McCulloch Chain Saws

[homelitejim]

I just knew that eagle eye Aaron would spot it.

Nothing hi-tech, as I said old technology:

View attachment 246106

Ron

I have one of those waiting to go on either my PM850 or SP80, Been on vacation with the family, no saws allowed except the one I used to gather firewood, the wife was not happy I brought it until she had to pay $5 for about a hour of fire. I only had room for a small saw so no yellow saws made the trip, I would like to thank the Oregon Park Ranger who hinted on where to turn off the 101 to gather firewood, saved me a bunch of time scouting in my 24 foot RV, again wife was not happy to see firewood stacked chest high in her RV. Had enough wood that I gave a bunch away at the end of our stay to some kid who actually asked before I left. Me and the 101 are jinxed, every time I am returning home the 101 always makes sure I spend a bunch of money fixing my rigs so I will be limited on my saw stuff for a few paychecks, Ole Les Schwab saw me coming a mile away.

By the way, that is a really nice PM800, I look forward to the day I find mine.

 

[rheima]

Priming

I have taken a cap full from the gas can and poured it in the spark plug hole and had good results.(no fires yet)


Ray

 

[rwoods]

Thanks for all the compliments and tips. I'll try the cap full later. I just now replaced the impulse line and reset the coil gap. Still nothing more than a hint. Ron

 

[rwoods]

oh, i see. anything to help with the starting of these motors.

I thought that little pulley would be helpful when I'm out cutting as I can sit the saw on a log and pull almost straight back left-handed. We'll see. I don't know for what model this was made. You might not have noticed but it doesn't have the little flare from 4:00 to 6:00 that the later models have. I assume this was added to better protect the sawdust guard. As I continue to compare "old" with "new", I am amazed at all the extra metal (i.e. weight) the newer saws have over the older saws. Only the tank and the c/c seem to have stayed close to the same in weight. Everything else has gotten heavier. Ron

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Where is everybody today? I worked on my suspected PM805 today. I filled it full of mix only to discover that the fuel line was leaking badly. After it drained down, I tried to start the saw. I got it to pop once but then I sheared the flywheel key. Remember our discussion about hard ebay fuel lines. Well, the old one looked new and was nice and supple but it sure didn't snug up tight. I installed one of my nice new flexible lines and it leaked almost as bad as the one I took off. I dug out one of the hard ones I had complained about earlier and I could see that the bulk head bulge was bigger. I put it on - all when well except I had to take the carb off to get it on - no problem with the flexible (but useless) ones. I replaced the key. And proceeded to wear myself out trying to crank the saw. I had spark and a new plug. I can't ever tell if I have prime something enough or too much. Do you guys actually pour a tablespoon into the cylinder? I have had good success in the past just dousing the air filter but not this time. As I said it is awful quiet around here. Maybe things will change later. Ron

Rather than posting I have been putting together a Mac 610 the local mower shop sold me. It needed the starter rope tightened up a bit and a new fuel line because the old one crumbled when I touched it. Former owner said it was a running saw, wonder how long it would run with a broken fuel line and...it looked like someone had put transmission fluid in the gas tank. You never know what you're gonna find when you buy a used saw.

 

[BroncoRN]

Where is everybody today? I worked on my suspected PM805 today. I filled it full of mix only to discover that the fuel line was leaking badly. After it drained down, I tried to start the saw. I got it to pop once but then I sheared the flywheel key. Remember our discussion about hard ebay fuel lines. Well, the old one looked new and was nice and supple but it sure didn't snug up tight. I installed one of my nice new flexible lines and it leaked almost as bad as the one I took off. I dug out one of the hard ones I had complained about earlier and I could see that the bulk head bulge was bigger. I put it on - all when well except I had to take the carb off to get it on - no problem with the flexible (but useless) ones. I replaced the key. And proceeded to wear myself out trying to crank the saw. I had spark and a new plug. I can't ever tell if I have prime something enough or too much. Do you guys actually pour a tablespoon into the cylinder? I have had good success in the past just dousing the air filter but not this time. As I said it is awful quiet around here. Maybe things will change later. Ron

I got a small ketchup bottle from walmart. One squirt in plug hole. No choke, pull 6-8 times should get you somewhere.

 

[BroncoRN]

What a weak, wimpy saw that is. No power, and no compression. BroncoRN will be terribly disappointed in it I'm sure....:jester:



Man that's a beast. Didn't even slow down when it started cutting into the two bottom logs under the single. Good job Joey!


