Stock 359 Considering Mod

[1stmale]

I have a stock 359 with a 20" bar. My previous saw was a 345 with an 18" bar. The 359 is a vast improvement over the 345, however I am reading allot about modifying the 359 for more power.

I purchased the 359 instead of a more powerful saw for financial reasons. I am really not interested in modifying it beyond a muffler mod. If I stop here am I selling myself short? Should I just be happy with the stock saw?

I really do not want to modify it at all (again for financial reasons) if the stock saw will be good enough. I cut hardwood for firewood with the average log size of 14-18 in. I rarely cut anything larger than 20".

If I do modify the Muffler I will be purchasing a non-cat muffler from an Internet parts site I know of.

Will just the non-cat muffler be enough of an improvement or would it not be enough of a difference to justify the $35 for the muffler? NWCS will modify the muffler for $30. Is it worth it? If the modification is much better than the non-cat stock muffler please explain.

I am interested in you opinion.

P.S. I like the non-cat muffler mod because it is not permanent. Any modification beyond that scares me. This is not a toy for me it is a tool that I rely on to cut wood to heat my house as I cannot afford propane. It was a large investment so I do not feel that it would be prudent for me to fool around with this tool.

Thank you

Adam

 

[Jaxx]

Buy the non-cat muffler. It is worth it to lose the heat and it seems run easier. I replaced the muffler on my 359 and have been very happy with it. Remember to richen the mixture.

Jaxx

 

[1stmale]

Jaxx you say that it runs easier but does it seam to have noticably more power? Does it cut faster?

Adam

 

[computeruser]

I'd be comfortable swapping for a non-cat muffler and opening it up a bit. I have yet to see a modern saw that doesen't run and cut better with the muffler de-restricted. I believe that the consensus is that you will get somewhere in the neighborhood of a 20% increase in power on the 359 when you go to a modded non-cat muffler, as the saw is very heavily restricted from the factory. This will translate into faster cutting and a longer-lasting saw.

So swap your muffler, adjust your carb to compensate and then go cut some wood!

 

[timberwolf]

I cut about 1 hour on the cat muffler before it was clear that had to go. Muffler mod will make a big gain, If you are going to open up the non cat muffler anyway, just open up the cat and save a few bucks.

359 takes modifications very well, Muffler and engine mod together can improve cut time over 100%.

Limiter caps will need to be cut on the carb, realy they may need to be cut for the stock muffler if running in cold temps.

 

[1stmale]

Ok I ordered the non-cat muffler I did this because if I have any trouble with the saw I can put the cat muffler back on for warranter.

I want to try the non-cat muffler without modification first. What do you think my performance gain will be?

 

[timberwolf]

Don't know, I got 35-40% by opening up the cat, but will depend on bar and chain also.

Just planing to swich mufflers will likely not be enough, the carb limiters will need to be clipped. Stock with the cat muffler the the carb is maxed out right to the limiter or nearly and opening the muffler up will send it lean, too lean for the unclipped jet to compensate. Clipping the limiters is going to make the warranty claim difficult anyway. This is the price that needs to be paid.

Anyway dinking with it and then trying to put a warranty claim is..... well questionable.

 

[timberwolf]

If I had one saw that I relied on to heat my house and I did not have the cash on hand to repair/replace it, I would not touch it until the warranty was up , then I would open it up.

If I made a living with saws, they would be lucky to have a tank threw them before being modified.


If you don't yet know what your missing you won't miss it.

 

[1stmale]

"Anyway dinking with it and then trying to put a warranty claim is..... well questionable."

I do agree to some extent but I also think that it is not fair to the consumer to put a cat muffler on a saw and consiquently cause long term dammage due to excessive heat shortening it's useful life.

I am not as interested in maximazing power as I am in long life I am not in a race I just cut firewood. I am not saying that I do not want the power I am just saying that the long life is the priority. Will the non-cat muffler do this for me or will I still need to do the modification?

I am a huge DIYer and if need be I would like to do the Mod my self. I have read the threads about the modification but still have one question. I do not have allot of experience welding. I have access to a wire welder will that work. Another option would be to have a local metal shop do the mod if I tell them exactly what to do.

Adam

 

[timberwolf]

Wire welder with gas will do it, flux core not sure.

I would have a hard time coming up for an argument to support the cat muffler and high heat extending saw life.

I do agree with the idea that these mufflers jam the consumer. But it is not the fault of the manufacture, the have EPA guidlines to follow that are suposed to be for the greater good of the planet.....

But Here is my sinical view of it, how much emissions my saws produce add up to .000000000001% of the problem. Then there is the argument that if everyone thought like that we would be in a real mess, well we are and anything I do has an infantisimally small effect on the problem and changes or effects what others do by far less than that.

