MCCULLOCH The official McCulloch thread

[Dream]

I picked up a M<ac 1-10 with a f\bullfrog carb in it a couple of months ago.I didn't rerally have much time to fiddle with it till today.I dug it out & had to give it a prime to get it running somewhat.I put a baffle & muffler cap on it first that I got from Mark.The primer button is missing & I tried using a screwdriver to get it primed,but I guess it's not working.Anyway,I had it running for a very short time & when I'd flutter the throttle it'd die.Each successive time I fired it up it ran for a shorter period each time.This leads me to believe that the condenser is breraking down,so tomorrow I'll put a known good condenser in it & try to tune the bullfrog carb.

Maybe carb getting clogged with crud from the tank/fuel line?
Not ruling out dirty points or condenser breaking down, just food for thought.
Maybe give it a squirt of mix when it starts dying out and see if it comes around for a second.
That would prove fuel or ignition.

 

[Al Smith]

A thought for what it's worth .With a points system often times the points contacts are filed or sanded to clean them up .However just a tiny little speck of grit ,almost undetectable will remain behind .This little speck can cause all kinds of problems .Common practice is after burnishing a piece of lens paper, printer paper and so forth is pulled between the points contacts .They have to close fully to work .All the condenser does is provide a means to stop the points from flashing over when they open .It either works or it doesn't . That said far be it to me to argue about it .

 

[Al Smith]

Now then most McCullochs are set up with .018" breaker points gap which will give you 26 degrees of spark advance .Set at .020" will give you about 29 degrees of advance .Much over that can cause problems because they won't close unless you file the cam lobe deeper .Then if it will start it tries to pull your arm out of the socket .

 

[edju1958]

Al,I do exactly as you said.After I clean the points I run a piece of paper through the contacts more than once to remove anything that may have been left behind from cleaning.I've tried using a points file & don't really care for it.I've found that I get better results with emery cloth.I never use sandpaper because it leaves behind way too much residue.
I tried looking for the correct points gap setting in my IPLs,but nothing on the subject was there.I ended up going to Acres' site & found the points setting to be .019.I don't know how accurate his info is.Back a couple of yrs.ago I went through pure hell with a Remy Super 754 all due to his misinformation about the points gap.That misinformation is still there & has not been corrected.Maybe one too many toddies while typing out the "information",Lol.

 

[Woodslasher]

Al,I do exactly as you said.After I clean the points I run a piece of paper through the contacts more than once to remove anything that may have been left behind from cleaning.I've tried using a points file & don't really care for it.I've found that I get better results with emery cloth.I never use sandpaper because it leaves behind way too much residue.
I tried looking for the correct points gap setting in my IPLs,but nothing on the subject was there.I ended up going to Acres' site & found the points setting to be .019.I don't know how accurate his info is.Back a couple of yrs.ago I went through pure hell with a Remy Super 754 all due to his misinformation about the points gap.That misinformation is still there & has not been corrected.Maybe one too many toddies while typing out the "information",Lol.

0.017 is what my books tell me, same as the gap in my pickup truck.

 

[Al Smith]

Couple thou most likely won't make a difference .

 

[nbbt]

Not mine, Saw on the local CL. Appears to be a pair of 3-25's https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/tls/d/prior-lake-mcculloch-325-chainsaw/7511503368.html

 

[edju1958]

Well,I tried.IMO the bullfrog & flat back carbs were Mac's worst nightmare brought to fruition.I don't know what the "engineers" were thinking of when they decided to construct a carb with no choke? I wasted half my day on that little POS & got nowhere.I've got tank handles here from 10-10 saws that use the curved filter,so I'll pull the tank handle,throw the bullfrog in the trash,& put an SDC carb on it & then I'll have a saw that runs.

 

[heimannm]

This scene (currently on my workbench) should give you real night terrors Ed.

Mark

 

[Al Smith]

They had better carbs than those POS contraptions .Must have been some business deals that caused them to use them .They are all expired now and the only way to punish them is grind their bones to make concrete .McCulloch had some great ideas but when they messed up they did it in grand style .

 

[edju1958]

Yesterday I pulled the bullfrog off the saw & just for the helluvit I pulled it apart.The diaphragm was adhered to the bottom plate.I was successful in getting it apart without any tearing.The diaphragm was very pliable,no stiffness at all.In theory it should work just fine now.I put the carb back on,but I'm having difficulty in hooking up the throttle linkage again.I'll take another look at it today & see if I can get it hooked.This is one last shot at this little PITA.

 

[edju1958]

On another note - I've come across a very nice looking PM850 & the seller is asking $300 + shipping,which won't be cheap since he's on the west coast.He's supposed to get back to me with a compression reading later today.According to the seller it'll need a carb rebuild & a new fuel line too.
Is $300 a good price on the 850?I've seen them go for substantially more on Feebay.

 

[Squareground3691]

On another note - I've come across a very nice looking PM850 & the seller is asking $300 + shipping,which won't be cheap since he's on the west coast.He's supposed to get back to me with a compression reading later today.According to the seller it'll need a carb rebuild & a new fuel line too.
Is $300 a good price on the 850?I've seen them go for substantially more on Feebay.

All about overall condition of saw and engine situation , but yea that’s a decent price if its legit.

 

[Al Smith]

As a reference which is only that not what it might be worth .My 805 with a complete early 850 engine is a cream puff .Looks good and runs strong .All told with my horse trading I have about $400 in it .On the other end a SP 81 that is rough but runs good .Didn't run when I got it and I might have $150 in it .Came from Washington state ,high shipping . Fact since it's been mentioned I might give a run later today slicing some 20" oak .

 

[Squareground3691]

As a reference which is only that not what it might be worth .My 805 with a complete early 850 engine is a cream puff .Looks good and runs strong .All told with my horse trading I have about $400 in it .On the other end a SP 81 that is rough but runs good .Didn't run when I got it and I might have $150 in it .Came from Washington state ,high shipping . Fact since it's been mentioned I might give a run later today slicing some 20" oak .

Really like those SP 81’s . Here’s a real good runner

 

[edju1958]

I got the results of the compression test on the PM850 & it's 150.I don't know what the compression should be on these old saws,but I was thinking 175+.The seller thought 150 was good & gave me a cock & bull story of how he has NOS (?) that only produce 120.I looked over the pics more closely & saw that it's missing the clutch cover/brake & looks to not have bar plates either.When I mentioned this to the seller he said he had a chain brake in his garage that should fit.Does the 850 use the same bar plates as the 10 series saws?Will a chain brake from a DE80 fit the 850?

 

[Vinnywv]

The 850 does use the same bar plate (small one) as the rest of the 10 series. The large one is the same as the pro mac and super pro saws. The clutch cover will fit yes. Its a little bit bigger but will fit.

 

[Steve]

I got the results of the compression test on the PM850 & it's 150.I don't know what the compression should be on these old saws,but I was thinking 175+.The seller thought 150 was good & gave me a cock & bull story of how he has NOS (?) that only produce 120.I looked over the pics more closely & saw that it's missing the clutch cover/brake & looks to not have bar plates either.When I mentioned this to the seller he said he had a chain brake in his garage that should fit.Does the 850 use the same bar plates as the 10 series saws?Will a chain brake from a DE80 fit the 850?

150 psi is strong. You're real picky Ed.

 

[edju1958]

150 psi is strong. You're real picky Ed.

I didn't say 150 was bad,just trying to figure out what compression was on a newer saw.When it comes to spending over $300 on a saw I think I'm entitled to be picky,Lol.

 

[edju1958]

Here's what the beast looks like.