Fix or part out?

[16gauge]

This is a husky 55 rancher with 20" pro bar in asthetically excellent shape. Sold to me as "does not start". Starter pawls were off the crank and throttle linkage was lying below the filter so I figure this is easy. Drop test proceeded a bit fast but with that heavy 20" replaceable tip bar it seemed reasonable. Got it home, fixed the obvious, primed it with mix and no pop. Pulled the plug, got good blue spark. Pulled the exhaust....gulp scored piston about 3/16 wide in center of the piston. It feels like it has adequate compression to start but better check right? Just checked the compression with automotive style tester...93 psi. I have hit my limit of experience here. Any thoughts?

 

[Mr.]

Pm me if you want your money back out of it.

Probably a topend will fix er. I just happen to know someone looking for what you described.

Fred

 

[Freakingstang]

got a couple that I have fixed. Can't tell you if it will be worth the cost, but you may be able to clean up the cylinder and just buy a piston. The piston and cyl are right around $250 from Husqvarna.


Steve

 

[Kenskip1]

Husky 55

16 guage,
I have been in the same boat. Only I bought mine at a local pawn shop. Pull the jug, and smooth down the cylinder.I put $10.26 for a new ring and base gasket. This saw is a runner! I would consider making an offer but my wife is making threatning remarks. Fix it up and enjoy it. Ken

 

[Dan Forsh]

Sounds very similar to one I have; Aesthetically in vey good nic for an old saw, but the top end is R.I.P. Didn't know any better when I bought it. It was part of a job lot of three, one I've since done and sold which paid for the other two, one too much missing even to contemplate, and this one, which appeals to me.

Bought a ring for it at £11.50 (quick conversion to U.S. more than x1.5) fitted the ring with high hopes, nothing!

Finally decided it's going to be piston & jug, just waiting for something to come along.....

 

[16gauge]

Sounds very similar to one I have; Aesthetically in vey good nic for an old saw, but the top end is R.I.P. Didn't know any better when I bought it. It was part of a job lot of three, one I've since done and sold which paid for the other two, one too much missing even to contemplate, and this one, which appeals to me.

Bought a ring for it at £11.50 (quick conversion to U.S. more than x1.5) fitted the ring with high hopes, nothing!

Finally decided it's going to be piston & jug, just waiting for something to come along.....

Dan, my thoughts also

 

[16gauge]

I am going to replace the piston/ring and clean up the jug. Looking for the parts online some of the dealers are saying that the 55 came with 45mm and 46mm pistons. 46mm described as "older". Mine is pre-catalytic muffler, 53cc displacement, no green fuel cap but has air injection. Does that help or do I need a serial number to determine? Thanks

 

[Freakingstang]

I haven't seen a 45mm 55. The 45mm was a 51. I have had or torn apart about six of the 55's to date and they were all the 46mm. They were both the 55 and the 55 rancher. You could just take yours apart and measure....

I'm curious as to where you are finding the info about the 45mm?

Steve

 

[Simonizer]

I am going to replace the piston/ring and clean up the jug. Looking for the parts online some of the dealers are saying that the 55 came with 45mm and 46mm pistons. 46mm described as "older". Mine is pre-catalytic muffler, 53cc displacement, no green fuel cap but has air injection. Does that help or do I need a serial number to determine? Thanks

Everytime a top end is cooked, the bearings are contaminated to a degree. Even on a home-use saw I would feel uncomfortable with this. On a pro's saw it would get new bearings everytime and a new crank.

 

[HiOctane]

I haven't seen a 45mm 55. The 45mm was a 51. I have had or torn apart about six of the 55's to date and they were all the 46mm. They were both the 55 and the 55 rancher. You could just take yours apart and measure....

I'm curious as to where you are finding the info about the 45mm?

Steve

Husky had a 55 model with 45 mm bore in '98 for 50.9 cc.At the same time ,they had the 51 with 44 mm x 32 mm for 48.7 cc.

 

[16gauge]

I haven't seen a 45mm 55. The 45mm was a 51. I have had or torn apart about six of the 55's to date and they were all the 46mm. They were both the 55 and the 55 rancher. You could just take yours apart and measure....

I'm curious as to where you are finding the info about the 45mm?

