Vintage Husqvarna L65- rebuild advice

[dubripper]

I recently came across a decent l65 made in Sweden, and this is my first chainsaw rebuild. Once I started messing with the saw i found it was locked up from corrosion(not from overheating) , and had a gas tank full of water. So I started by draining the tank and taking off all of the plastic covers, and muffler. Then like anyone would do I put my favorite brand of penetrating lubricant(sea-foam deep creap) and after 30 or so hours I was able to pull it far enough down to justify taking off the cylinder. The cylinder and piston are in nice shape minus the corrosion and stuck rings. But the crank was also slightly seized and I had to work it allot to get it to spin smoothly. My concerns are that the crank bearings may be bad but I dont have the experience or knowledge to say for sure. I worried about the corrosion and rust in the crank case too, so I have the whole crank and piston submerged in a general purpose oil/solvent/cleaner. Im mostly curious as to what my next steps should be, or if i have missed any. And also where to buy the gaskets and seals I need. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[hamish]

Its a project not worth considering. Parts for the L65 have been NLA since the late 80's.

Would make for a neat book end or something, but not a chainsaw you would actually want to run, for more than 5 minutes.

 

[dubripper]

well for the moment its free saw that locked up from sitting. And i would rather fix it and buy a minimal number of new parts. And at the moment thats the gasket that connects the jug to the crank. How wouldn't that be worth it though?

 

[Timberframed]

If the bearings are a concern be mindful that Husky may not have machined their own bearings. Hopefully they are stamped/etched with a # and through cross referencing may be available. I say this only over a 1936 Delta cabinet shaper that I had to replace the spindle bearings in. $28 later, like a brand new machine.

 

[dubripper]

That is a pain, and if it turns out the crank or bearings are bad then I think o would move onto a differant saw. Possibly my fathers old saw. It's been so long since iv seen it that I dont remember what it is, but I do know it was leaned out and blown up

 

[skipster]

I picked up one of these(i think its anL,or A65) this morning at a local market,and I have to respectfully disagree with Hamish.
Its sounds great,handles nicely and cuts way above its size.
Lot of vibration,but tolerable,its actually a fun saw to own,and although I'm a Stihl guy,I'm keeping mine!

 

[chuckwood]

I picked up one of these(i think its anL,or A65) this morning at a local market,and I have to respectfully disagree with Hamish.
Its sounds great,handles nicely and cuts way above its size.
Lot of vibration,but tolerable,its actually a fun saw to own,and although I'm a Stihl guy,I'm keeping mine!

The L65 was my first saw, I purchased it new. It endured years of hard work and and even some abuse with no problems. It's a professional grade heavy duty saw built to last. So I've become a big fan of the L65, and have it's more rare big brother, the L77. Parts for the L65 can be easily obtained on ebay, and the best thing to do is just buy a couple of L65 parts saws, they show up on ebay all the time. When I get enough spare time, I plan on building another one of these out of my parts pile. Replacement bearings and seals, carburetor kits, air filters, oil pumps, etc., that stuff is still available, just not at your local Husky store. I use mine for milling the smaller stuff, these older saws have lots more torque and run at lower rpm's than newer saws do. Water sitting inside the saw and causing corrosion will require a complete teardown, splitting the case, and starting over with new bearings and possibly even a replacement crank assembly, also available on ebay.

 

[rarefish383]

If you go back to the main menu and scroll down till you see the Chainsaw forum, you will get all the advice you need. Most of the info hear is relative to milling and not rebuilding. The chainsaw guys can restore most any saw.

 

[alexcagle]

The L65 was my first saw, I purchased it new. It endured years of hard work and and even some abuse with no problems. It's a professional grade heavy duty saw built to last. So I've become a big fan of the L65, and have it's more rare big brother, the L77. Parts for the L65 can be easily obtained on ebay, and the best thing to do is just buy a couple of L65 parts saws, they show up on ebay all the time. When I get enough spare time, I plan on building another one of these out of my parts pile. Replacement bearings and seals, carburetor kits, air filters, oil pumps, etc., that stuff is still available, just not at your local Husky store. I use mine for milling the smaller stuff, these older saws have lots more torque and run at lower rpm's than newer saws do. Water sitting inside the saw and causing corrosion will require a complete teardown, splitting the case, and starting over with new bearings and possibly even a replacement crank assembly, also available on ebay.

+ 1
The crank bearings on most husqvarnas are either 6202 or 6203's.
I have tried to clean up several cranks that had slight seizing before. Trust me; they will not last very many hours before they take a poop. The microscopic roughness generates friction and heat that will soon gall the crank.
I've owned an L65 before. They are nice early Husqvarna saws.

 

[skipster]

whats the difference between L65's and A65's?

 

[muddstopper]

Interesting that some are saying you can buy new L65 parts off ebay. I have seen plenty of used saws and saw parts, but nothing new for a L65. I too have one that was left setting in a 5gal bucket of water for about a year. I bought the saw new back in the real early 1980's. I would love to find some new parts to make that saw run again, so if you have specific links for new parts for one of those saws, I would appreciate if you can post them up.

 

[chuckwood]

Interesting that some are saying you can buy new L65 parts off ebay. I have seen plenty of used saws and saw parts, but nothing new for a L65. I too have one that was left setting in a 5gal bucket of water for about a year. I bought the saw new back in the real early 1980's. I would love to find some new parts to make that saw run again, so if you have specific links for new parts for one of those saws, I would appreciate if you can post them up.

Brand new parts for the L65 are rare on ebay, it's the used parts that are easy to find. Lots of people are retiring these saws, finding them at estate sales, etc., and selling the parts or an entire saw as parts. In a lot of cases, a used part will work just as well as a new one. Bearings and seals are available new.

 

[muddstopper]

I have seen a lot of used l65's on ebay. Husky bearings and seals fit a lot of models alto I havent actually looked for them specificly.

 

[olskoolsawz]

I recently came across a decent l65 made in Sweden, and this is my first chainsaw rebuild. Once I started messing with the saw i found it was locked up from corrosion(not from overheating) , and had a gas tank full of water. So I started by draining the tank and taking off all of the plastic covers, and muffler. Then like anyone would do I put my favorite brand of penetrating lubricant(sea-foam deep creap) and after 30 or so hours I was able to pull it far enough down to justify taking off the cylinder. The cylinder and piston are in nice shape minus the corrosion and stuck rings. But the crank was also slightly seized and I had to work it allot to get it to spin smoothly. My concerns are that the crank bearings may be bad but I dont have the experience or knowledge to say for sure. I worried about the corrosion and rust in the crank case too, so I have the whole crank and piston submerged in a general purpose oil/solvent/cleaner. Im mostly curious as to what my next steps should be, or if i have missed any. And also where to buy the gaskets and seals I need. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!