High Quality Chainsaw Bars Husqvarna Toys

346NE vs 254XP vs 55CP...Sibling Rivalry. Results are in!!!!

Tor R

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Thanks Tor, great info!

So this 254SE I have is an 87, in good shape and all original. it has the "golden jug" I suppose, but I don't know why it is better aside from no decomp, with a thin ring piston. I don't know which ignition module is better and would like more info about those.
It does not have the holes to adapt the air injection plastic pieces behind the flywheel. It has the old style flywheel cover with small sticker label. It also has the old style plastic clutch cover before switching over to metal clutch cover. And it has the old style oil pump that oils whenever the saw is running.
I would like to upgrade the oil pump to a clutch driven version, so I suppose I should keep my eye out now for a newer style pump. Unless I can just open the hole in the old style pump to be larger?
I would also like to explore upgrading the ignition module if later versions are better, and adding air injection if I can get a case half in good shape for a fair price.
your oil pump is an easy modd, I, or someone else will post up the dimensions for the big hole.
Ignition modules. Through most of the years they had multiple colours for the grounding wire. Around 1997 they came with a coil who had advanced timing, ground wire colour is brown.
Later they came with two more coils, none of them has a grounding wire, one of the coil brand is Ducati.
The golden jug, they used quite a thick gasket to keep the compression down, for us nerds its like a dream jug. It has the same timings as most of the other 254 jugs, +/-0.5°. one from 87 should have a KS top end, the two jugs I have was labeled year 86 month 11.

Yes the 154 also had the small combustion chamber as well.
I belive 154 used Mahle top end, rattler mention they had a very small combustion chamber.

that is a pure pearl!!!!
 

Derf

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your oil pump is an easy modd, I, or someone else will post up the dimensions for the big hole.
Ignition modules. Through most of the years they had multiple colours for the grounding wire. Around 1997 they came with a coil who had advanced timing, ground wire colour is brown.
Later they came with two more coils, none of them has a grounding wire, one of the coil brand is Ducati.
The golden jug, they used quite a thick gasket to keep the compression down, for us nerds its like a dream jug. It has the same timings as most of the other 254 jugs, +/-0.5°. one from 87 should have a KS top end, the two jugs I have was labeled year 86 month 11.

I belive 154 used Mahle top end, rattler mention they had a very small combustion chamber.

that is a pure pearl!!!!
Alright, if I can just enlarge the oil pump hole I may go that route.

So the coil with the brown ground lead is the better (advanced timing) coil to have? Or are you saying the brown ground lead is better and the Ducati is the best one (more advanced timing?)?

The 154 is a beauty.
 

Tor R

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Alright, if I can just enlarge the oil pump hole I may go that route.

So the coil with the brown ground lead is the better (advanced timing) coil to have? Or are you saying the brown ground lead is better and the Ducati is the best one (more advanced timing?)?

The 154 is a beauty.
yup, you can just enlarge the hole to the worm gear, 22 mm wide is the precise size.

The first coil with a better timings was the one with brown grounding cable (they used red, orange, green, black on the older coils), came in the end of 1995.
In ruffly 1999 they removed the grounding cable, but far as I know the PHP coil had the same advanced timing as the brown one had.
The last coil who should have better component was the one who was made from Ducati, that one doesnt have a grounding cable either, and should have the same improvement timings.

There is of course more to study and pick from the 254 era when we're trying to build the best build from that era.
Cranks got a bigger big bearing, s/n: 3360001
Flywheels got lighter around 1996 if my memory is correct
357 clutch is a bolt on.
560/562 with a 262 washer is a bolt on.

I got a new build myself (waiting for a gasket kit + slug):
_DSC5264.jpg

Here is the service bulletin for the brown ground wire coil:
 

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Derf

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A wealth of info...

So the upgrades to the coil, flywheel, and crank all happen in the middle of the 254XP production, around 1996. But the better cylinders are from the early 254SE/154SE. If I could mix-and match components I would, but that becomes a very custom build, so I will need lots of patience to wait for parts to become available.

As for your build, I hope you can squeeze another XPG into your stable. The XPG flywheel is impossible to find for this saw. (I wish I could get one)
 

chipper1

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A wealth of info...

So the upgrades to the coil, flywheel, and crank all happen in the middle of the 254XP production, around 1996. But the better cylinders are from the early 254SE/154SE. If I could mix-and match components I would, but that becomes a very custom build, so I will need lots of patience to wait for parts to become available.

As for your build, I hope you can squeeze another XPG into your stable. The XPG flywheel is impossible to find for this saw. (I wish I could get one)
I wouldn't say impossible, one just sold a few weeks ago, although you had to buy the whole saw to get it, but why wouldn't you want all the pieces anyway.
 

