Is my Husqvarna 455 Rancher worn out?

[Piotr Pakuła]

Saw is worn out. Period. and, your compression gauge doesn't have a brain....its connected to an engine. It doesn't lie.

even though he has no brain ;-) I know he can lie

 

[wanab]

Congrats, those are great saws.

 

[thenne1713]

I didn't see if you pulled the muffler to look for scoring. I'm working on a 455 right now that had less than 50# compression. I expected to find totally roached P&C but it was only a stuck ring - new Caber on order. There are several step by step videos on YT showing the teardown and reassembly of the 455. Good luck!

Husqvna 455 had a stripped mounting screw HOLE for OIL PUMP, (a very special screw from memory?), and POURS/ LEAKS OIL when pump not mounted tight; ANYONE GOT A SOLUTION FROM EXPERIENCE? I tried one epoxy repair, suspect it did not hold well?

 

[dave mclennan]

I made a purchase today. Seemed like the Echo CS-590 has gotten some good press. With a leftover Home Depot gift card it knocked the price to half of what the Still MS-311 would have cost. My only complaint is the 70 tooth bar , I will have to get a new bar to take advantage of all my chains from the 455.
I fully intend on cracking the 455 open and seeing what it needs. I do need a reliable saw around the homestead and I hope this Echo will serve me well.
View attachment 939315

i have a good friend with a timber wolf, hes had it 2 yrs now and i know hes cut dozens or cords of firewood, he told it was was very reliable, and it to had a great price for a 60cc saw good luck

 

[thenne1713]

My 455 Rancher seems to start ok, has trouble idling and then won't restart when warm.

I followed the Husqvarna manual in diagnosing the ignition module, it will throw a spark over a plug that is gaped at .040.
I put a compression tester on it cold and it came up about 110, read about 90 when warmed up. The tester I have was not specific to 2 cycle motors so I am not sure I got 100% seal on the cylinder.
The saw is 11 years old, tough to gauge if its down on power or not. I just know that its not running right and on our property I need a good running saw. I will verify compression tomorrow. Any other thoughts on what the problem might be?

You either have a big gouge, or stuck piston ring; PUT a new ring in, (clean piston ring groove well first) it and try again ($10-$20?); get anothe 10-20-yrs out of it (Husqvarna says 120-PSI =MIN) Good Luck

 

[Backstage]

+1 on the stuck rings for future record. Very common on these saws with a single piston ring, especially run with non synthetic oil. They can collect lots of carbon there.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I made a purchase today. Seemed like the Echo CS-590 has gotten some good press. With a leftover Home Depot gift card it knocked the price to half of what the Still MS-311 would have cost. My only complaint is the 70 tooth bar , I will have to get a new bar to take advantage of all my chains from the 455.
I fully intend on cracking the 455 open and seeing what it needs. I do need a reliable saw around the homestead and I hope this Echo will serve me well.
View attachment 939315

Pretty good purchase, and unlike some older Echo saws the 590 seems easier to work on..

 

[67L36Driver]

The two ring piston for a 620 fits perfect.

I highly recommend it.

 

[Bobbyg123]

Hey guys not sure if this is place to post. Was starting up the 455 rancher, had this saw for 15 years been a wood burner. Choked the saw, started up, pushed in gas trigger and it died out. The saw is getting gas/spark. Checked compression only getting 50 psi... Pulled muffler to check piston and cylinder. Not seeing scaring, but seeing the burnt on the lower side of ring. Question never rebuilt top end, should the cylinder/piston and rings be changed or just the ring. Any help is greatly appreciated

 

[J D]

Hey guys not sure if this is place to post. Was starting up the 455 rancher, had this saw for 15 years been a wood burner. Choked the saw, started up, pushed in gas trigger and it died out. The saw is getting gas/spark. Checked compression only getting 50 psi... Pulled muffler to check piston and cylinder. Not seeing scaring, but seeing the burnt on the lower side of ring. Question never rebuilt top end, should the cylinder/piston and rings be changed or just the ring. Any help is greatly appreciated

A new thread may be better...
You can check the ring is free by pressing on it with a small screw driver or pick, it should have a bit of "springy movement".
Your compression tester may not be suitable for small engines, try it on a known good small motor if you can. Does the saw hold itself up (or drop slowly & gradually) when lifted by the starter rope?
Make sure the decomp (if fitted) isn't pressed also

 

[Bobbyg123]

A new thread may be better...
You can check the ring is free by pressing on it with a small screw driver or pick, it should have a bit of "springy movement".
Your compression tester may not be suitable for small engines, try it on a known good small motor if you can. Does the saw hold itself up (or drop slowly & gradually) when lifted by the starter rope?
Make sure the decomp (if fitted) isn't pressed also

Will check the ring. The pressure holds, I also checked the decomp. Tried compression with it pressed in and it wouldn't climb, pulled it out and wouldn't go above 50 psi. Will try compression tester on another motor. Thanks for the help.
I am not shure how to make a seperate post.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I've seen a few Huskys like that. Probably doesn't need a new top end but needs taken apart, cleaned, and a new ring installed along with sealing the crankcase. If you decide to do it, it might be worthwhile to install new crankshaft seals while you have it apart. That blackness can be removed from the piston with a little 320 automotive sandpaper or just install a new piston.

 

[farmguywithasaw]

I enjoy working on saws and try and find saws to refurbish. Over the years I have repaired a few 455s. At least two of them had no real issues other than stuck rings. Both saws measured low on compression and had pistons with no scoring, but the side of the piston near the rings were somewhat brown and the deposits had solidified enough in the ring grooves to keep them compressed. I don't know if it is a real common thing with that particular model, but on the ones I worked on, once I had things cleaned up and the rings moving freely, they both ran great, so I'd definitely recommend checking for stuck rings.

I have a 345 that I bought with th same issue. It has a lot of carbon buildup. I would say most likely too much oil/ cheap oil or running to rich is that cause

 

[farmguywithasaw]

Hey guys not sure if this is place to post. Was starting up the 455 rancher, had this saw for 15 years been a wood burner. Choked the saw, started up, pushed in gas trigger and it died out. The saw is getting gas/spark. Checked compression only getting 50 psi... Pulled muffler to check piston and cylinder. Not seeing scaring, but seeing the burnt on the lower side of ring. Question never rebuilt top end, should the cylinder/piston and rings be changed or just the ring. Any help is greatly appreciated

If it’s not scored and the plating is good I would do either a piston and ring if the pistons not too expensive or just a ring. For a Stihl ms 310 Oem piston and ring was $250 from my dealer so I went with a little red barn piston and ring

 

[Bobbyg123]

I've seen a few Huskys like that. Probably doesn't need a new top end but needs taken apart, cleaned, and a new ring installed along with sealing the crankcase. If you decide to do it, it might be worthwhile to install new crankshaft seals while you have it apart. That blackness can be removed from the piston with a little 320 automotive sandpaper or just install a new piston.

Thanks Palmer Jr.

 

[Jasonrkba]

Compression that low the bearings are probably carboned up.