Homelite Chainsaws
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Hi Tim,
Was chatting with Aaron over at the pig pen about that tank. This and my nicer 701 both have welded tank halves. Or at least it certainly looks that way. The bosses are there to accept the screws, but were never opened up. I think this one is a tad earlier than my other one. It doesn't have a tank liner coating in it. I had read that Homelite had fitted some of these with a tank liner. I can't remember where I read it. My later one has a liner. Perhaps some of them developed leaks and it was a fix at the dealer or factory? Can say for certain there is any merit to the liner or the suggestion.
Just checked again Tim. Only trace of epoxy I can see is around the "cover" that finishes off the oil tank. There is a small bead on the perimeter of that plate that houses the oil cap. I can see it is epoxy where the primer and paint has worn. Tough though...it hasn't chipped off anywhere that it has squeezed out. The main halves are welded though.
I've never heard of one being welded. Interesting.
I bought some Red Kote and have used it on the 125 I have. Works well. I have to fo the SP80 one of these days.
ChainsawmanXX
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Picked up this 9-26 off feebay awhile back. Got around to cleaning the carb and slapping a bar on it. Runs great, guess I’ll set it on the shelf.
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Big shelf.
I have a very nice low hour Super XL on the bench that exhibits all the signs of an air leak. Believe it or not, this is my first teardown of one o' these so I'm proceeding slowly. Is there anything going on with the oiling setup that needs to be taken into consideration when doing a vac/pressure test or should I just make a couple block off plates and go for it with a spark plug adapter? I have read several threads about the cylinder nuts being problematic not only as leak sources but also as hair-puller-outers due to their pain in the ass access and having to grind yourself a special wrench to do anything with em.
And this one has the ZAMA carb. Any known gremlins there vs. the Tilly or Walbro? Looks clean as a whistle inside and out. Reed block looks fine as do the gaskets so things were tight there.
Great compression and the piston looks new through the exhaust port. Hardly any sprocket wear. Weird that it would develop an air leak already with such minimal use but that's sure how it acts.
TIA for any insight or enlightenment.
And this one has the ZAMA carb. Any known gremlins there vs. the Tilly or Walbro? Looks clean as a whistle inside and out. Reed block looks fine as do the gaskets so things were tight there.
Great compression and the piston looks new through the exhaust port. Hardly any sprocket wear. Weird that it would develop an air leak already with such minimal use but that's sure how it acts.
TIA for any insight or enlightenment.
Hi Poge,
I haven't had an SXL all the way down myself. Should have by now, but I got into a run of 76/130's. I have chased a few leaks though. Some of the things I've found on the XL-1's/SuperMini and XL-76/130's.
1) Cylinder gaskets. Even with Motoseal, I've had a couple that were stubborn. I've had them leak right out the stud threads. I've pulled more than a couple where the gasket wasn't even stuck to either surface. Right from the factory. Sitting for a long while "dry" likely exacerbates condition. I've deleted many gaskets and set just with Motoseal. Best results when finger tight nuts overnight before cranking them down and squeezing it out prematurely.
2) Reed block gasket to insulator carb block. I've used Motoseal here. Gasket that holds reed can be downright hard/plastic like.
3) Intake block cracked around threads
4) Impulse hole can be awfully close to edge of block/gasket. If that carb ain't dead flat against the gasket they can pull air. Motoseal all mating surfaces.
5) I've had to change out a couple high speed checks on SDC's. Pulling air into the idle circuit through the check. Slow to return to idle, surging etc. I am not familiar with the Zama.
6) Return springs can hammer the throttle shaft bore (HS's notorious) and wear it/bore. Fluctuating RPM at WOT, hard to set idle. With a low hours carb, I would not suspect wear. If it has a capillary style check it could be curled or gummed up. Seen that on Walbro's.
7) I always pull Welch plugs. So many gooey fuel lines and funk.
8) Tossed a couple carbs that showed pitting/corrosion at the carb needle seats. Couldn't tune and chased for hours. Pulled the carb and used a 10x lens to inspect. Sure enough. Swapped carb, presto.
Just a few thoughts.
I have resorted to pulling ignition systems, blocking ports and dunking in water. I've quickly traced stubborn leaks at the intake block and cylinder/studs. I am a fan of dunking. As usual, typical wet carb test for pop-off. I also dunk and check for bubbles under pressure. I've had fuel pump sides leak even on new gaskets. Swapped out pump side covers that won't seal as well.
Sounds like you've got all the makings of a nice saw though.
I haven't had an SXL all the way down myself. Should have by now, but I got into a run of 76/130's. I have chased a few leaks though. Some of the things I've found on the XL-1's/SuperMini and XL-76/130's.
