Need advice on adjusting husky 353 carb

[tdibiasio]

Hello All

At the end of last cutting season I was starting to have some issues with my 7 year old husky 353. Essentially it was very hard starting and did not run well once started. So I figured it had treated me well for the first 7 years so I would do a little maintenance. I ordered new plug\air filter\fuel line\fuel filter\ carb rebuild kit. After installing all parts and rebuilding the carb (note I did not change anything with the adjustment screws) I took the chain housing off to swap out the dull chain - as soon as I opened the cover I heard something fall out and hit the floor. After inspecting I realized it was one of the "c" shaped clutch springs. So after replacing the springs I took the saw outside and it started and ran perfectly. In hind site I think the only problem with the saw was the broken spring - but it did not hurt to replace the other parts. I then put it away for a few weeks and did not use it until a few days ago. When I tried to use it then it would not start that well and would not stay running. So being frustrated with the situation I tore into the card again and made sure all rebuild parts were installed properly, to which they were. Another 3-4 hours of trying I got the screw driver out and started adjusting the high\low and idle carb adjustments. This did not do any good as the saw still would not run. I then started to back track through the parts I replaced and and noticed that the new fuel filter that I installed had "some-how" come off the line inside the tank. After fishing this out and reconnecting - the saw started on first pull and ran like a dream. At this point I had to adjust the idle screw back some to make it run smooth with no chain turning. But then I started reading online that there is high risk of over revving the saw on the top end and burning the cylinder out if the H screw is not adjusted properly. So after many youtube videos I tried to follow the instructions of listening for "four stroking" on the top end while cutting into a log - but for the life of me I can not tell any difference in sound. I have the low end screw adjusted pretty good with no lag at all when throttling - but I have no clue if the high end is set dangerously lean? Keep in mind that I have not removed the limiter caps from the adjustment screws so they are not able to turn that much. To play it safe I simply put the H screw in the middle of the limiter travel. My thoughts are that with this middle setting that I should be OK - but can anyone provide some guidance on how to be sure I will not damage the saw. I do put this saw through a work out every year as I get my wood delivered in log length - so it will see its fair share or time running WOT....

Thanks in advance

TomD

 

[Jon1270]

You're probably pretty safe. The limiters are often set to prevent you from making the saw run too rich, because that would sacrifice power and offend the EPA, but the easiest way to hear the four-stroking is to set it very rich. You can't do that, and chances are that the 4-stroking at the limits of the adjustment you have available is barely audible even to someone who knows what they're listening for. If your saw has a catalytic muffler, that can make it still more difficult to hear.

 

[Fifelaker]

Pull the caps and adjust it. You changed things, so it could very well need to be richer on the top end.

 

[Wildo]

Have you checked the compression with a guage and pulled the muffler to look for any scuffing on the piston and cylinder walls? What color gas cap? If green it has a cat in the muffler and these saws tend to run hot/lean. I would pull the limiter caps off at the very least if all else is well.


The other possibility that comes to mind is that maybe the crank seal or bearing is gone. A shot of ether in the clutch when it is idling will tell you if the seal is gone. Listening carefully and feeling how it pulls over usually works, when determining the status of the bearing pull it over very slowly.