# husqvarna 288xp question



## rpowell (Jan 18, 2011)

i just bought a husqvarna 288xp off of craigslist. i talked to the guy and he told me that it had just been rebuilt with a new piston and rings. the saw was a little rough cosmetically, but i thought that if it had just been rebuilt, it should be good to go. my dad used it for the first time yesterday with a 28 inch bar on it in oak wood. the bar was pretty much burried in it, and after he used it, i asked him how it felt. he said it had less power than my husky 281 and his husky 385. i was pretty dissapointed. i bought me a compression tester, and it only had 150 pounds of compression. the guy said it only had about a tank of gas through it since the rebuild, but i am thinking there is no way it will gain 30 or 40 pounds of compression. i have not checked the compression on my 281 yet, but i know it has a ton of compression on it, as it takes a man to crank it. i guess i got hosed on this deal. do you think it will gain compression, or do you think i am screwed on this deal?
thanks for any opinons


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## mdavlee (Jan 18, 2011)

It will gain a decent amount of power when broke in. 150 lbs isn't bad compression. Is it tuned just right or is it real rich? Tuning can make a big difference in power.


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## TRI955 (Jan 18, 2011)

150psi is pretty common for a stock saw, it should gain 10psi or so as it breaks in. Your comparing it to similar saws, all should run close to each other, might want to fine tune the carb.


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## lfnh (Jan 18, 2011)

TRI955 said:


> 150psi is pretty common for a stock saw, it should gain 10psi or so as it breaks in. Your comparing it to similar saws, all should run close to each other, might want to fine tune the carb.


 
Expect anywhere from 8-16 tanks. 
Agree carb tuning makes a difference. Run slightly on rich side thru breakin.
Chain cutter/raker profile and sharpness make all the difference.
What brand p/c used in rebuild ??


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## little possum (Jan 19, 2011)

Check the rim out. Maybe it has a 8, and would be better suited with a 7.


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## RVALUE (Jan 19, 2011)

Lots of good info here. My husky rebuild didn't hum for maybe 15 tanks. ???????

It was the absolute cheapest p & c on ebay. May quit tomorrow, but running great today!

Put a tach on it. It makes a world of difference.


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## jockeydeuce (Jan 19, 2011)

All the stock 288's I've owned have run around 160 comp. I would expect that 150 to come up in the next few tanks.

If it's pulling a 28" bar buried in hard wood, it can't be too wimpy. Like others have mentioned, carb tuning could be off a bit......Having said all that, I suppose the piston was replaced for a reason, so who knows, there could be some slight imperfections in the cylinder and it's losing some compression there.


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## cpr (Jan 19, 2011)

I think you're good. Mine has 160psi, a 28" with full comp and an 8-pin and rips just fine. Might make a little speed at 28" with a 7-pin, but if I switch to the skip, it screams. BTW it is MMed.


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## spike60 (Jan 19, 2011)

jockeydeuce said:


> Having said all that, I suppose the piston was replaced for a reason, so who knows, there could be some slight imperfections in the cylinder and it's losing some compression there.



Yeah, that's always something to keep in mind when using a refinished cylinder. Such imperfections may result in a saw that's runs at 80%-90% of peak. Not a bad thing really, because a saw running at 85% is better than a dead saw that doesn't run at all. 

But there still is some break in time required for the new piston, so it will likely get better after a few more tanks.


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## SawTroll (Jan 19, 2011)

cpr said:


> I think you're good. Mine has 160psi, a 28" with full comp and an 8-pin and rips just fine. Might make a little speed at 28" with a 7-pin, but if I switch to the skip, it screams. BTW it is MMed.


 
You generally loose more _initial _cutting speed by using skip than you gain with an 8-pin, but it will even out in larger wood of course......

As usual, there is only one way to determine what really works best!


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## nmurph (Jan 19, 2011)

yep on the answers-

rebuild will seat in a few tanks and gain up to about 10psi
my 281 and 2-288's run about 160psi
check the carb tuning-yours may have the govenor
check the rakers 
check the rim 7 or 8 pin?
a 288 should be faster than a 281, but about even with a 385


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## TRI955 (Feb 24, 2011)

Look what showed up at my door...


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## little possum (Feb 24, 2011)

Thats a beaut Mike. New hi-top?


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## SawTroll (Feb 24, 2011)

TRI955 said:


> Look what showed up at my door...
> 
> ......



Surely you had nothing to do with the fact that it appeared, total surprice! :jawdrop:

:msp_laugh::msp_laugh:


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## TRI955 (Feb 24, 2011)

little possum said:


> Thats a beaut Mike. New hi-top?



New to me...



SawTroll said:


> Surely you had nothing to do with the fact that it appeared, total surprice! :jawdrop:
> 
> :msp_laugh::msp_laugh:



I think somebody told me it was coming...it's just here for a make over.


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## TRI955 (Feb 26, 2011)

It's starting to fall apart...






Somebody started to hack on the muffler...





It's had a few chains come off the rails in the past, started to eat at the fuel tank.





