My 550xp is lemon, there is no hope!

[lovemysan]

I purchased this 550xp in the fall of 2012. It had a hesitation and was finicky to start so I returned it to the dealer in jan of 2013. I paid them $45 for a diagnostic and was told the saw was tip top shape. I feel this dealer was dishonest. I took the saw out first week of march and intended to cut 3-4 loads of wood. It died 5 minutes into the second tank and wouldn't restart. A member here who is a husky dealer offered to help me out and look the saw over. Long story short My wife had a rough pregnancy and lost a baby and generally had a sucky year with no time to do any wood cutting. I mothballed the saw. March 2014, lost my dad in the ER at 62 years old. I got seriously ill with gall bladder, liver ,and digestive problems. I sent the saw out oct 2014. The dealer was busy so it took a while to get to it. He found it was scored. It passed a pressure test. No obvious problems were found. Carb showed no codes and 6 or 8 hours of total time. Dealer said most likely cause was bad gas. I'm thinking Carb(I'm really careful with my gas, more on that later). The dealer installed a new top end for a fantastic price. He really took care of me. For piece of mind I had him install a brand new carburetor. I got the saw back and put 10 minutes of break in time on it. It seemed to run fine. It would lean out in the cut but I supposed it was doing its thing. I cut all the wood I had on hand. It was used another 20 minutes total around Dec 20th. I went out a little while ago and it would not start. I'm so sick of this saw. About the gas I used Non ethanol premium fuel with stihl ultra. I have 5 other machines that drink from the same can. Including an old 345 that has finished all the work that I couldn't get done with this expensive paperweight. I paid 689+tax. I spent another $300 getting it rebuilt and as best I can tell it will never run right. I suppose I got lemon and should have tossed it into a river the first time it gave trouble it would have been a lot cheaper.

 

[stihlaficionado]

The dealer should not have charged you $45 for a diagnostic of saw that was still under warranty.

 

[CR888]

If a saw has an air leak you can replace top ends till the cows come home and all you will do is toast another top end. Cross that dealer off your list and send it to a sponser here who is a husky dealer who takes pride in his work. Sounds like problem was never properly diagnosed. Good new is Husky has massively cut prices on cylinder kits. My opinion is the dealer you think looked after you did the exact opposite, had he been batting for you and not himself he would have made a case for a full warranty repair and fixed the actual cause issue rather than replacing parts at great expense too you. Hope a sponser chimes in to give you the help you deserved first time round. Sad to hear story's like this but unfortunately there far too common.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

If a saw has an air leak you can replace top ends till the cows come home and all you will do is toast another top end. Cross that dealer off your list and send it to a sponser here who is a husky dealer who takes pride in his work. Sounds like problem was never properly diagnosed. Good new is Husky has massively cut prices on cylinder kits. My opinion is the dealer you think looked after you did the exact opposite, had he been batting for you and not himself he would have made a case for a full warranty repair and fixed the actual cause issue rather than replacing parts at great expense too you. Hope a sponser chimes in to give you the help you deserved first time round. Sad to hear story's like this but unfortunately there far too common.

He wrote in his opener that he had a member from this site do a pressure test and the rebuild. I hope you're not implying anything about members who aren't sponsors.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

I've heard that autotune carbs can act up if they don't have the latest software updates. I don't know which ones are the most prone, but the one I heard about was from the 562xp.
It may be worth having checked out. I also don't recall hearing about any error codes, it just wouldn't run right until the software was upgraded.

 

[o8f150]

this is why i dont like auto tunes

 

[cus_deluxe]

Yup, bummer to hear your story OP. Ive had the chance to run both a properly running 550 and 562, and both were very impressive stock. Hope you get something sorted out.

 

[rmihalek]

I just saw a 550XP in box yesterday, all in pieces. Piston skirt melted and cylinder scored. Same deal as here: multiple other saws getting fuel from the exact same jug, yet it was ONLY the 550 that seized.

 

[Chris-PA]

I just saw a 550XP in box yesterday, all in pieces. Piston skirt melted and cylinder scored. Same deal as here: multiple other saws getting fuel from the exact same jug, yet it was ONLY the 550 that seized.

That does not mean the fuel was good, just that saws set way rich didn't fail using it or that the saw with a correct mixture failed first. A very rich mixture will run cooler, and so you can get away with more.

Or the saw could have had an air leak.

All it does is periodically lean out the mixture for a moment and watch what the rpms do, and then adjust the mixture accordingly. It can't work miracles compensating for other mechanical failures or fuel/oil issues, and it is trying to keep the mixture correct for max power & economy and min emissions, rather than super fat like many here run their saws.

So for argument sake, let's suppose the fuel used got mixed at 80:1, and all the non AT saws were tuned rich. Then one might expect the AT saw to fail first - but was this caused by AT?

 

[zogger]

Which air filter? I wouldn't trust that nylon screen one unless cutting in arctic conditions with the cleanest wood on the planet.

 

[rmihalek]

That does not mean the fuel was good, just that saws set way rich didn't fail using it or that the saw with a correct mixture failed first. A very rich mixture will run cooler, and so you can get away with more.

Or the saw could have had an air leak.

All it does is periodically lean out the mixture for a moment and watch what the rpms do, and then adjust the mixture accordingly. It can't work miracles compensating for other mechanical failures or fuel/oil issues, and it is trying to keep the mixture correct for max power & economy and min emissions, rather than super fat like many here run their saws.

So for argument sake, let's suppose the fuel used got mixed at 80:1, and all the non AT saws were tuned rich. Then one might expect the AT saw to fail first - but was this caused by AT?

Thanks Chris. Very good information. I need to get more details before a repair is attempted!