 

[1stmale]

"I would have a hard time coming up for an argument to support the cat muffler and high heat extending saw life."

I meant will the non-cat muffler (no modification) lower the saws temperature enough to extend its life or will the modification need to be done.

$30 for the Mod form NWCS is sounding pretty good. But I want to make sure it is really worth it is it really much better than a non-cat muffler?

 

[1stmale]

Oh

If a muffler is modified and the spark arrestor screen is welded into place how is it cleaned?

 

[blis]

Oh

If a muffler is modified and the spark arrestor screen is welded into place how is it cleaned?

put in a box/bucket/ground/whatever (anything works that doenst burn) , then pour some gas in the muffler and light it up, let it burn and then give it few knocks with hard wood... simple as that...

 

[1stmale]

"put in a box/bucket/ground/whatever (anything works that doenst burn) , then pour some gas in the muffler and light it up, let it burn and then give it few knocks with hard wood... simple as that..."

Sounds good but do you think for what I do that the non-cat muffler no mod will be good enough?

I am sure the mod works I am just cheap. Was the 359 a good saw before the cat muffler or did it still despriatly need modification? As far as I can tell from the IPL the only difference between the e-tech 359 and non e-tech is the green gas cap a different sticker and a cat muffler.

 

[outdoortype]

1st male,
I'm in the same boat as you are. I recently purchased a non-catatlytic converter muffler because I've read too many negatives about the cat muffler. This has been a great firewood saw for almost two years. It has plenty of power for me and has shown little or no signs of slowing down. I'm going to wait until my warranty expires before I mess with it. I'd hate to have some other unrelated failure be voided because I altered the equipment.
I emailed a saw shop famous for their modded mufflers & they replied that the etech muffler would not hurt the saw's longevity. Maybe that's because they know the average non-pro firewood cutter wouldn't use the saw hard enough or often enough to know the difference?

 

[1stmale]

I figured out how to release the limiter caps without damaging them.

I figured out how to remove the limiter caps on my husky

If you look at the front of it there are two verry small holes to the left and right of the screwdriver slot. If you insert a verry small screwdriver or a paperclip with the end flattened into both of them you depress metal tabs which allows you to pry back toward you on the limiter and it pops loose.

FYI :hmm3grin2orange:


"I'm going to wait until my warranty expires before I mess with it. I'd hate to have some other unrelated failure be voided because I altered the equipment."

I am going to try the non-cat muffler first to see how it runs and then do a modified muffler after the warantee is up. I am always a little affraid to modify anything past stock. Since the non-cat muffler is a stock item I am comfortable dooing this.

 

[Jaxx]

Hi Adam. I can't honestly answer your questions on any power and speed improvements. I only ran the 359 with the CAT muffler for about 15 minutes. It cut ok but it sounded choked and the muffler was noticably hot. I didn't run it again until after the non-CAT muffler was installed. Since then I've put over 58 hours of cutting time on it. It doesn't run near as hot and the rpm's pick right up without any lag. Good luck with your saw.

Jaxx

 

[1stmale]

Thank you for your replies. Since I have removed the limiter caps without breaking them I am going to try the unmodified non-cat muffler first. I will probably use this until the warranty is up then I will open it up.

I know that I am probably paranoid but I just do not want to fool around with the saw while it is still under warranty. I know it can be argued that I already am. But as far as I am concerned I am not modifying the saw just changing an new OEM part for an older new OEM part. This should not void warranty. I am sure Husqvarna would not see it that way. It would be a good excuse to avoid a warranty claim.

Jaxx,

I just wanted to make sure that you put on unmodified non-cat muffler. I am like you I have only run the saw for 15min. I too have noticed that is sounds plugged up. The saw has enough power for me or at least is is enough of an improvement over the 345 (faster cutting and smoother running). It is also a pro saw which I wanted for longevity.

If a unmodified non-cat muffler will help it run cooler and last longer with a slight increase in power this is good enough for me.

Again I will be adjusting the carb and I do have a tach.

 

[1stmale]

Got my muffler

I got my non-cat muffler today. I did not have to adjust the H screw but I did have to adjust the L screw just a little.

It runs much cooler. The exhaust does not char the wood anymore.

It seems to have more power and cut faster but I am not a seasoned wood cutter so I cannot say for sure.

Because I did not have to adjust the H screw does that mean that there will be no power gain?

I have read in other posts that a 20% gain can be expected by modifying the cat muffler. How much could I gain by modifying the non-cat muffler?

Thank you so much for your time. This forum probably saved my saw by convincing me to buy the non-cat muffler.

 

[Rydaddy]

muff

Mod that MUFFLER!!!!! Get a Woods Port job on it and it will outcut the saws that are 15cc's bigger and 2 lbs. larger, and the 359 would be cheaper.