Homelite Chainsaws

[Marine-piper]

Hopefully this will assist you in the proper installation of the carb boot. I would try to make a replacement gasket for the boot mount to prevent air leaks.

Homelite enthusiast in training [emoji879]

 

[Marine-piper]

I'll take it if it's still available!

Homelite enthusiast in training [emoji879]

Homelite XL-903 So I cleaned her up replaced the fuel lines and rebuilt the carb, put my 24" homelite bar on her and BAM! She's a runner.

Homelite enthusiast in training [emoji879]

 

[McCullochKid]

So is the deflector supposed to rest flush on the intake manifold? Or is it supposed to rest on the ridge of the intake boot like it is(sorta) in this pic?
Sorry for all the dumb questions, but it's hard to visualize certain things on the IPL when I didn't get to see how it was originally on there, since the old intake boot was just a pile of goo.

 

[bushwhacker84]

Not sure if you have the part # but here it is
A-93420, several available but very pricey.

Homelite enthusiast in training [emoji879]

Is there a replacement I can steal from a different saw? I have one clear cap for gas and a boat plug for the oil cap. Not needing original just would like to have proper caps!

 

[McCullochKid]

I figured it out. After a little trial and error, you can tell there's only one good way for it to go together.
Intake manifold gasket > Intake manifold > Cover plate with pulse line fed through > Bolt it down, then wrestle on the intake boot > Garter spring
I left out the now missing foam piece. For now I'm more concerned with just getting everything put back together so that I can hopefully have it run for awhile and warm up to see if there's any other air leaks or problems with the saw.
Tomorrow I'll pull off the muffler for a quick look at that side of the piston, then if that's all good I'll proceed with the reassembly.

Also as a little side note, I have an ultrasonic cleaner that I bought awhile back for cleaning carbs and other mechanical things. I love it, it's been a great investment.
But, when I was about to put the 550's carb in for a cleaning session, I decided to toss the air filter in too, just for giggles to see what it would do.
I wish I would have thought ahead and taken a before picture of it. The filter was thoroughly grimed up and nasty, but after a session through the ultrasonic and a thorough rinsing afterwards, it came out practically a new filter compared to where it started.
Here's the after pictures. It has some wear, but this still looks usable, right? I can't find any obvious holes in it when shining a light through it.

 

[9ninjas]

Have a chance to pu an Homelite XL Super 925 for maybe $50-75. Guy says it ran when he drained the tank. Anyway, I've only had Stihls up to this point, the biggest being my MS460. Have seen posts on other sites saying the XL 925 will run with a MS660. I find that hard to believe since HP rating on the XL 925 is about 5 hp and a MS 660 is about 7 hp. My 460 is rated at 6 hp. Was looking for another large saw to use on occasion with my 460 but want something comparable in power. So, would the XL 925 be comparable to my 460 or somewhere between the 460 and 660? I know it has no antivibration and doesn't rev like the Stihls do, but from what I've read, the 925 seemed to be a good running saw. So, opinions please.

 

[Marine-piper]

Have a chance to pu an Homelite XL Super 925 for maybe $50-75. Guy says it ran when he drained the tank. Anyway, I've only had Stihls up to this point, the biggest being my MS460. Have seen posts on other sites saying the XL 925 will run with a MS660. I find that hard to believe since HP rating on the XL 925 is about 5 hp and a MS 660 is about 7 hp. My 460 is rated at 6 hp. Was looking for another large saw to use on occasion with my 460 but want something comparable in power. So, would the XL 925 be comparable to my 460 or somewhere between the 460 and 660? I know it has no antivibration and doesn't rev like the Stihls do, but from what I've read, the 925 seemed to be a good running saw. So, opinions please.

The SXL-925 is a very good saw and if you open the exhaust system it will give you a bit more. This is my 925 and 903, both 82cc's

Homelite enthusiast in training [emoji879]

 

[fossil]

Don't it expect to to be anywhere close to a 460 and I like the old Homelites.