Steve

Steve. Just go to eBay and search for husqvarna 55. Piston kits are for sale. Sprocketssomething? has GB piston kits and they make a big point of the 45 vs. 46mm, they don't stock the 45mm kit. I just finished tearing it down. The piston is toast (ring frozen with Al on exhaust side and even some light scoring on intake, but cylinder looks like it will clean right up. Using good dial calipers and converting inches to mm using 25.4mm/inch I got 45.8mm above the ring and 45.9mm on the skirt. It's a 46mm. Phil

 

[16gauge]

Everytime a top end is cooked, the bearings are contaminated to a degree. Even on a home-use saw I would feel uncomfortable with this. On a pro's saw it would get new bearings everytime and a new crank.

Just inspected the con rod and bearings best I can with rod in place. Absolutely no evidence of overheating, i.e. no blueing or deposits. I did plan to spray out the case with brake cleaner, followed by WD-40, followed by 20:1 mix before reassembly. Thanks for response...now I am thinking about that plan. Phil

 

[Lakeside53]

Just inspected the con rod and bearings best I can with rod in place. Absolutely no evidence of overheating, i.e. no blueing or deposits. I did plan to spray out the case with brake cleaner, followed by WD-40, followed by 20:1 mix before reassembly. Thanks for response...now I am thinking about that plan. Phil

I wouldn't put brake cleaner, wd40 etc into the crank case... if you feel it's required, swill it out with your 20:1 mix (I just use std mix), but sometimes you just put more crap in between the bearings and the seals where it won't naturally get cleaned out by the action of the engine.

As for the Simon guy (I assume it's a guy) replacing cranks and bearing on a pro saw after a bad top end - almost never happens, as you may as well buy a new saw, and there are thousands out there doing just fine after a top end rebuild on the old crank case. Simon, just send me your old cranks rather than throwning them out.

 

[Freakingstang]

Steve. Just go to eBay and search for husqvarna 55. Piston kits are for sale. Sprocketssomething? has GB piston kits and they make a big point of the 45 vs. 46mm, they don't stock the 45mm kit. I just finished tearing it down. The piston is toast (ring frozen with Al on exhaust side and even some light scoring on intake, but cylinder looks like it will clean right up. Using good dial calipers and converting inches to mm using 25.4mm/inch I got 45.8mm above the ring and 45.9mm on the skirt. It's a 46mm. Phil

Well I lean somthing new everyday.... I have bought 3 of the aftermarket 55 pistons (46mm) off of ebay and never once saw the 45mm. If you do get one, stay away from the golf brand pistons. I put one together with it and had no so good results and the ring that came with it was total crap! The GB psitons are much closer appearence to the stock Mahale piston. and the rings seems to last longer than the cheaper golf chinese stuff....

The 55 isn't a pro grade saw, but the bottom end has and will last through at least one replacement topend.

Word of caution: Brake cleaner and carb cleaner can eat the seals! When cleaning up the cylinder. If you can feel grooves in the cylinder with your finger nail, don't use the acid on it or you'll burn through the aluminum behind the nikasil. If it is fairly smooth, you can use the acid to remove the marred aluminum, just don't let it sit on there for an extended period of time. An hour or so (keeping it wet the whole time) works well.

Good luck
Steve

 

[16gauge]

I wouldn't put brake cleaner, wd40 etc into the crank case... if you feel it's required, swill it out with your 20:1 mix (I just use std mix), but sometimes you just put more crap in between the bearings and the seals where it won't naturally get cleaned out by the action of the engine.

As for the Simon guy (I assume it's a guy) replacing cranks and bearing on a pro saw after a bad top end - almost never happens, as you may as well buy a new saw, and there are thousands out there doing just fine after a top end rebuild on the old crank case. Simon, just send me your old cranks rather than throwning them out.

Well this is my second top end rebuild (first one was in 1987 on a Homie SXL that only ran for 2 months after the job) and I thought I would do everything I could think of to make sure the lower end was OK. Now the Husky 55. But this lower end actually looks perfect. The jug cleaned up nicely, lots of aluminum came off. I am going to order a GB piston kit. Thanks for the help.

 

[manofstihl]

rebuild

be sure you check for air leaks before you run your saw- if a bad seal or gasket caused an air leak and siezed it the last time, it will sieze it again. inthe shop i seal up the intake and exhust of the saw, and use a vacuum pump to check the seals, themn a pressure pump- a bad crank seal can kill a new cylinder.

 

[16gauge]

Updated post on Husky 55 top end

Update. New GB piston kit arrived this week. Looks same a the Mahle stuff so go to put together this AM. Can't find the upper rod bearing. Three calls later found part an hour away in Oregon. I was determined to see if it would run today. It started on the second primed pull. Aaaahhhh...life is good.