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dznnf7

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After a bunch of lurking and gathering what knowledge I can, I'd like to ask a question of the experienced folks here. I have a 2016-bought gen 1 Husky 550XP [s/n 2012 5000658] 966 64 82-00] that's currently in "starts-occasionally or not at all" mode. It's been a a pain in the ass since new, with hot start issues and many of the usual problems I've seen mentioned . It's currently unusable. Like most non-pros, I use it for many hours a few times a year, not daily. And some of those hours end up being on my 20 y/o 350, which gets zero attention yet still starts and runs every time. I could upgrade to an AT-12 carb, pay a shop to do the firmware thing, and have $200+ MORE into a potentially nice saw. That's a good idea if it fixes my issues. Should I skip all that, sell it, and reinvest in a simpler, non-autotune saw and move on with life? Where do used saws sell reliably - FB, eBAy, here? What kind of price seems reasonable? It's in such great shape, and such a joy to use when it runs, that I hate to give up on it. But I'm no logger or arborist and really just need something that starts and runs well! Thanks in advance to the guys with thoughtful answers!
 
That saw was made in 2012. First thing I'd do is vac/pressure test the saw, a lot of them around that time had defects and would leak like a sieve from the factory. If you don't have the skills and or tools, I would chuck it and cut your losses while you're ahead, as it will have other problems down the road, even if you get it straighten out now. They can run awesome, but sorry to say they were also POS.

A lot of nice used saws are sold here and other saw forums.
 
I second Simons queries, it may be something straight forward to rectify (especially given your infrequency of use)... if not you may find you can still sell it for a reasonable amount & (depending on what you're cutting) an Echo CS-590 or 620 would probably compliment the 350 better without breaking the bank
 
We bought a bunch of the forst generation of 550xp in the park service and they were nothing but awful, same thing except hike up a mountain and it decided not to start!
I'd sell that SOB in a skinny minute and get an ms261,ms362 ,or a 562xp as far as newer saws go.
 
Thanks for all the replies. On the questions: Hot start has been no choke, one pull, success OR not even a hint of ignition [but I confirmed spark, so kill switch isn't closed/grounded]. No middle ground. I've tried several of the hop-on-one foot, recite-the-lord's-prayer processes I've seen published and they don't work either. At no point do I touch the decomp, unless you count checking it for leaks and swapping it with a known good one. Why they bother on a 50cc saw is beyond me. AT has been calibrated once. No change in behavior in that era - maybe three years ago? Fuel is 90 octane non-ethanol, and I've recently tried the breathtakingly expensive canned premix with no joy. My own mix is using oil containing stabilizer, but I'll dump it if it's been in this saw more than a couple weeks. It has great compression and is unmodified. Spark is strong and visible in daylight. Air filter is spotless. Fuel is flowing. I have not pressure/vac tested it but I have the tools and ability. Andyshine's comment that they were known leakers has caught my interest! I pulled and inspected the carb and carb boot but have not gone further. There's no evidence of seal blow-by to the saw exterior, but as I re-read my paragraph it sounds likely, unless the carb is the root cause - I noted in my research Husky revised it six times, based on part numbers.
I found a conversion carb kit [AT12 and fuel line] for $160 and I'm tempted, but...like the comment above, I have climbed a mountain with it and had it fail to start. The fuel economy certainly was good that day! Didn't use a drop.
Thanks again, men. Lots of good thoughts here!
 
When you got start the saw high idle can be useful, to do that go to full choke that push the lever down like you're turning the saw off, but don't hit the throttle, that will leave the saw at high idle.

You won't see any evidence of leaks. The intake boots went through a time when they were installed incorrectly, and the o rings that seal the transfer covers were molded poorly and can leak. The crank seals had issues as well. So first things a 550 experienced guy does is inspect the saw for the obvious than preform a vac/pressure test the saw. If it's tight as a drum than you can decide whether or not you want to invest in a new carb, which if everything checks out is most likely the issue.
 
I did see that transfer cover issue somewhere, probably on this site. I didn't jump on it because it seemed a bit "all or nothing", rather than something intermittent. I'll definitely check it then proceed to the pressure test. Thanks again.
 
Don't know what you would get for it where you live, but here in the uk, with a problem like that you could probably get about £200 + postage.
I would definitely try the vac test though.
 