 

[sawfun]

That Homie will pull a 32" bar in buried in pitchy fir or white oak, and not work up a sweat. It will probably pull a 36" too. The Stihls are modern and much faster but have less torque. In smaller wood the 460 is gonna shine over a 660 and the 925. In big wood, with a long bar, the 925 will not embarass itself. The Stihls have AV and some might like their handling better. I could use a 925 for the occasional cord or three of wood over 24", and be very happy. Actually, personally, I prefer the 925 low rpm vibes over the 660 vibes.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

A steal at that price just because.

 

[McCullochKid]

Here's a peek inside the exhaust side of the 550. Looks fine to me? There was hardly any carbon buildup in the port and the muffler.
Where did the 30 extra PSI of compression(compared to normal for this saw) from my initial test come from? Can major air leaks skew those results?
I'm wondering when I put this back together if the compression test will be lower.

 

[sawnami]

This 2000E was part of a large group purchase of saws and parts that I bought several years ago. It was a pile of parts on a workbench that I scraped into a box and put up in my mezzanine storage and let sit for four years. The previous owner had taken it apart to clean and paint it. I decided to put it back together and see if all the parts were there and if it would run.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

 

[Okie]

I've never seen a Homie with a fan above the carb area?
Does that keep it from vapor locking or ????

I learn something new ever time I visit this site and not just about saws.
Who says old dogs cannot learn something new.

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

This 2000E was part of a large group purchase of saws and parts that I bought several years ago.

That's almost a better deal than a 50 dollar SXL925!

Here's a peek inside the exhaust side of the 550. Looks fine to me? There was hardly any carbon buildup in the port and the muffler.
Where did the 30 extra PSI of compression(compared to normal for this saw) from my initial test come from? Can major air leaks skew those results?

That piston and cylinder look pretty nice. You may want to consider tearing it the rest of the way down to address the carbon buildup around the rings..., and possibly in the ring lands. I wouldn't suspect that to have very much affect on the current compression readings, though I may be wrong about that. Rings will generally stick in the lands with excessive carbon buildup and cause the opposite effect (less compression).

An air leak will generally not affect top end compression unless it's from a loose plug, faulty decomp, or crack in the cylinder. Excessive fluid in the crankcase can increase compression.

 

[sawnami]

I've never seen a Homie with a fan above the carb area?
Does that keep it from vapor locking or ????

I learn something new ever time I visit this site and not just about saws.
Who says old dogs cannot learn something new.

LOL
Turbocharged. [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

 

[McCullochKid]

Some good news, and a little more headache.
I can happily report that after putting everything back together, the 550 seems to run great. The carb settings aren't quite there yet, it's a bit reluctant to want to get going from a cold start, wants to die after a few pops unless you give it some throttle, but once it warms a little it idles just fine.
The crank seals appear to still be good. After letting things warm up for several minutes until it was running hot, I only had to turn the hi jet out about another 1/8 to get it four stroking at WOT again. Turning the saw from side to side has no noticeable effect. One of these days, hopefully sooner than later, I'll get a proper pressure testing setup so I can know for sure when things are bad.
Currently I think I have the needles at about 1 1/2 hi, 1 1/4 lo. Does that sound about right for this saw?

Anyway, as for my headache... One thing I noticed was that something felt off about the oil delivery. It was definitely there, but it just seemed weak. Even the manual oiler didn't feel like it had very much pressure when I was pushing it in.
It wasn't until nearing the end of my initial warm up test that I noticed I had bar oil leaking out all over the back of the saw, and oozing down towards the on/off switch and spark plug.
Turns out what had happened is that in my effort to stretch and push one of the new oil lines onto the annoyingly large barb on the oil pickup, it had made a small tear at that point, allowing bar oil to slowly ooze out.

It's so tiresome. This is like when I had to figure out how to fit my new aftermarket fuel line onto the large barb of my 10-10A's SDC without having it tear apart in the process.

