Is there a Dolmar guru in the house???

[eyeinstine]

I know there is a few dolmar guys out there, so im hoping i can get some info on a little cheapie project saw i picked up.. Its a 1983 sachs-dolmar 100..

Can anyone tell me about these things before i do much work or spend any money on it?? the power to weight ratio looks pretty decent on paper.. Looking over the saw, i cant tell if its a cheapie home owner model, or a well built saw.. It has lotsa plastic like a cheap saw, ANSI chain, and other things that point to cheapness. But the specs on it look good, the muffler is some heavy duty cast mag piece, and some other things look quality..
So which is it???

Any tricks for easy power increase??

My goal is to have a good, light, fast, small saw to compliment my 61 husky, and as a replacement for the P.O.S. poulan woodshark.

Thanks,
Ron

ps. I am going to make another thread for this, but here goes anyway- I am looking for the small top cover that covers the airfilter, and i need a coil/ignition for it.. Any leads??

 

[Lawn Masters]

Almost any dolmar is a good one, unless its a poulan with dolmar decals added by some strange guy that wants his poulan to look like a dolmar.

 

[TonyM]

Should be a quality saw. To get more power, you could upgrade to the 102 piston/cylinder, which bumps the displacement up to 39cc. The part numbers vary based on whether or not the original saw was a Duplex. Either way a new cylinder runs about $100. Piston assembly runs about $40. If it needs a fresh top end, that would be a good route. Otherwise there's the old standby opening of the muffler, but there's no replacement for displacement.

Oh, and by the way, all saws under 3.7 cu in (I think that's the cut off) have to be sold with low kickback chain by law.

The equivalent Dolmar saw today (PS341) runs in the low to mid $200 range. That should give you an idea what it's worth.

 

[eyeinstine]

Tom,

thanks for the info! Its good to know that the dolmar 100 isnt some one off attempt at homeowner junk.. i kinda like all the plastic in it, cause it is light! I'll keep the 102 piston/cyl in mind if its needed in the future! That would make for a strong, ultra light saw!

i didnt realize the 3.7 and under law for kickback chain.. Learning something everytime i'm here!

Since your on this thread now, and i know you have dolmar knowledge, im gonna blast away with some questions.



Any ideas who to check for on a used top cover and a coil/ign?? the only problem with the saw is the air filter/top cover is missing, and theres no spark.

How about one of those after market ign's?? this is not a points/condensor saw, so the common Atom module is out.

What kind of PSI for compression should i see?? I pulled the muff off and the piston, ring, and cyl wall look great! But i can only get 105 psi from it.. I shot a bit of oil in it, and still only got 105.. Sounds low to me, but cant see why.. maybe just hone job and a new ring is in order??

Is there a non-ansi chain to work with this saw?? i assume .050 3/8's low pro chain is standard on it?????

Can this casted muffler be split opened and worked on?? I'm used to seeing the common stamped sheet metal mufflers..

TIA
Ron

 

[chainsawworld]

the 102 is 2.38 ci. for some reason i can't find the 100.
anything under 110psi is not good..
got me scratching my head marty

 

[TonyM]

Top cover (hood) PN 028 118 140 about $13 new
Filter cover PN 028 118 201 about about $11 new
Coil PN 028 142 021 about $60 new

I don't have any used parts. Just keep watching ebay. Maybe you can find a saw with the parts you are looking for for cheap.

Yes, standard 3/8 lo pro chain. It can be bought without the low kickback bumpers.

My parts book shows a muffler that seperates when you remove the bolts, so I'm not sure what you have. It doesn't look to be a very restrictive design, so there may not be much room for improvement there.

What does the piston ring end gap measure when you put the ring in the cylinder by itself? You probably have a worn piston ring.

 

[TonyM]

100 is 33cc or 2.0 cu in. 37mm bore versus 40mm bore.

 

[eyeinstine]

Marty,

the specs for the 100 are on that acres-something site.. the one with all the old saws and specs and stuff.. I dont have the link handy, but you probably know what i'm talkin about..

Yes, im scratchin my head on the PSI number too... looking thru the exhuast port, everything looks VERY nice.. I guess i'll just pull it apart and check things out better; but i'm wondering if i should run it once first, and recheck the compression.. BUt with no spark, i need to get the ign fixed before firing her up..

Thanks
Ron

 

[eyeinstine]

marty, thanks for those numbers and prices.. the filter cover is what i need.. any idea if the bolt thingie is included that hold the cover on?? not worth searching for a used one when the new one is only 11$ ! Now the coil is a different story.

i havent taken the cyl off yet to check ring end gap. If i can get by with just a new ring, and get the filter cover, i assume i can order parts from you?? Dont know of any Dolmar dealers around here, and i would rather order from a site sponser.

I'll check out that muffler closer..

Thanks again!
Ron

Top cover (hood) PN 028 118 140 about $13 new
Filter cover PN 028 118 201 about about $11 new
Coil PN 028 142 021 about $60 new


My parts book shows a muffler that seperates when you remover the bolts, so I'm not sure what you have. It doesn't look to be a very restrictive design, so there may not be much room for improvment there.

What does the piston ring end gap measure when you put the ring in the cylinder by itself? You probably have a worn piston ring.

 

[TonyM]

Yes, the air filter cover is a complete assembly. Send me an email or PM, and let's see what we can do.

 

[eyeinstine]

thanks again Tony!

I'll shot you a PM real soon; as soon as i figure out what everything i do or dont need.. I just wish i had spark, so i could run it a bit, and make sure nothing else is bad. Anyone know of a after market Atom type module that works in the electronic ign saws??? I 'thought' i read a thread about it here on AS a month or so ago..

