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Throwaway Saw

rogue60

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G'day I ported this cheap nasty saw years ago just for fun and I like tinkering.
Only just pulled it out a week or so ago for some more tinkering I've not worked on a saw in a few years.
Anyways it used to run strong after a few mods but not what I'd call a reliable saw or well made was just a challeng to see if I could get this turd to run.
I just did a few more mods to it got it all back together it run good and strong for about half a tank of fuel then stated missing bogging no power in the cut wouldn't stay running popping and missing at max revs.
I couldn't tune it for crap I'd tune the bog out and it would race like crazy thought it was coil changed that and new plug and still the same.
Next thing is to change the carby if that don't fix it I give up it has beaten me lol
Here is a vid of it today running like crap! hopefully I can get it running good again I have 2 more of em for parts to keep this one going I will get a vid of it if I do.
One mod I tried was filling the AV springs full with silicone it made a big difference to the feel of the saw I hate that floppy powerhead feeling with spring AV mounts.
20190526_170522.jpg 20190526_170538.jpg 20190526_170335.jpg 20190526_181905.jpg

 

Simondo

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If it ran ok for about half a tank and then starts playing up , along with the tank vent Andy mentioned ...take a look in the exhaust port just to make sure things are still ok.
If the bore is ok......Carburation /fuel starvation (primmer bulb ..prime and non return.. worth a look) is the most likely cause now you replaced the plug and coil ( air gap on coil.. not.. or ...didn't move ? ).
 

rogue60

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If it ran ok for about half a tank and then starts playing up , along with the tank vent Andy mentioned ...take a look in the exhaust port just to make sure things are still ok.
If the bore is ok......Carburation /fuel starvation (primmer bulb ..prime and non return.. worth a look) is the most likely cause now you replaced the plug and coil ( air gap on coil.. not.. or ...didn't move ? ).
Thanks guys I'll look into it I didn't think to undo the fuel tank cap to vent it and see if it ran better.
The timing is stock no advance and I set air gap with new coil as I allways have.
I have a carby to try when I pull the old one out I'll check all the fuel lines and tank vent I have to find it first I don't remember seeing it last time I had the carby out they are a pain to pull the carby out and put back in on this saw.
I'll put a new fuel filter in it while I'm at it.
Oh well it gives me something to tinker with at night next to the fire now the days are getting short going into winter here.

One more thing yep I already pulled the muffler all looks good well as good as a soft unplated aluminium bore can look lol.
Has plenty of oil mix is 25:1 I run tune all my saws to that mix always have.
 
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Simondo

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Thanks guys I'll look into it I didn't think to undo the fuel tank cap to vent it and see if it ran better.
The timing is stock no advance and I set air gap with new coil as I allways have.
I have a carby to try when I pull the old one out I'll check all the fuel lines and tank vent I have to find it first I don't remember seeing it last time I had the carby out they are a pain to pull the carby out and put back in on this saw.
I'll put a new fuel filter in it while I'm at it.
Oh well it gives me something to tinker with at night next to the fire now the days are getting short going into winter here.

One more thing yep I already pulled the muffler all looks good well as good as a soft unplated aluminium bore can look lol.
Has plenty of oil mix is 25:1 I run tune all my saws to that mix always have.
So odd to hear you say that the nights are getting shorter and you will be needing a fire !! Mid summers day less than a month away here in the UK.
The fact that I can have this conversation to the other side of the world with total ease ... its still mighty humbling !
:).
Hope you sort the saw.
Simon
 

rogue60

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So odd to hear you say that the nights are getting shorter and you will be needing a fire !! Mid summers day less than a month away here in the UK.
The fact that I can have this conversation to the other side of the world with total ease ... its still mighty humbling !
:).
Hope you sort the saw.
Simon
Thanks mate I will get to the bottom of it and get it running again even if I have to change crank seals.
And yeah the internet you can talk to people from all over the world. I grew up in the days of land lines you had to tell people in person when you would be home and what time to call lol.

In the meantime I'll use my reliable ms170 never had to buy a thing for it in years of use apart from chains.
Runs good on Avgas and 25:1 its stock with no high or low on carby don't know why it runs good on avgas being the wrong fuel and all? but its better fuel than the crap pump gas here.
 

Simondo

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Thanks mate I will get to the bottom of it and get it running again even if I have to change crank seals.
And yeah the internet you can talk to people from all over the world. I grew up in the days of land lines you had to tell people in person when you would be home and what time to call lol.

