I'm rrrrreeaallly hoping that I'm not posting this in the wrong location, but...I'm looking for someone in my region (Northwest Washington; I live in La Conner, work in Burlington) that would be willing to teach me to perform some of the repair/maintenance work on my saws. I've gotten a bit of experience running saws over the past decade (I've cut around 100 cords of firewood), but my mechanical skills have been limited to chain sharpening, basic saw maintenance, and one guided piston/cylinder replacement. The carbs on my main saws (Stihl 036, 034, 026, and 024) need to be tuned by someone that knows what they're doing, although they would probably benefit from a rebuild. I also have a couple saws that aren't running at all right now (Husqvarna 61 and 51, and Stihl MS180). I was told that the 61 and 51 need to be vacuum/pressure tested, and I'm pretty certain that the MS180 needs a new carb. Money is of course tight, but I'd be willing to trade at least the 034 in order to learn a skill, and get my saws working reliably. I may also have some other items/skills to barter with... I'm sincerely not looking for freebies or charity, I just want to become a bit more competent/self-sufficient...
Thats the way I started. Just pay attention to some threads, even if you're not there yet, because someday you will be there. Ask plenty of questions. There are guys here like Redfin, Huskihl, to name a few, that will guide you through your problem. Good luck with your search for a mentor!
Hey Windy, check this out. Husqvarna 50/51/55 repair thread. Joe has a bunch of basic how-to's that will be very informative for you.
I live in the PNW but far south of you (NW corner of Mt Rainier) I rebuild carbs for my friends, mostly Stihl for free. As far as the MS180 I just buy the complete carb on ebay for about the same price as a rebuild kit. Before rebuilding the carb on your 034, that is if you have the plastic two piece air filter snap it apart with a screw driver and spray it with starting fluid then blow it out with air. No matter how clean the filter looks they plug up with oil from the fuel mix.
Well, although I've only had a few replies, it looks like the thread has had quite a few views. So, I figure I'll give y'all an update, so that anyone else in my situation will know that dreams really do come true... When I started this thread, I posted a similar request on my local Craigslist site. I received one sorta creepy/sketchy response, and one that really seemed legit. Short story long...I made a new friend this past Saturday. We corresponded via email several times over the past week or so, as he wanted to know exactly what I was looking to accomplish, and I wanted to kinda "vet" him (I got burned on a similar arrangement a couple years ago). Anyhow, I went to his place on Saturday, and had a blast. He's got a wide range of pretty neat saws (all modified in some fashion), and all the tools necessary to do the work I was hoping for. Even in just a few hours I learned a lot. There were definitely some breakthrough moments for me, especially regarding carb tuning. We spent most of the time working on my 026, which has always been really difficult to start, especially when cold. We dismantled the carb, and ran it through his ultrasonic cleaner. After that, we performed a muffler mod, re-assembled and re-installed the carb, and tuned the saw. Wow, that thing runs awesome now! During the remaining time, we tuned the rest of my main saws (024, 034, 036). Good grief they start fast and run great now! Sometime over the next couple weeks, we're going to clean the carbs on those three saws, install carb kits (on the 026, also), and perform muffler mods. After that, we're gonna replace the carb on my MS180 with an adjustable one (WT-215, right?), advance the timing, and muffler mod it. Long term, we'll replace the piston and cylinder on my 034 with a Meteor (or other aftermarket brand; recommendations?), then rebuild and muffler mod my Husqvarna 51 and 61 (I'm giving him the 61 in exchange for his knowledge and labor; he seems happy with that arrangement). I could not be happier at this point. I've really wanted to learn these skills for so long, but just didn't have anyone to mentor me hands-on (hats off to those of you that can learn via these threads and YouTube videos; I just struggle with that). Anyways; feeling super grateful...
Glad you found someone to help you out and teach you a few things. Ask that guy what forum he is on? He has to be on AS or OPE? Youtube is amazing for learning or seeing how to do things. How to take something apart. I use it alot on new jobs or something I have never done before. Not that I can't figure out how to do it but it saves lots of time on certain jobs by not taking apart unnecessary things. I am not just talking saws but like appliance repair or like when I had to put a new latch in the rear of my wife's sequoia.
It's great that you found someone with those skills that is willing to share with you. Sounds like a good guy. Please invite him to FHC ! We'd love to have him!
Sounds like you found the right guy. I'm sure he probably enjoys teaching you as much as you appreciate the share of wisdom!
I like teaching people as well, especially if they really are interested in learning, and will use the knowledge in the future.
Since a few of you mentioned or asked about this: My new mentor/pal is a member of (or at least accesses) a couple/few other forums similar to FHC (I think he mentioned AS, FF, and OPE), but not very active as far as posting goes (probably busy with work/kids/life). He had not heard of FHC, but I did encourage him to join. I'm really looking forward to working on some of my projects with him... Clemsonfor: Yep, I'm definitely a fan of YouTube for repairs/projects. I also find exploded parts diagrams (or illustrated parts lists) super helpful when working on tools/appliances. I've dismantled and repaired our front-loading washing machine three times now via that method. Also, electric/cordless hand tools, and gas-powered lawn and garden tools... Feeling super excited today, as we're actually supposed to see the sun tomorrow (it's "monsoon" season here), and I just found out this morning that a couple friends of mine have a crap-ton of wood for me to cut up this weekend...
Well, I don't know that anything is actually "wrong" with it, other than it's an unbranded P/C of indeterminate quality; there are literally no markings on it. I'd ultimately like to replace it with a Meteor or something similar, in order to simply give me more confidence in the saw (and for the practice). The reason for the POS (potentially) P/C is a bit of a long story. The short version: It was essentially a scenario of being told one thing by a mechanic/shop, and getting something completely different. I was selling a crap-ton of firewood while in college a couple years ago, in order to supplement my G.I. Bill (it's expensive to provide milk for the wife, and cigarettes for the kids). I had suddenly, somehow killed my primary "large" saw, and simply couldn't maintain the workload with just my 024. By the time I realized what had transpired (with the P/C swap), I was way behind on firewood orders, and felt up against the wall. Tragically, I've been angry at that saw ever since. Kinda like the stupid dog that you had to "adopt", because it came along with your girlfriend (and she's super pretty and super awesome and a great cook). It's not really the dumb dog's fault...
Yep. Parts tree and ereplacement parts are your freind when working on something unfamiliar to you. Thank you for your service
i am sure i have a good oem cylinder if its the regular 034 i would send you and then youd just need to get a piston for it regular 034 is 46 mm and the super is a 48mm
