New to me McCulloch 610

[Wood Doctor]

I am happy to say that I finally had time to get some work in on this saw, and it fired up quickly, was easy to tune, and runs great. I did end up rebuilding the carb that was on it though. Nice poppy idle to it and some awesome torque.

Although I filled up the oil reservoir, it doesn't appear to be oiling much if at all. I'm willing to bet the oil pump was just so dried out it's not even operating anymore. So, that's next.

Clay

Try thinning that bar oil out with mixed fuel, about 50:50 with a full tank. Run it awhile at fast idle. Check if you see any improvement. If you do, dump that out and fill it back up again with regular bar oil and you will probably be good to go. Sometimes that thinned mixture will clean out the gunk causing trouble with the flow through the pump and the lines. That worked for me when I ran into the same problem with my Mac 610

 

[s sidewall]

Glad to see you got it going. Is the manual oiler working ok?

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[Wood Doctor]

Just got a call from a guy using a Mac 610. He says it floods when he tries to start it. Sounds like a Stihl problem to me, but I could be wrong: his failure to move it off choke position and just keep pulling it. Carb flood is bound to occur.

What else would you suggest that I tell him to fix his problem?

 

[s sidewall]

Check needle setting plus less choke.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[Wood Doctor]

Check needle setting plus less choke.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

Fixed the problems, Steve. He ran it a year or so without the air filter in place. Entire carb area was packed with dust, grime, grit, you name it. I cleaned all that out, removed and gave the carb an overnight fuel bath, made sure the choke lever would not jam up, added a tank of fresh fuel, and it fired on the fifth choke pull. Tuned the carb again, installed a new air filter, and the engine runs perfectly with good compression.

This one also had a lazy bar oil pump system, so I used my cure for that as outlined above in post #61. It worked. Then I redressed the bar and sharpened the chain. The saw now cuts logs like a bandit. Wonder what I should charge the owner for all this work?

 

[ccarley]

Nice work Wood Doctor!

I'll take a look at my oil pump when I get some time. Keeping my fingers crossed that fixes it!

Clay

 

[Wood Doctor]

Nice work Wood Doctor! I'll take a look at my oil pump when I get some time. Keeping my fingers crossed that fixes it!

Clay

So am I. It's worked on other saws as well. Open up that set screw on the pump a half turn or so as well. That's usually a black hex-head screw. Opening it increases the oil flow. You can check flow with the bar off and engine running.

Also, make sure the bar is clean where the oil comes through (same opening used by the tension adjuster). Mac bars back then had no separate oiler hole. The chain that showed up with this saw I worked on was burnt to a crisp. I'm surprised the bar wasn't damaged from the heat.

 

[s sidewall]

No air filter, man that's smart, asking for problems. When I use mine, filter always has saw dust and chips on it. Its a wonder he didn't get the cylinder or piston with it missing. Hopefully he'll treat it better this time.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[Wood Doctor]

No air filter, man that's smart, asking for problems. When I use mine, filter always has saw dust and chips on it. Its a wonder he didn't get the cylinder or piston with it missing. Hopefully he'll treat it better this time.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

I returned the repaired saw to the owner. He said he lent the saw out to his brother in-law and that's how it got trashed into a non-runner with a burned out chain. He said his in-law used waste oil in the bar oil tank for lube and reported to him that it smoked for awhile. I told him there could be permanent damage to the oiler pump. Then I asked why they threw away the air filter. He said, "They didn't know it was a necessity so when it got dirty, they pitched it."

Anyway, the engine and carb somehow survived and it still has good power -- not bad for a 1985 saw. Yes, when fully fueled and the bar and chain on board, it's a 21 pounder, but it has a ton of torque.

 

[s sidewall]

Some folks, in-laws.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[s sidewall]

I have a 605, cinder block with a bar, definitely have the torque.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[ccarley]

Well now. I pulled the oil pump this evening and guess what. Some idiot put the gasket on the wrong way. (That would be me...)

Looks like the manual pumper is working quite well, it gives a good dousing with each push. Trying to see if the auto pump is working too but it's getting dark out. But, I'm happy to see oil on the bar & chain now! I'll go over the chain and do some more testing this weekend.

The carb kit, by the way, might have been the best idea ever. This evening the saw started on 1 pull. Yeah. Choked, on the ground, 1 pull, fire. Snap crackle pop that idle sounds great!

Thanks guys! I know it sure isn't a saw that everyone is looking for. But, I like it, it's going to be good for bucking & noodling firewood. I'll work on the little 3214 next to hopefully get that running consistently. I'm hoping a carb kit will help that little guy out.

 

[s sidewall]

Have fun with that lil cuss. Let us know if it fixes it.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[Wood Doctor]

The only complaint I have with my 605 are the puffs of smoke it belches out when you first start it. They go away after a few minutes, but it's smoke heaven for awhile. This saw has always done that, even when it was new. Compression is good, so I figure it must be picking up some bar oil from somewhere and then burning it. Not normal at all for a chain saw to do this, but I've never seen a cure.

Needless to say, my other two saws from the same era (610 and 5700) do not do this.

 

[Chris-PA]

The only complaint I have with my 605 are the puffs of smoke it belches out when you first start it. They go away after a few minutes, but it's smoke heaven for awhile. This saw has always done that, even when it was new. Compression is good, so I figure it must be picking up some bar oil from somewhere and then burning it. Not normal at all for a chain saw to do this, but I've never seen a cure.

Needless to say, my other two saws from the same era (610 and 5700) do not do this.

My SE3420 (PM605) does this too. Since it goes away I've never bothered to try to figure it out, but I always wondered if it was from the oiler or excess fuel accumulated in that big muffler at the bottom. Seems too much to be getting through the oiler diaphragm.

 

[s sidewall]

Mine to does this for about a minute while it idles to warm up, never thought nothing about it, I do run 32:1 mix in it, had always done this. Also have a Sears Ranger 3.7 that does it on the same mix.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[s sidewall]

My SE3420 (PM605) does this too. Since it goes away I've never bothered to try to figure it out, but I always wondered if it was from the oiler or excess fuel accumulated in that big muffler at the bottom. Seems too much to be getting through the oiler diaphragm.

You aut to make you a set of bucking dogs for your saw, I did and it works great and looks better, nice runner you got.

Steve Sidwell, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk

 

[heimannm]

The 600 Series saws use the same spikes as the later PM/Pro Mac version 10 Series saws with the long clutch cover.



Mark

 

[ccarley]

So... what oil should I be running for the bar & chain? I put standard bar oil in that tank but I feel like it's a bit thick for this saw. Is SAE 30 a reasonable substitute?

I like the dual dogs on mine. I haven't had a good chance to put them to work yet but they do a really good job at adding some leverage!

That's a nice running saw there Chris. I'll be getting some video of mine up soon for sure.

Clay

 

[Wood Doctor]

So... what oil should I be running for the bar & chain? I put standard bar oil in that tank but I feel like it's a bit thick for this saw. Is SAE 30 a reasonable substitute?

I like the dual dogs on mine. I haven't had a good chance to put them to work yet but they do a really good job at adding some leverage!

That's a nice running saw there Chris. I'll be getting some video of mine up soon for sure.

Clay

I never use motor oil, only bar and chain oil. If you want to thin it, add an ounce of mixed fuel when the temp outside gets cold. All of my Macs pump bar and chain oil like bandits.