High Quality Chainsaw Bars Husqvarna Toys

when can you trust old bearings?

Loanstar

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I just bought two 359 husky saws from my dealers junk pile. From top to bottom they have corrosion. I would like to think soaking the crank case in diesel or atf and a good cleaning would be ok but that may be wishful thinking. Crank bearings would be OK also to replace. But what about rod bearings????
 

cus_deluxe

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All you can do is look closely and clean and inspect as much as possible. See if theres any corrossion or whatever on what you can see of the rod bearing. I wouldnt trust main bearings at all if theres that much nastiness goin on.
 

drf256

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Pretty much never.

Most of the cost of a bearing job is the case split, not the bearing itself.

I’m not familiar with the model, but if it takes the standard 6202, good bearings are so cheap it’s tough to not do it.

Every “good” feeling bearing I’ve seen in an assembled case saw has felt like crap when I took it out and held it in my hands. Yet to find one I’d be comfortable using.
 

davidwyby

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Pretty much never.

Most of the cost of a bearing job is the case split, not the bearing itself.

I’m not familiar with the model, but if it takes the standard 6202, good bearings are so cheap it’s tough to not do it.

Every “good” feeling bearing I’ve seen in an assembled case saw has felt like crap when I took it out and held it in my hands. Yet to find one I’d be comfortable using.

This is a good point...small bearings, no point in re-using unless they’re new or unavailable. The bearings I’m used to are $500-$2,000...

A good industrial supply or bearing house should be able to get you good quality bearings for little $.
 

Al Smith

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Old trick on a ball bearing .First of all normally the balls won't rust because they are chrome plated .Unless it got sunk in a lake or something for a couple of years or the Atlantic ocean .Clean up the bearing,hold it between the thump and finger by the inner race and give it a blast from an air nozzle ,it will really wind up .If it has much vibration chances are it's defective .Bearing die from ingested grit nicking the chrome off the balls .
 

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I have to agree with all of the above. Crank bearings for these saws can be had real cheap, even in well known quality brands...unless we are talking about the proprietary bearings found on the PTO side of some models. 359 uses 6202-c3 on both sides, so proprietary bearing cost is not an issue.

I recently got a pair of SKF 6203-c3 from the internet for just over 5 bucks apiece with free shipping.. If non-sealed, plain-Jane 6202-c3 are hard to find, order the abundant 6202-c3-rs2, it's the same bearing but has rubber dust seals on each side. Pluck out the dust seals with a pick and run em.

I too have experienced gritty, crappy feeling bearings in the hand that felt fine in the assembled case. For a $10 OEM gasket set, $12 for a pair of bearings, and $10 for a pair of seals, I can never justify skipping over them on an overhaul, especially if it is an older saw or has some hours on it.
 

Bilge Rat

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Got a used 460 from Randy that he ported and sold to me. After about 10 tanks of fuel the bearings gave up. Sent it back and after his inspection the bearings had a little corrosion probably from sitting a long time before he got it.
We got lucky and saved the cases and cylinder.
Bearings are cheap, change them like you change tires. Any blemish is cause for concern.
I was very lucky and Randy got me up and running. He refused any money also.
Way beyond fair.
Saw has about 18 to 20 tanks of fuel thru it now runnin like a beast.
Rusty gritty bearings may be ok on my harrow but not in anything spinning 14k
 

Wood Doctor

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Old bearings just wiped out a Stihl 066 that I was trying to save with a new top end, both cylinder and piston. The additional play wrecked the piston intake side on the old and the new kit, hammering the piston's skirt against the case. A complete mess, the engine ran a few seconds and then blew away the next piston, saying, "Hi guy, welcome aboard."
 

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That sucks. I recently had a lower rod bearing starting to let go and damage a 288 cylinder I was porting for a friend. Not a crank bearing, but the same story. Luckily, I pulled the cylinder to make a few more changes and caught it before things got crazy. Crank seemed A-OK when I put the bottom end together. Nonetheless, the plating got damaged... 4 hours of grinding down the poopa.
 

Mastermind

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Got a used 460 from Randy that he ported and sold to me. After about 10 tanks of fuel the bearings gave up. Sent it back and after his inspection the bearings had a little corrosion probably from sitting a long time before he got it.
We got lucky and saved the cases and cylinder.
Bearings are cheap, change them like you change tires. Any blemish is cause for concern.
I was very lucky and Randy got me up and running. He refused any money also.
Way beyond fair.
Saw has about 18 to 20 tanks of fuel thru it now runnin like a beast.
Rusty gritty bearings may be ok on my harrow but not in anything spinning 14k

Howdy Dennis. Thanks for the nod my friend. I still wish I would have inspected that bottom end better the first time.
 

Bilge Rat

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Stuff happens.
Built a 307 chevy motor from junk in the backyard and a new cam.
Thing ran strong for years. Put a 350 together with great care and money. 6 months later i did that one again.

The good feelin bottom end could not take the extra bananas in the top end.

Ran 2 gallons thru it last weekend after lowering the rakers 1 file stroke.
It ate 26" oak and made buckets of noodles.
14300 rpm and rich enough to still 4 stroke cutting 12" limbs but cleans up on bigger.
Thing runs strong thru the 24 to 34" wood .

Myself and the saw are Happy Happy!
 

TJ the Chainsaw Mechanic

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I just bought two 359 husky saws from my dealers junk pile. From top to bottom they have corrosion. I would like to think soaking the crank case in diesel or atf and a good cleaning would be ok but that may be wishful thinking. Crank bearings would be OK also to replace. But what about rod bearings????
"When can you trust bearings???"
When you replace them with new ones.
 

Onan18

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Especially on older saws that have common size bearings they are too cheap to not change out. And I might add that it pays to shop around, most of the usual places (NAPA, O'Reilly, etc...) around here want $10.00 - $12.00 a bearing, I buy them from a local bearing house for $3.50 each.
 

Loanstar

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Thanks for all the comments, I first thought they'd clean up. But now I'll definitely replace them. There is a local bearing supply around, are there brands to stay away from on the crank? Are the rod bearings OEM only?
 
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