Husqvarna Special 42

[82F100SWB]

I know dad's had not been apart prior to my working on it. He had a very strict policy of replace don't repair after he had issues with having seals done in his 444 circa 84 or so. Very seldom did a saw make it past 2 summers of use with him, and I remember a couple summers that there was another new saw mid season....

 

[SawTroll]

View attachment 558094
There's a picture of the model plate on the Special 42

Thanks - but the tag actually was visible in one of the other pictures as well.

 

[wcorey]

I know dad's had not been apart prior to my working on it. He had a very strict policy of replace don't repair after he had issues with having seals done in his 444 circa 84 or so. Very seldom did a saw make it past 2 summers of use with him, and I remember a couple summers that there was another new saw mid season....

Please don't take this the wrong way, not trying to say you're incorrect or don't know what your doing or anything like that... but i have to ask...
Are you familiar with both the 42 op and 242 cp transfer layout?

The 42 transfers have a somewhat unique (for an open port) dished side fed form factor that closely resembles the 242 in that they're basically the same shape,
particularly from the outside.
The difference being that the 42 trans have the typical vertical divider partway down the center, the 242 have the typical horizontal bridge between the uppers and lowers.
If it weren't for the two long rear cylinder bolts the two would be pretty much indistinguishable from the outside without looking into the bore.

I've been involved in past discussions about the difference/definition of open vs. closed port cylinders and there are many who are of the opinion that anything side fed is defined as closed port.
I actually have used the 42/242 and 268/268xp as examples to illustrate that point in this context.


Just noticed you have a 444, I'm jealous, we didn't get many of those south of the border. Lots of 44's though...

 

[82F100SWB]

Yes, I am familiar, the 42 cylinder is almost a half and half between closed and open, not bottom fed. Dad's has the same jug as my(his) 242 without question. I just don't have access to his saw to take pictures of it, and Dad did not adopt technology at all.
My 444 is the same one he had seal problems with, it sat under the bench in his garage for 19 years until I brought it home. Pretty sure he still has a 44 as well.

 

[wcorey]

Thanks, that settles that question.

 

[Dennbb]

The 42 Special is essentially a 242, same closed port jug, it's a screamer for sure, great limbing saw. It's the standard Husky small mount. I personally would run something in the 14-16" range, others may say different.

The 42 is an open port DEKO made in China cylinder. The 42 special is an open port Gildarni made in Italy cylinder the 242xp is a closed port Mahle cylinder. The 42 is 2.9 hp, the special is 3.1 hp and the 242 xp is 3.3 hp. Maximum revs are 42 14,500, special 15,500, xp 15,500. Old post but I have taken all of them apart and have the manuals.

 

[Huskvarna hotellgäst]

The 42 Special cylinder is part no. 503 57 66-73 (piston 503 57 66-71).
This range of the part numbers indicates a Gilardoni c & p, which from the outside look like a closed port casting but on the inside the ports are open, requiring a scalloped sided piston to form the inner side of each transfer port.

 

[82F100SWB]

Dad's 42 SP definitely had a 242 cylinder. Some theories point to Husky having ran short on open port cylinders, or using up old stock 242 cylinders after porting changes in the 242. Who knows.
My 1990 42 SP most definitely has an open port Gilardoni cylinder. I have never seen a Chinese cylinder on any of these saws, and I have wrenched at dealer level.

The saw in question:

I have the whole family, my 133 is stuck on the other side of the US border and I can't go get it though.....

Right to left:
234SE, 238SG, 42SP, 242XPG, 246XPG

 

[Huskvarna hotellgäst]

I have never seen a Chinese cylinder on any of these saws, and I have wrenched at dealer level.

I worked for Husqvarna at the time the 42 was introduced. It's inconceivable that it had a Chinese-made cylinder.
Using a US-made LoneStar cylinder on the 45 farm saw was sufficiently difficult to justify to the Husky purists.

 

[Dennbb]

DEKO cylinders are Chinese. Look at the parts diagram. Part# 503 57 66 72 for the 42 is a DEKO top end.

 

[82F100SWB]

There is a very well documented thread on one of the other sites that has all of the cylinders reasonably well documented. The Deco in the description of the part number you gave is for Decompression, not denoting who the manufacturer is.

 

[Dennbb]

The part # is for the complete top end. 42's didn't have a decompression valve.

 

[Huskvarna hotellgäst]

DEKO cylinders are Chinese. Look at the parts diagram. Part# 503 57 66 72 for the 42 is a DEKO top end.

If that's the case, 257s also have Chinese-made cylinders.

 

[Huskvarna hotellgäst]

The part # is for the complete top end. 42's didn't have a decompression valve.

They did in 1994. In Japan they also had a 1.0 mm base gasket to make them even easier to start.

 

[82F100SWB]

The decomp appeared somewhere around 1992.

 

[Dennbb]

The standard 42 is open port, the 42 SP is closed, per the IPL's and the one my dad has.

The special is a Giladorni that's some kind of hybrid between a closed and open port. The bottom 1mm is closed off but above it it looks like an open port.

 

[82F100SWB]

Dad's particular saw had a 242 cylinder. The 42 SP I have now has the Gillardoni you describe.

 

[bulletpruf]

Damn, a 42 Special just popped up for sale for $20 near me. I'm a Stihl guy, but sounds like a pretty good little saw.

 

[HumBurner]

Damn, a 42 Special just popped up for sale for $20 near me. I'm a Stihl guy, but sounds like a pretty good little saw.

Buy it! If you don't want it, and it's not a total turd of mag rot and cake, I'd probably buy it for a reasonable price.

 

[bulletpruf]

Buy it! If you don't want it, and it's not a total turd of mag rot and cake, I'd probably buy it for a reasonable price.

Well, I contacted the seller asked if I could pick up, and he said someone was ahead of me in line. He then asked if I would be interested in making an offer over the asking price. To which I replied, "You can stick that chainsaw right up your ass. I'll be damned if I'm going to deal with someone dishonest like you."

In other words, I'm not getting it.