Husky 32 help please!

[Karl2020]

Hi all,

I'm having a hard time finding info on the internet about this old saw, so I figured I'd post here and hopefully get an answer quicker.

I don't have much background info on it. My friend's dad asked if i could get it running without spending money. All i know is it's been sitting in his tool shed for as long as I've known him, 15+ years. All parts on it seem to be original and mostly intact. It's really quite a marvel how compact and simple it is, even for a 2-stroke. But a couple things seemed odd to me when disassembling:

1) No cylinder base gasket present (see pic). Did someone in the past try rebuilding without one? Or is it possible it never had one to begin with? Can a 2-stroke even run without?? My logical brain says no, but....

2) It appears that the front handle (brake lever??) didn't come with a brake band? At first i thought maybe it got lost or missing. But i'm starting to suspect it was made without, yet the front handle pivots as though it should be a brake.

3) Piston ring gap is facing the intake port. On the few saws I've rebuilt, ring gap usually faces exhaust port. I don't really see the big difference, but just different than what I'm used to seeing.

Thanks!

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

This should answer all your questions

http://s30387.gridserver.com/partsDiagrams/Husqvarna 32.pdf
Take note of the position of the piston ring- gap always goes toward intake.

 

[J D]

Not uncommon to remove the gasket to up the compression a bit... Or just cos you don't have one. Important to use the rite sealant & do a squish test if you do though.
Some saws of that era were sold without the brake parts fitted, they could be purchased as an optional extra.
As Bob said, ring gap goes to the intake side. I've never seen a saw (that was assembled correctly) that was different

 

[Huskvarna hotellgäst]

It may also help top know that the Husky 32 is a badge-engineered Solo 600

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Not uncommon to remove the gasket to up the compression a bit... Or just cos you don't have one. Important to use the rite sealant & do a squish test if you do though.
Some saws of that era were sold without the brake parts fitted, they could be purchased as an optional extra.
As Bob said, ring gap goes to the intake side. I've never seen a saw (that was assembled correctly) that was different

More common for clamshell saws to be assembled with sealant and never had a gasket that had to hoop around bearings and the handguards usually pivoted to allow for easier filling of the fuel and oil front mounted tanks.

 

[Karl2020]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the good feedback. Really appreciate it.

I have to correct myself about the ring gap. I think i was getting confused with the little arrow mark sometimes inscribed on the top of the piston. That points to exhaust. Ring gap is towards carb. Thanks for keeping me honest!

As for Bob's comment about it being a clamshell and not being able to put a rigid gasket over crank and bearings, totally makes sense! It can't have a traditional gasket with that configuration...Thanks for pointing that out. It's weird tho that i didn't see any trace of old sealant. It would need some sort of seal to hold pressure. I'm assuming it would've had sealant when it was built from factory. Oh well.. I don't know the history of the saw, so who knows eh? I'll reassemble with a bit of sealant keeping in mind JD's comment about squish.

And good points too about the handle.

-Karl

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the good feedback. Really appreciate it.

I have to correct myself about the ring gap. I think i was getting confused with the little arrow mark sometimes inscribed on the top of the piston. That points to exhaust. Ring gap is towards carb. Thanks for keeping me honest!

As for Bob's comment about it being a clamshell and not being able to put a rigid gasket over crank and bearings, totally makes sense! It can't have a traditional gasket with that configuration...Thanks for pointing that out. It's weird tho that i didn't see any trace of old sealant. It would need some sort of seal to hold pressure. I'm assuming it would've had sealant when it was built from factory. Oh well.. I don't know the history of the saw, so who knows eh? I'll reassemble with a bit of sealant keeping in mind JD's comment about squish.

And good points too about the handle.

-Karl

Some clamshells did have a gasket- but many did not. You can see from the IPL that there is no gasket shown.
Some were also assembled without sealant, relying on oil seal lips and compression of the cylinder and lower case halves to seal the joint.
The thing is- do not assume all clamshells, or indeed all saws of all vintages follow the same build procedures.

 

[Karl2020]

Some clamshells did have a gasket- but many did not. You can see from the IPL that there is no gasket shown.
Some were also assembled without sealant, relying on oil seal lips and compression of the cylinder and lower case halves to seal the joint.
The thing is- do not assume all clamshells, or indeed all saws of all vintages follow the same build procedures.

Ok, point noted. Thanks! Totally makes sense. I don't fix these things for a living, so pretty limited in my exposure to different designs. I just assumed crankcase would need to be sealed via gasket or whatever. But as you point out, maybe the oil content itself in the fuel and compression does all the sealing needed. This reminds me of years ago I rebuilt a twin liquid-cooled for my sled. I found fascinating to learn that a thin layer of grease inside interlocking grooves of the case halves sealed off the two jugs from each other. I remember at the time asking a mechanic about it and he said yep, pretty common design on a lot of motors. Anyways, goes to show you , it's never too late to learn new things!

Back to this saw- Is it futile then to do a traditional pressure check on the cranks of these things? That's what caused me to ask this question in first place. Pressure test failed. Air pressure blows right out the cylinder base.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Not futile- the crankcase still needs to hold pressure in order for the saw to run.
Could be one half or both halves of the case are distorted, one loose screw kind of thing.
Assemble with the likes of Yamabond 4, bolt up, let it cure and test again.

 

[Karl2020]

Not futile- the crankcase still needs to hold pressure in order for the saw to run.
Could be one half or both halves of the case are distorted, one loose screw kind of thing.
Assemble with the likes of Yamabond 4, bolt up, let it cure and test again.

Ok sounds good. Thanks again.
-Karl

 

[Karl2020]

Just an update on this saw. I got it back together a few weeks ago and running good! I put the clamshell case back together with a thin layer of ThreeBond liquid gasket. Don't put on too thick! Otherwise it separates the case halves too much and air escapes from around the crank seals. A thin even layer and tighten the bolts down hard. There was still a slight pressure leak, but very slow. I didn't care as it's an old saw. Despite this, it still fired up and after a little carb tuning, its running great. I cut a truck load of birch fire wood and 2 big jackpine trees I would normally not touch without my 372. But the 32 did just fine in the big wood with a sharp chain! Thanks everyone for all the help!