395xp muffler and maintnence suggestions

[Brushwacker]

I took a 395xp on trade for a nice ms460 while back. Anyway the muffler has rattling inside and a dent top front. I have it off and was wondering what the easiest procedure is to seperate the 2 halves to get inside? May be it would be easier and better to replace it, if so any of the lesser priced aftermarket 1's decent quality and opened up better then stock?
Also the on off switch isn't usually shutting it off, any common issue cause it?
Was wondering if there is any other common issues to this model that I can do preventative maintnence for while on the bench.

 

[cuinrearview]

Your switch not working is probably a broken wire between it and the coil or it and the ground screw. Personally, I use OEM parts as much as possible. I would reccommend that for the muffler. However, if I was pinching pennies working on a $750+ saw I've not heard much negative about parts from the Duke. I saw a 395 muffler from him on the bay for $38.

 

[John Stryker]

I would carefully inspect whatever is inside the muffler. See if it is a piece of bearing cage or some other internal part. If it's rattling around loose inside the muffler, it could even get sucked back into the cylinder.

 

[LuDookie]

Keep an eye on your bar nuts. They like to rattle loose. I don’t really crank down hard on mine but my other saws don’t have this issue. Also the top cover screws should get some locktite as well as the flywheel cover. I’ve also lost the bolts on the top side of the muffler bracket and lock washers fixed that. It’s important to keep the screws tight because when they come loose they can strip out the threads as you continue to run it. One thing I’m really not liking about the 395 is when it comes to big removals where I’m sectioning up 5 or more trees with 3-4 foot diameter trunks, I’m only getting about a half hour of run time and I’m done. I can cut trunks quicker than the grapple can move them, and I like running chainsaws. A lesser saw makes me feel like I’ve earned my keep. Lol