If i must use the original type coil, then i do believe my best best would be to search out a parts saw, and that may also get the top cover and other parts i may need.

or i could just stop being cheap, since i only have 21$ in the thing so far!

Ron

 

[Lawn Masters]

Theres a 100 on ebay right now, if you're interested. just search Dolmar, and it'll come up.

 

[eyeinstine]

oldsaw,

i just found that a few minutes ago too... There is also the modern equiv from the makita line on ebay too.. But both are a bit more than i planned on spending... hence my 21$ dolmar needing some minor parts and a bit of free TLC from me..

Have fun!

Ron

 

[chainsawworld]

ron,
i am going to e-mail you the number for makita/sachs-dolmar direct.
marty

 

[Saw Man]

Dolmar 100 was the world's first small vertcial cylinder up front muffler chain saw.
Remember seeing some of the first ones to hit the USA. I was on the other side then, and was fascinated, but at the same time had to sell against it.
They have built over one million....1,000, 000 saws off that family design platform. Today's PS341, and PS401 are great, great grandchildren of the 100.

 

[keith c raymond]

Not that long ago, when the "saw bug" bit (thanks guys) I sold a dolmar 100 to a guy at work. I had coil problems too. Hows your 61 husky? I love mine ,quite a saw.

 

[galde]

Ron: When I have a dead solid state ignition I first do a trick that has worked about 75 percent (in about 50 instances) of the time for me. I pick up a lot of saws at garage sales, flea markets, dumpsters, etc that won't start and hence are either real cheap or even free for the taking. If there is no spark, then I would rather it be a points-and-condensor type, because they are almost always an easy fix -- just clean and gap the points. The electronic types have about 50-cents worth of transistor components encapsulated with the coil, but when these chips fail, the entire unit must be replaced. It would be great if the electronic stuff were in a replaceable external plug-in attachment that should sell for $5 or so, not the $50 to $100 that the modules usually cost. Most of the dead modules I have encountered are not actually dead, they are asleep. Many can be revived by the following process. Remove the spark plug and attach the plugwire to either a grounded test plug or the grounded plug. Add a squirt of oil to the top of the piston and distribute it in the cylinder. Fit a socket to either the flywheel nut or clutch nut, whichever is available. Put a socket adapter in an electric drill, preferrably a 1/4 inch drill (reversible if attached to the flywheel nut)that turns up 2000 or 2500 rpm. Make sure the kill switch is in the ON position. Use the drill to spin the crankshaft while watching for a spark. Sometimes I get the spark restored in a few seconds, sometimes it might take up to a minute. This is worth a try before shelling out for a new ignition module.

 

[spacemule]

Tom,

thanks for the info! Its good to know that the dolmar 100 isnt some one off attempt at homeowner junk.. i kinda like all the plastic in it, cause it is light! I'll keep the 102 piston/cyl in mind if its needed in the future! That would make for a strong, ultra light saw!

i didnt realize the 3.7 and under law for kickback chain.. Learning something everytime i'm here!

Since your on this thread now, and i know you have dolmar knowledge, im gonna blast away with some questions.



Any ideas who to check for on a used top cover and a coil/ign?? the only problem with the saw is the air filter/top cover is missing, and theres no spark.

How about one of those after market ign's?? this is not a points/condensor saw, so the common Atom module is out.

What kind of PSI for compression should i see?? I pulled the muff off and the piston, ring, and cyl wall look great! But i can only get 105 psi from it.. I shot a bit of oil in it, and still only got 105.. Sounds low to me, but cant see why.. maybe just hone job and a new ring is in order??

Is there a non-ansi chain to work with this saw?? i assume .050 3/8's low pro chain is standard on it?????

Can this casted muffler be split opened and worked on?? I'm used to seeing the common stamped sheet metal mufflers..

TIA
Ron

What kind of compression tester are you using? A lot of automotive ones will displace too much volume of air to give an accurate reading. The best way is to hang the saw by the starter cord. If it will hang on compression alone or slowly pull out, your compression is fine.

 

[eyeinstine]

Dolmar 100 was the world's first small vertcial cylinder up front muffler chain saw.
Remember seeing some of the first ones to hit the USA. I was on the other side then, and was fascinated, but at the same time had to sell against it.
They have built over one million....1,000, 000 saws off that family design platform. Today's PS341, and PS401 are great, great grandchildren of the 100.

Thanks sawman! I feel better know! Atleast i'm not wasting my time on cheapie homeowner saw. I guess knowing that, i'm just gonna tear her down for the hell of it; and see what things look like, clean it up, at put it back together with what ever parts it needs..

thanks
Ron

 

[eyeinstine]

Not that long ago, when the "saw bug" bit (thanks guys) I sold a dolmar 100 to a guy at work. I had coil problems too. Hows your 61 husky? I love mine ,quite a saw.

Howdy keith,
funny how the saw bug bites.. Even worse, is im not a tree care professional, and other than cutting and burning 3 cords of wood a year, i have no need for chainsaws.. One would do, but what fun would that be??

I like my 61 husky.. Its my main saw.. Mine is a Rancher 61, and looking at the specs, it seems it is down a little on power compared to the regualr 61.. But i cant see why.. Everything looks the same, bore & stroke, carb, etc.. Anyone know why that is?? anything i can do to get some more omph from it??

One thing i dont like with it, is the chain brake is too sensitive... If i rock it while cutting using the dogs, and even force it just a little into the cut, the brake locks on.. Really a pain in the arse.. I need to find a copy of the manual, and see how to adjust it right.. Anyone out there with a husky 61 manual in PDF????
Guess i mighnt having better luck starting a new thread on the 61 if i dont hear much on this thread...

Thanks again,