They told me that the saws were starved for oil in the mix, and that I have damaged the pistons and the cylinders by running too lean. New pistons can be purchased for these old-timers, but new cylinder heads cannot. So I am done.
I checked the 2 stroke oil the shop had recommended I use. It came with a convenient measure for 1 US gallon / 4.5 litres. Unfortunately the measure was 100:1!! So no wonder. I can't understand why the manufacturer would recommend 100:1, and why the chainsaw shop would suggest that brand to me. I also can't understand why I didn't read the fine print on the oil containers more carefully!
Luckily, I hit the jackpot. A guy I know from a chainsaw milling forum that I participate in turned me on to a fellow in Victoria who was selling four older (not as old as mine though) Husky saws, two 3120's that are larger than the 2100, and two 390's that are slightly smaller. Plus he had a couple 'parts saws', and a ton of accessories, including bars, chain, mufflers, air filters, etc. In fact he was a very nice retired logger who had done a lot of milling at the end of his logging career. They have seen some use, but looked to be in good shape, better than my old saws were. A quick day trip to sunny Victoria via ferry and I came home with my car loaded with the loot.I'll go through it over the next week.
Coming Out of Active Pass, Vancouver in Distance
In other news, I pulled a load of wood out of my kiln this week. Pictured is a piece of 'fiddleback catalpa' that was in there. Who knew that catalpa had fiddleback? Who even knew there was catalpa?! This chainsaw milling gig sure turns up some quirky stuff!
Dan, tough luck about the saws, two of them! You might check ebay every now and then for the cylinders, if you are interested in rebuilding. I don't see any offered currently, but they probably do come up. After market ones were made at some point as well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new ones.
never mind the saws, tough luck on loosing the other garage. not as easily replaced in vancouver.
ReplyDeletehope to see you at the ip show in may.
If I can suggest you something for your new saws, use Amzoil oil, they are way better than anything else!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the new saws!!!
Dan, that sucks. My Dad has Husky, it's what I grew up using There's a soft spot in my heart for the orange ones.
ReplyDeleteThat catapla is spectacular. I'm envious of your location and your milling rig.
Thanks guys, for the tips and info. I am busy working on some improvements to my mills and will get the saws tuned up over the next few days. Hopefully I'll come out of it with a better setup than I had before.
ReplyDeleteJacques, you are so right. The saws can be replaced with some pain to the bank account. The garage space so convenient cannot be replaced!
Not meaning to flog a dead horse, but I also checked around to see if cylinders for the 2100 might be available, but like your dealer said, nothing out there anymore, aside from the occasional private seller. They are such highly regarded saws, I thought that maybe one day you might be interested in getting them running again.
ReplyDeleteCurious what gas oil mixture you are running in your saws when milling? Slightly richer than usual, some folks recommend due to the demands of milling. Talking about which 2 stroke oil to use can start WW3, but the newer synthetic oils seem to be getting a lot of praise.
Thanks Dennis,
ReplyDeleteI saw someone from Japan poking around on the Arboristsite looking for a 2100 cylinder head and thought it might be you!
You are right, I am interested in getting them back working again. Not that I need so many saws, but it is a shame to let such a beast die without doing something to try and save it. I am not a small motor mechanic by any stretch, so it is going into some uncharted territory for me. Plus there is the added complication of "since they are apart why not hot rod them . . .?"
I have determined that several companies make pistons, Episan and Meteor seeming to get the best press. Episan makes a domed 2101 piston, which would presumably raise the compression slightly.
I also saw a guy who had his 2100 cylinder replated. That gives me hope! I sent him a PM earlier today but have not heard back.
Talking with my mechanic today, he says that on one of them the cylinder 'might still be usable'.
So several signs of hope. All might not be lost!
Dan
Yeah, that was me, Greg, the chief mechanic at Baileys, is a cool guy, I know him from my days in California. I was wondering about that, how badly damaged the cylinder bore might be, they can be honed if the damage isn't great, and sometimes just a little work with some wet and dry sandpaper can deal with some flaws.
ReplyDeleteI purchased an Episan piston once, and was very impressed with the quality, probably better than the original that was on a Stihl.