Hitchhiker...Homelite 7-21

[whitedogone]

Another bum hitched a ride home with me today.

 

[longbar]

Looks like its in good shape.

 

[whitedogone]

He said it was his grandpas saw since new. He always dumped the fuel when he put it up. He also said he used it about 5 years ago and it ran fine.

 

[longbar]

It should look good on my shelf! Or yours I guess If the bar is original that saw doesnt have many hours

 

[CM76]

Really nice 7-21 you have found there whitedogone! That saw looks to be in great shape for its age, and even has the original recoil starter cover (or 'ashtray' as it was referred to). The starter cover was one of the first things to be given the boot on these older Homelite saws - if you have a look at the many old Homelites for sale around the place, you will see that 95% of them have lost their starter covers.

A nice original example of the model. Well done.

Regards,

Chris.

 

[whitedogone]

It appears complete except for the muffler.

 

[leeha]

Sweet saw, Nice you can still read the decals.
Nice find, Congrats.


Lee

 

[whitedogone]

Compression....135#....check
Spark....check
Bar oiler....check
Gear drive lube....low...what do I need to change that out?
Chain soaking in PB Blaster
Muffler missing...should I run without?
Fuel shut off missing "knob"

 

[whitedogone]

Sweet saw, Nice you can still read the decals.
Nice find, Congrats.


Lee

I can still read the starting instructions:

 

[CM76]

Compression....135#....check
Spark....check
Bar oiler....check
Gear drive lube....low...what do I need to change that out?
Chain soaking in PB Blaster
Muffler missing...should I run without?
Fuel shut off missing "knob"

I would not run the saw without the muffler in place. It acts as a cover / guard to protect an open cylinder as well as its designated exhaust duties. These pop up from time to time on ebay, so it would pay to keep an eye out. You may be able to find a parts saw which has the required components.

You will need three components for the muffler assy which include:

1) Element - made up of wire gauze and perforated mesh
2) Cap - internal deflector plate
3) Damper - this is the external cover which surrounds the whole assembly

You will also need the required fasteners to put it all together. If you do not have the IPL for the saw, i can send you a picture showing the parts and their numbers. I do not have the IPL for the 7-21, but have ones for its relatives such as the 6-22 which should be identical.

As for the gearcase oil - remove the filler plug and allow the oil to drain out with the saw tipped up on its end. I would have a good look at the gearcase oil before refilling and trying to run the saw. If there is any sign of metal etc - remove the gearcase cover and do a complete inspection. This will also allow you to inspect the gear train and clutch which otherwise would be hidden.

The oil should be replaced with a quality SAE 90 gear oil.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Chris.

 

[whitedogone]

Thanks for the help Chris. I'll pm ya on the IPL. What ratio mix do I need to run in this?

 

[CM76]

Hi,

Homelite recommends 3/4 pint of two stroke oil to 1 Gallon of gas for these saws.

Regards,

Chris.

 

[Bill G]

Thanks for the help Chris. I'll pm ya on the IPL. What ratio mix do I need to run in this?

Good oil at 32:1

 

[whitedogone]

Thanks Bill. Do you know if the muffler parts are the same as a 17? I have a line on those parts, but they are off a 17. He also has the fuel shutoff from the 17 that looks the same as mine. I'm just not sure w/o the ipl's on both models.

 

[RandyMac]

It's pretty much the same as a 5-20, the one main difference is the 4 reed pyramid instead of a single reed.
If all else fails, put a screen over that gaping hole. The muffler itself was a nothing but a screen and deflector.
Light that puppy up in the dark and watch the fire at the ports.

 

[Eccentric]

cheapchainsawparts should have muffler bits for it on fleabay. Great saw. Don't run it without the muffler!

 

[whitedogone]

Where does one come up with paint codes on old saws like this? I saw over on house of hommie that a guy re-did a 7-21 that looked great. I e-mailed him about the paint codes but he didn't reply. Maybe his anti-spam got me.

 

[whitedogone]

It's pretty much the same as a 5-20, the one main difference is the 4 reed pyramid instead of a single reed.
If all else fails, put a screen over that gaping hole. The muffler itself was a nothing but a screen and deflector.
Light that puppy up in the dark and watch the fire at the ports.

I see that cheapCSparts has muffler parts for a 5-20 right now. They are different part #'s than I have in my IPL ( I only have the IPL for the 6-22).

 

[whitedogone]

Still trying to figure out the muffler part #'s. I have found parts for a 17 and the 5-20. I'm not sure if either one of these will fit my 7-21.

 

[RandyMac]

Parts for the 5-20 should be fine, the only real difference between the two are the reeds. The 17's mufflers are way too narrow.