394 - 395 conv highway head issues

[beardface]

Hi guys , sorry to cover what is probably old ground but I need some idiot proof advice please . I’ve bought a crusty 394 and want to resurrect. Have all the bits I need but have gone ahead and bought a hyway 58mm cylinder kit .
so checked 394 -to 395 conversion and stumbled across a lad called Callum who’s doing the same thing on a utube vid . End result is he jacks the head as he states it’s not creating enough power mentioning the transfer ports as an issue after speaking to a dude who knows . So I’m in the same boat but refuse to lay down and take it . So - how and what do I do to the transfers to correct this issue . ? I’m 20 years an arb and can fix saws but have never bothered to start grinding bits off as I’ve never needed to .
a paragraph on what to do will suffice ,
Has anyone else encountered this with issue hyway 395 cylinder? Is there a few fix options ? many thanks guys !

 

[Mad Professor]

I thought OEM husky P/C sets weren't as pricey as Stihl?

Why Highway?

 

[beardface]

I thought OEM husky P/C sets weren't as pricey as Stihl?

Why Highway?

saw was bare bones on purchase and had no head . So rummaged on the net and it Seems highway are one of few guys that do a 58mm big bore pop up and it’s half the price of an original , so I went with hyway as I wanted to see if I could squeeze a bit more beef out of the old girl without having to grind . Are you thinking I should bin it and go original husq cylinder , as perhaps they simply run better not being messed with?

 

[beardface]

saw was bare bones on purchase and had no head . So rummaged on the net and it Seems highway are one of few guys that do a 58mm big bore pop up and it’s half the price of an original , so I went with hyway as I wanted to see if I could squeeze a bit more beef out of the old girl without having to grind . Are you thinking I should bin it and go original husq cylinder , as perhaps they simply run better not being messed with?

Plus I’ve used hyway before for cylinder heads and they seem to run fine . I (please don’t throw stones guys) built myself a 066 clone according to afleet commands vids on utube , swapping out **** for original parts and head for a hyway , ran it in and used it for milling and it pulled a four foot bar in 3ft engish ash planking no sweat just had to watch oiling . So hyway seem to perform good so far...

 

[huskihl]

Aftermarket cylinders rarely run as well as OEM. Makes sense to me that they would all offer big bore kits to try and get the power back up to that of the original OEM cylinder.
The ports are almost always smaller, therefore they don’t flow as well as OEM. On top of that, they are trying to cram a 2 mm bigger bore into the same size chassis not meant for it. This leads to smaller transfer port tunnels without as good of direction and port timing

 

[beardface]

Boom ! Knowledge in a nutshell , just my cup of tea . Many thanks for the reply . I was surprised at your info but yes makes perfect sense , just goes to show that if it seems to good to be true then it probs is . It’s dry balls that hyway market it as an upgrade , when as you’ve pointed out it’s not giving Out any more beans .
will go original . Cheers gents !

 

[beardface]

Aftermarket cylinders rarely run as well as OEM. Makes sense to me that they would all offer big bore kits to try and get the power back up to that of the original OEM cylinder.
The ports are almost always smaller, therefore they don’t flow as well as OEM. On top of that, they are trying to cram a 2 mm bigger bore into the same size chassis not meant for it. This leads to smaller transfer port tunnels without as good of direction and port timing

So I’ve just been onto the parts supplier that’s been sourcing most the bits for my project , (seems they come from Brazil plant) and they want a eye watering 537£ for a sparky new original piston cylinder rings kit . any ideas on a cheaper source as I can’t bring myself to cough up that sort of cash and I need my both my kidneys .

 

[Mad Professor]

So I’ve just been onto the parts supplier that’s been sourcing most the bits for my project , (seems they come from Brazil plant) and they want a eye watering 537£ for a sparky new original piston cylinder rings kit . any ideas on a cheaper source as I can’t bring myself to cough up that sort of cash and I need my both my kidneys .

Husky catch the Stihl parts prices disease?

 

[RED-85-Z51]

https://www.hlsproparts.com/product-p/503993903.htm
Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[beardface]

Husky catch the Stihl parts prices disease?

It’s seems so, and this is my quandary, I want my beast to live and perform but it don’t make monetary sense to pump that amount into rebuilding a saw even if it’s for my use /pleasure . USA market on flea bay is out due to silly shipping , and I could burn though a copy head and piston a year for five years and still it would be cheaper than an original .
Tis time to chew the fat methinks .

 

[beardface]

https://www.hlsproparts.com/product-p/503993903.htm
Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Cheers !

 

[beardface]

Aftermarket cylinders rarely run as well as OEM. Makes sense to me that they would all offer big bore kits to try and get the power back up to that of the original OEM cylinder.
The ports are almost always smaller, therefore they don’t flow as well as OEM. On top of that, they are trying to cram a 2 mm bigger bore into the same size chassis not meant for it. This leads to smaller transfer port tunnels without as good of direction and port timing

So I’ve noticed you’ve said almost always , in regards to port size , in the non originals . In your experience do any of the non gen suppliers stand out in regards to standard (non big bore) repro cylinders . ?

 

[huskihl]

So I’ve noticed you’ve said almost always , in regards to port size , in the non originals . In your experience do any of the non gen suppliers stand out in regards to standard (non big bore) repro cylinders . ?

I don’t have extensive experience with all brands and models. But New West (not NWP), Mako, Tecomec, Meteor and Hiway are decent enough.
I noticed after I posted you were in Europe and realized things may be expensive there. I’d try and source a used oem cylinder first. In the end, it’s good as long as it runs.

 

[beardface]

I don’t have extensive experience with all brands and models. But New West (not NWP), Mako, Tecomec, Meteor and Hiway are decent enough.
I noticed after I posted you were in Europe and realized things may be expensive there. I’d try and source a used cylinder first. In the end, it’s good as long as it runs.

Amazing . Thank you

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

saw was bare bones on purchase and had no head . So rummaged on the net and it Seems highway are one of few guys that do a 58mm big bore pop up and it’s half the price of an original , so I went with hyway as I wanted to see if I could squeeze a bit more beef out of the old girl without having to grind . Are you thinking I should bin it and go original husq cylinder , as perhaps they simply run better not being messed with?

That is exactly what I would do if the option was there- OEM.
Now I will happily admit, I have never slapped a Hyway big bore on a 395 chassis, but if you do enough investigation, you find reviews from people "in the know" that report little to no advantage from the big bore over OEM and sometimes performance is down on the original set up.
Sure, the saw can be made to run with a dollar saved- but if you ever go to sell it- what will be more attractive to the buyer- cheapo aftermarket head, or OEM?

 

[sean donato]

Havent had any issues with my highway kits. They all have been ported though. Have the big bore kit on my 394, I have no base comparison as I bought it locked up and stock top end was trashed beyond salvage. The saw ran like crap at first. Took it apart and opened it up as much as i dared. Deleted the base gasket, raised the exhaust roof to compensate for the gasket thickness, and re angled the transfers a bit. Spunked it up a good bit. Has no issues milling with the 36" on it. If I had a do over I would have sprung for the oem top end. The casting needed some cleaning up right off the bat, and transfers needed evened up right away. It's been running faithfully for years now.

 

[beardface]

Sound words gents many thanks !