Homelite Super EZ auto really erratic.

[Okie]

My own saw but do not know of any history of the beast. Looks to have been used but not abused
Runs briefly for about 3 seconds, will not idle nor take gas at high throttle and every once in awhile will briefly rev then just die. Can add a prime and get a pop and about 4-5 pulls later it will run for another 3 seconds at fast idle then die.
After it dies can prime into carb throat and get a quicker re-start than if full choke is used without a prime.
ACTS gas related but?????

Installed good carb from a good running EZ. Still same. Installed new spark plug. Still same. Installed the removed carb onto the good running saw and the old carb runs good on the swapped saw. (both carbs run and adjust ok when switched from one saw to the other)
Cleaned in tank filter and vac/pressure test fuel line and vac/pressure test crankcase while rotating the crank as ok.
Compression little weak at 125. I have another EZ that runs good at less compression than this saw. Piston and cylinder look ok looking thru the muffler port. Has real stiff compression pull through with the compression relief off.

I removed flywheel and cleaned and set WICO points at .015 and replaced condenser, disconnected the kill switch wire.

Still same symptoms. This one is beating me up and down.

This saw came to me with a busted recoil spring and looks to have been in storage for quite awhile and I can see where Bubba has been flogging it. I can see the reed valve screw heads have been scarred like someone has been into the reed area before with a worn out screwdriver. (maybe just trying to tighten the reed screws???) It does not ever spit back thru the carb though which would indicate something wrong with the reeds. The sprocket and clutch shows very little wear kinda indicating not a lot of hours on the saw. The pulse hole from the manifold to the carb is open and good carb intake gasket between carb and intake.
I'm thinking of swapping in a complete WICO ignition system from the good running EZ saw and test.
The spark looks good when looking at the spark at the spark plug. Flywheel key is ok and I compared the polarity of the flywheel magnet to the other wico flywheel and same polarity.
It kinda acts fuel related but the good running swapped carb and still produced EXACT same results.

This is the older RED/White EZ auto.
Coil maybe???????

Does the coil wire on the wico EZ coil twist out of the coil (CCW like a McCulloch or just pull out) (so I do not have to remove the spark plug boot to swap coils)

Any ideas?

 

[HarleyT]

Really Erotic????

Possibly a weak/soft fuel line that collapses??

 

[Okie]

Really Erotic????

Possibly a weak/soft fuel line that collapses??

Thanks for the tip.

The fuel line is old and little soft, not brittle and would collapse if the saw ran long enough to get the line warmed up.
I have roll of new fuel line and I'll replace it when I'm swapping the ignition systems.
The coil tests ok using a ohmmeter.

Reason I ask this question about the spark plug wire is because the frame at the spark plug area has a slot and the spark plug wire either has to be removed from the coil tower or the old brittle 90 degree rubber boot has to be removed to swap the coils. (and I prefer to not ruin the old brittle 90 degree rubber boot on both saws if I can remove the wire at the coil tower easily and leave the spark plug wire in place??)


Does anyone know if the spark plug wire is glued,screwed or just pulls out of the coil tower on the Homelite EZ's coil????

 

[HarleyT]

I don't remember the plug wire removed from one of those coils. The only thing I can remember was that there were two different electronic ignitions, and each ignition had it's own flywheel {with the same part number btw}, the flywheels had reversed polarities.

 

[Okie]

I don't remember the plug wire removed from one of those coils. The only thing I can remember was that there were two different electronic ignitions, and each ignition had it's own flywheel {with the same part number btw}, the flywheels had reversed polarities.

I went ahead and wiggled and pulled the spark plug wire out of the wico type coil tower awhile ago turning it CCW in case it needed unscrewed. It does not screw in like the old McCullochs that have the sheet metal type screw in the coil tower. It's just a tight snug push fit with a male pin inside the coil tower. I did notice that the male pin is not sharp on the end like some outboard motor coils, kinda blunt on end and may have to use a small awl to make a hole up inside the end of a new plug wire if replacing the spark plug wire with the wire type plug wire so as to get as easier push fit inside the coil tower..

I also heard that rumor about rev polarity of the electronic ign flywheels and two different electronic ign flywheels.. Just to make sure that no one installed a wrong flywheel onto this dog I used a small magnet and compared my two wico flywheels magnets polarity as being the same polarity on the donor saw and the dog saw. The small test magnet was attracted to one magnet on the flywheel and repelled on the other.

