dissecting an earthquake chainsaw

[MasterMech]

hay guys. check out these earthquake look alikes i found right near me. these are 52cc though. they are definitely chinese but with a different designation then earthquake. guys wants just over $100 each. thinking about it. they look very similar aye.

I have one of those, damn thing runs 10X better than any quake. AV is so so but was surprisingly powerful right out of the box. Mine needed the idle speed tweaked and from there was ready to go cut wood.

There was a guy on eBay selling them brandy new, $99 to your door.

 

[psjwi]

One more video of the quake in action...
This is the CS4116 with muffler mod and carb adjusted.
Fine little saw for limbing and other small stuff. About 2 pounds lighter than my Husky 345, which is what I would normally use for this type of thing. The Husky is certainly faster, but this saw is plenty fast for this small stuff and at 2 pound lighter it is just that much easier to use.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Thanks for all the awesome info everybody! I just got two of the 45cc quakes today time to tinker... They both fired on the second pull and didn't stall right out of the box.

 

[trophyhunter]

Welcome Pete! So what do you think about those Quakes for the price? You must have ordered the last of them while they were a deal.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Welcome Pete! So what do you think about those Quakes for the price? You must have ordered the last of them while they were a deal.

Thanks! They both fired with two pulls which shocked me but best of all they seem very well made. The weight is what surprised me given my old PP4620avx was about half the weight. They where a total of $103 for both but the cost will be split between my buddy and I. The big thing I noticed was how restricted they are! Gonna have to wake these two saws up for sure.

Edit ) I forgot to mention they where both full of gas and oil which made me worried that it was a straight gas saw. Luckily they where both premix which was dumped and replaced promptly... The interesting thing is I have a d screw tool that worked great for the fuel & air carb screws as well. Not a perfect fit but close.

 

[trophyhunter]

Just read back over several pages and all the muffler mod options are posted with lots of photos, they REALLY come to life when you get rid of that catalytic converter element. Performance seems to just about double in the cut.

 

[B440]

Merry Christmas everyone! And Merry Christmas to me .... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ardisam-CS3...nHEWq20U15kU8GeFsMjdA%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[milkman]

I finally got to the muffler on the 4518, I was able to get it apart with a little heat and a modified screwdriver. I uncrimped the edge and pulled all the guts out, then put it back together and recrimped the edge. I saw someone else made some slots in the face of the muffler with a dremel, I liked it so came up with my own flavor. I put it all back together and fired it up, sounds a lot better, but was way too rich still.
I don't have a D tool, so I took my DD tool and used the dremel on it and now it will work with both the D and DD screws. Anxious to go stick it in some wood. Will run a while and then remove and paint it with high temp paint.

 

[procarbine2k1]

Got my muffler back together, also drilled a small mount Stihl bar to fit the tensioner pin on this saw. Still running 3/8lp, should have left the Stihl (Carlton) mount bar alone... I am going to go ahead and put .325 on this saw. It needs it IMO!
I couldn't be happier with the results. I should have taken pictures and made a little muffler how to (or how I do it altleast), guess I will do that on the next one. Unless the fumes have gotten the better of me, I believe performance wise- this saw is up there with most 45-50cc pro saws of recent years. I may not have an accurate gauge with this 3/8lp and short bar I have on the saw. I will get together with another saw friend and get their take. I will say again, you just cant beat one of these for the money. I think they are a great buy at twice the price we are grabbing these for, easily.

 

[procarbine2k1]

I had to do a little welding on this one... the muffler is welded all the way around the seam to seal it back up, the inner baffle has been removed and the inner muffler supports have been welded to the original baffle plate. The cat has also been removed as well as the secondary baffle. The screen has also been removed but the original port remains the same with no additional port. I think the magic of this muffler is on the inside I did not feel that the exhaust outlet needed to be enlarged, with how I did the inside of the muffler. It is a little loud but tolerable. better pictures to come its all I could do tonight on my phone...

 

[Chris-PA]

View attachment 324462

Is this where were supposed to say something like "Size doesn't matter"?

 

[BDM53ENT]

Ive got 2 of the 4518s now . Ive been running the heck out of one for awhile now and wonder if anyone has tried a larger bar on one of the 45cc saws? Thinking about buying a cheapo 24" to see if it has the kahunas to pull it.


Update, scratch that.... After a little research anything larger than the stock bar is more costly than a another saw lol.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Ive got 2 of the 4518s now . Ive been running the heck out of one for awhile now and wonder if anyone has tried a larger bar on one of the 45cc saws? Thinking about buying a cheapo 24" to see if it has the kahunas to pull it.


Update, scratch that.... After a little research anything larger than the stock bar is more costly than a another saw lol.

Not to derail this but do you have a thread on your craftsman saws? I've got access to an old one I'd love to restore.

