I'm replying to an old thread with an update.
The saw (Husqavarna 346 XP) died. It seized after cutting a 16" chinaberry tree. It was probably 2 minutes of sustained cutting. I was about 20 minutes into the morning when it died.
I carried the saw to the shop, more to find out what happened than with any idea of repair. He said it didn't have any oil in the gas. That wasn't the case. I use a measuring cup to get the prescribed amount of oil. I also have a 1 gallon can that is only for the chainsaw. Then he said it was the wrong kind of oil. That I don't know. I used Homelite Premium Exact Mix two cycle oil. The gas was fresh, less than a month. It was ethanol free. And I use Stabil.
I use the saw for about 15 to 20 hours each year. This year I may have had 5 hours on it. I'm pretty sure it wasn't overused.
I was really happy with the saw. It weighed about 13 lbs. with the bar and chain, and cut like a beaver on speed. Every other guy that showed up for wood day was envious.
My question is whether I did something wrong or was it bad luck. I don't know about bad luck. Bad design. Bad manufacturing. Bad quality control. Those I understand. And that would really disappoint me considering the $150 extra I spent for a better grade saw. It irks me even more when I think about my 20 year old Stihl that is stihl running strong.
If I did something wrong, I'll get another like it since I now have a spare bar and several extra chains. If I didn't, I may try something else.
If you have any thoughts, I'd appreciate hearing them.
Thanks,
Tom
Fix what you have. Find out *really* what went wrong with it. You'll need to do a vacuum or mild pressure test, to check all the seals.
Post up pics of the piston and cylinder (at least pull the muffler and take a pic there, and the smart guys here will give you a better idea what happened.
Was the saw stored with mix in the tank, then you ran it? Or did you fill it from your container after it was shaken up good?
AFAIK, and some chemist here can correct me if I am wrong, mix oil goes into suspension with the gasoline, it doesn't go into a solution. Which means, it can go out of suspension if it sits long enough.
Now I don't know that for 100% fact, but I don't trust a tankful if it has sat for more than two days in the tank. I only keep one saw like that around here, for emergency use. And I dump it back into the container if it sits more than that, or I go cut and run it out.
Good luck whatever you do! Plenty of old threads and guides here on saw repair and cylinder cleanup ,etc., doing seals, all of that. Carb boot, lines, filters.
mix oil---not familiar with that particular oil, but you want something that in the fine print says JASO FD rated.
