Homelite Super Mini.

[Tom B.]

Picked up a real old Homie today. Owner said it starts when he adds gas to the carb but doesn't stay running.
1st things I thought of were fuel delivery and/or exhaust issues, possibly the carb needs a rubber, so to speak. It needs a fuel cap, unless the OEM one is supposed to leak when it's on it's left side.
Muffler is clean & clear, piston is a bit brown on the side, like old varnished, gummed up gas & oil (hoping that's it).
I have no idea if the clutch is ok.
Good compression pulling the rope.
It does start, so there's spark.
Have to tear into it this weekend & see what the fuel lines look like & the filter.
Chain oiler works.
Nice n light, compact, pretty good for limbing I think. There are no dawgs on this though,

$30 plus the 3 hour round trip to ... out that way on the highway to this road & then down this road 3 miles, turn left then right & past the cows to the ... you get the idea.
So, for what I paid & the impending work to follow, what do you think? What are your ideas about this Canadian classic?

 

[Pioneer]

Looks to be in nice condition. Nice to have that decompression lever, they are actually awkward to start without them. Well worth the effort to get it running, they have an excellent power to weight ratio. Carbs a bit of a pain to get off, probably needs a kit though. Likely a walbro hdc.
Not just limited to limbing, it will pull a 16 inch bar of full chisel chain through dry hardwood.
My cap leaks a bit too, it has a porous bronze insert that passes for a vent. Doesn't seem to be a problem when the saw is running though.
If he was running outboard motor oil in the premix, that would leave the brown deposits. You say it has good compression so probably no worries.

 

[holeycow]

Man, does Irwin's saw ever run nice!

 

[Tom B.]

Looks to be in nice condition. Nice to have that decompression lever, they are actually awkward to start without them. Well worth the effort to get it running, they have an excellent power to weight ratio. Carbs a bit of a pain to get off, probably needs a kit though. Likely a walbro hdc.
Not just limited to limbing, it will pull a 16 inch bar of full chisel chain through dry hardwood.
My cap leaks a bit too, it has a porous bronze insert that passes for a vent. Doesn't seem to be a problem when the saw is running though.
If he was running outboard motor oil in the premix, that would leave the brown deposits. You say it has good compression so probably no worries.

Decompression lever? I never thought to look for a decomp button or system on a 50 year old saw lol. I see you're from Wpg. or tree and branches all over the place for a year Peg.
I'm still waiting for a chipper guy to come by & we clear all this lol.
It does have a Walbro carb and a 16" chain. Hopefully when it runs it goes as smooth as in that video! Wow that is quiet & smooth. What are the CC's in these 'lil puppies?
We'll see about the cap when I get it running.

Man, does Irwin's saw ever run nice!

Doesn't it though? Smooth as hell and not that noisy, just a nimble saw that runs really well. Whoever tuned that did a good job.

 

[sawnami]

I've got 3 of the SL models. They are decent running saws.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Tom B.]

I've got 3 of the SL models. They are decent running saws.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Looking forward to this saw. Thanks for the info!
Mine doesn't have a brake but others I've seen do. Hmm

 

[farmguywithasaw]

One thing to watch out for is make sure there is no carbon buildup in the muffler. I got a box with 4 of those saws all the pistons are chewed up on the exhaust side. They ate carbon back through the exhaust port

 

[Yoopermike]

Nice saw, Ill be damned if that doesn't look identical to my super EZ.

 

[Pioneer]

Super EZ, super mini, xl-1 were all variations of the same saw. My xl-1 does not have the decompression linked to the choke as yours does. Also, it just has auto oiling, and no supplemental manual oiler. The displacement varied from 34- 41 CC. They may have points or a solid state ignition. I also have an older blue colored xl-1 and a couple of parts saws, there seems to be no shortage of them around here.
Speaking of carbon buildup, I worked on a friend's xl-1 that had so much carbon in the muffler it would labour to run at idle! Completely plugged caused by running a very rich tune. Pay careful attention to the carb settings and these saws will really perform.
Acres internet has info on them and many other saws.

 

[Tom B.]

One thing to watch out for is make sure there is no carbon buildup in the muffler. I got a box with 4 of those saws all the pistons are chewed up on the exhaust side. They ate carbon back through the exhaust port

Thanks for the info & what to look out for!
We took the muffler off at his place. It had carbon in, around it etc, but all the holes they have in it were clear as day. That's all this "muffler" was, a box with vents on the outside face, basically.

