Is Husqvarna AutoTune fairly solid at this point?

[Treacherous]

Is Husqvarna AutoTune fairly solid at this point? I'm thinking of picking one up this week. Nothing is perfect but overall are the bugs worked out at this point after several years or are they a warranty dealer visit waiting to happen? Not wanting to mess with carb adjustments and jet swaps anymore...


I'm considering a 562XP 24".

 

[pen]

My 555 with autotune hasn't skipped a beat, 2 years old now. 8 cord on it during June and July of this year alone, probably close to 30 cord total to this point.

I run the husky low smoke oil and non-ethanol 91 octane.

pen

 

[HSBull]

I am running a 550xp and would buy another one in a heartbeat

 

[Oldman47]

My 555 is fairly new, only about 8 tanks of fuel so far, but it just runs and runs.

 

[Krogoski]

Have had a 562XP now for a year. Its been the best saw I've ever owned. Only run on non-ethanol 89 with Echo Red-Armor oil. She's got about 6 cord under her belt now.

 

[Clyde S. Dale]

IIRC it was a specific carb on the earlier models. Purchasing brand new you'll be fine. That saw has a stellar reputation although it is best suited for a 20" bar.

 

[HSBull]

How quickly things change.....just froze a piston....they tried not to warrant do to gas, but I was using the husky 50:1 ethanol free....new one on the way

 

[Treacherous]

Thanks for feedback!! Good to hear overall liked & reliable.

 

[Jon1270]

I was recently chatting with the longtime owner of a Husky dealership, away from the shop in an unrelated social situation, and he commented that they replace a lot of the autotune electronic units under warranty. I don't think the replacement part is very expensive, but of course if an electronic failure leads to a scored piston after the warranty runs out then that's a different story. For users accustomed to adjusting their own carburetors I imagine autotune might tend to break the habit of listening to the saw, and make it less likely that problems would be caught early.

I've never owned or run an autotune saw. For you guys that have them, can you hear them four-stroking when not under load, or do they run lean enough that it's hard to tell?

 

[Krogoski]

For you guys that have them, can you hear them four-stroking when not under load, or do they run lean enough that it's hard to tell?

I can't say I've been able to tell. I also wouldn't say it run's "Lean enough," more like "Just Right", as is the point of Autotune.

I'd agree that Autotune has caused me to pay less attention to the running condition of the saw, but, on the flip side of the same coin, I love that I don't need to monkey with the carby three times a year. I know that when I pick it up, it's going to run like it did 4 months ago. Seems to me that it takes a minute or so to adjust itself after a period of hibernation, but I love the throttle response and quartz like sharpness/snappiness of this saw once it's figured itself out. It's been an absolute Joy to own and use. I still have my Poulan 8500 and Homelite XL, but I sold my Echo CS-620 (Really loved that saw too) after a week with the Husqvarna. What can I say, I'm smitten. If it buggers itself up at some point, I'm sure I'll be cranky, but I'll fix it and still be smitten. I just love that saw.

 

[HSBull]

I am on my second one now and it is better than the first....these have a reputation for issues with a hot start......mine does not

 

[pen]

I am on my second one now and it is better than the first....these have a reputation for issues with a hot start......mine does not

I had an issue with hot start, and realize it's because I skipped that part of the manual.

For a hot start, turn the choke on then off to set high idle, then pull and she fires right up each and every time. Most of the time it will still fire if you forget that, but I've had it "act" like it was flooded and be a SOB to start a few times, when forgetting to set the high idle.

 

[goosegunner]

Mine has troubles at hot start if it sits a few minutes. Manual says to use primer bulb. It will still seem like a flooded saw, 30 plus pulls to start. Really ticks me off when comparing to my Dolmar 420 that I sold, that thing would start with a quarter of a pull of the rope, best starting say I ever had.

gg

 

[Fiziksgeek]

My first 562 died of a lean seizure with just a couple hours of use. Its replacement is going strong after 3 years....I run a 20" bar most of the time, but recently bought a 28" to go through some bigger stuff, pulls just fine.

 

[ntomsw]

I love my Husqvarna saws. Actually, all my Husqvarna outdoor power equipment.

 

[jeffb5]

My first 562 died of a lean seizure with just a couple hours of use. Its replacement is going strong after 3 years....I run a 20" bar most of the time, but recently bought a 28" to go through some bigger stuff, pulls just fine.

 

[jeffb5]

I have gone through 2 545 and now one 550xp! All died due to being too lean and burning up! Only used pre mixed Husky 50:1 in a can from dealer. They all ran great until about 3rd tank of fuel! Not happy at all...think I am going to Dolmar that still has semi adjustable carb!