1) Cylinder gaskets. Even with Motoseal, I've had a couple that were stubborn. I've had them leak right out the stud threads. I've pulled more than a couple where the gasket wasn't even stuck to either surface. Right from the factory. Sitting for a long while "dry" likely exacerbates condition. I've deleted many gaskets and set just with Motoseal. Best results when finger tight nuts overnight before cranking them down and squeezing it out prematurely.
2) Reed block gasket to insulator carb block. I've used Motoseal here. Gasket that holds reed can be downright hard/plastic like.
3) Intake block cracked around threads
4) Impulse hole can be awfully close to edge of block/gasket. If that carb ain't dead flat against the gasket they can pull air. Motoseal all mating surfaces.
5) I've had to change out a couple high speed checks on SDC's. Pulling air into the idle circuit through the check. Slow to return to idle, surging etc. I am not familiar with the Zama.
6) Return springs can hammer the throttle shaft bore (HS's notorious) and wear it/bore. Fluctuating RPM at WOT, hard to set idle. With a low hours carb, I would not suspect wear. If it has a capillary style check it could be curled or gummed up. Seen that on Walbro's.
7) I always pull Welch plugs. So many gooey fuel lines and funk.
8) Tossed a couple carbs that showed pitting/corrosion at the carb needle seats. Couldn't tune and chased for hours. Pulled the carb and used a 10x lens to inspect. Sure enough. Swapped carb, presto.
Just a few thoughts.
I have resorted to pulling ignition systems, blocking ports and dunking in water. I've quickly traced stubborn leaks at the intake block and cylinder/studs. I am a fan of dunking. As usual, typical wet carb test for pop-off. I also dunk and check for bubbles under pressure. I've had fuel pump sides leak even on new gaskets. Swapped out pump side covers that won't seal as well.
Sounds like you've got all the makings of a nice saw though.
Thanks for all the detail, Cory. All that intel is in the hip pocket now as I move forward with this. Turned out to be a pretty dirty saw underneath everything that could otherwise be cleaned with an air nozzle. Got it cleaned up enough to see how the engine comes out of the housing now and hope to do that today.
I did discover some marks on what otherwise looks like a new piston that I can only attribute to a piece of carbon from somewhere. I'll pull the cylinder to see if there's anything floating around in there after I do a cursory leak check of just the case. Seals look new.
Not sure what the torque spec for the cylinder nuts/studs is, but all four were loose in my mental torque calculator..., as in a 1/16th ~ 1/8th of a turn. Seemed like a lot to me. Was also a little surprised at how easily the flywheel nut and clutch drum nut and clutch came off. Thought I was going to have a real fight on my hands removing the clutch without the tool, but it spun right off just using a pair of Stihl carb studs in two of the three holes and a long handled scrench between em to turn it. And once the clutch was off I obviously realized how the oil pump works and checked that off as a possible case leak source. Now those screws were seriously torqued down!
As for the carb and intake leak possibilities, I'll check all those details carefully and seal accordingly as things go back together. The whole intake assembly actually seemed quite secure considering the saw was running like the carb could have been loose. Bolts were nice and snug there.
I'm pretty impressed with this saw all the way around so far. A solid piece o' machinery that doesn't really seem to have any obvious weak spots. This particular one belongs to a customer but I have a pretty nice one too. Just haven't gotten too deep into my own Homelite acquisitions yet -- with this being my first actual foray into the XL series. I actually have several in various stages of needing between a little TLC..., and a lot! I'll get to em one o' these days. This one is a newer one than any I have and I'm going with '88 according to my understanding of the 9 digit numbering?
Anyway, thanks again for the input. It's very much appreciated.
I did discover some marks on what otherwise looks like a new piston that I can only attribute to a piece of carbon from somewhere. I'll pull the cylinder to see if there's anything floating around in there after I do a cursory leak check of just the case. Seals look new.
Not sure what the torque spec for the cylinder nuts/studs is, but all four were loose in my mental torque calculator..., as in a 1/16th ~ 1/8th of a turn. Seemed like a lot to me. Was also a little surprised at how easily the flywheel nut and clutch drum nut and clutch came off. Thought I was going to have a real fight on my hands removing the clutch without the tool, but it spun right off just using a pair of Stihl carb studs in two of the three holes and a long handled scrench between em to turn it. And once the clutch was off I obviously realized how the oil pump works and checked that off as a possible case leak source. Now those screws were seriously torqued down!
As for the carb and intake leak possibilities, I'll check all those details carefully and seal accordingly as things go back together. The whole intake assembly actually seemed quite secure considering the saw was running like the carb could have been loose. Bolts were nice and snug there.
I'm pretty impressed with this saw all the way around so far. A solid piece o' machinery that doesn't really seem to have any obvious weak spots. This particular one belongs to a customer but I have a pretty nice one too. Just haven't gotten too deep into my own Homelite acquisitions yet -- with this being my first actual foray into the XL series. I actually have several in various stages of needing between a little TLC..., and a lot! I'll get to em one o' these days. This one is a newer one than any I have and I'm going with '88 according to my understanding of the 9 digit numbering?
