Piston and Cylinder Brands: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

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Ethobling

Ethobling

Jack of Many Trades
Joined
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Location
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Good afternoon, folks. I need some help.


I have a friend who will be shipping me a 500i that one of his guys ran straight gas through. Apparently, it seized pretty close to TDC. I have never broken a saw down, but I have some idea of what's in there (I've watched some modding vids, etc).


My question: what brand(s) should I go with? I like the idea of OEM, but that is close to $400 for a P&C. I was looking at a Proline set for about $140 shipped. I've heard mixed things about Hyway, so I'm inclined to stay away.


So what brands are good, bad, and ugly? What P&C do y'all think I should go with?


Thanks in advance.
 
What you show is for a "TS" cutoff saw. There might be a difference in the shape and how the chainsaw cover would fit with a cutoff cylinder.

If you got the saw for free or near free than $400 would not be a bad price as you come out ahead of buying a new MS500i chainsaw.
 
PV Hiker said:
What you show is for a "TS" cutoff saw. There might be a difference in the shape and how the chainsaw cover would fit with a cutoff cylinder.

If you got the saw for free or near free than $400 would not be a bad price as you come out ahead of buying a new MS500i chainsaw.
Click to expand...
Problem is I don't know if I have the funds, lol. Might have to sit on it for a bit.
 
So what likelihood do y'all think the cylinder is still good? It would be nice to not have to throw $500 for all the parts to make it run...

It also needs an air filter cover and air filter. Was going to get the maxflow kit while I was at it, so that's like $120 for that and oil for the filter...
 
Take it apart and find out where you're at first. Many times cylinders are salvageable, even if it has some minor scoring. In that case just a piston wouldn't be horribly expensive. Also looks like LRB has an aftermarket piston - that said their fit is not always the best. I've used one their pistons for a Mac 7-10 and the piston was OK, but the wrist pin it came with was no good (wrong size). As I remember the pin clips were garbage too (I re-used original pin and clips).

Proline seems to make decent stuff from what I've seen, so if they come out with one for the 500i I would bite in your situation. That said I've never used a p/c from them so no real world experience for that specifically. Hyway I've heard makes decent stuff. Meteor is usually considered top notch aftermarket for pistons.

I've had some seized to the point the ring grooves smeared, but if you're patient (and on a budget) sometimes you can recover a piston too and just buy new rings. Doesn't matter as much on the lower portion of the piston, just smooth out any lumps and grooves if the material moved around. The rings sealing are the most important thing when it comes to the piston (e.g. grooves need to be cleaned up)

If there is transfer to the cylinder walls but it's not horribly scored up, you can remove deposits with various methods like acid or sandpaper.

Yah, there's a lot to cringe about in regards to what I said about salvaging parts, especially on a saw like this, but not everyone has an extra $400 burning a hole in their pocket either.
 
Ethobling said:
So what likelihood do y'all think the cylinder is still good? It would be nice to not have to throw $500 for all the parts to make it run...

It also needs an air filter cover and air filter. Was going to get the maxflow kit while I was at it, so that's like $120 for that and oil for the filter...
Click to expand...
It depends. Did it sieze up and then was free once it cooled down? Or is it still frozen? Like others have said, at least tear it down and see what you're dealing with. If you're lucky, it didn't scratch the cylinder and the rings didn't snag a port. Even if the cylinder is good, there is likely going to be a bunch of aluminum transfer on the cylinder that you'll have to clean up. Once that's off, you can assess the plating.
 
I personally saw a 462 that seized so hard you could not turn it over by any means, and trying to pull the jug off was futile. The buddy who acquired it found some way to free it up and he was able to save the jug. Not everyone's experience, but sometimes you'll get lucky. I'd definitely assess the old jug before I'd even consider buying a new one.
 
Its a 1500 Dollar saw so definitely worth putting a max flow on and maybe have one of the good engine hacks send you a ported cylinder.

have the cylinder sleeved to fit a 3120 088 piston. 60mm.
Or possibly the little 56mm 066 piston.

All kidding aside if that were my saw and it didnt have deep grooves in the cylinder id attempt to clean it up. Then do atleast mild port work since thats mandatory on all salvaged jugs.

If it ends up running well it would get a West coast clutch cover and 28 or 32 light bar. Would be a fun saw
 
Thank y'all for the replies.

I'll wait to purchase anything until I get the saw. From what my friend told me, the piston is seized at roughly TDC and did not loosen up when cooled down.

I would be ecstatic if the cylinder was salvageable. Even happier if the piston was also ok.

If the cylinder is good, I would definitely get an OEM piston. I just don't want to have to spend $400 on a piston and cylinder + $120 on the maxflow air system. That's $520+ on a saw I wasn't planning on having to fix. I don't know if I have that money to spare, even though I agree it's worth it for a $1500 saw.
 
Theres a negative 200% chance the piston is okay

Have fun with it. Peice meal it over a few months I have a 440 build ive been peice mealing for 10 years. I dont need it so no need to rush it
 
Ethobling said:
Good afternoon, folks. I need some help.


I have a friend who will be shipping me a 500i that one of his guys ran straight gas through. Apparently, it seized pretty close to TDC. I have never broken a saw down, but I have some idea of what's in there (I've watched some modding vids, etc).


My question: what brand(s) should I go with? I like the idea of OEM, but that is close to $400 for a P&C. I was looking at a Proline set for about $140 shipped. I've heard mixed things about Hyway, so I'm inclined to stay away.


So what brands are good, bad, and ugly? What P&C do y'all think I should go with?


Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
my 2 cents is this, I have purchased 3 highway "titanickel" p+c kits and had good results so far in a years time.
2 of them are on ms661's and one is on a ms460. I bought all 3 of them seized and rebuilt them in my garage.
I use the 661's for milling smaller logs, 12-30 inches, and the 460 for firewood. Until one or more fails me, I will keep buying them.
 
sawmill sam said:
my 2 cents is this, I have purchased 3 highway "titanickel" p+c kits and had good results so far in a years time.
2 of them are on ms661's and one is on a ms460. I bought all 3 of them seized and rebuilt them in my garage.
I use the 661's for milling smaller logs, 12-30 inches, and the 460 for firewood. Until one or more fails me, I will keep buying them.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I don't think Hyway makes those kits for the 500i.
 

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