently,

I didn’t find that much and some of the discussions I found where very confusing to me.

The saw I purchased wasn’t in perfect conditions, it was dirty like hell but at least it was running good . I’m not a engine or chainsaw expert but have good hands and learn quickly so if you could help me it would be great !!!

But before I ask for some help I’ll show you some pictures and the job (mainly cleaning) I did .
This were the pictures with whom the saw was advertised

 

[mikey78]

I disassembled the saw without going too far, I just took off the main components to make a good general cleaning :



I also took off the exhaust and what I found was disgusting ... take a look :

 

[mikey78]

Years and Years of roasted oil and wood chips bonded to the body of the saw



It took me many hours to get a decent result :

 

[mikey78]

I'm adding some more pictures so that you can fully understand how disturbing were saw conditions :

 

[Marshy]

Welcome to the site. That is one dirty saw. Looks like they were using uses motor oil for bar oil. Did you check the compression at all to see if the internals are in good health?
Do you have any specific questions? Looks like you're on the right track to getting it cleaned up. Check all the rubber fuel lines for replacement.

 

[mikey78]

Anyway I managed to bring back to civilization this chainsaw

 

[grack]

Hello guys,

I’m from Italy and am new to this forum but hope you can help me !!!

I’ve been surfing the web looking for some info about a chainsaw I’ve bought recently,

I didn’t find that much and some of the discussions I found where very confusing to me.

The saw I purchased wasn’t in perfect conditions, it was dirty like hell but at least it was running good . I’m not a engine or chainsaw expert but have good hands and learn quickly so if you could help me it would be great !!!

But before I ask for some help I’ll show you some pictures and the job (mainly cleaning) I did .
This were the pictures with whom the saw was advertised
View attachment 624307 View attachment 624308

Welcome to the site
Those are great saws
Used one for many year's.

 

[mikey78]

Now the chainsaw is in decent clean conditions and I can touch it without taking any disease .
I did not make any compression test (do not have the equipment ) but took the saw to a guy in my area that is serviceing/repairing
(I don't know the right word in english) dozens of chainsaw per month. He gave the chainsawit a try, pulled the rope and said that compression is ok and that the saw runs the way it should, I know this is not science but at the moment I have to trust this guy !!!

 

[mikey78]

Do you have any specific questions?

Yes I do have many specific questions

I want to "restore" this saw to its pristine conditions or, at least, as close as I can .
I've already spotted some minor issues/missing parts but, because I've a limited experience in both engine and chainsaws,
to go further I need some chainsaw diagrams (I mean those drawings with all the parts)
so that I can understand what is what, where it is located on the saw and how to disassemble it ...
In order to do that I need to know the year of production of the saw, so that I can be sure about the model,
and I can pick the right diagram up !!!
To help you guys identifing the saw I'm posting some more pictures:

 

[mikey78]

The metal tag says "Husqvarna 268" "0350129" "Husqvarna SWEDEN" . . .
Is this the "ported" slightly powerfull model ?

 

[hseII]

Anyway I managed to bring back to civilization this chainsaw


View attachment 624332

View attachment 624333

View attachment 624334

Have your professional install new fuel & Impulse lines, rebuild the carb, check the crank seals for leaks, ( vacuum check), check compression,( maybe even pull the muffler to inspect the piston), & if all that shows good, put a new Bar on it & use it.


Read up on correct mix ratio for that Saw, learn how to sharpen a chain, & go cut wood.

Those are Great Saws, & that one has a certain Patina just the way it is.

 

[mikey78]

Hi hsell,
Although I do understend your advice : " go cut wood " ,
I have to say that I like working to my projects with my hands !!!
What you call "your professional" doesn't really exist in my area,
If I ask him for a compression test he will make fun of me,
if I ask him to vacuum check the crank seals for leaks he will give me a .
"Professionals" in the place where I live are simple countryside people,
if the chainsaw turns on and chain cuts they don't see anything else to do
This is the reason why I often do things by myself :
It takes longer (much longer) but at the end, most of the time, the result is excellent !!!
This is also the reason why I often register myself
to any kind USA forum (fishing, woodworking, ...) and ask for help/advice.
Having said that if anyone could help me to better understand my saw,
it would be great ...

Does anybody know what year my saw was produced ?
I've found diagrams that go from 1987 to 1997 and this is a bit confusing ...
Does anybody know if this is the ported version ?

These would be good points to start with !!!

 

[Cantdog]

Welcome to the site Mikey....this is a good place to seek help. I'll do what I can to answer your questions from how I understand these saws.
0350129 Serial number would be read as the saw being built in 03, the 50th week and the 129th unit built that week. The link I post says that the 268 Special was produced from 91 to 02. This info may not be complete or correct.

http://www.partstree.com/parts/husqvarna/saws-chainsaw/268-special-husqvarna-chainsaw-1991-02/

I believe, from what I've been told, that the 268 Special had the Mahle XP closed port cyl and piston....the regular 268 came with the open port Gilardoni P&C...a very good set up.....just not as powerful as the Mahle unit.

