Stihl MS500i BUGGERED

Tree service buddy called me up and said "Hey man, the 500i you just did a tune up on.....the clutch area was smoking and the entire clutch drum is cockeyed....."

My response was "Clutch needle bearing gone".....

He came over 2 minutes later and this is what we found when we took the cover off.

1. There was a friggin' ROCK in there. Not a piece of gravel. A ROCK.
2. It destroyed the clutch needle bearing (I was found innocent of any fault)
3. 2 out of the 3 clutch retaining clips were sheared in half and were wrapped around the perimeter of the actual clutch (WTF!)
4. The worm gear tip was sheared right off and does not engage the clutch drum.
5. Washer and e-clip that hold the drum in place are gone.
6. There is melted plastic all over the crankshaft. Tried rubbing it off with brake cleaner and a rag - no dice.

Local dealers don't have the retaining clips nor the worm gear spring (they call it a spring but it's the part that hooks into the clutch drum) so I ordered those two on eBay and picked up the washer and needle bearing locally. That handy dandy screw kit came in handy - comes with 10 of the e-clips I need to replace this one.

I am absolutely baffled as to how a rock that big got UNDER the clutch drum cover. How is that even possible??????? Do you think a worker did it on purpose???????????

Oh btw the teeth showed NO signs of being hit by a rock. What the?

 

That is crazy. I don't see how that could have gotten into the clutch unless it was apart first.

 

They've been using the saw. No way that was in there when I had it. I ran it and there ain't no rocks like that anywhere near my garage. And I test on asphalt.

And now there's this thing that happened to appear on my bench right before I was gonna blow some air to get rid of some of the muck. Any idea???

I had the air filter cover off to clean the air filter.

 

My guess is a tooth picked it up and it rocketed into the clutch cover at high velocity and it found a way in.

 

Or a worker said It’s hot and I’m tired of cutting with a dull saw. Let’s see what happens when you drop a rock in the clutch.

 

Once found a wad of chewing gum in a cylinder bore in yard sale Husqvarna 435 that wouldn’t crank over. Always suspected a disgruntled 18 year old

 

Or, just maybe it was laid on its side, clutch cover down, running, was picked up, carried on its side, cover down a rock some how found its place into the cover, lodged in the case, causing all the damage? Just a theory. we'll never know, saw's don't talk, lol

 

Thats messed up. I guess they werent breaking your stones!

 

That saw needs to be repaired, rehabilitated, and adopted by someone who will love it....like me!

 

Not sure how open that area is, but it may have fallen down in through the brake handle area

 

That sure is crazy but sometimes weird stuff happens!

 

I got the needle bearing, clutch clips, worm gear spring, and clutch drum washer installed today. The black plastic chain brake mechanism cover was a bit melted at 6 0'clock where it meets the top of the clutch drum. Had to scrape and sand that out. Also had to blow it out real nice with the compressor and got all the melted plastic bits out of there.

Would you believe I put the original worm gear spring back on initially and the clutch drum wasn't engaging.....and I immediately though "No I didn't.........did I????" Dagnabit.

So the springs on the clutch also took a hit and I forgot to order new springs. With the bar and chain on it moved ever so slightly. I will order new springs.

I also noticed that when I put the bar and chain back on the suspension on the 500i seemed real loosey goosey. I double checked all the screws were tight and while they moved a tiny bit they were not loose. Seems like a lot of people do not like the stock suspension setup on the 500i and it turns out West Coast Saws makes a faller's kit with an upgraded stiffer rear springs, 2 new rubber bushings for the bottom, and a larger foam bushing for the front.

buZZsaw BRAD Do you find the suspension on the 500i to be a bit lacking? Say perhaps versus your 361/460/462? Coincidentally they make the same kit minus the spring for the 462.

Here's the video of it and the link to the product page.




The Complete Faller's Suspension Kit Online - Westcoast Saw

You can see the oil pump got hit. Luckily it did not puncture it and the bar is getting oiled properly now.



New worm gear spring (left) vs old (right).



Melted plastic.

 

I dont run them enough and side by side to notice a difference. The 261 cuts at least 50% of my wood so infrequently used. the 500 has gotten the call the last few times even though it was more saw than i needed. The 20" bar was on it and too lazy to swap it to the other saw.

 

I ordered the suspension kit from West Coast Saws. I'll do a before and after video comparison and post.

 

Anyone else find the 500i suspension to be too loosey goosey?

 

Yes it feels a little soft as does the 400.

 

Here's the link to the kit if you're interested. No affiliation. They make one without the spring for the 462 as well.

Buy The Ultimate Faller's Suspension Kit Online At Westcoast Saw

 

A little heads up, a 661 front spring and buffer can be purchased for under $20 at the dealer and will serve the same purpose as the WCS kit

 

I ran a 500 this spring and it was a little soft, but not bad at all.

 

The stone looks like greystone driveway gravel.


Was popular for landscaping instead of mulch a few years ago.