Airleak Troubleshooting Husqvarna 288 Farmertec Kit

[Husse88]

Hi all,

Not sure how this hobby got started, but I got carried away fixing Husqvarna chainsaws after repairing a couple of good ol’ 55s, best saws ever! I knew I wanted to build a bigger saw from scratch, so I figured I’ll start slow and try out a Farmertec 288 kit, because why not? I know, I know..Chinese replica and can have a gazillion issues..no warranty etc…but I got the saw nicely together in three days, runs smooth, BUT..when I turn the started side up and clutch side down, it revs up a bit. I guess that might be a sign off a oiler side crank seal/O-ring issue? When installing the oiler the seal went in nice with the official sleeve, but not sure if the O-ring is too big..had to use force to get it about flush with the case. I feared it wont oil at all but honestly, it works perfectly. When using brake clean, no reactions anywhere and I sprayed massively on the oiler (but the seal/O-ring is kinda covered by the gear) Also, can see some 2 stroke ”oil spots” surrounding the worm gear.

Have any of you experienced similar issues? Will check more tomorrow and pressure test the saw in some way if everything looks good from outside. Fuel line/carb etc. already checked.

Grateful for any help, this is the beginning of my Big Saw journey.

Daniel

 

[NSEric]

On the smaller but very similar 61's/272's etc I coat the o ring on the oil pump with motoseal when putting them together. They like to leak at that O ring and the sealant helps.

 

[Husse88]

Thanks NSEric, appreciate all the help here! I'll remove the clutch and have a look underneath the oil pump today and probably get rid of the O-ring and simply use sealant instead, like some have done (I use Hylomar, Motoseal is not available here in the Nordics). Also, I'm a bit sceptical about the Farmertec decomp..should probably replace it with an OEM plug. But other than that it seems to run super well, starts straight up no problem and oils like an OEM one.

 

[Husse88]

Ok, took the oiler off, didn't look to bad honestly. You can see the O-ring in the picture, I think it was slightly too big. Removed the O-ring, cleaned up and added hylomar around the sealing surface and put everything together. Went on without any hazzle. Started saw, and still a bit of the same issue. Sprayed a lot of brake cleaner around the oiler, but did nothing to the saw. Hence, I don't think the oiler is the problem here. The fuel line was a bit curved in the tank, I fixed that, but have not tested the difference.

Also, I tried to put on a 16-inch X-force bar from my Husky 55, but it did not go on at all? Studs and chain tensioner does not simply fit the holes Do these have differencies, do the hole size changed when using longer bars, like 24-> ?

O-ring


Sealant


Studs and tensioner not fitting bar properly

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

I would swear your bar looks like a small mount bar? K095

You need a large mount bar D009.

I had a saw come in like that and some dude pounded the bar on to go on. Was a PITA to remove too.

I used sealer here. The afm hose hair short or use OEM.

No issues with o-ring seal here.

 

[Husse88]

Massive thank you, really appreciate the pics! Yes..I should have googled the bar…seems like Husky has HLM and HSM bars, meaning Small and Large and my 16-inch is ofc a small one..amateur mistake, you oive and you learn. When you tilt the saw clutch facing the ground, do the rpms change at all? If not, then I simply have to pressure test the whole thing. Could ofc upload a video of the behaviour..

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Mine had a crank seal leak at the pump. Just wasnt in right from factory. Easy fix and fixed the leak area of old pump and put the updated pump on too.

Updated pump has sunshine stamp.

 

[Husse88]

Ok thanks, I checked the seal carefully, looks ok and no prolapsing when installed, but doesn't mean it wont leak. Pressure test will tell the truth. I also notice that I instantly begin to think that Farmertec did something wrong to begin with, easy to blame based on all the comments I honestly think it is more about me installing parts incorrectly, but let's see what that air leak is all about.

 

[Husse88]

Ok thanks, I checked the seal carefully, looks ok and no prolapsing when installed, but doesn't mean it wont leak. Pressure test will tell the truth. I also notice that I instantly begin to think that Farmertec did something wrong to begin with, easy to blame based on all the comments I honestly think it is more about me installing parts incorrectly, but let's see what that air leak is all about.

Ok, finally fitting bar&chain arrived. Sounds like a bloody beast (video attached) and I think I got it nicely tuned for break-in. I don’t think the airleak is that bad, barely noticable when turning the saw to the side and doesn’t really interfere with the mixture, but haven’t yet tried it in some wood. If it blows up then it blows up, will buy a quality top-end at some point anyway.

A bit worried about the compression, 145PSI after 10mins of running (no wood yet), hopefully reaches at least 160 after first serious runs. When turning the engine over though it is SUPER tough, feels like there is a ton o comp.

Not sure how much a monster like this should oil, but I get a nice pool at the top of/under the 24-inch bar when revving up.

 

[Husse88]

OK the saga continues, maybe this will help someone with similar issues, dunno. Today I had a chance to do some lightweight limbing and bucking after 2x 5min break-ins.
- tuned the carb super rich, just to ensure proper break-in (you can hear it on the video clip). No carb issues whatsoever.
- Starts always on 2nd or third pull, which is nice. Tons of power, especially torque?
- I need to learn bucking with a 24-inch bar! Worked for 30mins and suddenly the chain went dull, noticed that most of the time I have the bar touching ground (used to Husqvarna 55 with 16-inch bar..)
Bar overheated
- Not sure about the oiling, as you can see, bar is a bit overheated, but looks like the issue is a completely blocked oiler hole (tye timy one, is it normal?
- if you pros look at the video, you can see that there is oil, but its a bit delayed? Also turned the saw so you can hear the smalll change in rpm from probable air leak.
Video
View attachment IMG_4688.mov

Bar overheated

Oiler hole blocked from sawdust

On the smaller but very similar 61's/272's etc I coat the o ring on the oil pump with motoseal when putting them together. They like to leak at that O ring and the sealant help