Question to all saw experts

[gregbesia]

In september of last year I bought a new husky 346xp . It has served me well, and since then I used it to cut about 5 cords of wood. The question is - Should I have the saw tuned up at this point ? I am doing my regular maintenance on the saw: cleaning chips, dust, bar, air filter. What else should I be doing? I read somewhere on this forum that after using a new saw for a while it should be re tuned. Is this correct ? Thanks to all who care to steer me in the right direction.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

If it's starting easy, idling, and revving hard you don't need to do anything

 

[MasterMech]

The retune is just a simple carb adjustment to compensate for the new parts breaking in.

A good saw tuneup includes a thorough cleaning, clean/replace the air filter, clean the spark arrestor screen, replace the spark plug and maybe the fuel pickup/filter. Check it over for cracked fuel/impulse lines. I check over the clutch/drive sprocket and address any concerns there as necessary. Then the carb adjustment and finish it off by sharpening the chain and dressing the bar if necessary.

I usually also replace or repair small items like bent throttle linkages and missing screws or chain catchers with no extra labor charges as I go through a saw tune-up. Saws with a lot of time on them may get new AV buffers (if mounted on rubber instead of springs) depending on how the saw feels.

Sounds to me like you keep up the maintenance and cleaning for your 346XP so at this point a quick carburetor adjustment would be the only thing you need. You could learn to DIY or maybe a pro would do it quick for you. Sometimes they don't even charge you for such a simple in and out adjustment.

 

[gregbesia]

Thank you guys for a quick and informative response. This forum and members are the best!

 

[ScotO]

You should clean the air filter out at least every time or two that you use it. Also, like MM said, its easy to tune the Carb. But just as Bigg Redd said, if its running good, just run it. You'll know when it needs a tune-up, trust me.

 

[Jags]

If you purchased from a reputable dealer, most of those will retune a carb for free. It only takes a few seconds.

 

[smokinj]

You should be able to tell where the tune is every second of running a saw............Listen to the sound wave as many times as it takes to hear a saw out of tune.
http://web.archive.org/web/20051018212959/www.madsens1.com/sawtune.htm

 

[gregbesia]

Update: A few day ago ( memorial day to be exact) I found some nice locust by my work place.When I started to cut it up, the saw just did not feel right.It started okay, but it lacked power.It kept bogging in the cut.
The next day I cleaned and washed the air filter with soap (I dont own an air compressor). I also cleaned a spark arrestor and added 2 table spoons of sea foam to the gas tank. Maybe some of those steps were not needed. I hope that none were harmful, but all I can say is WOW! The saw feels brand new again, and combined with stihl RSC chain just eats the wood now. Note to self: do a better job cleaning the air filter, buy air compressor.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Update: A few day ago ( memorial day to be exact) I found some nice locust by my work place.When I started to cut it up, the saw just did not feel right.It started okay, but it lacked power.It kept bogging in the cut.
The next day I cleaned and washed the air filter with soap (I dont own an air compressor). I also cleaned a spark arrestor and added 2 table spoons of sea foam to the gas tank. Maybe some of those steps were not needed. I hope that none were harmful, but all I can say is WOW! The saw feels brand new again, and combined with stihl RSC chain just eats the wood now. Note to self: do a better job cleaning the air filter, buy air compressor.

Harbor Freight has some inexpensive compressors....my 8-gallon / 2.5 HP cost me $100 seven years ago and works great. Use it mostly for tire pressure and cleaning the chainsaw.

 

[mecreature]

I have a cheapo Delta I got a lowes years ago. 12 gallon. It has worked fine for what I need.
You'll wonder why you never had one.

 

[amateur cutter]

If you clean the filter with compressed air, don't blow directly thru it. The high pressure pinpoint air stream will actually punch microscopic holes in the filter media, & allow tiny particles into the engine. Blow across the filter, or wash just like you're doing. That wood dust is really abrasive, & hard on the engine. A C

 

[gregbesia]

Thanks guys,all good info. AC- thanks for the advice on compressed air.

 

[MasterMech]

If you clean the filter with compressed air, don't blow directly thru it. The high pressure pinpoint air stream will actually punch microscopic holes in the filter media, & allow tiny particles into the engine. Blow across the filter, or wash just like you're doing. That wood dust is really abrasive, & hard on the engine. A C

I'll usually dial down my regulator if I'm using the compressor to clean a filter, even using AC's techniques. Just adds that margin of safety. Seen too many engines die from dirt ingestion that occured because of a poor fitting or damaged filter.

 

[Thistle]

Every cutting session my saws get a quick cleaning from the air compressor before they're put away.That's whether its 30 minutes or 6-7 hrs of use.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

And never forget the old saw: If it is working well, don't try to fix it.