Need to get these running

[mtfallsmikey]

I have nothing to offer, as others have, but I'm impressed with how everyone has taken the time to take this newbie under their wings and show him how to work on this saw, and I'm learning too. I've blown all of my available rep ammo on a few of you today. I hope this becomes a sticky, as it will answer many questions/situations in one thread...

 

[neutral4x4]

If you take the cylinder off, you should get (or make) new gaskets. I've reused gaskets in a pinch, but if one rips and you don't replace it, you'll be in for a world of hurt once it fires up.

If you can't go out and buy gasket paper (most auto parts stores carry it and it would give you some piece of mind), I've made due with cutting one out of a piece of cereal box. If you do that, just make sure to soak the gasket in oil so that it squishes down and seals when you put it on.

Personally, it doesn't look like the carbon is bad enough that the saw won't run well. I would leave the piston and cylinder in there until you get the saw to run.

The piston looks great. That shouldn't be a problem at all.

If you have spark, compression, and gas, the saw should run.

You said you have spark. You saw that the plug was wet, so you have gas. The only thing missing was compression. I'd put money on the decompression valve being your problem.

 

[Mastermind]

The only thing I've not seen mentioned here is that you should do as much cleaning as possible before you remove the cylinder. Debris falling into the crankcase is a no-no. If by chance this does happen (and it sometimes will to us all) rinse out the case with mixed fuel.

You seem to have a saw there that's well worth fixing up. Practice up on the old 51 and you will soon see that these saws are simple pieces of machinery.

Vacuum leaks are two-stroke killers so be sure everything seals up well when you reassemble your saw, pay close attention to the area where the carb mounts...and have fun.

Thanks for posting all the pictures...these guys, and myself like lots of pics. I sent you some rep for your effort and expect more to be coming your way.

Good luck.

 

[knockbill]

good post,, and congrats to everyone for the help...as was mentioned before,, i always clean a saw as much as i can before opening it up,and trying to start it,,, its possible you will find something simple that will allow it to run, and if you get a bunch of dirt in it, you will have to tear it down more than necessary to run it,,, compressed air is the easiest i've found......
keep up teh good work.........

 

[Kennygee]

Clean-clean -clean

he is right about making sure You have EVERY thing that You can clean BEFORE removing cylinder.Have some clean shop rags to stuff around rod as soon as You pull cylinder. If You have the air filter off for more than a couple of minutes put a clean paper towel in it. shop rags can have fuzz on them. You would be suprised what a *&&^%$%:censored: "June_Bug" can do to a saw!!

One thing You also might want to do ,That I have found helpful is to take a blow tip from a compressor or some solvent, spray oil and use the "straw" and use it to blow all the crap out of the allen tops before trying to remove them. From the Factory they have Lock-Tite on them and some times it can be a real bugger to get out.

Take Your time and remember what works and what didn't, try not to do too much when tired or :censored: mad when things don't seem to be going rightand relax think about what happened and start again


It isn't rocket science but it sure makes You fell good when You have invested a lot of sweat equity in one and it fires up one the second pull

There are a lot of people to help so don't mind asking and the pictures You have been a plus. Keep on plugging

 

[newlotstolearn]

the 257

I am going to Clean the 257 a bunch today, and put a new compression unit in it, and see if it will fire up for me. After that I will practice cylinder/piston removal on the 51. Hopefully the 257 fires up for me (got lots of stuff on the ground that needs cutting). Only a couple miles down the road, I have access to an 80 psi air compressor for cleaning. I don't have my garage set up like a shop by any means, so moving them will make it easier to have the work space and tools I want/need. Like clean rags, I don't have any of those, .... Last night I took the shirt off my back and started cutting it up, to wipe off the external parts.

All three of these saws were groundsman saws for a tree service. They were used hard, and have been sitting for up to 7 years. Reportedly, last spring, both the 257 and the 51 fired right up.

Thanks for all the encouragement. I will get it done as I can. Got a lot going on right now. Eventually though, I would like to see what I can do about fixing the body of the 51. I think all 3 saws should be able to run again.

 

[adkranger]

Thanks for all the encouragement. I will get it done as I can. Got a lot going on right now. Eventually though, I would like to see what I can do about fixing the body of the 51. I think all 3 saws should be able to run again.

That's the spirit! We'll have you down the road to CAD yet.


It's been stated, but I'll reinforce: cover any open ports into the cylinder before applying compressed air (intake, exhaust & decomp). I usually just stuff a clean rag into the opening. Also for your protection, wear some safetly glasses or goggles. Can't tell you how many times I've gotten that oily crap in my eyes and it sucks big time.:censored:

A clean saw is a happy saw. It's more than appearance, all that caked on crap reduces the saw's ability to cool itself. Being air cooled, the cylinder and case too need to be able to exchange heat effectively.

I understand now it's more important to get one these running ASAP, so don't worry about pulling the 257's cylinder. Get it cleaned up, check your fuel and impulse lines for cracks/leaks, put it back together, new spark plug, fresh fuel mix and let's see what she's got. You can always practice playing saw tech on one of the other saws.:greenchainsaw:

 

[newlotstolearn]

257 Fires Up

New compression release,

Lets give it a rip :greenchainsaw:

[youtube]Yve0j_Z6uZI[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yve0j_Z6uZI

how do you embed videos here?

