Husqvarna 266se

[willysmn]

266se free

Hi there Cant Dog. How are you doing way up there?
this has been a very educational discussion for me, although my 266s run well.
They seem to be just right for multipurpose work, with smaller trees.
willysmn in NM

 

[Cantdog]

"Hey there yourself"

How are things in the land of mountains and desert?? Things are good (normal) here if you like 9 hrs. of daylight and temps in the teens!! But things will be looking up soon, days will begin to get a bit longer and the temps will drop to zero and beyond........good for working in the woods when the wet/muddy places become hard as concrete and logs move easy and stay clean in the snow.

I have never had a 266 but have all the saws around them in that family. As you said great all round saws. Very well designed and easy to work on too. I was using the 61/268XP in my sig yesterday and just adore that saw. I was taking down a 28" standing dead, very twisted cherry for firewood. The cherry we have here is very hard when allowed to dry and weather for a few yrs still standing. It has a 20" bar and double dawgs. Man you can just bury the bar and pivot right around the butt like a can opener. It is very hard to slow it down at all. It is capable of working 99% of the trees that grow around here. It is a bit heavy for limbing but thats where one of my trusty 49SPs shine!!

 

[subhunter]

Cantdog, I have not had the time to get back around that saw since my last post.
I can tell you that the dust sheild is in place and was not damaged in any way. Also on this model the throttle linkage is oppisite the fuel line and that isnt a problem.
I am trying to figure out how to vacuum test this saw as it has no impulse line??
Can I use an old compression testers hose and screw it into the plug and hook the vac pump to it that way?

Also it very well could be the carb as the rest of this saw was so crummy and caked up it looked as if it had not EVER been taken apart and cleaned or serviced.
Hopefully I can get around to taking a peek at the crank seals later this week but who knows. Thanks again for the replies!

 

[willysmn]

266SE free

Things are very dry here, ie no snow due to La Nina weather pattern. Going to be seriouly bad fire danger and water shortages if it does not let up, which it may not.
You have some interesting hardwood/firewood trees up there, none like that in this country. In AZ, the Mesquite is big enough to cut as firewood and very hard wood dry, so break,not cut.
SO I should look into a 49sp maybe. I recall eading some cutting results where you had those screaming. A small Homelite was second, I do have two of those.
A good winter to you. The short days up north might get me. I'd need a well lighted, warm shop.

How are things in the land of mountains and desert?? Things are good (normal) here if you like 9 hrs. of daylight and temps in the teens!! But things will be looking up soon, days will begin to get a bit longer and the temps will drop to zero and beyond........good for working in the woods when the wet/muddy places become hard as concrete and logs move easy and stay clean in the snow.

I have never had a 266 but have all the saws around them in that family. As you said great all round saws. Very well designed and easy to work on too. I was using the 61/268XP in my sig yesterday and just adore that saw. I was taking down a 28" standing dead, very twisted cherry for firewood. The cherry we have here is very hard when allowed to dry and weather for a few yrs still standing. It has a 20" bar and double dawgs. Man you can just bury the bar and pivot right around the butt like a can opener. It is very hard to slow it down at all. It is capable of working 99% of the trees that grow around here. It is a bit heavy for limbing but thats where one of my trusty 49SPs shine!!

 

[Cantdog]

Cantdog, I have not had the time to get back around that saw since my last post.
I can tell you that the dust sheild is in place and was not damaged in any way. Also on this model the throttle linkage is oppisite the fuel line and that isnt a problem.
I am trying to figure out how to vacuum test this saw as it has no impulse line??
Can I use an old compression testers hose and screw it into the plug and hook the vac pump to it that way?

Also it very well could be the carb as the rest of this saw was so crummy and caked up it looked as if it had not EVER been taken apart and cleaned or serviced.
Hopefully I can get around to taking a peek at the crank seals later this week but who knows. Thanks again for the replies!

I'd do the carb before I got carried away with seals. Another thing, that O-ring I mentioned could be leaking and allowing bar oil into the crankcase behind the seal if your oil pump has problems (leaks). It can also be a great place for an air leak. But the carb would be my guess. Seals go bad but in my experience carbs need way more attention than seals. When you do the carb make sure you pay close attention to the filter screen inside the carb. It is right under the top cover and is right near where the fuel enters the carb. It sits down in a hole about 1/4" in dia. These are the final fuel filter and get overlooked alot. There will be a new one in the kit.

You're right about the linkage. I mix and match Jred carbs on some of these saws and they have quite a choke/high idle linkage on the right hand side, which has given me throttle problems with the fuel line before.

Good your dust shield is/was in place..I've gotten saws that were missing these. Quite important...

 

[woodyman]

Hope everything works out on your 266.I ran one for many years till my buds 359 beat it.

Never did have dogs on it or my 44 rancher.

 

[willysmn]

266se free

Nice 266.
Put a dose of nitro in the tank to beat the 359. but not much.

 

[subhunter]

Today I got some spare time to rebuild the carb and look at the oil pump. The O ring that ( I assume) seals the pump housing was kinda iffy so I called around and cant find one at any of the local dealers or auto parts stores. I also looked at the seal and to my untrained eye it looked to be OK but I could be wrong on that.