I also heard somewhere that the crank taper might also be different on the electronic ign flywheels and to get away from the BLUE coil of electronic death, install a regular points coil and a NOVA chip to fire the coil but I do not know for sure.

I do know that I've had couple of BAD experiences trying to get a good reliable test run when performance tesing two new Nova II chips in the old McCulloch 1-40, 1-50 series of saws.
(was hoping to use the chips instead of points and one chip failed within couple hours and I could tell the saw was little out of time using neg polarity and when I tried pos polarity of the chip the saw would not run and after the neg polarity chip failed I installed another same chip and it would not run on neg polarity and when I switch to pos it was out of time tearing meat from fingers on kickback, finally started but would not run correctly. I just re-connected the 25 year old points and back in service. Was hoping the chips would be a go so as just install chip outside the flywheel and never ever have to pull the flywheel to replace points/condenser if ign issues.
Heard some guys really like the NOVA chips but not so in my neck of the woods.

 

[svk]

It is always difficult to diagnose over the internet but if your saw is running with gas poured in and otherwise it will not there is a fuel issue. Since you have determined it is not the carb then the issue should lie somewhere before the carb.

 

[svk]

I also heard somewhere that the crank taper might also be different on the electronic ign flywheels and to get away from the BLUE coil of electronic death, install a regular points coil and a NOVA chip to fire the coil but I do not know for sure.

I believe this to be true on the SXL/XL-12 series of saws but I have not confirmed it on the SEZ family.

 

[Okie]

Well the Old blind sow found a acorn.

The EZ is running like a scalded cat.
I swapped the identical wico ignition system from another saw, complete assembly with points, condenser, coil. The dog saw started 2nd pull and running at high throttle compression release on and when I piss rev'ed the saw I almost dropped it on a concrete floor because I was not expecting a surprise rev.

It's symptoms before really seemed fuel related, but it was ignition. I'm thinking bad coil becdause the points looked like new, points actually looked better than the swapped points. ( I had already swapped in a condenser previously and cleaned and gapped the dog saw points so everything leads to the coil.
Anyway I'm shopping for a wico coil W 68716 (even used) and probably set of new points A68701.

Thanks for the tips

 

[Okie]

It is always difficult to diagnose over the internet but if your saw is running with gas poured in and otherwise it will not there is a fuel issue. Since you have determined it is not the carb then the issue should lie somewhere before the carb.

SVK:
correct about diagnose over the internet on the erratic squirrely ones. Sometimes a guy just has to get a feel of the beast. This seemed like fuel issue, good donor carb did not correct and the removed dog saw carb ran ok on the donor EZ saw, then I checked the somewhat soft fuel line with both vac/and pressure with the mity/vac and indicated good, fuel filter clean. Saw would try to start and run little bit easier with a prime into carb throat or the muffler port rather than using the choke. Crankcase vac/pressure ok, etc.
Was really surprised when the saw started and tunes and sounds strong now with the donor ignition.

Shopping for a coil and new points.

Thanks and Later

 

[undee70ss]

I also heard that rumor about rev polarity of the electronic ign flywheels and two different electronic ign flywheels.. Just to make sure that no one installed a wrong flywheel onto this dog I used a small magnet and compared my two wico flywheels magnets polarity as being the same polarity on the donor saw and the dog saw. The small test magnet was attracted to one magnet on the flywheel and repelled on the other..

Glad to hear you got your saws running good again. Just to confuse us even more, one can come across this possibility....

 

[Okie]

haveundee70ss:
What a mess with Homelite Solid state ignition systems. (and flywheels called rotors)

I do not have any EZ's with the solid state ign systems and dread ever seeing one. (and I'm a electronic tech and electrician and stepped in bad stinky stuff before that is slow to wipe or wear off)

Found a used coil and NOS points of flea bay. (reasonable as compared to most new prices)

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I have a few of the Super EZs with the blue coil. Might as well use them as long as they work..One of them really ran erratic but I'm pretty sure it's the carb, especially when I tore it down and found all the crud and corrosion inside it. I'll probably just replace it rather than try to rebuild..