 

[Tom B.]

Nice saw, Ill be damned if that doesn't look identical to my super EZ.

I'm starting to think this may not be a Super Mini, or might be a variant of one. It's possibly just my lack of knowledge of Homelites.

 

[Tom B.]

Super EZ, super mini, xl-1 were all variations of the same saw. My xl-1 does not have the decompression linked to the choke as yours does. Also, it just has auto oiling, and no supplemental manual oiler. The displacement varied from 34- 41 CC. They may have points or a solid state ignition. I also have an older blue colored xl-1 and a couple of parts saws, there seems to be no shortage of them around here.
Speaking of carbon buildup, I worked on a friend's xl-1 that had so much carbon in the muffler it would labour to run at idle! Completely plugged caused by running a very rich tune. Pay careful attention to the carb settings and these saws will really perform.
Acres internet has info on them and many other saws.

Very interesting, thank-you!
I have to look at this deeper & see what it is. Maybe see if I can find a donor as well.
The decompression system is on the throttle lock button? It has a bar going to the carb, (I think)
Manual oiler on this one & it works, that's a bonus it works.
Doing a side-by-side comparison of them would be great. (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

 

[Hoggwood]

I'm starting to think this may not be a Super Mini, or might be a variant of one. It's possibly just my lack of knowledge of Homelites.

No, that is a super mini. It is from 1981 based on the numbers on your decal. It has the later grip start. It should have a blue Prestolite coil under the starter cover. The leaky fuel cap is due to the spent duckbill valve under the sintered bronze plug and/or the cork gasket is loose. Good saws when running well.

 

[Tom B.]

No, that is a super mini. It is from 1981 based on the numbers on your decal. It has the later grip start. It should have a blue Prestolite coil under the starter cover. The leaky fuel cap is due to the spent duckbill valve under the sintered bronze plug and/or the cork gasket is loose. Good saws when running well.

OK, learning more about this lil Homie. Thanks!!!
The cork is there under the gas cap, may be a bit thin. I don't know, nothing to compare it to. The duckbill is something new to me.
You mentioned the later "grip start". Is that the integrated decompression in the lever lock?
The T81 is what tells you it's from 1981?

 

[Brent Adams]

Just got a Super EZ that my nephew gave me going and tweaked a bit. Nothing fancy, just cleaned up good and slight tuning. The decomp is part of the throttle lock. Pull trigger, then with right thumb reach over to the right side and push the black lever to the left fully. Let go of trigger, and lever should stay locked in. That is fast idle and decomp. This one works well.
I just tried it the other day in some dry Red Cedar, and it pulls like a little mule! REALLY surprised, as Acres site says 40.9 ccs.
I call it "little big saw".
#impressed.

 

[Tom B.]

Right on! WTG on the lil homie!
I'm impressed with how light it is. Comparing it to the Stihl MS270 & Mac 3516... and this is a magnesium housing! lol

Yeah a good cleaning, check the essentials, gas lines, exhaust etc. I'm anxious to get this one running, I hope. Especially after seeing you talk about how the lil bugger pulls lol.
The decomp system woks well on this, HUGE difference, when I figured out it wasn't just a throttle lock lol. Thanks again for pointing that out, to all those that steered me right!
Should be a fun little saw!

 

[Hoggwood]

OK, learning more about this lil Homie. Thanks!!!
The cork is there under the gas cap, may be a bit thin. I don't know, nothing to compare it to. The duckbill is something new to me.
You mentioned the later "grip start". Is that the integrated decompression in the lever lock?
The T81 is what tells you it's from 1981?

Correct, T81 is the year ('81). There was some subtle design changes over the years. The earlier grip start (pull cord handle) was generally associated with the points/condensor ignitions. Around '77 give or take, they switched to a blue coloured Prestolite (brand) electronic coil. It wasn't always the most reliable and caused many an XL-1, Super Mini and Super EZ (US Model) to live a shorter life before being shelved. I've picked up many on the cheap and in otherwise,good condition, because of this. The latest versions before their eventual demise sported plastic starter covers and reworked oil pumps. I would advise checking a couple places for air leaks when going through it. The 4 nuts holding the jug down can work loose. As well, the black plastic ( Bakelite) pyramid reed valve blocks are somewhat delicate. When you have the carb off, make sure the 4 Phillips screws are snug on the block. Overzealous tightening of those and the two carb hold down screws into the block can easily lead to a cracked block. The HDC Walbro carbs can be finicky to tune. They are usually around <3/4 out on L and < 1 on H. I've seen quite a few with toasted top ends from too lean a tune on the H. They are not high reving saws by today's standards.
The "bare bones" XL-1 version came without the decompression lever and manual overide pump. The auto pumps on these (and all) Homelites were very, very healthy. Take the time to really clean the fins all around the cylinder as they are prone to packing up with dust and can lead to overheating.
They are really quite a formidable saw for their displacement. They can pull a buried, full comp 3/8" on a 16" bar easily. They are small, muscle saws from the era.

