Anyone have any experience with this 394 top end kit?

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I am working on a 394 for a friend. Piston is toast, and the cylinder looks to be in bad shape. It looks like there is more going on than just aluminum transfer, but I have nothing to lose to try and clean it up so I will give it a shot.

After some searching around, it seems to me that OEM cylinders are NLA and almost everybody is pushing the 395 conversion. I guess I could go that route if I have to, but I would just as soon keep it stock. This saw is owned by a tree service so I am most interested in longevity and reliability here.

So this is one kit I have come across, I'm guessing it's a 395 kit made to adapt to a 394?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUSQVARNA-3...100872?hash=item20feb30e08:g:TqMAAMXQlgtSw4Yn

Good? OK? Or run away??

Any other recommendations for a piston and cylinder?? Brands to look for, or stay away from??I see alot of folks here seem to like Meteor pistons, how are their cylinders?

By the looks of the piston I figure it either lost a crank seal or a hired hand straight-gassed it. Exhaust side of the piston is toast.

I took pics of the damage to text to the owner.. I'll see if I can upload them here.

Like I said, I want to overhaul this saw to be stock reliable.. I also plan to replace the crank seals.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Pics of the carnage.

 

[Rev]

No but I have some experience riding red 350 r's. Go on a limb here though, think you might have a stuck ring.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Ya think??

 

[MGoBlue]

GOOD-USED-394-XP-HUSQVANA-CHAINSAW-CYLINDER
I've been eye'n this up to have a go @ porting, just don't have the extra flow to do it... I vote stay OEM.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

How did you find that?? I have been searching ebay for 394 parts for the last hour and didn't come across that one! Certainly looks like a winner to me. Will contact the saw's owner and see what he says.. If it were me, I'd jump on that one to get this saw back together and throwing chips.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[MGoBlue]

That and a $40 Meteor and he's gtg.

Better hurry! I've been watchin' that one for several months. Ya have to search misspellings of Husqvarna, remember the fat-fingers thing?

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Yes Sir!! Just messaged my friend, waiting to hear back from him to pull the trigger.

 

[MGoBlue]

Don't let this be you:


Hey I have a good cyl I can sell ya for $75 lol!!!

 

[dsell]

I've got a new Mahle 56ZN9 W1 & piston on the trading post. I think it fits the 394, screw style intake verses tube.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I'll check that out if the owner decides against the cyl on the bay. Not sure what you are referring to with the intake styles... This saw was made in '98 if that helps. Mahle, aren't they the company that makes the OEM cylinders??

 

[dsell]

Yes, my piston, cylinder, and rings are OEM. I'm missing the box, so I don't have the manufacturers part number. From what I've read, the 395 has the tube style intake and the 394 has the screw on heat dam carburetor mount. This cylinder is made for a heat dam.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

MGoBlue: I'd like to thank you for the tip on that cylinder. My friend forgot to get back to me with an answer till after the listing ended. But fortunately the seller re-listed it and I went ahead and grabbed it up. I appreciate your sharing of info on that one.

Dsell: I appreciate your offer on the top end, but the owner has decided on the OEM cyl from the bay and a Meteor piston.

Now then, I have done many a engine rebuilds on 2 and 4 stroke wheelers and sleds. But this is my first time this deep with a saw. I'm not worried or intimidated as these are pretty simple compared to a wheeler engine. The transmissions can be a royal pain of you aren't minding your P's and Q's during tear-down and reassembly... One little shim out of place and it won't shift or rotate... But anyhow, I have always been able to split crankcases using a rubber mallet, some blocking, and finesse. This saw case does not want to come apart, and I learned long ago not to force the issue. The last thing I want to do is break a case half. I decided to tear her down all the way as the crank bearings feel pretty worn, and as I stated earlier in this thread I will be doing the crank seals just because..not to mention they may be the very reason for the burn down to begin with.

