# Chainsaw repair no.2



## woodtickgreg (May 27, 2016)

@ripjack13 Asked me if I could take a look at his saw since the locals can't seem to be able to fix it. I said sure, box it up and send it to me.
So I get this package that looks like a Christmas present, lol.

Gotta love that red duct tape!



Packed very well with lots of foam! Does the missus know you stole all the foam out of the couch? lol.



Packed very well. Marc, note to self, DO NOT USE SPRAY FOAM! It becomes spray plastic when it cures and I couldn't get the damn saw out of the box! I had to break the foam/plastic off of the saw that it molded itself around, lol.



But here she is, quick inspection without any tools, wrong bar nuts, screw missing from the brake handle, good compression, and a pretty clean little saw actually.



I asked mark to ship the bar and chain for it as I will need it for tuning and testing.



These older Jonsered saws actually are pretty good saws, a poor mans husqvarna kinda.



This is just the beginning of this saw repair, I plan to give it a good going over and showing it all to you folks here for educational purposes. I'll post more pics and info as I go along.
The issue with this saw is it runs for a while and then cuts out and won't restart, So lets see what is keeping the old girl from performing her best.

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## ripjack13 (May 27, 2016)

Awesome!

Sorry bout the spray foam. Didn't think it would wrap around it...

I'll have more couch foam next week or so. I'm cutting up more of the couch to make it into a love seat and so we have more room for a Cabala beast recliner..

Thanks again Greg. I can't wait to see what you find....

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Mr. Peet (May 27, 2016)

Great packing job. Next time drop a raw egg or two in the foam. Nothing like playing muffin roulette.

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## Nature Man (May 27, 2016)

I'm subscribed! Chuck

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## Kevin (May 28, 2016)



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## tocws2002 (May 30, 2016)

Subscribed....definitely want to follow this thread.



-jason

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## Kevin (May 30, 2016)

Jason you're lucky to have Greg working on your saw. Real lucky. What he did for my little Heidi was magical. That sounded weird. Glad I didn't misspell Heidi.

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## ripjack13 (May 31, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Jason you're lucky to have Greg working on your saw. Real lucky. What he did for my little Heidi was magical. That sounded weird. Glad I didn't misspell Heidi.



Umm...that's my saw.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## woodtickgreg (May 31, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> Umm...that's my saw.


He's getting a little cranky and senile in his golden years.

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## ripjack13 (May 31, 2016)

woodtickgreg said:


> He's getting a little cranky and senile in his golden years.



I'm not in the golden years yet...more like die cast rusted metal.

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## Kevin (May 31, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> Umm...that's my saw.



Marc you're lucky to have Greg working on your saw. Real lucky. What he did for my little Heidi was magical. That sounded weird. Glad I didn't misspell Heidi.

Reactions: Great Post 2 | Funny 1 | Way Cool 1


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## tocws2002 (May 31, 2016)

@Kevin I wish it was mine, I have a little Husky saw I would love for Greg to work on, especially if he likes a challenge. I bought it used and it has several previous "DIY" repairs that would probably cause him to chuck it out the window!

Maybe there will be a "Chainsaw Repair No. 3" featuring a lil' Husky from Kentucky (I resemble that remark).

Looking forward to this thread and repair.

-jason

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## Anthony (Jun 22, 2016)

woodtickgreg said:


> @ripjack13 Asked me if I could take a look at his saw since the locals can't seem to be able to fix it. I said sure, box it up and send it to me.
> So I get this package that looks like a Christmas present, lol.
> 
> Gotta love that red duct tape!
> ...


Sounds like bad rings or coil . sometimes a bad coil will stop putting out spark when it gets hot . ie the not starting back up. I'll bet when it cools it will fire again then die .
Sorry to but in. Just my two cents . I worked at a sthil shop for two years .seemed to b a common cause of that symptom. 
When it dies . take out the plug , plug it in the coil wire and hold it yo the head and give her a few pulls to c if there is any spark .

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 22, 2016)

Anthony said:


> Sounds like bad rings or coil . sometimes a bad coil will stop putting out spark when it gets hot . ie the not starting back up. I'll bet when it cools it will fire again then die .
> Sorry to but in. Just my two cents . I worked at a sthil shop for two years .seemed to b a common cause of that symptom.
> When it dies . take out the plug , plug it in the coil wire and hold it yo the head and give her a few pulls to c if there is any spark .


Way ahead of ya buddy, lol. Been working on this stuff since 1980 or so, I got a few years under my belt. But thank you, never hesitate to offer advice here on our forum, it's a good thing for everyone.

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## Anthony (Jun 23, 2016)

Anthony said:


> Sounds like bad rings or coil . sometimes a bad coil will stop putting out spark when it gets hot . ie the not starting back up. I'll bet when it cools it will fire again then die .
> Sorry to but in. Just my two cents . I worked at a sthil shop for two years .seemed to b a common cause of that symptom.
> When it dies . take out the plug , plug it in the coil wire and hold it yo the head and give her a few pulls to c if there is any spark .