Tor R

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A wealth of info...

So the upgrades to the coil, flywheel, and crank all happen in the middle of the 254XP production, around 1996. But the better cylinders are from the early 254SE/154SE. If I could mix-and match components I would, but that becomes a very custom build, so I will need lots of patience to wait for parts to become available.

As for your build, I hope you can squeeze another XPG into your stable. The XPG flywheel is impossible to find for this saw. (I wish I could get one)
yup, 254 is the only 2xx serie saws I know about where the first year gave us a hot rod cylinder, in the middle of the production it gave us a stronger crank, in the later era it gave us a better coil and lighter flywheel..
Speaking about the coil, as you see in the service bulletin 55, 254, 257, 261 and 262 used the same coil, that one should be easy task to find.

When I build a 254 I'm not so picky about the strong crank or not, coil yes, and I prefer the light flywheel.
My last and maybe my last 254 builder will get all the snacks.

262 is kinda similuary to 254, a 1996 bottom part with a KS + 87 carb is the ultimate combo in my book!

PS, 242 was different, the real hot rod who had got all the snacks was produced in middle 1994 until late 1995. That one had had strongest crank, lightest flywheel and lightest piston.
 

Derf

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My last and maybe my last 254 builder will get all the snacks.

So for that you'll have an early KS cylinder with a small combustion chamber, early thin (1.0mm) ring piston, early metal flywheel seal cover. At least mid-cycle case, mid-cycle oil pump / clutch-driven worm gear, mid-cycle crank, and mid-cycle air-injection plastic bits/flywheel cover. Late era coil, and late era lightweight flywheel. Plus all the XPG goodies you can find, and a 357XP 3-shoe clutch. Do you prefer the early plastic chain guard cover, or the late style metal chain guard cover? Are you keeping the stock HD35 carb, or would you try a 357XP HDA-199/HDA-198, or 262 HDA-120/HDA-87?

At what point do you care if it seems like a Franken-saw, or do you not care about such purity?
 

XP_Slinger

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I had an HDA-120 on my 254 until a couple weeks ago, it ran great. Now it has a 199 on it and it runs a little betterer, picked up a few hundred rpm in the cut.

Don’t be discouraged about not having the peanut chamber cylinder. My saw is running the original Mahle from 1993 and I’ve got no complaints. After installing a thinner base gasket I’m getting 190psi, which I think is pretty darn respectable for not having any machine work done. Port timing is spot on in my opinion also, times at 103/122/71.5 with the thin gasket. The only timing I’m going to change is the intake, all others will stay where they’re at. Might be in the barn tweaking on it today.
 

dustinwilt68

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A wealth of info...

So the upgrades to the coil, flywheel, and crank all happen in the middle of the 254XP production, around 1996. But the better cylinders are from the early 254SE/154SE. If I could mix-and match components I would, but that becomes a very custom build, so I will need lots of patience to wait for parts to become available.

As for your build, I hope you can squeeze another XPG into your stable. The XPG flywheel is impossible to find for this saw. (I wish I could get one)

I actually picked up said flywheel last week, it's still on it's way to me got lucky on it. I already have a 254xpg, but I want a 262xpg. Now I have a flywheel just need the rest, all in time I guess
 

Tor R

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As for your build, I hope you can squeeze another XPG into your stable. The XPG flywheel is impossible to find for this saw. (I wish I could get one)
Honestly, for 2-3 years ago I build saws for my collection, but that was 3 years ago. Most of the project saws I build nowadays is saws that eventually get sold, wife would had killed me if not!
The extra XPG parts I end up with have always gone over the pond, I got no plans to change on that. I happen to have a few 254/262 xpg flywheels, pretty sure at least one of them is last version, send me one PM with your adress and I'll ship over one for you.

So for that you'll have an early KS cylinder with a small combustion chamber, early thin (1.0mm) ring piston, early metal flywheel seal cover. At least mid-cycle case, mid-cycle oil pump / clutch-driven worm gear, mid-cycle crank, and mid-cycle air-injection plastic bits/flywheel cover. Late era coil, and late era lightweight flywheel. Plus all the XPG goodies you can find, and a 357XP 3-shoe clutch. Do you prefer the early plastic chain guard cover, or the late style metal chain guard cover? Are you keeping the stock HD35 carb, or would you try a 357XP HDA-199/HDA-198, or 262 HDA-120/HDA-87?

At what point do you care if it seems like a Franken-saw, or do you not care about such purity?
Well.....
There isn't anything wrong if we build a 254 as it was. not for me anyway.
I didn't say those things because I want everyone to follow my advice, it was more ment to highlight that 254 went through alot changes over the years.
For those who buy a few extra spare parts it can be worth to consider, thats all.
 
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