Dealer says Husqvarna 550xp and 545 are junk

[Rockjock]

My Belleville ,Ontario Stihl--Husqvarna dealer was the same even Before auto tune saws. After going elsewhere for 576xpg I stopped , told him I wanted 50cc heated handle price for both and he refused to even quote 346xpg[emoji35] . Azzhole for sure!


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Seeing how Husqvarna has left its dealers out in the cold many have a bias towards them. I am about 2.5 hours from Belleville but we have the same issues here. The moment that husqvarna allowed the big box stores to sell the product the dealers got the raw end of the stick. From Barrie to Toronto Oakville to Oshawa most dealers either closed up shop or just got a different line. Every dealers bread and butter were the homeowner saws from Husqvarna, and the Home Depots, Lowes, Canadian Tire and Giant Tiger began selling them and that was the last straw. Husky makes a good saw, it is the lack of dealer presence that keeps them on the shelfs with the Poulans. We FINALLY found a parts source for Husqvarna and now we can get a sprocket in 10 working days!!!! Insert sarcasm in place of excitement.

 

[Dieseldash]

Besides the intake clamp issue Husqvarna got the engineering right from the get go on the 346xp.

 

[Franny K]

.............. Every dealers bread and butter were the homeowner saws from Husqvarna,..............

Not every. I suspect the drive out and pick up a riding mower service it then return it or stuff along those lines are more bread and butter than dealing with the chainsaw sales. What you state that I quoted may well be true for your local dealer. Chainsaws are certainly not the biggest footprint in the local shop. Even the Stihl dealer nearby I use more than any other seems the chainsaw section is a bit smaller than all of the other Stihl devices. They also sell back up generators, Normal gasoline powered generators, push and riding mowers Perhaps Ferris brand, and likely another product line I can't think of off hand.

 

[Rockjock]

Not every. I suspect the drive out and pick up a riding mower service it then return it or stuff along those lines are more bread and butter than dealing with the chainsaw sales. What you state that I quoted may well be true for your local dealer. Chainsaws are certainly not the biggest footprint in the local shop. Even the Stihl dealer nearby I use more than any other seems the chainsaw section is a bit smaller than all of the other Stihl devices. They also sell back up generators, Normal gasoline powered generators, push and riding mowers Perhaps Ferris brand, and likely another product line I can't think of off hand.

I would have to disagree. Our saw section is smaller than the whole sales floor BUT it is a item that is sold year round. In this area all the pro saws are pretty much Stihl, so that leaves the homeowner saws that these ex dealers had to sell which is a huge issue when you have to fulfill a minimum order of saws only to have the big box sores sell them for much less than you could. Sadly husqvarna did not care for these dealers and left them out in the cold. 2-3 weeks for a part?! IF this was a person that used this saw for work, to put food on the table they would surely starve. We give great service in the saw dept, that translates to people wanting to buy a Walker, Ventrac, Wright etc.. it all adds up to a successful business.. all from a simple chainsaw and parts. It maybe different in your part of the world but here it is just the way it is.

 

[old CB]

Just found this thread.

I bought a 550xp in 2015. It often bogs and dies on acceleration, which I figured might pass once it was broke in. Many tanks of fuel later—still the same issues. Plus, when you shut down to refuel in hot weather, it won’t restart until allowed to cool. Every other saw I own I can tune to run right in any weather, any conditions. I use my saws professionally every day, and don’t have time to fuss with a balky machine. Many people have great results with this saw—their reviews are why I bought one. But mine’s been a dog.

I finally found time to take the saw to my dealer (who I suspect is the OP’s dealer, as I live uphill from Boulder), expecting they could adjust something and fix my issue. They said there’s no adjustment to make, but I could leave the saw for them to maybe diagnose. They had a 2-week backlog, and I couldn’t be without the saw that long and maybe longer if it needed work. (I was recuperating from a back injury and my 372 was more than I wanted to carry when working in small wood.)

A friend bought a 550xp and has had exactly the same issues with her saw. As has another neighbor who has a 545 AT—no go on a hot restart. I think our 6-8,000’ elevation magnifies the problems.

My solution . . . I bought a 346xp non-runner (scored p&c) on eBay & rebuilt it. Then bought another for a backup. Haven’t had the 550 off the floor since. I LOVE the 346.

Diesel, you made the right choice.