 

[clemsonfor]

I have a husky 555 for my work truck saw. I specifically picked it out. Its the size we usually keep to handle the occasional larger tree bit small enough to carry for longer tasks. I have maybe 4 tanks through it. Maybe less? I even did the adjustment procedure where you burn a whole tank of fuel at WOT. It seems to have an off the throttle hesitation sometimes. Thats it. But the thing does have torque and power for the size saw it is!

I havent used it too much in reality bit enough to know I like it.

And Yea Jon you can hear it four stroke.

I am running the canned echo red armor fuel as well but added oil to the cans to make it 32:1 , I added am soil dominator oil to it.

 

[CrufflerJJ]

Mine has troubles at hot start if it sits a few minutes. Manual says to use primer bulb. It will still seem like a flooded saw, 30 plus pulls to start. Really ticks me off when comparing to my Dolmar 420 that I sold, that thing would start with a quarter of a pull of the rope, best starting say I ever had.

gg

Have you tried doing the hot start WITHOUT the decompression valve being depressed? I scrounged some ash the other day (a nice trunk section about 3 ft diameter x 7 ft long), and chopped it into sections so the guy who donated it could use his tractor to load it into my trailer. Of course, he asked me to noodle the bottom trunk section in half for easier loading AFTER I had shut the saw off. I tried the primer bulb, setting the choke on then off (high idle), and pulled. And pulled. And pulled.....

I finally got my less-than-a-year-old 562XP to start, noodled the bottom section in half, and shut it off again.

Then the guy asked me if I'd cut the stump off at the ground. Since he gave me free wood, I said "sure", and finally got the saw restarted. I was almost finished with the stump (chain was getting dull), when my saw ran out of fuel. I finally said "I'm done for the day", and put the saw away.

After getting back home (about a 15 min drive), I added some Husky premix to the fuel tank and tried to start the saw.

I tried it choke on, choke off, with the primer bulb, nada.

Today (after it had been sitting for a couple days), it started right up with no difficulty (choke on, pull till burble, choke off, pull 1 time, started).

In looking online about this problem, some folks have said that the hot/warm 562XP saws start better with the decompression valve not used. Next time I've got my saw nice & hot , I'll give this a try.

Any other suggestions out there?

 

[pen]

Have you tried doing the hot start WITHOUT the decompression valve being depressed? I scrounged some ash the other day (a nice trunk section about 3 ft diameter x 7 ft long), and chopped it into sections so the guy who donated it could use his tractor to load it into my trailer. Of course, he asked me to noodle the bottom trunk section in half for easier loading AFTER I had shut the saw off. I tried the primer bulb, setting the choke on then off (high idle), and pulled. And pulled. And pulled.....

I finally got my less-than-a-year-old 562XP to start, noodled the bottom section in half, and shut it off again.

Then the guy asked me if I'd cut the stump off at the ground. Since he gave me free wood, I said "sure", and finally got the saw restarted. I was almost finished with the stump (chain was getting dull), when my saw ran out of fuel. I finally said "I'm done for the day", and put the saw away.

After getting back home (about a 15 min drive), I added some Husky premix to the fuel tank and tried to start the saw.

I tried it choke on, choke off, with the primer bulb, nada.

Today (after it had been sitting for a couple days), it started right up with no difficulty (choke on, pull till burble, choke off, pull 1 time, started).

In looking online about this problem, some folks have said that the hot/warm 562XP saws start better with the decompression valve not used. Next time I've got my saw nice & hot , I'll give this a try.

Any other suggestions out there?

I set the high idle and pull,, actually don't believe I've ever used the decompression valve.

 

[CrufflerJJ]

I set the high idle and pull,, actually don't believe I've ever used the decompression valve.

I did just that while cutting wood today. It started up on the first or second pull with no decompression valve, set on high idle. It did that using the Husqvarna premix or gas/Husky oil premix. MUCH nicer than pulling & pulling & pulling & pulling &.....

 

[Bigsby]

Just follow the procedures on that little sticker to the right of your handle: 1-6 for cold start. 1,3,5,&6 for a hot start (the 3 red squiggly lines = hot start) I do this and have never had a problem.

 

[CrufflerJJ]

Just follow the procedures on that little sticker to the right of your handle: 1-6 for cold start. 1,3,5,&6 for a hot start (the 3 red squiggly lines = hot start) I do this and have never had a problem. View attachment 162432

No sticker like that on my Husky 562XP. I just went & double-checked.

 

[BenTN]

I learnt to not use the decomp or primer on hot starts. I do as Pen does, high idle and pull. Saw runs great

 

[Bigsby]

No sticker like that on my Husky 562XP. I just went & double-checked.

My guess is my saw has this sticker because it's a newer saw than yours? (555 built in 2014). It's confusing though because in my manual they include pressing in the decomp valve in the hot start procedure. The manual was printed in 2011 so somewhere between then and now they decided 1, 3, 5, & 6 is the best way to start a hot autotune saw.