How concerned should I be about RPM at idle (as mfr specified?)

[jtGenerator]

Hi guys. I recently finished replacing the carb and other parts on my Husky 55 Rancher. I set the L and H screws at 1 turn out on the new (China) carb and fired it up. It seemed to be OK. I adjusted the idle as I've seen recommended here by turning the "T" screw clockwise till the chain started to move then backed it off till it became still again.
The saw would start and seemed to run and cut well. I'm no expert on tuning by ear but it sounded burbly on idle, accelerated well and seemed to cut just fine.
That's when I decided to check the RPM on the idle with my newfangled tach. Husqvarna manual recommends the idle speed be 2500. My tach was jumping around a lot but seemed to be in the neighborhood of 3400 sometimes more sometimes less.
I turned the "T" screw down and couldn't keep the saw running whenever I got idle down to roughly 2500 rpm. It also wouldn't start for me unless I stuck my boot on the throttle while yanking the cord. I'm not real happy starting that way.
There is a lot of discussion of max rpm at full throttle, but not much info I could find regarding tach use on setting idle.
In short, I can't get the saw to start right or stay running when I lower the idle setting anywhere near the recommended setting.
How concerned should I be that my saw wants to idle at 3400-3500 rpm? Bursts of full throttle tach at about 11,700 or so. (I can't seem to find a published max WOT speed specification on my saw).
Should I ignore the spec? If not, what might I have to do to get it to operate near that recommended idle speed?
Any/all suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[cus_deluxe]

Unless there are other issues with the saw i bet your L screw needs adjustment

 

[jtGenerator]

Unless there are other issues with the saw i bet your L screw needs adjustment

Are you suggesting that the idle speed will slow if I were to adjust the L screw?
I don't doubt that the low speed adjustment is not right on, but I'm uncertain of the proper procedure with which to address this.
Again, anytime I get the speed of idle down near suggested, (by adjusting the T screw) it dies and won't start without throttle pressure.

 

[ANewSawyer]

(Talking to myself: Is it too rich, that it needs the extra air? Or too lean that it needs the extra WOT fuel?) OK, set it to the 2500, and start richening the L screw, usually that means counterclockwise. Blip the throttle to keep it from dying. If that doesn't keep it from dying repeat but lean it out, turning clockwise. Remember to start from the 1 turn out so you don't get lost about where the screw is at.

 

[alexcagle]

The clutch should be engaging at that high of an idle. That's not a good thing.
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It is not the goal to obtain a smooth idle on a 2 stroke. It should be rich enough that it sounds a bit like a harley. That richness helps it transist from idle to full throttle.
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The chinese carburetors that I've seen don't really have any uniformity as to where the needles should be set as a base settings.
I've seen one recently that when tuned best, ended up up at 1/4 turn out on the "L"., and 3-1/2 turns out on the "H" screw. Lol..
That speaks for their quality right there....
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First of all, make sure your air filter flows air. You should be able to blow through the media. To clean your air filter, use either carb cleaner or lacquer thinner, and blow it dry with compressed air. An oily air filter can really restrict airflow.
If it's oily, then why?
Intake skirt wear on the piston can cause a back spray, or "spitback" to come back out of the carburetor.
Then, as the fuel evaporates off the filter, the oil remains.
However, this usually pertains to higher use saws, water ingestion damage, or deep vertical scratches on the skirt.
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You should be able to turn the idle "L" screw clockwise to where it's at it's highest idle (or leanest point) before dropping off. Then set the idle to about 2800 rpm.
Bear in mind that you may initially need to open (counterclockwise), the "L" screw to obtain the 2800 RPM lean dropoff point.
Then open only the "L" screw (counterclockwise) until it richens up and drops the idle down to around 2500 rpm.
If it still can't reach down to 2500 or 2600 rpm, then you may have an excessive ring gap, or a worn piston intake skirt, or a scored piston.

 

[jtGenerator]

Alex,
You said:
"The clutch should be engaging at that high of an idle. That's not a good thing."
I found some notes I wrote while browsing online. It appears I did run across some info on my saw which I wrote on the back of an envelope: "17.4/9000", "Max Speed 12500", "Engagement 3700"
I'm unsure what the first pair of numbers mean, but the "Engagement" would seem to be when the clutch would engage the chain. My finding of highest non-engagement at 3400 or so would seem to fit.

You suggested this methodology:
"You should be able to turn the idle "L" screw clockwise to where it's at it's highest idle (or leanest point) before dropping off. Then set the idle to about 2800 rpm."
Am I to presume that you suggest that I use the L screw as described first, then "set the idle to 2800" using the "T" screw?

I appreciate your willingness to suggest a strategy, but confess to not understanding the following:
"Bear in mind that you may initially need to open (counterclockwise), the "L" screw to obtain the 2800 RPM lean dropoff point.
Then open only the "L" screw (counterclockwise) until it richens up and drops the idle down to around 2500 rpm."

Thanks again for the pointers. I'll give it another session this evening and hopefully make some progress.
jtg