In the meantime I'll use my reliable ms170 never had to buy a thing for it in years of use apart from chains.
Runs good on Avgas and 25:1 its stock with no high or low on carby don't know why it runs good on avgas being the wrong fuel and all? but its better fuel than the crap pump gas here.
This overall subject of the "Throwaway" saw maybe has some legs.
I get to see a fair few of the low end saws from my customers , most who are just cutting small firewood on a "Now and again " basis.
There is always the cost to fix ,V the cost to replace situation if the saw has much wrong and I have never taken any apart to the degree of piston and cylinder work as the £ just wouldn't stack up. A current new ms 170 can be had for £160-170 if you shop around.
The 170 is a saw I have to agree is , "for what we pay here" a decent choice in the "throwaway" market. I have ended up with seeing many less problems with the 170 than the 171 and I feel the 170 performs better than the 171.
 
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rogue60

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This overall subject of the "Throwaway" saw maybe has some legs.
I get to see a fair few of the low end saws from my customers , most who are just cutting small firewood on a "Now and again " basis.
There is always the cost to fix ,V the cost to replace situation if the saw has much wrong and I have never taken any apart to the degree of piston and cylinder work as the £ just wouldn't stack up. A current new ms 170 can be had for £160-170 if you shop around.
The 170 is a saw I have to agree is , "for what we pay here" a decent choice in the "throwaway" market. I have ended up with seeing so many less problems than with the 171 and I feel the 170 performs better than the 171.
The black saw at the start of this I got new for $100 the husky dealer here had about 30 of them still in box when they got down to about 10 left he put the price down to $80. I think it's a type of poulan like a wild thing but even cheaper it had McCulloch on it but is just some made in China saw has made in China on the flywheel.
If I had to choose between a ms170 and ms171 I'd take the ms170 such a simple saw that does as it was designed with no frills or fuss the ms171 is over engineered not to make a better saw it's been engineered just to meet emissions imo.
Of course no matter how much or little any saw costs in the wrong hands cost means zero for how long a saw will last like the good old high idle chain brake on warm up for like 5-10 minutes lol
 

Simondo

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The black saw at the start of this I got new for $100 the husky dealer here had about 30 of them still in box when they got down to about 10 left he put the price down to $80. I think it's a type of poulan like a wild thing but even cheaper it had McCulloch on it but is just some made in China saw has made in China on the flywheel.
If I had to choose between a ms170 and ms171 I'd take the ms170 such a simple saw that does as it was designed with no frills or fuss the ms171 is over engineered not to make a better saw it's been engineered just to meet emissions imo.
Of course no matter how much or little any saw costs in the wrong hands cost means zero for how long a saw will last like the good old high idle chain brake on warm up for like 5-10 minutes lol
Yea, I thought recognised the black saw as a McCulloch branded product of some sort in the UK to. Mail order catalogues and generic tool suppliers tend to sell some of these without being a actual ..Dealer as such.
Some of the McCulloch CS group of saws that share the same platform as the smaller Husqvarna saws seem ok.
A good throw away saw for me should be more than the sum of its parts...then to a degree they can make sense. Cheep to buy and give some reasonable life and performance with normal looking after in the knowledge that it was never supposed to last for yrs and yrs.
The ms 170 is a case in point being basic but not to fragile ...parts should be cheep enough to at least do normal maintaining of the saw.
Felt air filter looks like it isn't worth a crap ...but they seem to do fine and take a clean many times plus when the time comes are only a £ or two to replace.
A real weakness on the 171/181 I have found is the throttle /choke design...that T shaped plastic toggle bends and stops the choke/high idle working if the operator is not in the habit of triggering the saw before pushing the master control all the way down. I see plenty of domestic owners who "don't read the manual !!! " :rolleyes: . The design of the 170 is at least more like the 024 026 240 260 with a throttle rod that can take.. "some".. misuse !
Do I hear a bit of exhaust opening on your 170 ? ..another thing is how straight forward that is to do.
 
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Simondo

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Screen Shot 2019-05-27 at 15.41.08.png Photo1388.jpg @rogue60

How are you set for dealers and brands where you are in AU ?
I assume you have Husq and Stihl dealers you can visit , but how about Echo and Makita/Dolmar.
We have no real Dolmar dealerships here but they can be brought in from Germany , however there are Makita dealers that we can get the Blue/Black versions from .
I think the Dol Ps-32 /Mak ea3200 make a very good Throwaway candidate ...
 

sawfun

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And every husky and the stihl 462 and 500 ......
Their all mushy .
I dunno, I find the Husky springs seem stiff enough that they take away the vibes but don't feel mushy. Husky has the vibe and balance down pretty good, muffler screws, we'll that's another story.
 

Mutley

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G'day mate, that black saw looks the spitting image of a Poulan that I had about 18 years ago, but painted black. It was a first class *s-wordbox & did all the stuff that you're describing. It also started to run on when I switched it off when it was hot - Good luck with yours, I threw mine in the bin!
 

