338xpt muffler & gasket mods

gdn · Jun 30, 2007

Here is how to make alloy gaskets out of beer. Notice my VERY professional muffler mod (first time i ever used torch) Hope I get the pics posting right:

gasket material

mass production

Tools of the trade

May as well put all of them on, dremel to align ports

Finished product

gdn · Jun 30, 2007

here are pics of muffler:

gdn · Jun 30, 2007

pics of embarassing muffler cover. will make better one soon...

SWE#Kipp · Aug 11, 2007

Did you see any gains from the mod ??

pbtree · Aug 11, 2007

Looks nice - tell me how it panned out when you ran it - any noticable difference????

gdn · Aug 12, 2007

SWE#Kipp said:
Did you see any gains from the mod ??

Biggest gain is exhaust doesn't vent into face

I think there was a definite power increase but have no proof. I made the holes to equal (in total)80-90% of exhaust port, so there is room for further enlargement down the track. Alloy gaskets have held out for around 8hrs use, plan on putting husky one back on before i use saw again. Fairly sure this saw will eat the our work ms200's, very much doubt it will last the same.

I'll get a video running - me vs stihl - ETA 2 weeks from now

extremely tired...
thnx for feedback

pgg · Aug 14, 2007

gdn, that vid 338 vs 200T should be interesting. Now, about the 338's lifespan compared to a 200T, I've been swinging on pruning chainsaws down here longer than I care to admit, but if the 338 is anything like the 335's, the motor will last just as long as the 200T's - if not longer. The 335 motors' are as tough as they come, they can take an unbelievable thrashing and last for ages. Husky missed out big time on scoring a good share of the market when they brought out their 335's to 'combat' the stihl 020T's(200T) because the 200's were already fully sorted, while the new huskys had niggly design faults. The airfilters were sponge rubber and were clogged with oily debris/grungy mess constantly. They eventually upgraded to the still dodgy paper-thin fragile fabric filters they still use today.

They also had bad rubber manifolds that split easily due to bad design. They eventually upgraded to a solid manifold. The fuel tank breathers were and still are too stifled to breathe consistently. If all that wasn't bad enough, the switch wires were prone to breaking and shorting, the magnesium clutch cover is fragile and tends to break up, the muffler shoots hot gas onto your trigger hand, the fuel hose vibrates on a sharp edge and the plastic spark covers fall off ! All these faults are easy to fix permanently, but your average forest saws aren't wielded by expert chainsaw mechanics, so the 200T's still remain the No1 choice, even though the huskys are a smoother more comfortable saw to use. A couple of extra holes drilled in the muffler DOES improve power and low rev throttle response

treebreeginning · Mar 30, 2009

hey

gdn said:
Here is how to make alloy gaskets out of beer. Notice my VERY professional muffler mod (first time i ever used torch) Hope I get the pics posting right:

gasket material

mass production

Tools of the trade

May as well put all of them on, dremel to align ports

Finished product

if u could would u mod ur muffler any different because i got the same saw nd was wondering if i could mod it but that doesnt look like any mod i ever seen .did the aluminum gasket work tho?

gdn · Mar 31, 2009

alloy gaskets worked, but showed some evidence of leaking when i took them off. I only had them on for about 3 weeks while i waited for the husky gaskets.
according to pgg, you absolutely need to mod muffler on 338.

it's a pretty crappy saw, though, esp compared to 020.

bigger motor, less power??

still have a little bit of work planned for my one.

will open exhaust more, for one.

maybe alter air filter too.

to answer question, would mod exactly the same but only have one opening (if you look close you can see i drilled 2 holes and had 2 pipes come out, housed by a larger one)

important to alter exhaust direction

pbtree · Apr 1, 2009

pgg said:
gdn, that vid 338 vs 200T should be interesting. Now, about the 338's lifespan compared to a 200T, I've been swinging on pruning chainsaws down here longer than I care to admit, but if the 338 is anything like the 335's, the motor will last just as long as the 200T's - if not longer. The 335 motors' are as tough as they come, they can take an unbelievable thrashing and last for ages. Husky missed out big time on scoring a good share of the market when they brought out their 335's to 'combat' the stihl 020T's(200T) because the 200's were already fully sorted, while the new huskys had niggly design faults. The airfilters were sponge rubber and were clogged with oily debris/grungy mess constantly. They eventually upgraded to the still dodgy paper-thin fragile fabric filters they still use today.

They also had bad rubber manifolds that split easily due to bad design. They eventually upgraded to a solid manifold. The fuel tank breathers were and still are too stifled to breathe consistently. If all that wasn't bad enough, the switch wires were prone to breaking and shorting, the magnesium clutch cover is fragile and tends to break up, the muffler shoots hot gas onto your trigger hand, the fuel hose vibrates on a sharp edge and the plastic spark covers fall off ! All these faults are easy to fix permanently, but your average forest saws aren't wielded by expert chainsaw mechanics, so the 200T's still remain the No1 choice, even though the huskys are a smoother more comfortable saw to use. A couple of extra holes drilled in the muffler DOES improve power and low rev throttle response

I have been swinging my 335, muffler mod and all, for more than a few years now, and I like the saw. There are a few things that they did not get right at first, but the later ones were just fine thank you!

treebreeginning · Apr 8, 2009

check it

one guy told me to put a 9/16'' pipe pointing downward on 338xpt and it would beat a 200T but i havent touch my muffler im still decided ing getting some ideas but this one seems right with the 9/16''

gdn · Apr 8, 2009

weird thing i've noticed, after relocating back to nz saw seems to cut heaps better (retuned). Maybe just because i have no 200t to compare it to over here

338xpt muffler & gasket mods

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