Is an early Jonsered 70e worth the time/money to "update"?

[zuren]

I've posted here before regarding my father's early model Jonsered 70e. The SEM ignition went bad and I was able to find a used one to get the saw running again. That unit went bad and I was able to find another one. That too has now gone bad so the saw is sitting idle. I cannot find a SEM so I'm going to stop looking for one.

My dad will give me the saw if I can repair it. The saw is in used but good shape with a couple bars and chains. I just bought a house, have a new baby, money is tight (because I bought a house), I have some wood to cut and my little Poulan 2025 won't handle most of it so a larger saw is attractive. It seems possible to convert the old ignition to the "new" style by changing the flywheel, the cylinder and the ignition coil. I would do the work and cost for parts is a touch over $200. Before I go much further, I have 3 questions:

- Is this saw worth $200 of parts and tinkering to get running again? From what I can see/know, $200 doesn't get you anywhere close to a comparable saw.
- Is the late model ignition design going to leave me with another outdated design that will have me searching for used parts if/when it goes bad?
- Would this be a fairly simple swap or are there factors I'm not considering? I'm just a homeowner with a good amount of tools who is overly handy with fixing things and not a certified tech with specialized tools.

One of the downside to the saw is lack of a chain brake but I'm an overly cautious power equipment user and my dad ran it for 20+ years without incident or protection. I would invest in some protective gear.

If I had the money to buy a new saw, it would probably be a Stihl MS261 or a Husqvarna 550xp, both being $600+ saws but are well out of the budget right now. I'm hoping to gain some insight to how I should proceed.

Thanks for any comments!

 

[albert]

Only you can answer that. I think you will need the module (small silver box mounted in the carb area), I don't think the SEM ignition uses it. The later ignition seem pretty reliable, but if the coil crapped out you could probably rig a common coil to the laminations.

 

[Boleclimber]

Your position is a tough one to be in. The saw has sentimental value but parts are getting more rare and cost to maintain will continue to rise. In such a position, I would take the $200 and look for a decent up to date design in the 60cc range. At $200 it wont be pretty but with your mechanical skills you can keep it running. I would run the $200 saw for a few years and then upgrade.

I agree a $200 saw will not compare to a 70E. The 70E is a hell of a saw and in my opinion the only thing to compare in the Jonsered line is a ported 2071 or 2171.

 

[Cantdog]

Your position is a tough one to be in. The saw has sentimental value but parts are getting more rare and cost to maintain will continue to rise. In such a position, I would take the $200 and look for a decent up to date design in the 60cc range. At $200 it wont be pretty but with your mechanical skills you can keep it running. I would run the $200 saw for a few years and then upgrade.

I agree a $200 saw will not compare to a 70E. The 70E is a hell of a saw and in my opinion the only thing to compare in the Jonsered line is a ported 2071 or 2171.

I agree with Boleclimber.......100%........for $200.00 you should be able to find a decent 630 Super or maybe and better yet a Super II. Make you a hell of a nice saw.....parts are pretty easy to find as it comes from a huge saw family. Keep the 70E and as you can find/afford the needed parts buy them and get it going again. You can still find the SEM modules NOS once in a while on ebay......

 

[Chris-PA]

I'd get a PP5020 and a tuning tool, and save the Jonsered as a project you can do at a more leisurely pace. There has to be some newer ignition parts that can be adapted.

 

[Vibes]

I have to agree with Chris in this on the subject. Unless you are doing production work, PRO saws are purely a luxury. I know I know, they hold there value if the time ever arose that the saw MUST be sold. But if you are buying a saw and using that as a reason for the purchase, that's just telling me again, that you shouldn't be looking at luxury. I do have my share of good saws so its easy for me to say this, but I could deffinately bring in my years supply of wood with $300 worth of saws.

It sounds like to me that this 70E has seen better days and is going to be a hobby saw. How big is the firewood you are cutting? Do you really need to pull a 24 inch bar to bring in firewood?

Shop around and see whats out there. I've ran one of those PP 5020's. It was tuned and fitted with an upgraded chain. The one I ran was a Craftsman and let me tell you that it was capable saw. It will cut right along side of my 2152, and probably just a few ticks off of my 346. That's a $199 saw compared to a $500 and a $600 saw. My friend bought that Craftsman 3 years ago on my recommendation and hes put up 3 mountains of wood with it and it hasn't skipped a beat. My 346 came to me used with only 3 tanks ran through it from a guy that needed a pro saw, then needed to unload it before Christmas. I'm embarrassed to tell you what I paid for it but I paid what I sold my 10 year old (well used) Jonsered 2150 for. Which reminds me, Tractor supply has the 2250 on sale for $319. Another great affordable saw.

I know all the saw snobs are gonna chime in and tell you to get the 261 or whatever, but while you're couped up in the house in the middle of winter with a fire going, I think you'll be more comfortable with that extra $5 bills in your wallet. The babies not gonna know that heat was made with a cheep saw or a pro saw.

 

[zuren]

Thanks for the replies to my questions. I put the saw on the shelf until this weekend. I came across a cheap SEM unit so I was hoping to slap it in and be back in business. However, when I opened up the saw and was gently manipulating the cover where the secondary ignition coil is attached, the wire to the spark plug snapped clean off flush to the where it exits the coil. I barely touched it. It makes me wonder if the wire was compromised and that was the running the issue.

Anyway, I may see if I can clean that area up and solder the wire back on and use some liquid electrical tape to seal it up. I have little to lose, otherwise I will now be looking for a secondary ignition module that is also impossible to find. I think I will heed everyone's advise and scrape the cash together to buy a more modern, mid-level saw with parts availability and not worry about a pro level saw. My little Poulan 2025 is supposedly a 'junk, throw-away' saw. I replaced the 16" bar with a 14", keep the chains sharp, ported the exhaust, run good gas/oil; I'm the second owner, starts on the 3rd or 4th pull, it has cut its fair share of wood with me and I haven't killed it yet.

I do need something that can handle a 18-20" bar. There are some larger trees down on our property that the 14" on the Poulan doesn't come close to handling.

Thanks!

 

[Vibes]

Tractor supply just had those 2255 Jonsereds on sale for $299 this weekend. Same as a Husky 455 Rancher.

 

[Jon1212]

My local Ranch Supply has Poulan 5020's in a plain brown box for $129.99+tax. They also have all Husqvarna saws on clearance(switching to Stihl.......boooo) at 25% off.