 

[newforest]

Great thread. It's all about your dealer, and they are far from all the same.

The dealer my family has purchased from for probably 30 years still refuses to sell Auto-Tunes. It was just one of several key points that led me to change to a dealer 70 miles away instead of only 20 miles away.

I love my 346XP and look forward to getting it back in action. I wonder how many more years can pass before it gets very, very tough to find a lightly used one.

I bought a 550XP this year and so far so very good at the maybe 150 hour mark. The Auto-Tune system has a few quirks (starting) but they have been very minor and easy to adjust to.

I also bought my first M-Tronic saw this year, and that has been a disaster, even in the 5th model year. A $1,400 disaster, including plenty of the dealer and the distributor trying to place the blame on me; the Stihl system can easily do that just as the Husqy system can. I will update that thread soon, the "1400" saw, as I call it, is back in to the shop after only 60 hours. It should have been hooked up to the diagnostic system the day after I bought it, but the businesses involved all seem to be cheapskates.

Someone asked how small dealers can work with these new partially electronic saws. They do have diagnostic ports for this purpose that use a USB cable. I am looking forward to the day the diagnostic software 'escapes' from the corporate control and I can look at what is happening inside my saw on my own laptop. One friend suggested eventually I will run across a logger who knows-a-guy who knows-a-guy that will have the hook-up. Maybe WikiLeaks will strike a blow for saw Freedom here. I would also note that I have heard the country of Canada and the company of John Deere were tangled up in a major lawsuit over the idea of proprietary contents of equipment not being accessible to the purchaser of the said equipment. Farmers aren't too happy with tractors they can't fix themselves. I need to dig into the results of that battle.

I have plenty of experience owning and maintaining a 1980s vehicle with one of the first examples of a fuel-injected engine. I have seen an engine shut down by simple road grit on a key ground point and also by a well-aged heat sink no longer transferring sufficient heat away from a key chip, to name just a few simple fuel injection bugs. When I was first looking at the M-Tronics, I asked a dealer how much an extra "module" would cost, so I could just swap out in the field if necessary. He couldn't tell me. He also suggested that the "module" never fails. Uhh-huhh, sure.

Be that as it may, the "module" does depend on input signals from somewhere. On M-Tronics, it is a certain key solenoid I believe. So there are new little parts inside a saw to consider and possibly maintain. And then the M-Tronic "module" or the Auto-Tune whatever-they-call-it are also dependent on the manufacturing quality of the parts they are connected to. Did that carb jet have an exactly perfect tolerance on the exact diameter of the jet or was that jet supplied by a sub-contractor in a foreign country while the quality inspector was on the take somehow? The "module" doesn't know. (I suspect my M-Tronic lemon could suffer from a poorly manufactured carb making it run far richer than the M-Tron thinks it is running, but I have no way to find out, only my dealer can.)

 

[Andyshine77]

The 550 does in fact have a L speed needle that helps if not completely resolve the stumble.



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[old CB]

The 550 does in fact have a L speed needle that helps if not completely resolve the stumble."

A low-speed needle would seem like the necessary fix.

I believe the issues we have here stem mostly from elevation--thin air--that stretches the limits of what the auto-tune can deal with. You typically have to lean-out a carb, compared to lower ground. Add to that relative humidity in the single digits during hot weather (hell, it was 10% RH yesterday, Nov. 26), and the AT can't adjust.

I searched threads here months ago, and seems like I found a thread saying there was a L-speed adjustment or some such. But a look inside the 550 carb box showed such a bewildering mess of stuff--kind of like when you know how to work on a '62 Chevy, but then pop the hood of a 2012 Honda thinking your screwdriver and wrenches will get you anywhere.

 

[Andyshine77]

Well I don't find Honda's hard to work on. A Honda's still has an internal combustion engine, the same basic principles apply to get one running, you need fuel, spark at the right time and compression. The AT system likely isn't the problem, the carbs have had on going problems. But to be honest air leaks with these saws is a common issue. People for some reason hear the word electronic, and instantly forget the basics. If the saw passes a vacuum/pressure test, if it has good compression, you have a carb problem nothing more.

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[Rockjock]

Great thread. It's all about your dealer, and they are far from all the same.

The dealer my family has purchased from for probably 30 years still refuses to sell Auto-Tunes. It was just one of several key points that led me to change to a dealer 70 miles away instead of only 20 miles away.