 

[9ninjas]

Ok, tried to start the XL925 but no luck.
Just got this XL925 and put fresh gas in her and tried to start it following the guide on the case cover. Says to hold down trigger and press in trigger lock button to lock trigger down. The lock button will sometimes stay pushed in but seems to have no bearing on locking the trigger down as evidenced by the position of the throttle linkage in the picture. So, is the linkage supposed to stay in the forward position for the wide open throttle position (all the way forward), when the locking pin is pushed in. And if the locking pin is not actually locking the trigger down and the linkage is not all the way forward, I guess I would have to take the handle apart and see what is going on?? And, i noticed the 2 screws by the spring loaded locking pin. I loosened both up and when turned the lower screw it would change how much the linkage moved when you pressed the trigger. So, not sure about the purpose of theses screws. Sorry for the basic questions, but this is my first Homelite saw and was just trying to give her a good home and maybe use it on occasion if I can get her running.
Where can I find a diagrammatic of the throttle lock thingy to see how it is supposed to work (assuming its not working correctly).

 

[Marine-piper]

Ok, tried to start the XL925 but no luck.
Just got this XL925 and put fresh gas in her and tried to start it following the guide on the case cover. Says to hold down trigger and press in trigger lock button to lock trigger down. The lock button will sometimes stay pushed in but seems to have no bearing on locking the trigger down as evidenced by the position of the throttle linkage in the picture. So, is the linkage supposed to stay in the forward position for the wide open throttle position (all the way forward), when the locking pin is pushed in. And if the locking pin is not actually locking the trigger down and the linkage is not all the way forward, I guess I would have to take the handle apart and see what is going on?? And, i noticed the 2 screws by the spring loaded locking pin. I loosened both up and when turned the lower screw it would change how much the linkage moved when you pressed the trigger. So, not sure about the purpose of theses screws. Sorry for the basic questions, but this is my first Homelite saw and was just trying to give her a good home and maybe use it on occasion if I can get her running.
Where can I find a diagrammatic of the throttle lock thingy to see how it is supposed to work (assuming its not working correctly).

Try a little fuel down the throat to see if it will run at all. Sometimes the fuel lines rot or the carb diaphragm is too stiff to pull fuel.

Homelite enthusiast in training [emoji879]

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Ok, tried to start the XL925 but no luck.
Just got this XL925 and put fresh gas in her and tried to start it following the guide on the case cover. Says to hold down trigger and press in trigger lock button to lock trigger down. The lock button will sometimes stay pushed in but seems to have no bearing on locking the trigger down as evidenced by the position of the throttle linkage in the picture. So, is the linkage supposed to stay in the forward position for the wide open throttle position (all the way forward), when the locking pin is pushed in. And if the locking pin is not actually locking the trigger down and the linkage is not all the way forward, I guess I would have to take the handle apart and see what is going on?? And, i noticed the 2 screws by the spring loaded locking pin. I loosened both up and when turned the lower screw it would change how much the linkage moved when you pressed the trigger. So, not sure about the purpose of theses screws. Sorry for the basic questions, but this is my first Homelite saw and was just trying to give her a good home and maybe use it on occasion if I can get her running.
Where can I find a diagrammatic of the throttle lock thingy to see how it is supposed to work (assuming its not working correctly).

The trigger lock is basically an obstruction that doesn't allow the trigger to return to a closed throttle setting, you squeeze the trigger , depress the lock button and release the trigger. The body of the trigger should meet the shaft of the button interfering with its resting position.
Sometimes it's easier to set the saw upside down in order to view this action ( with a flashlight). Once you squeeze the trigger again the lock button should pop out to a non obstacle place.

 

[9ninjas]

Ok, I understand now the trigger lock function is to hold the trigger slightly open (as you said slightly open throttle position). Makes sense now.
Marine-piper, thanks for the diagrammatic and the tip.