I'm not surprised that it pulled 3/8-8 so well in that wood. My high hours SP-81 still runs a 32" bar (with a 3/8-7 rim) burried in Maple just fine. Your video makes me wanna rebuild my second SP-81 (roached and locked up) with the NOS parts now sitting on a shelf in the bedroom.


If that's the same clutch that was on the saw when BroncoRN got it from that ebay *******, then who knows what sort of abuse it'd been through. Not surprising that the spider/hub failed. Glad that you and the saw weren't harmed.

David will love it!

 

[heimannm]

Busy day at work, then spent the evening in the (air conditioned) shop cleaning up the next project...a sort of baby blue 795L derivative. Found some corrosion in the bottom of the fuel tank had eaten a small hole all the way through so the last step for tonight was to mix up and apply a bit of JB Weld. I will get some photo's up eventually...

I normally try to start a new project with a bit of prime, I have one of those "piston oiler" pump type oil can filled with mix. A few squirts down the throat can save a lot of pulls, especially on the bigger saws.

By the way Ron, nice roller fair lead on the starter. I have several of the older large frame saws with that kind of set up but I've never seen one on a 10 Series before.

Mark

 

[heimannm]

Current project, 795L based cut off saw sold as a "Target". I have a "Stowe" version as well but it is really shot, may just clean it up and put it up on the shelf as is.

The pair

Inside the tank

One spot goes all the way through

After blasting to remove all the corrosion, I covered the bad spots with JB Weld

Mark

 

[dieselsmoke]

What's going on with the no-starts?? Kyle posted with problems last week, now Ron's 850 is a no go. Is the heat? or maybe the Homelite crew cast a hex on the mac users.

That certainly is a nice looking 850 Ron. good luck with the start up.

 

[Eccentric]

I just knew that eagle eye Aaron would spot it.

Nothing hi-tech, as I said old technology:

View attachment 246106

Ron

I thought that little pulley would be helpful when I'm out cutting as I can sit the saw on a log and pull almost straight back left-handed. We'll see. I don't know for what model this was made. You might not have noticed but it doesn't have the little flare from 4:00 to 6:00 that the later models have. I assume this was added to better protect the sawdust guard. As I continue to compare "old" with "new", I am amazed at all the extra metal (i.e. weight) the newer saws have over the older saws. Only the tank and the c/c seem to have stayed close to the same in weight. Everything else has gotten heavier. Ron

I missed that in the other pics, but can clearly see it now. I'd never seen one of those on a 10-series until recently. A buddy gave me a 10-10A (almost exactly like the 10-10A that I donated to the Stumpy raffle) a couple months ago. It has the exact same roller starter setup that you pictured Ron. I'll probably put it on one of my SP-81's and put the SP-81 starter cover on this 10-10A. My other 10-10A didn't have it. I'll get the model/serial number off of the 10-10A this weekend.

Here's the only digital pic I have of that latest 10-10A. I'll shoot more. It's the only yeller saw in the shot (not counting the hardcase for Dad's PM320 on the bottom left). You can just see the roller shining at the top right corner of the starter cover.

 

[heimannm]

I have a D-44 in the shop now that I could not get to start evn though I went through the carburetor and replaced the fuel line. I chalk it up to the 85 PSI compression...I have rings and we may try to remedy that problem on Saturday.

Mark

 

[dieselsmoke]

I did get a couple evenings of cutting back in June, up at my neighbors clear-cut. I whittled down a 6' high double stump into blocks that I could man handle into the truck. It was quite a workout for me working alone. The trusty ol SP-80 ran perfect, as expected. It was a joy to run next to the Stxxl 051 I brought. Man, what an over-weight pig. They both survived mostly WOT for a full tank, befor I would trade off. I'll try pics again....

 

[promac850]

What's going on with the no-starts?? Kyle posted with problems last week, now Ron's 850 is a no go. Is the heat? or maybe the Homelite crew cast a hex on the mac users.

That certainly is a nice looking 850 Ron. good luck with the start up.

I have no idea. I just put a new coil on about 30 minutes ago and trying to start it yields nothing.

I'm going back to square one and checking the fuel mix.

