Chain won't spin after tightening the nut

[lone wolf]

Yeah... I'm not a Husky guy, but isn't a 346 a 45cc saw that runs .325 chain? Is the sprocket the stock .325 one, and you're trying to run 3/8 Lo Pro on it?

Yes 325

 

[juttree]

My guess is burrs on the drive links. Once tightened they dig in and don't let you spin the chain. Pull the chain off and look, at all the drive links, and file flat if needed.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

It should say what it is on the bar and on the clutch sprocket or rim, just match them all up and you'll be okay. .325 is the best size for your saw.

 

[Big_Wood]

i'm just wondering where the heck he got a small mount techlite lol i've seen 540's with them so they must exist but seem to be non existant where i'm from. run the chain loose for a few throttle blips then tighten it up. should be good then.

 

[mohick]

it might be a screamer have a big carb, even a v-8 but it don't $hit if the chain don't turn !!!! hahahahahha

 

[livemusic]

it might be a screamer have a big carb, even a v-8 but it don't $hit if the chain don't turn !!!! hahahahahha

WOW, that's awfully profound, did you go to college? Thanks!

 

[Sagetown]

I know absolutely nothing about Husky saws, but I do know the Chain's Pitch has to match with the Saw's 'Drive Sprocket's Pitch '.
Will that cause the chain to pinch? Also ; if the bar is not laying flush against the saw at the front stud, tightening the front nut will cause the chain to seize. jmtc

 

[HarleyT]

When you put up a pic, click on upload a file. Then when it is loaded, click on "full image".

 

[mohick]

Yep sure school of hard knocks for almost 66 years now. Had a problem figured it out, didn't have internet to post worthless drivvle on then, just common sense and problem solving. shame this country has gotten away from that, from the top all the way down !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sagetown]

Yep sure school of hard knocks for almost 66 years now. Had a problem figured it out, didn't have internet to post worthless drivvle on then, just common sense and problem solving. shame this country has gotten away from that, from the top all the way down !!!!!!!!!!

We're all eyes here. So far most have tried to reason the cause of this hang up. What's your opinion ?

 

[HarleyT]

I am wondering if the bar isn't slightly bent in the area I circled.

 

[mohick]

If thats a picture of your chain it ain't worth spit anyway toss it and get something good and then try it again

 

[HarleyT]

Yeah it is pretty bad.

 

[Chris-PA]

Have we determined if the drive sprocket is 0.325" or 3/8?

 

[HarleyT]

We have determined that mohick must be in his late 80s, so we had better figure it out quick!!!

 

[Philbert]

If thats a picture of your chain it ain't worth spit anyway toss it and get something good and then try it again

Nothing wrong with that chain if sharpened correctly.

To the OP - we can only speculate, based on what you tell us; you are our 'eyes and ears'. Photos help some, but yours are small and a bit hard to see.

As I understand it, the chain was working fine until you took it off to sharpen? Is that correct? If so, then the bar, chain, and sprocket all worked together, and nothing was changed?

Chain binding under the cover, like that, often results from: a mis-match in chain; damage to links (e.g. makes part of the chain wider, causing it to bind up); damage to the guide plates on either side of the chain; etc. Sometimes this is obvious. After the simple things are looked at, replacing parts one-by-one, as suggested, is the best way to find out where the trouble is. That is how I would trouble-shoot it.

It is a good idea to have a spare chain anyway, so that is an easy thing to check. Some links may have been bent or twisted slightly. If the new chain also binds up, then you can start looking at the bar. Sprocket wear is usually pretty easy to see, but you have to pull your clutch/sprocket drum to look at the bearing. You mentioned hitting barbed wire - any chance that that damaged the plates that 'sandwich' the chain when mounted? Any dirt or debris wedged up behind the plates on one side?

Philbert

 

[livemusic]

- Yes, the saw cut great and probably was run not even an hour when I found the barbed wire. I knew it wasn't cutting well suddenly, and saw smoke coming from the cut, lol. I stopped and found the wire in the tree and quit.

- The chain was sharpened by the Stihl dealer on one of those automatic sharpening machines. He said it was still good enough chain and should cut fine now.

- @HarleyT, I don't see evidence of a bend at that spot. I don't know if my eyes are playing tricks on me or what but it still appears to me that the bar is not totally straight, I see a VERY slight bow overall down the length. But I cannot confirm that on a glass surface.

- I have to take off that clutch to see the sprocket. I've seen a video where a guy stuffed a rope inside the cylinder to bind the piston. That makes me nervous, lol. But I don't have any type of piston binding thingy. I can't see the sprocket good enough to identify it without removing the clutch, right? Bear in mind, the saw ran fine for numerous cuts before this problem. And the guy who sold me this knows a lot about saws. It seems unlikely for him to put the wrong chain on but I guess mistakes happen.

- I would rather not buy a spare chain because I am not sure I will keep this bar/chain setup. I guess I will if I have to.

I am going to try to upload better pics next.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

If it worked okay before it probably is the right size. The bar states it's a 3/8 .050 gauge. To make sure the chain is right just measure between any 3 rivets (in a row) on the chain and divide by 2. If the chain is a 3/8 it should measure over .7", if it measures .650 it is a .325. It appears to the the right chain in the picture.

 

[livemusic]

... The bar states it's a 3/8 .050 gauge. To make sure the chain is right just measure between any 3 rivets (in a row) on the chain and divide by 2...

I didn't quite follow you there. Measure and then divide by two?

The distance between three rivets in a row is about 11.5/16", so, 23/32", so, that is .71875". Is that what you mean?

I am still waiting on pics to upload to my laptop.

 

[livemusic]

I have a helluva time putting the chain onto the bar, on the saw. There is just no slack. As I said, even with the chain tensioning screw being all the way to the left. There may be some trick I don't know but I have to really work at it to get the chain on. It doesn't go on anything near as easy as youtube videos, lol. I'm not smart enough to figure it out what's going on with that problem either.