Mini-mac rehab

[Adirondackstihl]

Never seen the insides of one of these saws so I have really enjoyed looking at all the pics you have posted - quite interesting!

50 Mission Cap?

 

[Carhartt]

I probably have parts also if I didn't get rid of them. Miserable carb problems if I remember. Should have saved the lawnmower instead.
I hope the best for your project with the time in so far.

 

[redline4]

Nah, the mower was garbage.
I think I maybe have 2 hours total invested in it so far.
Carb problems don't scare me much. I got started in the auto industry when we still had feedback carburetors. Want carb problems, get an electronic quadrajet!

If all else fails, it cleaned up nice and is in good condition and would look just fine sitting on a shelf.

 

[FergusonTO35]

You should be able to find anything you need on Fleabay for cheap. One thing nice about Mini Macs is, parts interchangeability across the years is very good. The biggest changes they made were adding a chain brake, electronic ignition, and a sheet metal muffler with a shroud over it. I would bet that one is a low hours homeowner saw, and won't take much to get going.

 

[Al Smith]

Mini's seem to come in two flavors .Those that run well and those that don't run at all .More of the later than the former .Probably what happened is decades ago somebody bought the thing ,which was cheap to trim the apple tree in the back yard,maybe used it twice and stuck on the shelf and it never ran again .I've seen them look almost new with the original chain that had never been sharpened .

 

[NeSurcaster]

I caught the mini mac bug last summer, at least 5 times I had to take engine back out after carb rebuild. The disc in the auto oiler had a burr on it which didn't let it move freely. Like mentioned above they will wet a 20" bar. Mine runs pretty good, it has way more balls then I thought it would. The fuel line situation is weak, with half a tank you can't run the saw on it's side. I used it for 2 climbs and retired it. Neat saws tho, yours is the best looking in my opinion.

 

[Steve]

Here is what i have. I got a whole box of mini parts if there is anything else you might need. I have many auto oilers if you want to add one to yours. All you have to do is drill the pulse passage in the crankcase. I have one set of new crank seals, an MDC that i rebuilt for a test carb, a few carb gaskets and welsh plugs. A new diaphragm set for an MDC. The littel black nipple is the piece you need for your fuel tank.

I do not have the cover for your muffler.

 

[redline4]

Here is what i have. I got a whole box of mini parts if there is anything else you might need. I have many auto oilers if you want to add one to yours. All you have to do is drill the pulse passage in the crankcase. I have one set of new crank seals, an MDC that i rebuilt for a test carb, a few carb gaskets and welsh plugs. A new diaphragm set for an MDC. The littel black nipple is the piece you need for your fuel tank.

I do not have the cover for your muffler.

View attachment 174680 View attachment 174681 View attachment 174682 View attachment 174683

Thanks Steve!
I will send you a pm.

I think I will leave it manual oiler.
It works, this thing is old, and it would be period correct.
I know it's no collector item, but due to it's condition, I will leave it as it came from Mac.

 

[Al Smith]

I never had any luck with the mini auto oilers and I even have the rebuild kits .Damned things would suck bar oil into the crank case .I just gave up and blocked the impulse line and locked the pump piston and used the thump oiler .

 

[merc_man]

Thanks Steve!
I will send you a pm.

I think I will leave it manual oiler.
It works, this thing is old, and it would be period correct.
I know it's no collector item, but due to it's condition, I will leave it as it came from Mac.

If your looking for the custom case i think it was @Struggle had one for sale.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

 

[FergusonTO35]

Mini's seem to come in two flavors .Those that run well and those that don't run at all .More of the later than the former .Probably what happened is decades ago somebody bought the thing ,which was cheap to trim the apple tree in the back yard,maybe used it twice and stuck on the shelf and it never ran again .I've seen them look almost new with the original chain that had never been sharpened .

Thats what I've always observed. The Mini Mac was something of a perfect storm for having lots of surviving saws that don't run. When I was a kid they were about the cheapest and smallest chainsaw available, meaning lots of homeowners bought them. And, they used these saws sporadically and left them sitting for months or years with stale fuel. When it inevitably became a no-start, they discover just how expensive they are to fix as you have to take the whole frickin' thing apart to do anything. So the homeowner buys a new cheap saw and the Mini turns up at the scrap yard or Fleabay 20 years later still complete and not used much.

 

[redline4]

Before @Steve sends me any parts, I figured I should dig a bit deeper into it.
I started with removing the screw retaining the condenser.



Which the head promptly split in half.


I grabbed it with some vice-grips.
Which it turn slipped and pinched a small chunk out of my thumb.
Good. I had yet to bleed on this thing.

At least it came out.

Then, 2 screws retaining coil/carb and 1 for just the carb.



The top coil screw was wet with oil.
I'm assuming old school oil filled coil? And it's leaking if so.

 

[heimannm]

No oil in the ignition coil, just some leftover from the saw running and leaking as some point.

Mark

 

[redline4]

Off comes the carb.


Build date?

And the intake.


Piston view from intake port

 

[redline4]

No oil in the ignition coil, just some leftover from the saw running and leaking as some point.

Mark

Thanks Mark! I was hoping that was the case, but didnt know.

 

[redline4]

1 more piston pic.


Tried to salvage the gasket in as close as 1 piece as possible to make replicating it easier.


It looks like they maybe used thread inserts?? Or just crude machining.


They look more like inserts in person, the pic doesnt show it as well.

 

[redline4]

Lacking any factory Mac training or tools, I winged it by making a gasket for the exhaust with a piece of tire tube to vac/pressure test.

 

[heimannm]

Gaskets are cheap and plentiful, don't waste your time cutting them out.

Mark

 

[heimannm]

...and do yourself a favor and buy a set of hole punches, a cheap set can be had from Harbor Freight and they will cut a lot of gaskets.

Mark

 

[redline4]

Did the same for the intake.

And used some super cool patented spacers.


With zero regard for the collectibility of the vintage AC plug, I modified it.




Simple air tool fitting.