Skilsaw 1631/PM340

[rarefish383]

Anyone familiar with these? Picked this one up yesterday at an auction for $15. Just went out to play with it. Good news, pulled plug and it has spark. Put shot of mix in the carb, 5 or 6 pulls and it fired right up. Bad news, the muffler was loose so I pulled it. Had the wrong screw in one hole, it was extra long with 6 washers on it. That hole, the threads are stripped. Might be 1 1/2 or 2 full turns left in the threads. The muffler base is also cracked on that side. The fuel tank looks like it is two piece and plastic. There is some kind of red crud all around the tank. I'm afraid it might leak. I'm out of mix so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to try a fill test. Oh, while I had the muffler off, the P/C look brand new. So, should I tap the muffler bolt hole to the next size up, or use a helix coil. I'm leaning to tap to next size. Anyone have a parts saw with a good muffler base I could buy. Maybe a fuel tank too. Thanks.

 

[rarefish383]

Looks like the original bar in good shape. I’d like to know what guys do to their saws to burn a bar up in a few months, and I find 50 year old saws with good bars. That was a joke, I know what they do.

 

[rarefish383]

Well, filled up my 5 gallon jug of mix. Filled the saw up, no instant leaks. Got a shot of mix in the Syringe and shot it in the carb. Couple pulls and it fired right up. Pulled the choke and fired again. Put another primer shot in the carb and it fired and kept running. This thing is cool. Hollow muffler so it's nice and loud. Has brand new chain on it. I'm going to WV tomorrow, think I'll take it and see how it pulls. 18 inch bar on a 69CC saw, should be fun. Now all I need is to put a helix coil in the stripped bolt hole, and I should be good.

 

[pioneerguy600]

I `ve had a few of them, bought one just like yours in the mid 70`s brand new in Newfoundland on a vacation trip there. They were one of the first saws to have a separate plastic fuel tank, it helped with fuel boiling in the summer months. The rear handle loses its insert very easily, part that fills the hollow area between the throttle trigger and the very back end of the upper handle. The mufflers are very difficult to find in good condition, they rusted away easily. The oilpumps often leak like a sieve and the long rod to the pump has guides that wear as well. I put a lot of hours on the new one and have been given a few others for parts saws that I passed on to others, not a saw I want to run anymore.

 

[rocketnorton]

have had a few, too.
kept the one i got in pm [340] colors.

 

[Pioneer]

Had one, sold it off. Under-powered for it's displacement, hard to find parts (had to make some of mine). That being said, it ran pretty well and was completely smokeless with a 50-1 mix of oil, a bit of a surprise.

 

[rarefish383]

I guess I'm lucky the muffler is solid as a rock, rust wise. I can get my buddy to TIG weld the crack for me. I might just keep it, for a different color on the shelf.