MS361 vs 362 no contest or is there something wrong with my 362?

[Weesa20]

I have a MS361 and a new-to-me non M-tronic 362...was bucking some 22"+ gum today. Started with the 362, 18", 3/8 .50 RSC...making good chips but bogs if I lean on it at all with buried bar. Run the 362 low on an fuel and hop to the 361 20" 3/8 .50 RSC and am stunned at how the 361 rips through the stuff waaaayyyy faster than the 362. I believe both are stock, but I bought them both used, so not positive. Just for reference, the 361 looks like it has been run hard and put up wet...this was a $150 saw at a pawn shop with a decent 25" ES bar and RSC chain... and it looks like a $150 saw, but the thing just rips. So, for those that have or have run both, is there that much difference?

362 has the H side limited carb and it is at its richest. I can't get it to four stroke with no load and it sometimes maintains a fast idle when done with a cut but other time sit idles down...haven't messed with it too much since it is new to me, wanted to get to know it a little before messing with it (first date and all, ya know) and seemed safe to keep it at full rich until I got a feel for it. Any thoughts?

 

[nmurph]

The 362 is lean...stop running it until you get the limiter trimmed and the H adjusted.

 

[Weesa20]

I'll give it a try tomorrow.

 

[2dogs]

The 362 is lean...stop running it until you get the limiter trimmed and the H adjusted.

Sounds like it is running lean to me too. Might have a torn intake too.

 

[SawTroll]

The 361 always was a better saw than the 362, but it still sounds like something isn't right with that 362.
It sounds like that carb limiter has to be moved or removed.

 

[cgraham1]

I've had two 361s and they were both painfully underpowered. For all the hype I was extremely disappointed. I'll gladly take the extra weight of my 7900 or 2171 to avoid having to run a stock 60cc saw. Maybe running a ported one would change my mind?

 

[SawTroll]

I've had two 361s and they were both painfully underpowered. For all the hype I was extremely disappointed. I'll gladly take the extra weight of my 7900 or 2171 to avoid having to run a stock 60cc saw. Maybe running a ported one would change my mind?

A muffler mod is mandatory on the US version of the MS361 - a lot was written on here from about 10 years ago and forwards, but not so much lately (for the obvious reason).

 

[wyk]

A muffler mod is mandatory on the US version of the MS361 - a lot was written on here from about 10 years ago and forwards, but not so much lately (for the obvious reason).

Muff mods - not just a good idea, it's the law.

 

[sunfish]

I've had two 361s and they were both painfully underpowered. For all the hype I was extremely disappointed. I'll gladly take the extra weight of my 7900 or 2171 to avoid having to run a stock 60cc saw. Maybe running a ported one would change my mind?

Same here. But was extremely impressed with a stock 562xp!!!

 

[longbowch]

I had a muffler modded 361 I traded to a guy that also had a 362. He said the 361 was almost twice as fast. I don't know I didn't run the 362. I got rid of the 361 after I went 70cc. No comparison to me.

 

[weedkilla]

As has been said, get the 362 sorted. Then you can make an informed decision and if you decide the 362 isn't for you it will sell easily, or investigate what returns are likely from simple mods through to ported options.
Dropping the muffler, and checking piston and cylinder condition, and compression checks, make sense with any second hand saw - particularly one that may have been run lean in the past. If it can't be tuned after you remove the limit tabs then a vac/pressure test is in order.

I'm not familiar with the results of modifying a 362 - but I find google searching this site gives better results than the search function on here. There are certainly some hot 362cm saws running about, similar results are almost certainly possible with the standard carby version.

 

[blsnelling]

The 362 is lean...stop running it until you get the limiter trimmed and the H adjusted.

I agree. It definitely sounds like it's too lean.

 

[Weesa20]

Good bye tabs, hello power...cut the tab off and cleaned up the air filters....has 2, I guess a pre-filter and the regular filter. It is doing much better now, 4 strokes in the cut when I re-position or with no load. Not sure it will hang with the 361 but it is tolerable now at least. Thanks for the help.