For kicks, a short clip of an XL-1 of mine that has seen quite a bit of action over these past few years. It is pulling some long chips wearing an old chipper-style chain, so it is cutting slower. But the torque is undeniable in these little power plants.

Enjoyable to work on and run. Good luck.

 

[Tom B.]

Correct, T81 is the year ('81). There was some subtle design changes over the years. The earlier grip start (pull cord handle) was generally associated with the points/condensor ignitions. Around '77 give or take, they switched to a blue coloured Prestolite (brand) electronic coil. It wasn't always the most reliable and caused many an XL-1, Super Mini and Super EZ (US Model) to live a shorter life before being shelved. I've picked up many on the cheap and in otherwise,good condition, because of this. The latest versions before their eventual demise sported plastic starter covers and reworked oil pumps. I would advise checking a couple places for air leaks when going through it. The 4 nuts holding the jug down can work loose. As well, the black plastic ( Bakelite) pyramid reed valve blocks are somewhat delicate. When you have the carb off, make sure the 4 Phillips screws are snug on the block. Overzealous tightening of those and the two carb hold down screws into the block can easily lead to a cracked block. The HDC Walbro carbs can be finicky to tune. They are usually around <3/4 out on L and < 1 on H. I've seen quite a few with toasted top ends from too lean a tune on the H. They are not high reving saws by today's standards.
The "bare bones" XL-1 version came without the decompression lever and manual overide pump. The auto pumps on these (and all) Homelites were very, very healthy. Take the time to really clean the fins all around the cylinder as they are prone to packing up with dust and can lead to overheating.
They are really quite a formidable saw for their displacement. They can pull a buried, full comp 3/8" on a 16" bar easily. They are small, muscle saws from the era.

For kicks, a short clip of an XL-1 of mine that has seen quite a bit of action over these past few years. It is pulling some long chips wearing an old chipper-style chain, so it is cutting slower. But the torque is undeniable in these little power plants.

Enjoyable to work on and run. Good luck.

Wow, helluva posting. Thank-you very much!
Think I've heard of "the blue coil of death" and was hoping mine wasn't included lol. We'll see when I open it up more.
I'll be sure to pay attention to the bolts and screws when tightening. I've noticed on my Stihl that fasteners aren't always super tight. they're snug, tight, but not cranked on by a 200lb gorilla. All the ones I've removed have been easy.
Wish this had an auto-oiler for the chain, but it seems to work fine, if/when the time comes & I remember to use it & not over use it.
The info on these carbs is very useful, thank-you for that! The Stihl is getting there, far as tuning the carb goes. Seems to idle nice now. This aft I'll hopefully give it a better work out & see how it runs & idles.
The muffler on this is kind of funny. It's more of a boom box or fart cannon for imports. Nothing inside really.

Thanks again for a great reply, truly appreciate it!!

 

[Tom B.]

So, I got the fuel line, filter today and it still only starts when you dump a bit of gas in the carb.
What carb is this? A Walbro K10-HDC?
I'm new to Homelites and as I look 'under the hood' I don't see an impulse line. Is there one?
Also any spec sheets out there would be great!

 

[Pioneer]

Yup needs a carb kit. The gasket kit is usually all you need, the full kit around here is normally double the price. Yetmans, Abc, Ideal, should have them, but call first for availability/prices. It is the hdc, you can confirm this when you get the carb off, which is actually a bit of a pain. The number will be stamped on the side. You need to use a box/open end wrench, and try not to loose the fine wire that holds the choke pull to the carb.
Kits are easy to get, if you don't mind waiting 3 weeks you can get them really cheap at Huztl. Order a couple at least, good to have a spare around when you need it quick.
No impulse line, direct to carb. Try not to tear the base gasket when you take the carb off.
That aside, did it come with 3/8 or .325 chain? The former cuts faster, but the latter is smoother. You can also run a rim drum/sprocket on them, this opens up your options.