 

[bigjohnston]

job well done so far but I would not recommend running a saw without a bar and chain as the clutch can come apart

 

[a. palmer jr.]

A good cleaning is the first thing I'd do to this saw, even if I'm not gonna rebuild it. I usually use some spray orange cleaner and a small brush along with a garden hose. I'd pull the choke to keep water out of carb or small piece of tape covering it. Much nicer working on a clean machine.

 

[adkranger]

OK, looks like you've got a runner. It seems to be set a tad rich, but I would not recommend messing with the carb until you have some experience. You can go from a runner to a parts saw in a heartbeat, especially a well used unit. (I'm just being hyper-critical, it sounds pretty good actually and I'm going strictly off the vid) As long as it's not smoking badly it'll be fine, it could be tweaked for optimum performance is all I'm saying.

Make sure it's "basic" clean for proper air flow, cooling and put on a B/C then put it to the wood.

Edit: OK, my attempt at imbedding the vid failed too....

 

[adkranger]

job well done so far but I would not recommend running a saw without a bar and chain as the clutch can come apart

Guess those outboard clutches are more fragile than I thought.

Running it for seconds w/o a B/C should be fine. The threaded shoe carrier should be holding the clutch assembly on, not the bar. I worry about the top and bottom end running w/o a load, it's actually easy on the clutch as it doesn't carry any load. Just my .02.

 

[GeirA]

Looks like you're doing very well so far
It'll be nice to follow this and see how you get along.

As for embeding video, just use the code that's found on the YouTube page, called Embed. Paste the entire code directly here and you'll be laughin'

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yve0j_Z6uZI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Yve0j_Z6uZI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[newlotstolearn]

I was just pulling to diagnose any issues, like not getting enough fuel or air or spark etc. and it fired right up. It was also missing the chain/bar tensioner, so I replaced it. I put a 20" bar on it. But before I start spinning chains I am going to go clean it with an air compressor and degreaser spray, grease the sprockets and clean the carburetor. Its not going to make a dive into any wood for another couple days yet.
Over the next couple months I plant to replace some things, like the kill switch, for better operating. But it runs, and for now, thats like me finding a gold nugget .
Im actually using a different 257 for work, and a 575XP...... and between the two of those saws..... I could do everything I do with both of them, with the old 365... damn I miss that saw....

 

[andrethegiant70]

Good work! Going from sound alone, the saw SEEMS healthy.... it's actually four stroking at WOT, a good thing. A free, running 257.... sweet! Time to take a look see at that 261!

 

[newlotstolearn]

in order to complete the 257 I had to pull some parts from the 261. Im going to start working on it by replacing the parts I already took off, as well as the fuel line at least, I haven't looked at the cylinder/piston on it yet, so who knows. Its going to take at least a couple weeks for me to get up enough money to buy any new parts for any saws..... and I am going to really clean up the 257 first too.... Im exhausted for now though, had to deal with a nasty bull pine today :/

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

It's in rough shape, but for free, good to learn on...

What part looks like it's "in rough shape"? I just see a LOT of crud that should be removed!

OP

Have you checked for spark? You said that it was "easy to pull over". How easy?

If it was too easy, I would check the other two and start on one with better compression.

Good luck! Welcome to AS! Keep the pics coming!

Hole in the muffler, anti vib is torn loose in the front, the case is broken below the chain, pieces missing from the rear handle, who knows on the condition of the cylinder and piston. Aside from that it's in great shape!

Oh....now I see.....I've been known to overlook a few things! Good eye! That would have stood out like a sore thumb if I was doing the wrenching.

 

[newlotstolearn]

257

sometimes when it idles it cuts out. Checked the fuel line, and carb.... they looked good. It doesn't do it as badly since I cleaned out the air filter earlier. But this issue to me takes second priority to the chain tensioning mechanism. I took the tensioner off the 261 and put it in the 257. There is a little plastic "stopper" (thats what I am calling it anyways) that keeps moving, and my guess is the "stopper' is supposed to hold the bolt in place. Anyways it keeps slipping a little when I run the saw, making the chain loosen up..... its scary..... switched bars, same thing happens.... any ideas? should I use some liquid cement or something to fasten it in place? :chainsawguy:

 

[neutral4x4]

sometimes when it idles it cuts out. Checked the fuel line, and carb.... they looked good. It doesn't do it as badly since I cleaned out the air filter earlier. But this issue to me takes second priority to the chain tensioning mechanism. I took the tensioner off the 261 and put it in the 257. There is a little plastic "stopper" (thats what I am calling it anyways) that keeps moving, and my guess is the "stopper' is supposed to hold the bolt in place. Anyways it keeps slipping a little when I run the saw, making the chain loosen up..... its scary..... switched bars, same thing happens.... any ideas? should I use some liquid cement or something to fasten it in place? :chainsawguy:

does the saw rev up quickly or does it hesitate a little bit when you squeeze the throttle? If you notice the saw hesitate try turning the low speed screw in (CW) 1/4 turn and try it. If it doesn't help, turn it back to where it was and maybe someone that is better at tuning than me can chime in.

If I remember right, the little plastic thing has to turn and therefore can't be glued. I don't have a saw in front of me though, so maybe I'm wrong.

 

[newlotstolearn]

I will snap some pictures the next time I open it up.....