I love my 346XP and look forward to getting it back in action. I wonder how many more years can pass before it gets very, very tough to find a lightly used one.

I bought a 550XP this year and so far so very good at the maybe 150 hour mark. The Auto-Tune system has a few quirks (starting) but they have been very minor and easy to adjust to.

I also bought my first M-Tronic saw this year, and that has been a disaster, even in the 5th model year. A $1,400 disaster, including plenty of the dealer and the distributor trying to place the blame on me; the Stihl system can easily do that just as the Husqy system can. I will update that thread soon, the "1400" saw, as I call it, is back in to the shop after only 60 hours. It should have been hooked up to the diagnostic system the day after I bought it, but the businesses involved all seem to be cheapskates.

Someone asked how small dealers can work with these new partially electronic saws. They do have diagnostic ports for this purpose that use a USB cable. I am looking forward to the day the diagnostic software 'escapes' from the corporate control and I can look at what is happening inside my saw on my own laptop. One friend suggested eventually I will run across a logger who knows-a-guy who knows-a-guy that will have the hook-up. Maybe WikiLeaks will strike a blow for saw Freedom here. I would also note that I have heard the country of Canada and the company of John Deere were tangled up in a major lawsuit over the idea of proprietary contents of equipment not being accessible to the purchaser of the said equipment. Farmers aren't too happy with tractors they can't fix themselves. I need to dig into the results of that battle.

I have plenty of experience owning and maintaining a 1980s vehicle with one of the first examples of a fuel-injected engine. I have seen an engine shut down by simple road grit on a key ground point and also by a well-aged heat sink no longer transferring sufficient heat away from a key chip, to name just a few simple fuel injection bugs. When I was first looking at the M-Tronics, I asked a dealer how much an extra "module" would cost, so I could just swap out in the field if necessary. He couldn't tell me. He also suggested that the "module" never fails. Uhh-huhh, sure.

Be that as it may, the "module" does depend on input signals from somewhere. On M-Tronics, it is a certain key solenoid I believe. So there are new little parts inside a saw to consider and possibly maintain. And then the M-Tronic "module" or the Auto-Tune whatever-they-call-it are also dependent on the manufacturing quality of the parts they are connected to. Did that carb jet have an exactly perfect tolerance on the exact diameter of the jet or was that jet supplied by a sub-contractor in a foreign country while the quality inspector was on the take somehow? The "module" doesn't know. (I suspect my M-Tronic lemon could suffer from a poorly manufactured carb making it run far richer than the M-Tron thinks it is running, but I have no way to find out, only my dealer can.)

I can not comment on the Husqvarna but in Stihland...


The software is out there and any dealer can buy the MDG1 and then sell it to you. Pretty easy stuff. I have it on my personal laptop and it does not ask for a dealer number or secret code. The dealer who refuses to get with the times is doomed. I have had several people contact me with a " lemon " and the answer is quite simple... find a new dealer. Also the Module you speak of is the coil. I had a MS 241cm that had an issue where it would stumble when you would remove it from the cut.. it was the solenoid in that Issue. It has been stated this is not the rocket science it is a chainsaw the basic principals apply here. Any tech worth his salt can repair one.

 

[svk]

I have had several people contact me with a " lemon " and the answer is quite simple... find a new dealer. Also the Module you speak of is the coil. I had a MS 241cm that had an issue where it would stumble when you would remove it from the cut.. it was the solenoid in that Issue. It has been stated this is not the rocket science it is a chainsaw the basic principals apply here. Any tech worth his salt can repair one.

Agree. How many times have we seen folks post up on here with AT problems that one dealer repeatedly couldn't fix and another one did on the first try!

When I bought my 241 the usual Stihl dealer I went through didn't even know that model existed. I went out of my way to buy one elsewhere so if a MT issue comes up they might even be able to fix it!

 

[superw6]

The 550 does in fact have a L speed needle that helps if not completely resolve the stumble.