Your saw certainly was in very dirty condition and the PO using waste engine oil for bar lube was likely the biggest cause of this. But I also noticed what looks like a problem I've found on this family of saws before.....in post #4, first pic, do you see the two drizzles of black oil that has come from between the case halves? This is a problem spot on this family of saws......it is a long distance across the top of the oil tank between the bolts that secure the case halves together. The gasket can and does fail at this point occasionally. This causes bar lube to leak out under the muffler. Perhaps this is why the PO used old engine oil for bar lube. It is a lot of work to replace this gasket, if indeed it has failed, as it looks to me that it has. Not undoable but the entire saw must be disassembled to replace this gasket. In my opinion this saw looks to be worth the work......or you can just be careful to not fill it completely with oil and clean it often.....I guess that all would depend on how much you plan to use the saw.

Anyway welcome to the site....you have a wonderful example of a 268 Special....hope this is somewhat helpful.

 

[Marshy]

...

Does anybody know what year my saw was produced ?
I've found diagrams that go from 1987 to 1997 and this is a bit confusing ...
Does anybody know if this is the ported version ?

These would be good points to start with !!!

@SawTroll would be able to tell you what year that was produced. I've never seen a saw marked as XP and Special. Usually it's one or another .

In general, the manuals shouldn't be too different from one another. Are you looking for any specific parts?

 

[mikey78]

Hello Cantdog,
".....in post #4, first pic, do you see the two drizzles of black oil that has come from between the case halves? This is a problem spot on this family of saws......",
Yes you see well, there were some drizzles of black oil ... This happened because when I took off the spikes (?) I left loose a couple of screws keeping the two case alves toghether,
problem was solved when I put spikes back and tightened those two long screws up, after a while I carefully checked for drops of oil and everything was OK.
Thankyou for explaining me the meaning of those numbers on the metal tag, I'm so glad I've now the first true reliable information,
thanks again !!!

 

[Cantdog]

Hello Cantdog,
".....in post #4, first pic, do you see the two drizzles of black oil that has come from between the case halves? This is a problem spot on this family of saws......",
Yes you see well, there were some drizzles of black oil ... This happened because when I took off the spikes (?) I left loose a couple of screws keeping the two case alves toghether,
problem was solved when I put spikes back and tightened those two long screws up, after a while I carefully checked for drops of oil and everything was OK.
Thankyou for explaining me the meaning of those numbers on the metal tag, I'm so glad I've now the first true reliable information,
thanks again !!!

Good!! Glad you were able to tighten that up....the gasket and castings are very skinny the whole way under the muffler and a long way between the upper spike bolt and the next case bolt under the oil pump.......plus exposed to high temps...hopefully it won't leak. The huge amount of build up of crud under the muffler led me to think that there might be an oil leak there.....as well as past experience with this family. I have a very nice one owner Jonsered 630V that is waiting for me to find the time to split the cases and replace the gasket that failed in the same place.

 

[woods works]

I've found these 2 pages from Husqvarna's web site helpful in finding year of manufacture.
One for CONSUMER products made after 1995.
One for PROFFESIONAL products after 1999.


http://husqvarna.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/745/kw/serial number
http://husqvarna.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/879/kw/serial number

 

[mikey78]

Many thanks to Cantdog also for the link he posted, even if I had already found that source for a diagram .
Thanks to Marshy too : I will ask SawTroll for confirmation on year of production !!!

I've tryed the saw and it works great ... I really should just go and cut wood as Hsell suggested ... but I will not (at least not now).
I said Iwant to restore the saw (keeping its "patina") and this is why I'm looking to those diagrams.
This takes me to a new problem : the more I look at the saw the more I think that there is something wrong/confusing in its appearance .
Assuming my chainsaw is a true 268 special if I look at diagrams :

I see a difference in the shape of the starter ...

I've asked to the previous owner about it and He said he never replaced it (so chances are it is original ),
I've also seen on the web some examples of this early style starter :



These saws both have the "Special" decal on the top and also my same type of early starter . . .
Where does this takes me in order to restore the saw to its original conditions ?
What are your thoughts ?

 

[Cantdog]

Actually I think I steered you wrong on the yr of build.....I believe this is a 93 saw not an 03.....that would be more in keeping with the early style recoil cover....sorry...I hate misinformation....especially when I give it!! Niko (sawtroll) can surely give us the answer to these questions.....

 

[SawTroll]

The metal tag says "Husqvarna 268" "0350129" "Husqvarna SWEDEN" . . .
Is this the "ported" slightly powerfull model ?

That number indicates 1990 week 35, so if everything internal is original it means it is the more powerful closed port xp version. The open port version simply wasn't made that early (it appeared in 1991, at the same time as the 272xp replaced the 268xp as the top model in that model family).
The top cover likely is a slightly later replacement though, as the xp saws weren't called "Special" before what mentioned above happened in 1991, according to the "official" story.

Just to make that clear; The 268xp Special (some times just referred to as the 268 Special) is technically exactly the same saw as a late production 268xp (without the "Special" designation). The only difference is the decals on the plastic covers.
Early 268xp saws had a slightly different (but same size) carb, and maybe a few other minor differences.