Bought a saw on ebay and it was exactly as described and better than I thought it was going to be. Saw was a nonrunner that was locked up. The cylinder cleaned up good but the piston is a little uglier than I would like. I've reused pistons with a couple of scratches in them before but this one I consider on the questionable side. I cleaned it up , cleaned out the ring grooves and could put on new rings and I'm sure it will work but I'm wondering if a piston with too many scratches in it will cause problems down the road?
Piston,to use or not to use
- Thread starter k650vt
- Start date
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SIRCHOPALOT
ArboristSite Operative
it probably will cause problems down the road, but then again so will too many cheeseburgers. and that hasn't stopped me yet either.
SIRCHOPALOT
ArboristSite Operative
seriously, it will probably be down on power and you risk scoring up the cylinder. the piston could also fracture and really tear things up.
Some are more forgiving than others, I have a 335 Poulan Pro I had a Stihl dealer give me cause the piston scuffed. Picked the rings loose and cleaned it up and put it all back together(with a new gasket for those keeping score) and it's been going for about 20 tankfulls I would say. I also have a 041 Farmboss that's suppose to be the Rock of Gibraltor stick it's tongue out with a cylinder and piston that didn't look that bad. I found a used cylinder and piston, got my Kraut Cutter back. I think the big thing is how forgiving your porting is to running a piston that looks less than perfect. If it's a reed engine you can really run some tough looking stuff and get by.
thompson1600
ArboristSite Guru
If it's a saw I was going to keep and use myself then I'd probably reuse the piston. The thing to look for on a piston besides scoring is at the bottom. How thick are the apron sides? If they don't look too worn (and are equal in thickness) and the piston won't be slopping around, I'd reuse a piston with new rings and a new wrist pin needle cage bearing.
Tom
Tom
Lakeside53
Stihl Wrenching
Scratches lower down on the skirts aren't a big deal so long as your talking about indents, not ridges. Depending on how the scratches were formed, it's possible to get aluminum pushed up at the edges. Scratches that go though the rings to the top are a problem and you should just ditch that piston. Taper wear will cause piston slap, and poor carburetion at idle for ported machines.
If you have ridges, put in in a lathe, get it dead center, and try to take off ONLY the ridges without taking down the piston body. It's tricky and can be done, but it begs the question - why not just buy a new piston, or, a better looking used piston? The one in the picture looks a little beat.
As for "down the road", well that depends on how long the road is... if the piston isn't tapered, it may last for a very long time.
Maybe I missed the thread, but what saw is it from?
If you have ridges, put in in a lathe, get it dead center, and try to take off ONLY the ridges without taking down the piston body. It's tricky and can be done, but it begs the question - why not just buy a new piston, or, a better looking used piston? The one in the picture looks a little beat.
As for "down the road", well that depends on how long the road is... if the piston isn't tapered, it may last for a very long time.
Maybe I missed the thread, but what saw is it from?
Lawn Masters
Addicted to ArboristSite
Gumneck, if you want it, I think I've even got a decent looking piston for that saw. if you'd like it too, I'll check for it.
Piston
Tom , if I were you I'd see what piston Rob has for that saw . Maybe he'll make you a deal that you can't refuse .
Tom , if I were you I'd see what piston Rob has for that saw . Maybe he'll make you a deal that you can't refuse .
Lakeside53
Stihl Wrenching
gumneck said:
Heck, I don't even know what a Micro xxv Deluxe is!
