Dialing in an old chainsaw

buck91

buck91

Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
3,552
Location
West Michigan
Have an older husqvarna 246 which has been a great saw but only sees occasional use. All the normal storage precautions are utilized like non-ethanol fuel, stabilizer, store tank dry, etc.

Over the years the idle has progressively gotten harder to dial in and starting has become less reliable. Last year I overhauled the carb and turned it all up. Runs pretty good now but I have to keep the idle too high and sometimes it doesn’t like to start (though it normally starts great)…. But it just won’t stay idling unless it’s dialed up way too high. Mixture is adjusted as well as I can, 1/4 turn either way makes it worse.

Thinking about splurging on a carb and coil since the saw is so old but otherwise I’m good shape. Any diagnostic tips before wasting that money?
 
buck91 said:
Have an older husqvarna 246 which has been a great saw but only sees occasional use. All the normal storage precautions are utilized like non-ethanol fuel, stabilizer, store tank dry, etc.

Over the years the idle has progressively gotten harder to dial in and starting has become less reliable. Last year I overhauled the carb and turned it all up. Runs pretty good now but I have to keep the idle too high and sometimes it doesn’t like to start (though it normally starts great)…. But it just won’t stay idling unless it’s dialed up way too high. Mixture is adjusted as well as I can, 1/4 turn either way makes it worse.

Thinking about splurging on a carb and coil since the saw is so old but otherwise I’m good shape. Any diagnostic tips before wasting that money?
Click to expand...
Check air filter and all the plastic lines. The lines get hard and crack over time. Make sure all the intake and exhaust gaskets are good. 2 strokes hate air leaks anywhere in the intake or exhaust. Could also be worn top-end (piston and rings).
 
I can't swear this will work for everyone, but it works for me. I have a 5 gallon gas can for my ope. When I go to fill it up, I throw some carb or fuel injector cleaner and some mmo in the can first. Then I fill the can. I use this gas for my 4 stroke mowers and weed wacker. I also use it for my 2 stroke blower. I add the 2 stroke oil in a separate can. Now this doesn't sound like some earth shattering secret, but all of my ope has been starting on the first or second pull in the spring when I first fire it up. I've been doing this for years. And I don't always run them out of gas before storage. I even throw a splash of cleaner in the mowers gas tank at least once a year. The gas I use says it's 10% ethanol. If I were you, I'd clean or replace the plug, then dose it up with some type of cleaner, then run the heck out of it. If you don't use it alot, run it out of gas first. Hope this helps.,,,
 
Run Berryman’s B12 in it mixed with your 2-stroke all the time, and always store the saw without gas in it. Run it til it dies, and only add fuel when you’re ready to use it.

I personally think 2-stroke is less stable/more prone to oxidation, so I always put it in only a 1gal can so there’s minimal storage time. I also double-dose the 2-stroke fuel with Sta-bil Marine. If the premix is not used within about 3 months, I dump the remainder in my zero turn and go get fresh gas for the 2-stroke stuff. I find the mower is much less fussy with old gas, but I also run B12 in it all the time as well.
 
An engine that old prob still has conventional ignition. The only other thing that I can think of that deteriorates with age, other than those items already mentioned or addressed, would be the capacitor, if it still has point ignition.
 
Will it idle properly after it’s warmed up? If so then you might have a worn out piston and rings.

As others have mentioned check the fuel lines and air filter.

Just my $0.02
 
Quality fuel stabilizer and synth. oils only. Even if run dry there is always fuel left in the fuel system and cleaners left behind just attack the rubber and plastic components in them over time.
I have a husky 335 top handle saw, a 455 and a 25 yr. old Sears saw that fire up after sitting wet for 2-3 yrs with no problem. I just dump the tank and fill with fresh fuel and up and running.
20F temp difference plus or minus will affect mixture setting in a 2 stroke. Winter settings will be rich in summer for example.
 
The_Eric said:
Posts 7 and 8 - both spasm an tnt have good points.
Click to expand...
Leakdown test if all the simple stuff is ruled out. I am not sure if those saws have reef valves like dirt bike engines or not? That would be another thing to check.
 
tmorris1 said:
Check air filter and all the plastic lines. The lines get hard and crack over time. Make sure all the intake and exhaust gaskets are good. 2 strokes hate air leaks anywhere in the intake or exhaust. Could also be worn top-end (piston and rings).
Click to expand...
On my old 246 the plastic fuel lines disintegrated, and I think I replaced all three over its lifetime. Mine was 35 years old when I gave up on it. Now I'm thinking of buying a small Stihl, made in the USA.
 
Last edited:
I didn't read through all the posts carefully. Another common issue is the muffler/screen partially clogged that causes back pressure. You stated rebuilding the carburetor. Unless you replaced everything, you could also have damaged adjusting needles/seats.
 
NormanBuntz said:
On my old Huskie the plastic fuel lines disintegrated, and I think I replaced all three over its lifetime. Mine was 35 years old when I gave up on it. Now I'm thinking of buying a small Stihl, made in the USA.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying Stihl is bad, but the Stihl fuel lines will do the same thing with age. It looks like some Huskys are made in the USA as well. If I were to buy a new saw I would probably go Stihl as well since we have 2 dealers in my city.
 
If you do swap the carb, keep the original for a possible rebuild or reinstall. OEM carbs can be frightfully expensive.
 
tmorris1 said:
I'm not saying Stihl is bad, but the Stihl fuel lines will do the same thing with age. It looks like some Huskys are made in the USA as well. If I were to buy a new saw I would probably go Stihl as well since we have 2 dealers in my city.
Click to expand...
Yup fuel lines will break down over time for any brand. Personally, I wouldn't buy any Stihl products. I used to own all Stihl stuff when I mowed lawns as a teenager. Now they have basically screwed their customers as it is impossible to buy Stihl parts and accessories from anywhere but the dealer. That would be fine if their quality and prices were on par with everything else, but it is not unfortunately. The quality is the same or lower than everything else, and now you must buy OEM parts through the dealer at a big markup. I had to buy a few parts for a co-workers Stihl saw I reluctantly agreed to work on, and they are still 2-3 weeks out.


As for the OP's Husqvarna this is a tell-tale sign that the crank seals are worn. If you take some brake cleaner/carb cleaner and spray it by the seal on both the clutch drum side and the flywheel side as it is idling and it stalls out from either one then you have a bad seal. At that point unless you want to tear down the whole saw and do the work yourself, it is more economical to replace the saw. I was a Stihl fan, and later a Husky fan, but quality has slipped on both brands, and now I pretty much only buy and recommend Echo.
 
As a few others have suggested you need to pressure and vac test the saw. If you really like the saw I’d replace the carb with oe, along with fuel lines. I’ve put carb kits in many carbs and it didn’t fix the problem. You may need specific rubber pieces to block off intake and exhaust ports on the saw to do the pressure test properly. A mity vac works great for this
 
Adding to all the great advice above, I'd consider cylinder scoring at this point in its life as well.

Hard starting, rough idle, maybe not performing as she should...

This would require an endoscope down the spark plug hole at a minimum to check, or you can pull the jug to check.
 
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