Echo CS-306 questions and suggestions

[BackyardlumberATX]

Hello all,

I have an Echo CS-306 that i purchased from a Home Depot that closed a few years ago, it was one of their rental saws and was rebuilt before they put it for sale, it came with no bar and chain so the fellow there recommends an Oregon 16in bar so that is what i purchased there at the Home Depot plus two Oregon chains. i got a great deal on it and used it maybe once a year to cut firewood but always felt it was kinda sluggish.

This year i bought a tune up kit for it and while researching for it i found our that the bar is to long and might be the reason it is sluggish so i purchased two additional bars an Oregon Pro-Am 12in and an Oregon Pro-Am 14in at a local chainsaw store where they were adamant i buy Oregon Double Gaurd bars off their shelf but i held my ground and special ordered both of these, when i went two ask for specific chains and gave them the part numbers they couldn't find the numbers in their Oregon catalog but the fellow recommended their chains which are Stihl Oilmatic chainsand said a chainsaw chain is a chainsaw chain they all do the same thing.

Thinking back the fellow there used a physical book type catalog when looking for the part numbers i gave him instead of doing it on a computer so now i have doubts that he sold me good chains.

I also bought an Oregon Sprocket and asked that if this was something i could change myself and if i needed special tools or if they could doit themselves and pay for the service, again being pushy and trying to get me out of there he said that YouTube had easy instructions and and that i could do it myself only to find out i have a outward facing clutch and i need a special tool to remove it.

So here are my questions to you all mighty and all knowing fellow chainsaw enthusiasts
Are the chains good chains or should i return them and order the Oregon Chains?

Second I'm having a local small engine repair guy change my sprocket for cheap but recommend I buy a muffler too, there is nothing wrong with the current one other than being pretty toasty and used, he said to buy a used one off Ebay and that that i cam do myself but do i really need one and replacing a used one for a used one i feel is a latteral move so is the $75 bucks for a new one worth it. Again mine functions but is old and rusty.

Finally what else can i do to this little workhorse to make it happy and run better?

All advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Emilio

 

[BackyardlumberATX]

.

 

[backhoelover]

Take cat out of muffler and retune

 

[m21bmr]

I'll start this off by saying I have never personally owned a CS-306, but I have a hobby of working on chainsaws and have worked on quite a few saws over the past several years. Economically speaking, I don't think I could sell the whole saw in good functional condition for any more than $75 (maybe not even that) so I wouldn't think about spending anywhere close to $75 for a new muffler. If yours is still functioning well, I'd just run it. If your muffler is really rusted out badly, you should be able to pick up a good condition used one from ebay for $20 or so (delivery included).
Your outboard clutch makes it more difficult to change the sprocket than on some saws, but on many similar saws, I have used a hammer, flathead screwdriver, and some nylon rope as the only three tools needed to remove the clutch. I would do the sprocket swap myself, but it all depends on how comfortable you are working on your saw. If you watch some of the youtube videos, you should get an idea of whether you will be comfortable doing it yourself.
As far as chains, I would just keep and run the Stihl chains you already have.
In order to keep the saw "happy", I would just recommend you keep fresh fuel (I only run ethanol-free gas in my small engines) with a good quality 2-cycle oil (I have been using Red Armor from Echo / Shindaiwa for the past couple years). If you are curious about ethanol free gas, you can see if there are any stations in your area at: www.pure-gas.org

 

[BackyardlumberATX]

Take cat out of muffler and retune

I believe the muffler on the cs-305 is the same but without the cat. Anyways the fellow that installed my sprocket also tuned it so I'll be leaving it as is. I'll see if i can get a used cs-305 muffler later on.

Thanks
Emilio

 

[BackyardlumberATX]

I'll start this off by saying I have never personally owned a CS-306, but I have a hobby of working on chainsaws and have worked on quite a few saws over the past several years. Economically speaking, I don't think I could sell the whole saw in good functional condition for any more than $75 (maybe not even that) so I wouldn't think about spending anywhere close to $75 for a new muffler. If yours is still functioning well, I'd just run it. If your muffler is really rusted out badly, you should be able to pick up a good condition used one from ebay for $20 or so (delivery included).
Your outboard clutch makes it more difficult to change the sprocket than on some saws, but on many similar saws, I have used a hammer, flathead screwdriver, and some nylon rope as the only three tools needed to remove the clutch. I would do the sprocket swap myself, but it all depends on how comfortable you are working on your saw. If you watch some of the youtube videos, you should get an idea of whether you will be comfortable doing it yourself.
As far as chains, I would just keep and run the Stihl chains you already have.
In order to keep the saw "happy", I would just recommend you keep fresh fuel (I only run ethanol-free gas in my small engines) with a good quality 2-cycle oil (I have been using Red Armor from Echo / Shindaiwa for the past couple years). If you are curious about ethanol free gas, you can see if there are any stations in your area at: www.pure-gas.org

I'll start this off by saying I have never personally owned a CS-306, but I have a hobby of working on chainsaws and have worked on quite a few saws over the past several years. Economically speaking, I don't think I could sell the whole saw in good functional condition for any more than $75 (maybe not even that) so I wouldn't think about spending anywhere close to $75 for a new muffler. If yours is still functioning well, I'd just run it. If your muffler is really rusted out badly, you should be able to pick up a good condition used one from ebay for $20 or so (delivery included).
Your outboard clutch makes it more difficult to change the sprocket than on some saws, but on many similar saws, I have used a hammer, flathead screwdriver, and some nylon rope as the only three tools needed to remove the clutch. I would do the sprocket swap myself, but it all depends on how comfortable you are working on your saw. If you watch some of the youtube videos, you should get an idea of whether you will be comfortable doing it yourself.
As far as chains, I would just keep and run the Stihl chains you already have.
In order to keep the saw "happy", I would just recommend you keep fresh fuel (I only run ethanol-free gas in my small engines) with a good quality 2-cycle oil (I have been using Red Armor from Echo / Shindaiwa for the past couple years). If you are curious about ethanol free gas, you can see if there are any stations in your area at: www.pure-gas.org

I thought about doing what you suggested with a hammer and flat screwdriver but didn't know if i might screw-up the clutch since is spins i didn't want to wobble but that was my thought, repairman charged me 15 bucks to swap out the sprocket and retune the carb. The muffler is solid but rusty, i have a organic rust remover that i use on my tools that i use on my bonsai trees i was thinking dipping it in there for a couple of days then paint it with high temp black paint, I'll also get one from ebay just incase i screw this one up, and i guess ill keep these chains.

I still have the 16in bar and chains what are your thoughts on ocasionally running those?

Repairman said the saw is running great and strong and that smaller bars will have faster RPMs which makes sense and that if i use the 16in bar to just keep the chains sharp and not force it to let it do the cutting itself.

Thanks