Free Echo 550EVL-worth fixing?

[IHDiesel73L]

New guy here who, after starting to heat his home with wood 3 years ago, is finding that saws are following him home these days Back when I first started (and didn't know much) I went to Home Cheapo and bought a refurbished Echo CS400. After three years it's been a good little saw-I keep it in the truck with me for when I come across a random score on the side of the road. However, even with running Ultra 94 in it, gutting the muffler, and putting 91vx chain on it I knew I wanted something more. I ended up getting a Stihl 026 from my dad who picked it up (not running) for $25 at a yardsale! I had my local saw shop look it over and all it needed was a good carb cleaning and a new chain. After that I got a free McCulloch 610 from a guy who used to heat with wood but had hurt his back. Not a bad saw but pretty heavy. Today I stopped by a friend's farm to pick something up and his dad was working in an equipment shed-we were bs'ing about his new splitter. His dad ended up pulling out this old Echo and asked me if I wanted it. I figured why the hell not so I threw it in the truck:

The thing is I got it home and it's frozen-the starter cord won't budge. Is that usually a no-go or can pistons be unstuck and the cylinder honed? If it's worth fixing I think might try to tear this one down and rebuild it just for the practice. My Stihl and McCulloch were fixed by my local saw guy for about $50, but this one will definitely need more work and I want to get more familiar with 2 strokes and saws in general. I'm good with 4 strokes and diesels but these little suckers still stump me from time to time...

 

[lievaro2001]

New guy here who, after starting to heat his home with wood 3 years ago, is finding that saws are following him home these days Back when I first started (and didn't know much) I went to Home Cheapo and bought a refurbished Echo CS400. After three years it's been a good little saw-I keep it in the truck with me for when I come across a random score on the side of the road. However, even with running Ultra 94 in it, gutting the muffler, and putting 91vx chain on it I knew I wanted something more. I ended up getting a Stihl 026 from my dad who picked it up (not running) for $25 at a yardsale! I had my local saw shop look it over and all it needed was a good carb cleaning and a new chain. After that I got a free McCulloch 610 from a guy who used to heat with wood but had hurt his back. Not a bad saw but pretty heavy. Today I stopped by a friend's farm to pick something up and his dad was working in an equipment shed-we were bs'ing about his new splitter. His dad ended up pulling out this old Echo and asked me if I wanted it. I figured why the hell not so I threw it in the truck:

The thing is I got it home and it's frozen-the starter cord won't budge. Is that usually a no-go or can pistons be unstuck and the cylinder honed? If it's worth fixing I think might try to tear this one down and rebuild it just for the practice. My Stihl and McCulloch were fixed by my local saw guy for about $50, but this one will definitely need more work and I want to get more familiar with 2 strokes and saws in general. I'm good with 4 strokes and diesels but these little suckers still stump me from time to time...

if you are not interested to fix your echo 550evl maybe you can sell to me only the ignition coil...thanks

 

[SkippyKtm]

New guy here who, after starting to heat his home with wood 3 years ago, is finding that saws are following him home these days Back when I first started (and didn't know much) I went to Home Cheapo and bought a refurbished Echo CS400. After three years it's been a good little saw-I keep it in the truck with me for when I come across a random score on the side of the road. However, even with running Ultra 94 in it, gutting the muffler, and putting 91vx chain on it I knew I wanted something more. I ended up getting a Stihl 026 from my dad who picked it up (not running) for $25 at a yardsale! I had my local saw shop look it over and all it needed was a good carb cleaning and a new chain. After that I got a free McCulloch 610 from a guy who used to heat with wood but had hurt his back. Not a bad saw but pretty heavy. Today I stopped by a friend's farm to pick something up and his dad was working in an equipment shed-we were bs'ing about his new splitter. His dad ended up pulling out this old Echo and asked me if I wanted it. I figured why the hell not so I threw it in the truck:


The thing is I got it home and it's frozen-the starter cord won't budge. Is that usually a no-go or can pistons be unstuck and the cylinder honed? If it's worth fixing I think might try to tear this one down and rebuild it just for the practice. My Stihl and McCulloch were fixed by my local saw guy for about $50, but this one will definitely need more work and I want to get more familiar with 2 strokes and saws in general. I'm good with 4 strokes and diesels but these little suckers still stump me from time to time...

If you're lucky its a seized piston (not too lucky though!) If you're unlucky it could have been left out in the weather, if that's true water may have gotten into the crankcase causing your bearings to rust and the mag case to corrode. If that's true its probably just a parts saw.

 

[Bob95065]

Tear it down and figure out what is wrong with it. You have nothing to loose. If you can save the cylinder it's a no-brainer - rebuild it. Search the board for how to acid clean the cylinder. Honing has mixed reviews on this board. I acid clean cylinders with aluminum transfer and finish with 600 grit and oil. I wash the cylinder thoroughly and put a new piston on the saw. Change all the rubber parts (crank seals, carb boot, impulse line, etc) and vacuum test after assembly to be sure there are no leaks. You can find vacuum testing on the board of you search.

If you find the parts make this project not worthwhile you can part out the saw and still come out ahead. You already have a buyer for the coil. You'll find others for the rest of the saw. You can always go to eBay aka the devil's flea market.

Before you begin any of this you should be warned: There is a nasty condition called CAD (Chainsaw Addiction Disorder). When I joined this board I had 2 saws and didn't know why I would ever need another. When I try to figure out how many I have today I loose count at 20. When I look at my condition I realize it all started when I rebuilt my first saw. It was a Husqvarna 266 I picked up at a local saw shop dead. It had a leaking crank seal that resulted in a trashed piston. Now I'm hooked. I tell myself I can stop anytime - denial is a happy place to be. My wife knows she can't stop me so she tries to slow me down. It doesn't work.

The nice thing about this hobby is you can make money doing it. The trouble is you only make money if you sell the saws after you fix them. That's the part I struggle with.

Bob

 

[Chris J.]

Your issue could be withthe recoil, not the piston. Even if the piston is stuck, there are several penetrating oils for you to try that won't cost much $. I've had good luck with Kroil and letting the saw sit out in the sun for a few hours; a heat gun works, or an old handheld hairdryer if you're cheap like me (I snagged one of my wifes, keep it in the garage, she never missed it :msp_sneaky .

As Bob posted, start tearing it down. Remove the recoil cover and the clutch cover, then see if you can turn it using the flywheel and/or the clutch nut.

 

[tallfarmboy]

Question: "Free Echo 550EVL-worth fixing?"

Answer: "Does a bear defecate in the forest?"

 

[half_full]

Am I reading this wrong or is that original post from 2011?

 

[Chris J.]

Am I reading this wrong or is that original post from 2011?

Good catch.

Color me duhmb.