Mutley

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View attachment 183445 View attachment 183446 @rogue60

How are you set for dealers and brands where you are in AU ?
I assume you have Husq and Stihl dealers you can visit , but how about Echo and Makita/Dolmar.
We have no real Dolmar dealerships here but they can be brought in from Germany , however there are Makita dealers that we can get the Blue/Black versions from .
I think the Dol Ps-32 /Mak ea3200 make a very good Throwaway candidate ...

We have the Makitas for reasonable prices nation wide. Lots of hardware places sell them. Bunnings currently has the ea3200 for $299. No Dolmar branded stuff sold through dealers here though, just Smurfs.
Last time I looked, an MS170 could be had for AU$249 at most Stihl outlets, including Mitre 10. At $50 cheaper than the Makita, it'd be my pick.
The cheap Husky here is the 236 :(
Echo/Shindi are going through a transition here, as the dealer network collapsed! Briggs & Stratton have taken it over, but I've yet to see any Echo/Shindi saws back at small OPE shops. You can buy Echo saws at Bunnings now, although most of it is "special order". I love Echo saws, so this is extremely bad news for me personally.
Our emissions laws change as of the end of June & the cheap Chinese saws will no longer meet them. There are some bargains about in the "throw away" category ATM because of this. I bought a 25cc Chinese Zenoah TH knock off, brand new for $69. I stuffed around with it & got it to run half decent, but have no illusions about what it is.
 

rogue60

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I like the silicone in the spring AV, dampner effect, trick, thanks. I think 441's and 7900's might benefit from this.
The Silicone was just a test now I know it work's I will use Sikaflex its good stuff it will dry like hard rubber incasing the spring.
20190528_092927.jpg
 

rogue60

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Yea, I thought recognised the black saw as a McCulloch branded product of some sort in the UK to. Mail order catalogues and generic tool suppliers tend to sell some of these without being a actual ..Dealer as such.
Some of the McCulloch CS group of saws that share the same platform as the smaller Husqvarna saws seem ok.
A good throw away saw for me should be more than the sum of its parts...then to a degree they can make sense. Cheep to buy and give some reasonable life and performance with normal looking after in the knowledge that it was never supposed to last for yrs and yrs.
The ms 170 is a case in point being basic but not to fragile ...parts should be cheep enough to at least do normal maintaining of the saw.
Felt air filter looks like it isn't worth a crap ...but they seem to do fine and take a clean many times plus when the time comes are only a £ or two to replace.
A real weakness on the 171/181 I have found is the throttle /choke design...that T shaped plastic toggle bends and stops the choke/high idle working if the operator is not in the habit of triggering the saw before pushing the master control all the way down. I see plenty of domestic owners who "don't read the manual !!! " :rolleyes: . The design of the 170 is at least more like the 024 026 240 260 with a throttle rod that can take.. "some".. misuse !
Do I hear a bit of exhaust opening on your 170 ? ..another thing is how straight forward that is to do.

I did a little to the muffler on the 170 cleaned up to luvers so they flow better and drilled some of the holes in the muffler itself a little bigger I didn't do to much not having a high or low to tune it.
They are a tuff little saw for what they are being a cheap homeowner saw and all. Not a throwaway saw in my experience with them any problems with them I'd say are operator error or asking to much from them like starting a firewood business with a ms170 lol.
20190528_164048.jpg 20190528_164642.jpg
 
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rogue60

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The line up my Magpie mate even approves of the little Stihl's lol
The ms211 is a tank compared to the 170 and 180 but it has grunt, the trigger is heavy on off throttle for a long time will cramp your trigger finger well does to me.
The AV springs are floppy as but I have a fix for that now.

The updated slimmed down ms180 is nice so far thought it was time to get one before you can't get them anymore, I didn't want a strato ms181.
Yes I know some people hate the little homeowner Stihl's but myself I've had a good run with them they are what they are I didn't buy them with the mindset I'm buying a pro saw for a few hundred bucks I know there intended use and limitations.

20190528_171603.jpg 20190528_163748.jpg 20190528_163902.jpg
 

rogue60

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View attachment 183445 View attachment 183446 @rogue60

How are you set for dealers and brands where you are in AU ?
I assume you have Husq and Stihl dealers you can visit , but how about Echo and Makita/Dolmar.
We have no real Dolmar dealerships here but they can be brought in from Germany , however there are Makita dealers that we can get the Blue/Black versions from .
I think the Dol Ps-32 /Mak ea3200 make a very good Throwaway candidate ...
I don't really know what dealer's we have down here apart from Stihl and Husky I'm in a small country town we used to have two good dealers Stihl and Husky but they closed down now we have a motorbike shop that sells Stihl saws on the side.
I took a ms661 into them and said can you plug this thing in and tell me what the bloody hell is wrong with it? they didn't have a clue what I was talking about.
 
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