Intro

[setch]

Hey everyone. I just wanted to say 'hello' and introduce myself. I have frequented the site often for reviews, advice, and general information on saws...super helpful!

I live in NoVa and spend lots of time in NW PA, cutting in both areas. My 361 has recently died and I've begun to look for a replacement.

Looking forward to being a legit member. As an aside, I'm a LT member on a few sites under the same handle, if useful to anyone (24HCF and AR most notably).

thnx

 

[buttercup]

Looking forward to being a legit member....

thnx

But you already are, sir.

 

[rarefish383]

Welcom Setch, I spend a good bit of time on the Campfire in the Savage forum. I use Rarefish383 everywhere except the campfire. I screwed up registering and wound up using my first and middle name there. JoeMartin. I'm probably only about an hour from you in Frederick MD.

 

[PV Hiker]

Setch as am I, a new member. Good luck in your search for a replacement to your 361. Our 361 died from what I believe was user abuse and sitting in a box in pieces. what happened to yours?

 

[jcallahan]

Welcome Setch and PV Hiker , I'm more or less a new member myself even though I've followed the site for years. Lots of information you can share and receive.

 

[setch]

Thanks you guys!

PV Hiker - my shop told me that the piston & head are scored and the carb is bad. They said the damage to the carb was due to the ethanol in station gas (i never used a pure/pre-mix only gast-station fuel with an oil mix) and the scoring was due to poorly mixed or stale gas. The latter is a head-scratcher to me as I KNOW I always properly mixed the gas-oil and never kept gas for extended periods of time...

I am going to pick it up this weekend, rather than sending it to salvage, and will probably offer the ph here for folks who can use it for parts or even rebuild.

 

[gary courtney]

Welcome to the site. Have you considered the 462 ? Also would be interested in the 361 when you decide to part with her !

 

[neutral4x4]

Welcome!

It's a possibility that your carburetor issue was the cause of your cylinder scoring. Once the tiny holes in the carb get plugged up with gummy fuel, sawdust, etc., the fuel (and lubrication) to the cylinder are reduced. The saw overheats and it's game over.

I'm assuming you don't want to fix your old saw due to the cost of genuine parts? The MS361 is one of the saws that China has been cranking out aftermarket parts for. You can buy clone parts really cheap. A top end is about $21 and a carburetor kit is less than $3. They might not be quite as nice as genuine parts, but it sure beats junking the saw. Of course, you should probably buy another saw too, because who doesn't need another saw?

 

[setch]

Welcome!

It's a possibility that your carburetor issue was the cause of your cylinder scoring. Once the tiny holes in the carb get plugged up with gummy fuel, sawdust, etc., the fuel (and lubrication) to the cylinder are reduced. The saw overheats and it's game over.

I'm assuming you don't want to fix your old saw due to the cost of genuine parts? The MS361 is one of the saws that China has been cranking out aftermarket parts for. You can buy clone parts really cheap. A top end is about $21 and a carburetor kit is less than $3. They might not be quite as nice as genuine parts, but it sure beats junking the saw. Of course, you should probably buy another saw too, because who doesn't need another saw?

If it could be fixed with OEM or other parts for less than what it'd cost to buy a used 361, I'd be open to it. My local shop gave me a bid of over $750, which is about what you could get a new 362 for these days. If anyone has a point-of-view as to whether that is do-able and what shop(s) could handle that, I'd be very interested.

 

[neutral4x4]

A lot of shops won't install parts they can't warranty. Because of this, they only install OEM parts and they all charge a markup on top of the list price. Then you have one (maybe two?) hours of shop labor rates. I could easily see that adding up quickly. That being said, $750 sounds a lot like a "we don't want the job but we don't want to flat out tell you that" price.

I'd call around to a few other shops and see what they say. It never hurts to get a couple quotes. Just note that having a shop do it will usually mandate paying for OEM parts and labor, so don't expect to walk out the door without paying a couple hundred dollars.

If that doesn't pan out, the other option is to watch a couple of youtube videos and read up on here. Once you feel comfortable with how it all goes together, order the parts and give it a go yourself. It isn't terribly hard if you take your time and aren't afraid to ask questions. Worst case scenario, you're only out some time and $25. About the cost of a couple of movie tickets. Best case is a fixed saw and you don't need to buy a new one.

OR... find a friend that likes to tinker and buy him the parts and a case of beer. Just don't expect a warranty.

 

[rarefish383]

Thanks you guys!

PV Hiker - my shop told me that the piston & head are scored and the carb is bad. They said the damage to the carb was due to the ethanol in station gas (i never used a pure/pre-mix only gast-station fuel with an oil mix) and the scoring was due to poorly mixed or stale gas. The latter is a head-scratcher to me as I KNOW I always properly mixed the gas-oil and never kept gas for extended periods of time...

I am going to pick it up this weekend, rather than sending it to salvage, and will probably offer the ph here for folks who can use it for parts or even rebuild.

I'm not sure I buy that. I've got 100CC saws that are 45 years old and run 5 gallons of mix through them a month. I use the 87 regular and Stihl synthetic. I also have 3 newer Stihls, an Ms 170, Ms290 and a 660 for milling. I have around 50 saws and try to keep at least 10 of them running at a time. 40 of the 50 are 70CC or bigger. That's the cutoff for the saws I buy for my collection. I'm probably hardest on my milling saws because I will let them sit for a couple months with fuel in them. When MD first went to ethanol in the fuel I had the fuel lines melt in a bunch of my older saws. Haven't had that happen in a good while. All of my firewood saws get flushed almost weekly, they seldom sit with fuel in them. Now, if the fuel is several months or more old, or not mixed right, every thing I said goes out the window. I run 50:1 in all of my saws, even the old ones that call for 16:1.

 

[setch]

Doesn't make sense to me either, but that's where I am at. I called a couple shops today and only one was interested in looking at it, gonna give me a ballpark quote tomorrow. But as they use oem parts, I expect it will be on the expensive side.

 

[Mad Professor]

Welcome.

Pull off the muffler of the 361 and post some pictures. Chances are with some work and a little $$$ it could be running good again

 

[PV Hiker]

I also have been using 91 octane pump gas and Stihl synthetic oil for years with no noticeable ill effect. I keep it in a metal Wavian fuel can and make sure to shake it up before pouring it into the saws tank. Can is kept in the garage and cool location. After a 3 to 6 months will pour remaining into the cars gas tank and start over when needed.

I have located a fuel stop that has 91 octane ethanol free that I'm going to use next season.

I like the Wavian can as you can drive over it. They are pretty tough. https://wavianusa.com/steel-fuel-jerry-can?variant=18593159938115