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Got Uncles 545 back today for the 2nd time[emoji53]. First trip in for bog -hesitation off idle showed no errors in auto tune so they reset to default an said try again. Ran over full tank of gas and same issue as when it was new. Picked it up yesterday with new AT7 carb and can of Husqvarna pre mixed fuel(just in case). Same issue so dumped tank , installed premixed fuel and still the same[emoji35]. Screw in video was out 3/4 so tried 1/4 turn out than 1/4 turn in[emoji37]no better. Not consistent in running but to me seems like computer try's to compensate for air leak as it runs different from limbing to blocking 16" stuff. Can it have air leak but not big enough for error? I would bet money no pressure test done[emoji849]yet. Back it goes , it's 2015 model and my perfect 550xpg is 2016 [emoji856]


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[svk]

Got Uncles 545 back today for the 2nd time[emoji53]. First trip in for bog -hesitation off idle showed no errors in auto tune so they reset to default an said try again. Ran over full tank of gas and same issue as when it was new. Picked it up yesterday with new AT7 carb and can of Husqvarna pre mixed fuel(just in case). Same issue so dumped tank , installed premixed fuel and still the same[emoji35]. Screw in video was out 3/4 so tried 1/4 turn out than 1/4 turn in[emoji37]no better. Not consistent in running but to me seems like computer try's to compensate for air leak as it runs different from limbing to blocking 16" stuff. Can it have air leak but not big enough for error? I would bet money no pressure test done[emoji849]yet. Back it goes , it's 2015 model and my perfect 550xpg is 2016 [emoji856]


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Try a different dealer?

 

[Andyshine77]

It can absolutely have an air leak and not throw a code. After checking for codes the saw should have been vacuum/pressure tested. The dealer is incompetent.

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[axeandwedge]

I had an early 562 xp with very similar symptoms,took it back to the dealer,ran a diagnostic check on it seemed OK,
Bought it home ran good for a few minute's then back to its old self again,
I then heard of a guy who had played around with these saws and he removed a bit of material off the semi circle on the front butterfly with a file and had good results.
I thought well what the heck ,at the very worst I'm up for a new butterfly.
So I tried his method and the idle speed increased a bit as you would expect and no hesitation whatsoever.
I'M not saying this is your problem but it sure worked for me.

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[ncpete]

I had an early 562 xp with very similar symptoms,took it back to the dealer,ran a diagnostic check on it seemed OK,
Bought it home ran good for a few minute's then back to its old self again,
I then heard of a guy who had played around with these saws and he removed a bit of material off the semi circle on the front butterfly with a file and had good results.
I thought well what the heck ,at the very worst I'm up for a new butterfly.
So I tried his method and the idle speed increased a bit as you would expect and no hesitation whatsoever.
I'M not saying this is your problem but it sure worked for me.

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A picture of that fix may be quite useful?

 

[blsnelling]

The last couple 550s I messed with had all kinds of idle and throttle hesitation issues. I could not tune them out with the hidden needle. IIRC, I did end up notching the throttle plate. It's been a good long while though.

 

[Chris-PA]

I think this is making sense. This system cannot adjust the mixture when the throttle plate is moving, or any time when you cannot do a lean out test. The lean out test momentarily leans the mixture and then watches what happens to the rpm, so you cannot do it if you cannot distinguish the results of the lean out from other rpm changes. Plus I don't think the tests are done often enough to respond to rapid throttle openings. So then the only strategy is to leave the mixture where it was.

However, from what I understand they are also controlling the idle rpm. I've never gotten a picture of how this is done, but the only real possibilities are by changing timing advance or mixture, and I suspect it done by mixture. But now you've linked two different things, and the mixture that gives the right idle rpm may not be right for acceleration/throttle response. Especially if the idle mixture ends up lean. If that happens when you open the throttle it will be too lean for good throttle response, although I'm assuming these carbs have an accelerator pump, but maybe the pump shot isn't enough.

If you add an opening in the throttle plate that is away from the idle fuel outlets it isn't going to pull more fuel, rather it will lean out the idle mixture as well as raising idle speed. The system will have to enrich the idle to compensate, and then when you accelerate the mixture will be at a relatively richer setting and not bog.

I could maybe imagine a similar problem if the idle mixture were set too rich for proper acceleration, but this seem less likely.

 

[Jedifusen]

I have been very happy with mine 550XP for one year - no problems . . !
Reed the manuel and and do exactly what it tells.
Please note the following if you are buying a new 550XP:

 

[superw6]

I just want to smash it with an axe[emoji35]. I'm a HVAC service technician with way to much overtime and no ME time. Auto tune should make my life easier! Might flog this pos and get him Stihl [emoji35].


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