If there is


Anthony said:


> Sounds like bad rings or coil . sometimes a bad coil will stop putting out spark when it gets hot . ie the not starting back up. I'll bet when it cools it will fire again then die .
> Sorry to but in. Just my two cents . I worked at a sthil shop for two years .seemed to b a common cause of that symptom.
> When it dies . take out the plug , plug it in the coil wire and hold it yo the head and give her a few pulls to c if there is any spark .


then u can rule out bad coil


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## Anthony (Jun 23, 2016)

Yeah , I don't always think b4 I type..... Yeah, I was born in 1980. that explains a lot . SMH ...... 

Well , thanx for the input on grade of steel for boring bar . this place is great there's so much to Learn .

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## woodtickgreg (Jun 23, 2016)

@Anthony no worries, it's all good here, we share everything, good or bad, lol.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

I'm back! Sorry for the delay guys, I don't deal with heat well, lol. In the low 70's this morning so I dug further into the saw. I picked up a carb kit, some fuel line and a new fuel filter, a new plug too. But when I took the top cover off to get at the carb I found some things that made me look further into it.

What I am seeing is a lot of sawdust under the cover, air filter was clean but it does not seal well, a common problem with chainsaws.



I know it is hard to see in these pics but what I am seeing is sawdust in the carburetor intake horn, that's not good. 



I'll try and get a better pic.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

Here's a better pic and you can see the dust stuck all over the inside of the intake horn. If that's what's stuck how much got sucked into the engine? Now I think I know what the problem is. A compression check will be a simple diagnosis.


 

This is the set up for the compression check, gage is installed and a clamp is holding the throttle wide open so it can suck air to build compression pressure. 



 

Now I just pull the rope like I was trying to start it and then read the gage. It should read about 130 minimum to run good, I have seen them run on less but usually not good or for long. I like to see readings much higher, this is just a minimum for me. Some guys will argue the numbers with me but I stick with my experiences and what I know



 
80 psi is not good. This confirms what I already thought. The piston and cylinder is worn from dirt ingestion. It explains why it will start and run when it is cold and then die and be hard to start when it gets hot. When it gets hot the metal expands and the tolerances between the cylinder wall and piston open up and compression is further lost on a motor that is already weak. I expect to see piston and cylinder wear on the intake side from the dirt ingestion.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

So I pulled the muffler to look inside the cylinder for signs of wear. Dirt ingestion does not always show up as scratches, it's usually a dulling of the surface, unless it is extreme.

This is looking at the exhaust side of the piston, doesn't look too horible, some scratches, which I don't like. 


 
And this is looking across the top of the piston at the intake wall of the cylinder. Kind of hard to see in this pic but I see scratches on the intake side and you should never see anything there, it should be smooth and shiny.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

Ordinarily this is as far as I would go, I have seen enough to make a complete diagnosis. But for the sake of showing folks some more of what I am talking about we are going to tear her down.

I pulled the cylinder and this what the intake side of the piston looks like, it should not have any vertical scratches and it does. Also notice how the top of the piston still has the machining marks but the bottom is worn smooth from the dirt.




This is the exhaust side of the piston, remarkably no blow by but definitely some vertical scratches.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

Now I'll try and show you pics of the cylinder the same way.

This is the intake side of the cylinder, there should not be any vertical scratches and there is.



And here is the exhaust side, same story.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

Now I have seen far worse, this was just the beginning. Most people just keep yanking the rope to make it run and then it will seize. A seizure was eminent for this saw. With the tolerances opening up between the piston and cylinder the oil film would go away and it would seize, most likely on the hot exhaust side. So now the big question.
Is it worth repairing? The short answer is no. For several reasons which I will try and explaine. This saw is very old, I think it's about 30 years old if I remember from my research. It was only made for 2 years or so. Parts are scarce or obsolete and the only hope of finding them is through the aftermarket. This saw was probably about $250 new back in the day and you would have to put near that just in parts to repair it today. And that doesn't cover time and labor. You see the dirt has gone all through the engine and has also worn the crank bearings, I wouldn't trust them. I could get it to run without replacing them but for how long? So the saw would need a complete tear down, split the cases and press new bearings on and off the crank. If I was doing the job for myself on a better, newer, bigger saw then ok. But this old girl has lived her life, it just doesn't make economical sense to repair it when a modern larger saw could be purchased new for a few bucks more. Or look for another good used saw which can be a risky proposition in itself and is a whole new topic of discussion.
So the real lesson here guys is remove the covers from your saws often and blow them out with compressed air. Make sure your air filters are clean and sealing well.
This saw had a manufacturers flaw and the air filter did not seal well in the carb air horn. Lack of maintenance then killed it!

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## ripjack13 (Jul 10, 2016)

Well....that's a

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## Kevin (Jul 10, 2016)

That was one dirty saw. Great lesson again Greg you really know your stuff.

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)



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## ripjack13 (Jul 10, 2016)

What!? No red duct tape!!

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## woodtickgreg (Jul 10, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> What!? No red duct tape!!


I still have the awesome Christmas box! LOL.

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## Schroedc (Jul 10, 2016)

Now there is some parts for the used market

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