Notice no wire to the kill switch, that's what the choke it there for!!!


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## TRI955 (Feb 26, 2011)




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## TRI955 (Feb 26, 2011)

Well, finally got her top off...





Intake side has some scoring, gonna need a piston.










Cylinder should clean up...I hope


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## nmurph (Feb 26, 2011)

itlooks good on the outside, too bad about the piston. the cylinder should clean up with no problem.
i cleaned up my 288's tonight. one is a lite and the other is a regular. i had to replace the kill switch on both. my 281 is like yours. it needs the switch and wiring. i got the lite running right. i broke the rope on the regular and i don't have any suitable cord for it, so it will have to wait until next week.


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## TRI955 (Feb 26, 2011)

This saw is a "Lite", just the wrong sticker on the recoil. Cases are split and the crank is out, all looks good for the most part. Saw has been apart and repainted before, there's a couple layers of orange and sanding scratches. I guess it will get stripped down for a proper paint job this time. One thing that I found was the gasket between the cylinder was missing...well there was a piece of it under the muffler if you look closely in the one picture. That could have been some of the problems with this saw running properly and the scored intake side...


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## cpr (Feb 26, 2011)

Have fun. 288s rock! I'd like another or 3.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nTZxOLopQCU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8XGVxu3q5P4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## nmurph (Feb 26, 2011)

i'm still learning about these saws. i didn't know a high top was available on a lite.
FWIW, the squish on both of mine was ~.030. i think will keep the lite and it will probably have that number lowered a little. i just posted the weights in a 281 thread. the lite was 16lb 7oz and the regular was 16lb 11oz.


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## rpowell (Feb 26, 2011)

that is my saw. i added the high top and heavy duty air filter to it. don't think the 288 lites came with it.


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## TRI955 (Mar 26, 2011)

Well she started going back together tonight...

The original crank & rod had more play in the big end than what I care for, so in with a good crank that I had here...











Case back together, piston installed...


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## TRI955 (Mar 26, 2011)

Flywheel and pick-up installed, getting ready to check the squish...





Houston, we have a problem! The coil wire is cut to the core, I can either put a piece of shrink tubing over it or replace the coil. I will have to check with the proper authorities first...


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## komatsuvarna (Mar 26, 2011)

It looks good mike. Any sealant between the case halves, or just the ''dry'' gasket?


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## nmurph (Mar 26, 2011)

i would shrink tube it. you don't have anything to lose. do those leads screw into the coil? or are they a one-piece unit? i have a saw that had a lead that looked similar. i cut it apart and soldered it back together. a piece of shrink tube and it has never given me a seconds trouble.


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## TRI955 (Mar 26, 2011)

komatsuvarna said:


> It looks good mike. Any sealant between the case halves, or just the ''dry'' gasket?


Dry, just like the factory did it.



nmurph said:


> i would shrink tube it. you don't have anything to lose. do those leads screw into the coil? or are they a one-piece unit? i have a saw that had a lead that looked similar. i cut it apart and soldered it back together. a piece of shrink tube and it has never given me a seconds trouble.


 This is what I am thinking too, if it becomes an issue later, it's an easy fix for the owner. It is a one piece design. To replace the wire, you replace the coil.


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## TRI955 (Apr 5, 2011)

It's Tuesday, we're closed.:help:


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## TRI955 (Apr 6, 2011)

Ended up using a different coil after all, I'll try to fix the wire later. 

Checked squish, did some port work and made a gasket.




An old .22lr shell works great for punching out the bolt holes...










Just a cote of Copper-Kote on the gasket before assembly...


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## TRI955 (Apr 6, 2011)

Cylinder back on...





Carb cleaned and intake port matched...










Starting to look like a saw again...





The throttle lever is badly worn ,along with the fuel tank, and it is not allowing it to hit full throttle. For now just going to do the rubber fuel line trick around the throttle arm.


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## TRI955 (Apr 6, 2011)

In the home stretch...

Borrowed a full wrap from the parts bin















Muffler cleaned up well...


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## TRI955 (Apr 6, 2011)

Did I mention that it runs??

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4QKv_2-1mhc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## Schells (Apr 7, 2011)

what you set idle and top rpm to?


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## blsnelling (Apr 7, 2011)

Another fine saw you've put together Mike. What's your favorite so far?


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## TRI955 (Apr 7, 2011)

Schells said:


> what you set idle and top rpm to?


 
I have no idea, just an initial tune by ear. The saw appears to have some kind of EPA carb on it, pain in the ass to get the screw driver on the screws and adjust it while it is running.



blsnelling said:


> Another fine saw you've put together Mike. What's your favorite so far?



Thanks Brad! Hard to say which one is my favorite, most likley the 288 w/066 pop-up in it. Sure did have a TON of time in that saw!!! I love running the 372 though, just makes me smile.:msp_tongue:


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## TRI955 (Apr 10, 2011)

Here is a short video of it in my "punky balsa" Sycamore, bar is a 20"...

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/C7AFHwo1P4I?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Back to it's home in S. Carolina tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the saw Ricky!!!


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