I called GKS (my local Husky and Stihl dealer) to ask if they would mind splitting the case for me as I am sure they have a puller. They are swamped with pre-winter inventory and whatnot and I'm wondering if I should just spend the $100 and get one of my own. I normally don't mind buying tools, but I don't see myself using a puller like this again any time real soon. Hoping Jeff can squeeze me in sometime this week, I can't imagine it would take more than 10 minutes to split the cases and pass it back over the counter to me... Or maybe they could rent me the puller...

I plan to get a Meteor piston kit, new wrist pin bearing, full gasket set, carb kit, crank bearing and seals. I plan on using a little Threebond sealant on all of the gaskets just for some added insurance. I do this with my 2-stroke wheeler engines and it has never let me down... Just a little more of a pain to clean and prep gasket surfaces on subsequent tear-downs in the future.

I see some Meteor piston kits say they come with a wrist pin bearing, other listings do not. Weird thing is the prices are pretty much the same. Guess I'll just inquire with the seller before hand to find out for sure.

So anyhow, the project is stalled till I get that crankcase split. Have to get more parts coming too. Really looking forward to getting this big cube saw rippin' again! Was hoping the owner would decline putting the money into it so I could make an offer to buy it for myself..but alas, he said it sounds very doable and wants to fix it..

Being this is my first go-round like this for a saw, I plan to go with OEM gaskets, bearings, and seals if possible. Unless someone would like to recommend a quality aftermarket brand. I'm just leary about some non-OEM stuff out there.. If it were a wheeler, I know exactly what aftermarket stuff is good and what to steer clear of.

 

[MGoBlue]

MGoBlue: I'd like to thank you for the tip on that cylinder. My friend forgot to get back to me with an answer till after the listing ended. But fortunately the seller re-listed it and I went ahead and grabbed it up. I appreciate your sharing of info on that one.

That cyl has been relisted on the bay for a good 6 months believe it or not! I've been watching If he'd have spelled Husqvarna correctly it would have sold long ago @ that price. You're welcome!

My 394 responded very well to a base gasket delete and muff mod, just sayin'.

 

[dsell]

I agree and use OEM seals and gaskets. There wouldn't be anything wrong with aftermarket seals if you can find exact matches in quality brand names, not the chinese crap on ebay. I disagree on OEM bearings. Husqvarna is not making their own bearings, so buying from them is silly unless you can't cross them.

I haven't worked on the 394, but I would think you could make your own case splitter. Maybe someone will chime in that has split one with a homemade device. The real key is make sure you get all the screws out. You can use some heat from a gun if it's a bit stubborn. I took a 3/8 x 2 CRS bar and drilled the holes for the crankshaft an bar bolts. I added washers as necessary to space the bar properly on the saw. Then, I use a simple 2 arm puller between the bar and crankshaft. The flywheel side is a little trickier trying to find a place to attach the puller arms. There are (or were) a lot of threads on this site with pictures of homemade pullers.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Well, I went to GKS after work today and they split the case for me. Took them 10 minutes and charged me $15, which I thought was fair.

Didn't see your post about the OEM crank bearings till now dsell... They had the bearings and seals in stock, so I went ahead and grabbed them. Markings on the bags the bearings are in state they are made in Italy.

All said and done, I paid $55 for the case separating, crank bearings, and seals including sales tax.

Now I need to get a piston kit, wristpin bearing, gasket set, and carb kit coming. The cylinder is due to arrive by the 23rd.

I have access to a press and parts wash tank at my work, so I will swing down there this weekend and remove the old bearings and seals, clean the cases and crank, and install the new bearings.

Moving forward again.

 

[dsell]

I don't think you press the bearings in. I heat the case with a propane torch or paint stripper type of hot air gun. The bearings drop right in, no banging if you do it right. If you are referring to pressing the bearings off the crank, they come off easy with a puller.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I was planning to toss the bearings into the freezer for a couple of hours and apply moderate heat to the bearing housing in the cases with propane or butane torch. I use that method with wheeler engines and most times they drop into place just like you say.

Bearings stayed in the case halves as opposed to on the crank

 

[dsell]

It took a while to find these pictures from 2013. They were wiped out when this site crashed. That's too bad the bearings stayed in the case. I wonder if the shop's puller was against them?

 

[dsell]