High Quality Chainsaw Bars Husqvarna Toys

first build with what I have...

sonoransaw

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Going with what I have on hand cause I just want to get started….Hope to tear this down, optimize it (squish, porting, timing), or possibly ruin it, and put it together again. This was my first saw from fifteen years ago when we bought our current house and had to start heating with wood. I knew nothing and like the typical American I went down to the hardware store and bought this little cheapie, a Poulan 3516AVX. Never made any carb adjustments on it (didn’t know how to). Used cheap gas and oil. And finally burnt the clutch on it. Instead of fixing it, I threw it in the shed and got another cheap saw. I guess the average joe would have just chucked it in the trash.

So I just went and dug it out. The pack rats had built a nest around it, so it was half buried. I had left it without a spark plug in it for some reason, and when I shook it upside down, dead bugs came out. Anyway, I blew it out good with air, and started breaking it down. Looking through the exhaust port, there might be a little scoring on the piston (I’ll look closer at that when I take it out).

I measured squish (3 places) for my first time, using solder, and it’s at .024. I took off the flywheel. Next I’m looking at the four bolts on the bottom, holding in the cylinder. Do I need to take out the round plate on the shaft in the last pic (or anything else) before taking out the cylinder?

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jacob j.

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Your piston actually looks pretty good. Yes, the engine should be bolted to the plastic crankcase but I'm not sure on those as I've never
worked on one - but the clamshell Stihl and Huskies have four bolts on the outer edges of the engine pan.
 

sonoransaw

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Thanks, Jacob....

Got this all apart. Been reading and it seems squish modding on a clamshell is some pretty high level stuff to accomplish, probably beyond me at this point. My squish, from what I read, is pretty decent on this, so maybe it's not too big a deal if I can't adjust it. That leaves porting and timing. I'm interested in any feedback on what the components look like...piston and cylinder. Cleaned up the cylinder really well and inspected. Seems that the casting is high quality, and I didn't see any evidence of casting imperfections. Much more reading ahead....Glad for youtube and the forum...Welcome to any leads or suggestions...Thanks....

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XP_Slinger

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Your parts look pretty good imo. Good saw to start grinding on. Being it’s a strato saw, I wouldn’t widen the intake, would be easy to go too far and expose the strato cut outs to the intake which will render the cylinder useless.

However, if needed you can gain area by grinding the roof so it’s even with the bottom of the skirt at TDC. Just make sure the ring doesn’t come into the intake at BDC.

These are just general thoughts, lots of ways to skin that cat
 

sonoransaw

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That's helpful, XP_Slinger....thanks....

Plan to get the base and piston assembly cleaned up after work today and start playing with timing and a degree wheel. Just to learn all this stuff. It's got my head spinning a bit...

Then I need to look through my stuff and see if I have tools that can be used for grinding, or if I'll need to get some....
 

XP_Slinger

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That's helpful, XP_Slinger....thanks....

Plan to get the base and piston assembly cleaned up after work today and start playing with timing and a degree wheel. Just to learn all this stuff. It's got my head spinning a bit...

Then I need to look through my stuff and see if I have tools that can be used for grinding, or if I'll need to get some....
I don’t think the head spinning ever stops lol. The more you learn the more questions you’ll think of. That’s the fun for me. Looking forward to seeing your saw progress
 

ChipsFlyin

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Oh that was after the first mods.....it got a lot better.
It's just cool looking at the progression of saw builds. Back then there were only a few builders. Now, with all of the help mostly from this site with awesome members, a guy can do research, chat with other members that are willing to help and put together a decent better than stock firewood saw.
 

sonoransaw

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For sure.... you guys taking the time to post on forums and share vids deserve much credit and thanks....
 

MG porting

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If I'm correct I believe that the engine itself is a Husqvarna. Good to see your going to go through it I'm not a big fan of the clamshell Saw's but I know they can run good I have a Husqvarna 460 rancher that I've ported it's fun to just bring it out when I don't want to get my Stihls dirty. Lol. Oh FYI I think this is the first time I admitted that I have a Husqvarna in the crowd of Stihls.:risas3:
 

old guy

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No part of that saw will fit a Husqvarna except the bar & chain, even tho it has Husky emblems all over it,
 

Terry Syd

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Since it is a strato, you may want to match the timing on the intake and strato ports. If you increase the timing on the intake, then you want to match that timing on the strato. On your jug that will be more difficult as you don't have removable transfer covers. However, you may be able to determine the timing on the strato by careful measuring the distances in the jug and the strato cutaways. The strato timing is determined at the transfer ports. You will have to trim the cutaway on the piston to change the timing.

If your not confident of your measuring, then if you drop the intake port 1mm, then you could match 1mm on the cutaway.

Some people don't bother with the increasing the strato port, however, it is the AIR that is the hardest to get in the engine and maximizing the strato port increases the air to the engine.

EDIT: Actually, take a light and with the piston moving up and down in the cylinder, see if you can see when the piston opens the strato to the transfer port. With that cylinder you just might be able to see it open.
 
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drf256

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If you are really at .024 squish, that part is done for you. The carbon may have made that measure slightly lower than it is. You really can’t do much about it anyway.

Unless you wanna degree it, I’m not so sure you should mess with the transfers.

The intake port is slippery slope on strato saws. There is deliberate restriction there so that the negative case pressure will pull air into the transfers via the strato port-personally I wouldn’t play with it.

I’d widen the exhaust port to 65% and keep a good arch on the roof. Open muff, advance timing and call it a day.

My seed to this addiction was a clam shell, an MS250. My grinding has come a long way, I’m not even sure how I didn’t catch a ring on that saw. We all start somewhere, so don’t be discouraged.

Look at how pretty I made this ex port 5 years ago.

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