Homelite 360 Automatic; My latest project

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Finally got back to my saw. Here's what happened. I took the top of the saw off to get at the boot to replace it and, "WTF???" There is NO BOOT in there! I can't see any signs of this saw ever being apart
previously, so I'm very puzzled. Anyway, I'll order the boot and put it back together. Hopefully, I'll have a fully functional machine after that. View attachment 220063
 
Knucklebuster said:
Finally got back to my saw. Here's what happened. I took the top of the saw off to get at the boot to replace it and, "WTF???" There is NO BOOT in there! I can't see any signs of this saw ever being apart
previously, so I'm very puzzled. Anyway, I'll order the boot and put it back together. Hopefully, I'll have a fully functional machine after that. View attachment 220063
Click to expand...

It's been a while since I replaced a 360 boot, but I think the round hole you are looking at is what is left of your boot. They desentigrate completely with prolonged ethanol contact. Pull the metal plate and I think you will see what I mean.
 
attachment.php


Here's your pic Knucklebuster. I have two of these saws and have never done the boot. I have a NIB one saved up for when I have to do one. I'll be watching your thread.
 
NPKenny said:
It's been a while since I replaced a 360 boot, but I think the round hole you are looking at is what is left of your boot. They desentigrate completely with prolonged ethanol contact. Pull the metal plate and I think you will see what I mean.
Click to expand...

Thanks. But it's not. I took that all apart. There's a hard plastic piece under there that goes between the plate and the cylinder. I'm guessing the boot lip snaps down over the lip on that. It's just not there. I'm on my way to pick one up now at the local Saw Shop. The photo was after I cleaned her all up and put the plate back on (and a new line for the pulse too).
 
My boot was in the cylinder. Thats right - It was completely melted & all the goop ran down inside the cylinder. That was fun cleaning that mess up.
 
Update: I got the new boot in and put her back together. Started on the 3rd pull and she screams like New! Love it, just like you guys said I would. But man, she goes thru the fuel in short time. I just hacked up a 16 inch tree that was down in my woods and went thru 3/4 tank of gas. Here are some tips for the guys who said they want to tackle the boot replacement; turns out it's not that hard at all.
- Take off the bar and chain
- You also have to remove the plate on the front with the Teeth for clearance (2 screws)
- You don't even have to remove the carb to get the top off, but you'll (probably) have to pull the carb bolts later to get it back into the top of the boot
- Remove the 4 X 7/16 low-profile bolts on all 4 corners
- Remove the screw in the end of the handle
- Grab the handle and rock it up and forward and the whole top will come right off the saw, exposing the intake boot and cylinder, being careful of the lines.
Piece of cake. Thanks for all the tips, guys. Without David Y's photos, I wouldn't even know what that boot looked like, since mine was non-existent.
:chainsawguy:
 
Knucklebuster said:
Thanks. But it's not. I took that all apart. There's a hard plastic piece under there that goes between the plate and the cylinder. I'm guessing the boot lip snaps down over the lip on that. It's just not there. I'm on my way to pick one up now at the local Saw Shop. The photo was after I cleaned her all up and put the plate back on (and a new line for the pulse too).
Click to expand...

I've been led to believe that it's possible to replace the boot with only the removal of the carb(working through the hole), so I'm guessing it's no problem to pull it through the hole.

Did you get the helical spring for the bottom of the boot? It fits in the groove at the bottom of the bulbous part of the boot. I'm not sure it's absolutely needed initially, but it might be a good place for an air leak later when the rubber loosens if you don't have one on it.
 
David Y. said:
I've been led to believe that it's possible to replace the boot with only the removal of the carb(working through the hole), so I'm guessing it's no problem to pull it through the hole.

Did you get the helical spring for the bottom of the boot? It fits in the groove at the bottom of the bulbous part of the boot. I'm not sure it's absolutely needed initially, but it might be a good place for an air leak later when the rubber loosens if you don't have one on it.
Click to expand...

Nope, sure didn't. On a good note, The boots that are being sold at Randysenginerepair.Biz are supposedly made of some new and improved material that doesn't degrade as readily. I buy stuff from there on occasion and his prices aren't bad and he gets me my stuff in just a few days, via US Mail. He sells the boot for $16 +S/H. I paid $23 + Tax at my local saw shop.
 
