How to find serial # on Homelite XL-8xx or X-9xx

[starsailor]

Hey Habanero,

No harm no foul. I certainly hope I didn't make my reply feel like a slap back.

Thanks for the input!

It seems like this oiler config may somewhat of a sticking point in getting to a proper id of the saw though.

 

[starsailor]

Bore ID...

Just measured the bore and it's a hair over 2". That's the best I can do with the depth gage on my vernier caliper thru the exhaust port. It certainly doesn't appear big enough to be 2 1/16 though.

 

[habanero]

No worries.

I wish someone, or maybe a group of someones, would put together a definitive history of these older Homelites, like a complete model succession, and such. I've heard bits and pieces particular to certain series, but it'd be nice to have a hard reference to look at to track the evolution.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Im throwing my hat in for points ignition also, its a guess nuttell me this, does the flywheel have 2 or 3 magnet sections?




Check out the pic in the listing for the xl-800, it has the correct size piston and it appears to have the type thumb lever shown in one of your pics.



http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/GasbyManufacturer?OpenView&Start=50.183&Count=30&Expand=50#50



The XL-902 is adead ringer save for the bore size.....



http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...be96a39e9fdfd8fa88256d9f00059c7f?OpenDocument





I wouldnt bet the farm just yet, but these are two other candidates.

Most of the other saws in this range dont have pics or paint info.

 

[starsailor]

Hi Wolves,

I think we're getting closer...

I don't think I see what you see regarding the oiler in that XL-800 illustration though. Have a look a Weimedog's pics of his XL-800 in another thread on this site, here:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=17872&highlight=homelite+XL-800
From the looks of his pic (oldandnew.jpg) the XL-800 has no exterior oiler pump on the right side nor on the rear and the text (red on white) on the chain cover it even says "AUTOMATIC OILER". Also it is listed in the model profile as auto oiler (i.e. doesn't say "with manual override" like the models with visible exterior oiler pumps and buttons or levers). From this I conclude that the XL-800 oiler is all internal, consistant with Weimedog's pic.

As for the bore, I'm sure my bore is 2", and not as big as 2 1/16 (or 2.0625).

So with these in mind, I'm leaning towards the XL-902AM except for 1 significant detail.

That detail is if you look at the model profile pics of the 902's at the case above the starter cover there are 3 screws, one just even with the back edge of the front handle, another in line with centerline of the starter/flywheel/crank, and the last right by the front corner of the air cleaner cover. There may be more that aren't visible in the model profile pics. These make me wonder if the 902 case is screwed together whereas the 800 case in Weimedog's pics definitely has no such screws and therefore looks welded. I have no more specific source that says which models have a welded case and which are screwed together.

However, my saw doesn't have any screws on the starter side of the cover, except for the cover screws themselves, and is definitely welded together all the way around. See the my top view pic earlier in the thread and the front and bottom pics attached here.

So, if I can't find out which ones are welded and which aren't with some degree of certainty, I'm stuck with definite MAYBE on an XL-902AM as a best guess (so far). If that sounds wishy-washy that's because it is.

Please anyone that can add any relevant detail, more pics, or a better guess please weigh in.

Thanks so much to all so far.

 

[lesorubcheek]

I wish someone, or maybe a group of someones, would put together a definitive history of these older Homelites, like a complete model succession, and such. I've heard bits and pieces particular to certain series, but it'd be nice to have a hard reference to look at to track the evolution.

I'll second that wish habanero. I'm about 20 years too young to have been in the middle of Homelite's awesome period during the 60s and 70s. The new chainsaw history book that's out is the right idea, but a book on Homelites only would be ultimate.

I don't have an IPL for a 902 (the earliest I have is 901, 903, and 904). I'm not positive, but I believe the 902 may have been a Canadian model. It seems like I've seen this on a Canadian Homelite pamphlet, but I may have it confused with another model. I've never noticed the welded tank before. All IPLS I have show a 2 piece, so its most likely in the pre-9xx series.

Dan

 

[lesorubcheek]

I stumbled across an IPL for XL-700/800 and sure enough, these have a one piece tank. Couple this with 2" bore (4.7 cu in. displacement) and looking at Mr. Acre's site, it looks like you're saw is probably an XL-700 since all of the XL-8xx are shown to be 2.0625" bore (5 cu in. displacement). The air filter is most probably not original since the XL-700 was a point type ignition. So, that's my guessn an XL-700. Again, nice saw whatever it actually turns out to be.

Dan

 

[starsailor]

Saw finally identified as an XL-850!

Hi all,

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to do any saw work, but I'm sure I finally got to the bottom of identifying this saw. First off I need say thanks to a couple of nice gentlemen over on the chainsawcollectors.se site. Both Magnus the site admin and Lewis Brander helped me out a great deal by sending me the old Homlite XL-7xx, XL-8xx, and XL-9xx IPLs in PDFs that were the key info in identifying the saw. Thanks again to them.

So here's the deal. It's an XL-850!

To figure it out I needed to tear down the saw see the ignition and and automatic oil pump, and clutch details. It needed this level of tear down anyway because it was seriously plugged up with gunk in the cyl. fins and around the back of the flywheel that needed to be cleaned out. I think I cleaned and scaped out about a pound of crap in the process.

Well, it turns out the saw really has an electronic ignition from the XL-850 which still had a coil similar if not identical to the breaker points model. However, with no points there's 2 additional mag segments in the ID of the flywheel that trip a switch on the backing plate. That was the key part, along with the welded tanks and the saw paint scheme that id it as an XL-850. Also, I had incorrectly measured the bore at 2" earlier, but on a closer exam and using a couple of different techniques I've verified it to be a 2 1/16 bore, consistant with XL-850. Another misleading part was that the original spur clutch drum was at some point replaced with an Oregon rim style. All the better for sprocket replacment, but misleading in identifying the saw as the XL-850 came with a spur style originally, at least according to the IPL.

In the end I think I've got my hands on a pretty good saw that's in decent shape now that it's cleaned up and I know what parts to get for it when the need arises.

Thanks to RaisedByWolves, timberrat, lesorubcheek, and habanero, along with the kind folks at chainsawcollectors.se that I've already mentioned for all the generous help they've offered in figureing out what old Homelite this saw is.

Now on to reassembly and fireing this baby up! I'm sure it'll need a bit of tuning, but that's for a different thread...