bullittman281
ArboristSite Operative
Hello
I got my poulan going again. At the end of each season I tear the saw all the way down an clean all the crap out of it so it ready to go for next year. A bit over kill perhaps but that's what I've always done and have never had any problems with the saw.
On the least cleaning I noticed the engine was siting in a pool of oil and the whole thing was a greasy mess. I applied a bit of compressed air to the intake port to pressure test the crank case and sure enough the 4 screws that hold the bottom crank case cover on were all loose and the bottom half of the crank case was leaking. I pulled the motor apart to reseal the crank case and that marked the end of the crank seals. The saw ran better than it did before I fixed the loose screws but no matter what it took ether to get it going so it was time for some parts.
I figured while I had the thing apart I'd stick a new ring it and make it as good as new. Before tear down cold compression was 115 cold and hot was close to 100. This is at 6000 feet so that has an some effect on the compression readings. The end gap on the old ring was around .016" and groove clearance was between .002" and .003". The piston looked pretty good so I ran with the original.
With this particular saw the seals are molded onto the main bearing so they have to be replaced as a unit. Getting the new bearing on was a bit of an adventure because of a couple of machined steps on the crank. Each one put up a fight but I finally got it. The new ring had a fuzz more spring to it than the old one. The new end gap was around .010" and groove clearance was less that .0025"(that was the smallest feeler gauge I had). The cylinder looked prety good over all. It had a couple of shiny spots but the chrome was intact and there were no scratches.
I reassembled the saw and used blue locktite on everything hoping it wont buzz loose next time. The initial compression was 150 psi with lots of oil on the ring and piston. Hot compression after 5 min of gentle running was 115 and after it cooled down is 125 psi. The new ring did make a difference but it doesn't look like it was very dramatic. I also stuck new diaphragms in the carb as the old ones were showing there age. Overall though the saw does seem to run much better than it did before. Next time I'm out cutting I'll know for sure.
I've got about $40 in parts and shipping to bring my saw back up to snuff.
I've go some pics of the inards if you want to take a look.
I got my poulan going again. At the end of each season I tear the saw all the way down an clean all the crap out of it so it ready to go for next year. A bit over kill perhaps but that's what I've always done and have never had any problems with the saw.
On the least cleaning I noticed the engine was siting in a pool of oil and the whole thing was a greasy mess. I applied a bit of compressed air to the intake port to pressure test the crank case and sure enough the 4 screws that hold the bottom crank case cover on were all loose and the bottom half of the crank case was leaking. I pulled the motor apart to reseal the crank case and that marked the end of the crank seals. The saw ran better than it did before I fixed the loose screws but no matter what it took ether to get it going so it was time for some parts.
I figured while I had the thing apart I'd stick a new ring it and make it as good as new. Before tear down cold compression was 115 cold and hot was close to 100. This is at 6000 feet so that has an some effect on the compression readings. The end gap on the old ring was around .016" and groove clearance was between .002" and .003". The piston looked pretty good so I ran with the original.
With this particular saw the seals are molded onto the main bearing so they have to be replaced as a unit. Getting the new bearing on was a bit of an adventure because of a couple of machined steps on the crank. Each one put up a fight but I finally got it. The new ring had a fuzz more spring to it than the old one. The new end gap was around .010" and groove clearance was less that .0025"(that was the smallest feeler gauge I had). The cylinder looked prety good over all. It had a couple of shiny spots but the chrome was intact and there were no scratches.
I reassembled the saw and used blue locktite on everything hoping it wont buzz loose next time. The initial compression was 150 psi with lots of oil on the ring and piston. Hot compression after 5 min of gentle running was 115 and after it cooled down is 125 psi. The new ring did make a difference but it doesn't look like it was very dramatic. I also stuck new diaphragms in the carb as the old ones were showing there age. Overall though the saw does seem to run much better than it did before. Next time I'm out cutting I'll know for sure.
I've got about $40 in parts and shipping to bring my saw back up to snuff.
I've go some pics of the inards if you want to take a look.