 

[milkman]

Ive got 2 of the 4518s now . Ive been running the heck out of one for awhile now and wonder if anyone has tried a larger bar on one of the 45cc saws? Thinking about buying a cheapo 24" to see if it has the kahunas to pull it.


Update, scratch that.... After a little research anything larger than the stock bar is more costly than a another saw lol.

I have a 20" .325NK that I could try on the 4518, but I don't even like it on the 346 so I don't think it would work too well on the Earthquake. I have an 18" .325 that I might try on it though.

 

[BDM53ENT]

Not to derail this but do you have a thread on your craftsman saws? I've got access to an old one I'd love to restore.

No sir I dont. I have a few of the older Roper and Poulan 3.7s I still run but no restorations. For some reason I have a shed full of the (358. Poulan model) saws. Mostly 80 models and a variety of CC,s but I always take a couple with me. They always fire and take the abuse they get thrown into. The Quakes have quickly fell into this category. Take a beating and keep asking for more.

No they are not pro saws and will eventually die but at a dime a dozen you cant complain. Us poor folk can still cut a lot of wood, having fun, and get the job done without having a Super Duty, Pro modified, 250cc, 3/4 chain on a 8ft bar $3000 saw.

 

[naturelover]

Well, the power went out during the start of the Winter Classic (luckily it came on in time for me to see the end...)

So went and finished up the tree we had been working on last weekend. The Quake didn't make it out last time, but got into some smaller stuff this round.



The 10-10s got a little work out too...

 

[o8f150]

just to let you all know,, an old guy come by today needing a chain for his,,,, he had 2 chains that where down to nubs and the saw looked the same way,,, he said it still runs great and easy starting,, and this man was 85,, he had a 3816

 

[B440]

Got my Xmas present in the mail today; a 3814. I didn't even bother trying to fire it up. Removed the muffler and went to work.
No piston scoring. Hmm, single ring. The 4518 is double ring.

Time to gut this guy right here.

Peel back the first layer and you see this.

Another view of the catalyst exit.

On the other side, there is a cover with an opening on one side that leads to the outer exhaust ports.

Here's the second layer with the inlet for the catalyst, which is a different design than the 4518. If I had to choose the catalyst, I would choose the 4518's design.

Another view showing how the exhaust must flow up and through ALL of the catalyst.

So I drilled two holes in the front. and squashed one of the original ports closed.

I closed the port because I wanted to open the other side of the cover.

Another view.

I'm getting a little better at brazing.

I forgot to take a final assembly pic. I did put the shield and spark arrestor screen back on. They do cover the holes I drilled. Only fired it up for a minute in the garage. Had to open up the L screw as it wouldn't accelerate with the gutted muffler. Maybe I'll cut some wood with it tomorrow.

 

[056kid]

Doesn't get it.

Livin in the past. Swen is livin in the past.

 

[bigv]

In lieu of my nightly insomnia thread, here is the latest report on my Earthquakes:

One of my earthquakes is a 45cc, I got it another from a customer, and I did a "straight shot" muffler mod. Basically, I milled out the back of the muffler, so that the exhaust passes straight through from port to exit(I slotted the cover and put it back over the outside to keep debris out). I also found a Tillotson that would fit the Earthquake minimal trouble(slight bend of the throttle, and a trim and slight reroute of the choke). I think the Tillotson came off a Husqvarna 55 because it was marked "55" with permanent marker, a dealer guy said it may have come off a Pioneer 55. Either way, the throttle and choke were on the same side as the Earthquake.

I had a friend bring me another Earthquake he acquired from the local scrap yard for $25. It was not locked up but it had its share of problems. He purchased a new piston and rings(the 45's I've seen have 2 rings) and we split his. He wanted to know if I wanted to try to port it for old times sake. I had said, "No" rather emphatically and he requested I reconsider a few times. So before I put it back together, we had a BS session about how to port it. He wanted it to have an enlarged kidney(D) shaped exhaust port and he wanted the intake to have a rounded section in the middle and enlarged on the ends. We finally compromised on maintaining the stock shape and opening up the intake side, and then opening up the exhaust to a more oval shape. I matched the muffler to match the new exhaust port, his muffler is now just a back plate that attaches to the exhaust port with an outer cover.

He wanted the Tillotson off my mod'd Earthquake. I obliged. Mine has his Walbro carb. I know a carb shouldn't make any difference, but it does. It REALLY does, the saw feels like it has more power, more top end, and it feels smoother with the Tillotson.

The ported saw will now keep up with a modified Homelite Super XL Auto 57cc. It also kept up with a ported Stihl 032AV.

If anyone sees the 58cc complete shortblock anywhere reasonable- please let me know. I'd like to get one and port it. The assemblies I've seen though do not come with a crank. If I can get a whole shortblock for $75 or so, I'm on it like white on rice and I will give porting a 58cc a try.