I hate it when people don't update these threads, so here goes: I went forward with the new carb, installed it, and dropped off the saw for a re-flash. Five weeks and $100 later [I'll never give Husky my money again], the saw runs great. Will it last? Who knows. Autotune is apparently a challenge for Husky, and I can now correct my post above where I said the carb has been revised six times. There was (at least) a seventh revision as well!
 
Seems like pouring good money after bad money, but what do I know.

IMO, there is some restriction, and since you have been in the carb so many times, it sounds like the muffler is the next part to explore. Have you taken it off, apart, cleaned it out thoroughly?

I have a neighbor that is starting to have problems with his ms271. I tried to tune it, but that wasn't it. I offered, but not taken, is to rebuild the carb, but nope. I also notice, but don't say anything, is his use of the saw. He never, that I have seen, revs the saw out of the cut, and enters wood in low speed, and starts to squeeze the throttle as it starts to cut wood. These saws need to breath, to run properly, but again, what do I know.
 
I hate it when people don't update these threads, so here goes: I went forward with the new carb, installed it, and dropped off the saw for a re-flash. Five weeks and $100 later [I'll never give Husky my money again], the saw runs great. Will it last? Who knows. Autotune is apparently a challenge for Husky, and I can now correct my post above where I said the carb has been revised six times. There was (at least) a seventh revision as well!
Thanks for the update, I also hate reading a whole thread to get to the end and the guy disappeared into the great unknown :oops:.
Glad it's running well now. Disappointing that they took so long. That being said I have not found many places that have good customer service these days, that time seems to have left us many yrs ago. I had a poor experience at the Honda dealer just yesterday, but at least they were nice and were able to set me up with a proper gasket(they ordered the wrong one) from Napa, and it was even made in Japan :clap:.
When these saws are hot I follow what @Andyshine77 said and use the high speed function, ie put master switch into choked position and then pull it back down to the run position without touching the throttle. This will help many saws start when hot or just starting to cool down but not cool enough to use the choke yet.
I make sure I do not run any autotune or mtronic saws out of fuel. If I have one that has issues starting when hot I will also make sure I let the saw idle for a few second before shutting it down. And last but not least I use the primer bulb before starting a saw that has hot start issues.
There is a purge adjustment on these carbs that sometimes will help if someone has one that stalls when idling.
The late model 550 mk1 is my favorite limbing saw, great handling with a 325x18, sips fuel, slippy caps, return to run master switch, awesome AV, fuel sight "glass"(it's plastic), captive bar nuts, easy to access/ adjust chain tensioner and great balance. That being said I don't recommend them to guys for firewood, if your not making money with your saws I see no reason a guy should chance getting a good one, and I also have resources to get one fixed if need or the ability to sell them if need be.
Have a merry Christmas :).
 
I have one of those early 550xps and had the hot start issues. This is what I did to fix it and it's never given me a moment's problem since.. I drilled a hole in the back of the top cover and screened it to allow intake air to bypass moving around the engine and getting preheated. I never cut in arctic conditions anyway. I looked at the changes they made to the top cover on the Gen2 550s and opened the cover up to mostly match. The new(at the time) covers were more open and encouraged more air flow around the back of the cylinder. I also installed a piece of engine blanket between the cylinder and the carburetor compartment to help prevent the carb from becoming heat soaked. Ta Da, Bob's yer uncle.. runs like a champ.
 

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I rebuilt a 550xp for my buddy, it was straight gassed. The original owner had hot start issues with it forever and it had a new updated carb on it but it ran fine other than the hot start issue until he forgot to add his premix oil to the fuel jug.
I did a quick muffler mod and threw a new piston in the cleaned up cylinder, it runs great now, these saws like a muffler mod, its really choked up and makes the saw run hot.
You must put these saws on fast idle to get them to start hot, the local dealer isnt telling customers this tho, none of the locals with these saws knew about it.
 
The ones I used had issues starting hot ,cold,looked at ,swore at, and loved!
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. If you have a decent runner congrats, play the lottery.
I like mine a lot, but I now buy 2016 or newer. I've had many of the 545/550's and 562's and 576's, only had a problem with an early 550, adjusted the purge valve and the bog off idle went away.
The early ones had some problems for sure. Most of the hot start problems I saw were operator error and not the saw, but I'm not saying they were trouble free because I know better.
Happy new yr.
 
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