I added just a touch more oil in the tank and poured the fuel in (supposed to be somewhere around 32:1-40:1 the way I mix it in the can, tried to get a little more for extra break in lubrication) I'm thinking there may be a bit too much oil and maybe that's why it won't run. I did the same thing with my Ryobi trimmer once, added 40:1 to the tank and tried to start it, nothing. Poured some back into the mix can, and added just a touch of straight gas to make it something close to 50:1. Fired right up.

That could be the problem. I primed it down the throat, and it barked. Has fuel all the way down the line to the carb. I imagine too much oil could thicken up the fuel so much that it plugs the carb passages.

I'll report back after I eat some supper. I'm hungry enough to eat a friggin bear.

If filling it up with 40:1 doesn't solve the problem, then some ****** probably did place some kind of curse on us...

 

[dieselsmoke]

Its not your mix ratio. Have you tried several different spark plugs? Or pull a spark plug from a runner, like your 610. My 740 gave me grey hair a while ago with intermitant spark problems. It turned out to be a small break in the insulation of the wire from the points to the coil, where it passed under the point plate. years of vibration wore down the insulation and it would ground out, but not all of the time. It drove me crazy til I found it. Just my .02. And good luck! :bang:

 

[promac850]

Its not your mix ratio. Have you tried several different spark plugs? Or pull a spark plug from a runner, like your 610. My 740 gave me grey hair a while ago with intermitant spark problems. It turned out to be a small break in the insulation of the wire from the points to the coil, where it passed under the point plate. years of vibration wore down the insulation and it would ground out, but not all of the time. It drove me crazy til I found it. Just my .02. And good luck! :bang:

I bought a brand new in box DJ8J. It works fine and sparks bright blue. New coil, new points.

Checked those wires carefully and they look fine. I'll check them again though... I'll clean them and verify that they are good.

As for insulation on those wires, the one I have running from the points to the coil has a plastic insulation sleeve over the wire where it passes through that holding plate. Did yours wear through that, or was it just a plain wire with no sleeve on it?

It almost ran... and then I broke the recoil rope. :censored::bang:

Gonna have to get a new one tomorrow, and I'll also be grabbing a easier to grip recoil handle as well. Not a giant bugger of one, but definitely one that will allow me to pull it over real hard. It only bit me three times today, compared to nearly every other pull before I reset the points.

 

[rwoods]

Kyle, don't feel lonely. I just spent another 45 minutes trying to start the PM805. Nothing. 10cc of mix down the carb. Nothing. 10cc through the hole. Nothing. Aired it out. Nothing. DSP on. Nothing. DSP off. Nothing. New plug with nice spark. Removed, cleaned and replaced DSP. Nothing. Reset carb Hi and Lo. Nothing. Compression doesn't feel as strong as when I tested it a week ago and got 170 p.s.i. readings (though maybe with all this exercise I'm getting stronger). Compression gauge is now on the fritz again as it will lose 20+ p.s.i. between strokes - I have yet to find a local source for replacement valves and the a/c valves suggested by someone long ago wouldn't work for me. I guess I messed up the seal when I left it charged with the last 170 reading. Tonight I consistantly get 110 p.s.i. on the first pull (my tester is a NAPA short hose small engine tester), 120 on the next and then it will go 140 back to 120 and then it may hit 140 again or drop as low as 80. :bang: Even if I only had 110 p.s.i. it should fire with the DSP off. I may try another plug but I don't think that is the issue. I'm sweating like a pig and will give it a rest for awhile.

Dieselsmoke, thanks for the compliment. The saw in the pictures is my just rebuilt favorite PM800 - it starts and runs. The saw that won't start is an eBay frankensaw that I believe to be a PM805.

Ron

 

[cpr]

Most likely the heat. It seems to really affect the large surface-area Tillys and flattys. Mine won't run worth a hoot above 80. My S797 and 125c with smaller diaphram SDCs are drop-dead reliable...

 

[Toolslinger]

Geesh... I'm glad I don't have time to even try to start mine right now with the track record you guys have going...

 

[rwoods]

I'm guessing that it is the carb.

I cooled down so I just now switched out the plugs using the plug from my fav 800 (also a new plug from the same carton of 4). The 805 fired up instantly. Rev'd well but wouldn't idle. Started once or twice more. I put the "old" new plug back in just to see, and it wouldn't start. I put the 800 plug back in and it still won't start. So I put the 805 plug in the 800 and it starts right up. All of which leads me to conclude it isn't the plug but may be the carb. I'll switch the carbs out later in the week as I got in enough trouble last night with gas fumes leaking out of the lab. :msp_rolleyes: Ron