Knucklebuster said:
Nope, sure didn't. On a good note, The boots that are being sold at Randysenginerepair.Biz are supposedly made of some new and improved material that doesn't degrade as readily. I buy stuff from there on occasion and his prices aren't bad and he gets me my stuff in just a few days, via US Mail. He sells the boot for $16 +S/H. I paid $23 + Tax at my local saw shop.
Click to expand...

Yep. The Homelite 750 boot that I bought from Randy does seem to be made from a different material than the original (which had degraded into chewing gum). Haven't installed it yet, but it looks like it's good quality.
 
This is my first post on the site, so thank you for your help so far. I've just rescued a 360 from the barn behind my work and I'm giving it a try.

I've done very basic carb cleaning in small engines before with a fair amount of success but I don't know what a boot is or does. When I took my carb out, the part that you've described feels like its made of black silly putty. Is this because its been sitting for ten years in a barn or what? What will it look like when it needs to be changed?
 
scrosby said:
This is my first post on the site, so thank you for your help so far. I've just rescued a 360 from the barn behind my work and I'm giving it a try.

I've done very basic carb cleaning in small engines before with a fair amount of success but I don't know what a boot is or does. When I took my carb out, the part that you've described feels like its made of black silly putty. Is this because its been sitting for ten years in a barn or what? What will it look like when it needs to be changed?
Click to expand...

That 'silly putty' is the remains of the intake boot. They boot I replaced on a 750 (BIG brother to your 360) had the consistency of chewing gum. They degrade over time and almost always need replacing.

Replace the bugger. There are NOS and newly produced boots on ebay. It will look like a rubber tube with a bellows section in the middle. Somewhat like a rubber sewer pipe joint seal.
 
Intake Boot

That boot cost me $25. Put it in and the saw ran like new. I had no idea what it looked like, as mine was completely gone when I took the saw apart. With the help from the great guys in here, I figured it out. Sold the saw to a friend for $200. Not bad considering I got it for nothing. I've bought lots of stuff from this guy, Randy in Ohio. He gets his stuff out in the mail immediately and It usually shows up in my mailbox in 3 or 4 days.
Knucklebuster
12048 Rubber Carburetor Boot Homelite LOWEST PRICE ON THE INTERNET!!!
 
Knucklebuster said:
That boot cost me $25. Put it in and the saw ran like new. I had no idea what it looked like, as mine was completely gone when I took the saw apart. With the help from the great guys in here, I figured it out. Sold the saw to a friend for $200. Not bad considering I got it for nothing. I've bought lots of stuff from this guy, Randy in Ohio. He gets his stuff out in the mail immediately and It usually shows up in my mailbox in 3 or 4 days.
Knucklebuster
12048 Rubber Carburetor Boot Homelite LOWEST PRICE ON THE INTERNET!!!
Click to expand...

Rudedog said:
I've bought several times from him with no problems.
Click to expand...

Same here. RD is who I got the 750 boot from. Appeared to be a high quality part, and the saw's a strong runner now.
 
I just got the part (from your suggested vendor) and I'll be finishing it all up this weekend. Just for my own education... is the boot just for compression? Does it only create a seal from air leaks or does it serve another function? And do they decompose from fuel alone or should I avoid something in order to preserve my saws (I've got quite a collection lately because a bunch of rich people in my town keep tossing decent saws in the metal pile)?
 
scrosby said:
I just got the part (from your suggested vendor) and I'll be finishing it all up this weekend. Just for my own education... is the boot just for compression? Does it only create a seal from air leaks or does it serve another function? And do they decompose from fuel alone or should I avoid something in order to preserve my saws (I've got quite a collection lately because a bunch of rich people in my town keep tossing decent saws in the metal pile)?
Click to expand...

The carburetor box is part of the rear handle casting, which is vibration isolated from the engine. The boot is simply a flexible connection from the carb box to the engine. Fuel and time are what killed these boots. Supposedly, RD's boots are made from a modern synthetic rubber that's more resistant to deterioration than the originals.

Don't worry about it. If you can get it in your area, run gasoline without ethanol added. That'll help your saws live longer. What other saws have you scored? Also.......you look like you could use some Old Homelite rep.:cheers:
 
I pulled a 3.7/18" old all metal craftsman that I used to clear two acres of forest for horse pasture and I just got a pair of newer low end homelites that are destined for craigslist. All three were in cases with the instruction manuals. I can't imagine a guy throwing out a running chainsaw like that, so best that I can figure they must be wealthy or have p-o'd their wives.
 

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