Anyway, thanks again for the input. It's very much appreciated.
Colt Marlington
ArboristSite Guru
What a haul! Those are some whoppers!
I looked at a 150 for a few minutes the other day. I think they wanted $55, and it looked in pretty nice shape.
Very interesting looking saw. But I just didn't feel moved.
If it'd been one of those big ones, or a Super 2 for about half the price....
I have a 150 that was my Dad's. It needed a recoil spring. So, I was at an auction and picked up a whole 150 for $5. I was getting ready to pull the recoil and put it on Dad's saw. I looked at the carb and it looked like it had been rebuilt with new fuel line. Dripped a couple drops of mix down the carb and it started right up. Put fuel in the tank and it ran great. Took it down back and cut about a 1/4 cord of Oak limbs. Thing actually ran and cut well. Dad's still needs a recoil.
I've actually rebuilt a couple 150's and they're not too bad once you've torn your hair out doing it the wrong way a time or two! I have 4 or 5 of em that seem to have just appeared somehow since I certainly didn't go looking for em. LOL Like you, I was a little surprised at the snot they have for what they are.
And considering you can come across them everywhere for essentially nothing, parts can be pricey if you're hunting for specifics..., like starter parts. A recoil pulley is like $40 on the bay. Should be able to find a spring for $10 or so. Depending on where the other one is broken, (if you still have it), you can heat it up and re-shape it if it's just broken at either end (or close).
And considering you can come across them everywhere for essentially nothing, parts can be pricey if you're hunting for specifics..., like starter parts. A recoil pulley is like $40 on the bay. Should be able to find a spring for $10 or so. Depending on where the other one is broken, (if you still have it), you can heat it up and re-shape it if it's just broken at either end (or close).
I bought a new spring on line. I sat for hours trying to get the little round end of the spring in the little round notch. Turned out the round end on the new one, wasn't round, it was a triangle. I have a thing for Super EZ's because that's what I learned to climb with.
Colt Marlington
ArboristSite Guru
Ha! Yeah I read about your exploits with the 150's right after I posted that. Good luck with your shelf building.
My only Homelite right now is a little XL2 automatic, which is a really nice little saw for it's age. And a pretty good runner.
I do have a few old Poulans though. Three that need some tlc. And an 009L that I've been puttin off workin on too.
I was scared to buy the 150 because I didn't want to have to build another shelf myself.
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Sweet old Windsor speed tip bar I got for free!!! Just finished adapting it to my old super XL. I believe it was for a Stihl. Made some spacers out of hex nuts, and enlarged the adjuster holes. The oil holes lined right up.. made a 72DL loop of full chisel and off to the races!!!!!
Ginger15
ArboristSite Guru
Found a full wrap EZ 250 auto at a pawn shop today. Has good compression but unsure if it runs. are they good saws? Worth anything? Seems to only be missing the spike. Will get photos soon.
Pretty rare saw and if in good shape/price worth picking up. I've never seen one, but they were the early introduction to the super ez, super mini, xl-1. They had some unique features like auto chain adjuster and tachometer wire that resonated when the idle was set correctly. Short lived, early 70's.
That 2.5 cube engine design had lots of grunt. Will pull a 16" full comp. chain well. I've several in the later series. The earlier point ignitions are a bonus. Easy to work on and seals, lines, carb kits etc., all readily available.
ML12
ArboristSite Guru
Picked up this one yesterday. The tag says its an XP-1100, but the starter doesn't seem to be the right style based on a quick search. I took a look at the carb and it has an arrangement I've never seen before, believe it has an accelerator pump? actuated by the throttle shaft.
Its my first homelite gear drive on this chassis. It spins over freely, and seems to have good compression.
Anyone have specific advice for working on one of these? Also does anyone have a starter for this? It should be the same as the early 'C' series saws (Fairbanks morse style).
Its my first homelite gear drive on this chassis. It spins over freely, and seems to have good compression.
Anyone have specific advice for working on one of these? Also does anyone have a starter for this? It should be the same as the early 'C' series saws (Fairbanks morse style).
Ginger15
ArboristSite Guru
Has the original bar which looks to be in good shape, no chain. Good compression. Pulled the muffler and slight scoring above and below the exhaust port. Looks like it mightve been run without an air filter. Where the top handle attached is cracked and near falling off. JB weld? Will post photos below from my phone.
It runs altho sluggish no matter where the carb settings are, so a carb kit has been ordered as I used my last one on a super EZ auto today which finally got that running like a top.
It runs altho sluggish no matter where the carb settings are, so a carb kit has been ordered as I used my last one on a super EZ auto today which finally got that running like a top.