The problem is that I got it running again and it seemed to run better after the carb rebuild but it still is leaking oil out of the muffler. The carb had some rusty colored gummy stuff in it and on the L needle. It didn't race wildly like before today until it got nice and warm and then it did race for a bit but settled back down. I am guessing it does have an air leak most likely through the oil tank and maybe the clutch side seal also.

My big question is how will I go about doing a vacuum test on a saw with no impulse line?
THANKS AGAIN
*edit*
THe time when it did race after it was hot was after I blipped the throttle several times then it raced but settled down. BUT afterwards when I pulled it over to start it again the chain would also turn as I pulled the start cord and it was noticeably harder to pull over. It doesn't turn everytime I pull the cord though. Could this be a bearing symptom as well?

 

[Cantdog]

If you can't find that o-ring at your local Husky dealer...google.... partstree.com you will find what you need. If it's iffy change it out. Might as well get atleast one crank seal at the same time and change the clutch side seal while the pump is out to replace the o-ring.

 

[subhunter]

Right I plan on replacing the seal at that time. BUT my biggest concern is doing a vac test to the saw before I really damage it. I cant seem to find anything that shows/ explains doing a vac test to a saw like this with no impulse line.

 

[Cantdog]

Well you have to block off (air tight)the intake and exhaust ports and create/use some kind of fitting in one of these openings to connect to whatever you are using to develop vac/pressure.

Don't know but in my world......I just replace all seals and other opportunities for leaks at one time. If the left side seal is leaking......how long before the right side does too? I know this flies in the face of AS thoughts but I rarely do these tests. It takes longes to test than it does to replace all the seals and gaskets in a saw motor. Not saying testing is not sometimes needed but time is money and seals are pretty cheap and when your done you know none of the seals are the problem. (if you still have a problem)

 

[almondgt]

Replace the crank seals and oring and you shouldn't have to do a vac test as long as your crankcase gasket is in good condition. Make sure all your intake gaskets from carb to cylinder head are in good shape. Make sure your fuel line is not damaged in any way. A proper carb rebuild entails soaking the carb in carb cleaner overnight prior to reassembly.:chainsawguy:

 

[subhunter]

OK so is the FW side seal as easy as the clutch side to replace? I am not sure of the crank case gasket but I wouldnt be shocked if it was also in need of replacing.

 

[almondgt]

Replace crankcase gasket is not preferable but you would know what you have got if you did get in there. Unlikely there is any leakage due to corrosion of the case sides but if there is you will definately know where you stand. No more guessing. The saw is old and the crankcase gasket should be replaced if your are serious about using the saw and repairing it too last. Fair amount of work, been there done that.:chainsawguy:

 

[272super]

I leak test these saws quite a bit. I use inner tube rubber to block of intake and exhaust. I made block off plates because I do these saws alot,but you can use muffler and intake/carb to block off if you need to. I then take my pressure reading through spark plug hole. I took an old plug and knocked electrode out and then attached tester to that with a hose. There are plenty of ways to connect tester to spark plug hole. Also can use compression tester(quick disconnect type) half with valve removed.Make sure piston is at BDC so you can pressurize the crankcase easier. I test at 7-8 psi. This is a very easy test and essential for any 2 cycle. It eliminates so many potential problems.

I was able to get an o-ring from a hardware store by matching it up. It is thinner than most.

 

[woodyman]

I think there was a leak test on older saws with no impulse line thread awhile back with pics.Might have been Fourpaws that did it.He did it about the same way 272super said.

 

[subhunter]

ok I am about to pull the trigger on new seals and a few other parts. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CONFIRM THAT THE FLYWHEEL SIDE SEAL IS SAME AS CLUTCH? I cant seem to find it in my IPL about the FW side, also how hard is it to replace the FW side seal?
thanks

 

[272super]

ok I am about to pull the trigger on new seals and a few other parts. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CONFIRM THAT THE FLYWHEEL SIDE SEAL IS SAME AS CLUTCH? I cant seem to find it in my IPL about the FW side, also how hard is it to replace the FW side seal?
thanks

They are the same seals. Pull the flywheel. To remove seal,drill a small hole in seal,insert small screw and grab screw with pliers to remove. Probably other ways to do it but that works for me. Be careful when drilling.

 

[subhunter]

Ok I got the seals ordered along with my other parts. My next question is how many crank case screws are there? and is there a pin (or 2)I should be looking for like on the stihl saws?
Got it almost ready to split

 

[subhunter]

OK I just got the jug off and it is in very nice shape. What has me confused :monkey:
is the FW side had the three screws holding a plastic piece on. It seems to me that is where my seal is on the FW side and the PTO side it is in the oil pump. (Bear with me as this is my first time replacing seals and splitting the case) How do the seals come out of the pump and the plastic triangle?

Also I tried to go ahead and split the case with the 2 jaw puller and the piece of steel I have. It seemed as if I was putting a whole lot of pressure on the crank. Is this normal? and did I miss those pins or what??

THANKS AGAIN GUYS FOR ALL THE GUIDANCE!!! :yourock: