Brand New 338XPT Low on Power?

[mikemcC]

Hey guys this is only my second post but I have been doing tree work on the side with my father for quite sometime (he was self employed doing tree work for over 30 years). The other day I purchased a brand new 338xpt for $400 out the door so I thought I got a great deal. Well when i was up in the tree yesterday the saw had no power at all. It would just bog down and wouldnt cut. I took it back to the dealer and he said that he thinks the saw is fine but there is no way it should cut like that. I had to send it back down and have a ground guy send up an echo cs 341 which made the 338xpt look like a toy. I asked the dealer to order me a new 338 to try and he agreeded but he said that he thinks its going to cut the same way. Has anyone else had a problem like this? I didnt want to spend a fortune on a ms200t so i figured the 338xpt would be a great alternative. Hopefully it is just a bad saw and the new one will be better but i am just curious if anyone else ever had this problem. thanks for any help!

 

[toddstreeservic]

mine rips. Then again it is a cali special.

 

[mikemcC]

is that the 45cc one? i would think a climbing saw with 39cc like the New edition has should really rip but it doesnt. There has to be something wrong with it.

 

[mranum]

We had the same trouble with one we bought a year ago, never could get it figured out. Ended up selling it for about half of what we had in it. Normally they have done great for us but there are lemons in everything.

 

[joesawer]

Did anyone try adjusting the carb?
Also the tiny air filter stops up really fast on these saws.

 

[StihlNut88]

I used one and it seemed to have really great power and nicely balanced. Sounds like something is wrong.

 

[gdn]

mine won't cut like a 020...

 

[mikemcC]

yes the dealer adjusted the carb after i brought it back and no change. The saw was run for a total of no more than 5 minutes so there is no way the air filter is dirty. I am just thinking that i got a bad saw. New one will be here Monday so hopefully its a lot better than this one.

 

[gdn]

i wouldn't count on it. Search muffler mods if you want to make the saw go faster. Also something i found out is they have an auto decompression valve so it'll feel like it has no compression when you pull the cord, my valve had evidence of oil coming out of it (probably normal function) so i replaced it with a bolt. Muffler mods are fun!

 

[gdn]

also i assume your aware the saw should slowly gain power over the first few hours of running, most likely days or weeks of working

 

[mikemcC]

also i assume your aware the saw should slowly gain power over the first few hours of running, most likely days or weeks of working

yea i heard about the decompression valve, is that something you recommend removing? I know the saw has a certain break in time but this saw i bought was just ridiculous. There is no way an echo cs-341 should be out cutting it. As for the muffler mod i have never done one but i am pretty good with mechanical stuff so if someone told me what needed to be done i could probably do it.

 

[gdn]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=50562

as a post note, real gaskets work better than ones from beer, i ended up making video but was ashamed to put up results until my saw could cut quicker than an 020, which it didn't. Haven't given up hope though, just lost motivation. Will get around to making the exhaust holes bigger one day - i think i was a bit conservative with my first effort.

good luck!

 

[gdn]

personally, i think a decompression valve on a 40cc motor is stupid, and i just don't trust an auto-decompression valve... but no i doubt there is any real value in removing it except you'll never have to deal with warranty claims muffler mods will fix that problem too lol

 

[mikemcC]

the dealer said he would remove the decompression valve at no charge so i think i am going to have that done. I didnt understand why there would be a decomp valve on a 39cc motor anyway. But after this new one comes in i am going to look into doing the muffler mod. Thanks guys for all the help. And if you have any pics of your 338 muffler mod post them up so i can see what i need to do. Thanks!

 

[huskystihl]

mine won't cut like a 020...

No but their close to each other.

 

[mranum]

mine won't cut like a 020...

The only way the 020's we had would keep up with the 338's is when we ran 1/4" chain on them.

:greenchainsaw:

 

[pgg]

The dealer doesn't seem to know much, a 338 should whip even a 200T, , just an opened muffler is all they need, but that saw must have a sick carb, 335 motor matches a 200T motor for power, let alone a 338, looking inside, 200T's are ultra shortstroke with cut down pistons(2 ring), wafer thin conrods, measly lttle crank bearings and tiny little wristpins, along with their huge expansion chamber/muffler, no wonder they rev like a race machine. 335 with beefier components, conrod etc.. and with a way longer piston(1 ring) and longer stroke, maybe the 338's a different design inside, I'm picking it's still pretty much the same as a 335, I used a 338 once, not my own, you can tell they're restricted and muffled down, but if they're not used all the time then they're OK like that, and easier on the eardrums than a rowdy 200T

 

[046]

no way I'd do a muffler mod on a new saw that's giving problems and void the warranty. take that saw back while it's still new. don't wait... and be stuck with a lemon.

got a 200T now, but had a 335 xpt w/muffler mod before that. a lot of folks had problems with 335, but mine was dead reliable with loads of power.

that said...my stock 200T has more power than muffler modded 335

seems there's been several posts about 338 being low on power. do a search for RBtree , he uses 335xpt and has modded cali's without much success.

unlike most husky vs Stihl preferences. pretty safe to say... most on AS prefer 200T vs 335/338. this goes for die hard husky fans too.

i wouldn't count on it. Search muffler mods if you want to make the saw go faster.

 

[mikemcC]

hey guys little update on the saw...took it in and he replaced the carb for me. Its like a whole different saw. Thing really rips now. Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

 

[046]

glad to hear your 338 is fixed... let us know how it holds up...