Farmertec 372XP Build

No need to switch if it is working for you. I have done over a 100 saws, trimmers, etc. with Dirko and haven’t had a failure, but I’m switching to moto seal anyway. The Dirko is a pita to remove if I need to go back into a saw to adjust port timing…it also will go bad in the tube if you aren’t careful.

 

Yeah don’t feel bad my loggers use the blue Husky clones.. and I quote when a tree lands on a $200 dollar saw it’s a PItA; when skidder runs over an $800 it’s a bad day

 

Rings showed up today, and they are the wrong size. I'm pretty sure they are for a 52MM piston vs a 50MM piston as they overlap by about 3/16 - 1/4" when pushed inside of the cylinder. Double checked my order on eBay and I ordered 50MM rings. Have a message into the seller. Hopefully he sends me the rights rings tomorrow. Common saying around my house, if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any at all.

 

I haven’t had much time recently but here’s a few things without closely reading all of the posts in the last year:
1. Like Stihl’s 044/440, that o-ring and bushing has been debated for 30 years. I am with Czed in that I put a little sealant near the edge then pack it with thick grease. I have had the leaks without proper clutch torque only to see them disappear when I tightened everything down (or even run the saw, but I don’t recommend doing that… find the torque first then put it in wood).
2. Caber rings are the best bet despite the potential for lost plating in those cheap cylinders. The authentic Cabers from pre-2020 build near-oem compression and have saved dozens of saws that would otherwise be dogs in wood.

lakeside used to claim that seals used to “seal” after use. Mehh, I like a tight air seal with properly greased lips.

Carbs can tune out and hide problems, but with aftermarket products a lot of problems tend to compound and cause failures.

 

Rings came in last week and I got the cylinder back on with the stock base gasket. I pressure tested it, and it still wouldn't hold pressure. Came down with the flu after Christmas, and then went SXS riding in KY & WV over New Years.

I'm thinking it has to be the crank seals? Does anybody have any tricks on getting the flywheel off without any kind of special tools? The case has the gasket and Hylomar Blue on it, so I don't think it's the case leaking.

WV on the left, KY on the right. VA was roughly 20 miles away.



Matewan WV



View from the mountains



I'm assuming this is for a towing company

 

You can shock the flywheel off with a couple good hits on the center of the crankshaft with a steel hammer and a center punch. Heating up the flywheel first with a mapgas torch helps too. You really don’t want to have to wail on it too much and risk moving the crank in the bearings or bearings in the cases.

 

Seems like I've gotten flywheels off engines similarly. Just thread the nut on until flush with the end of the crank or slightly over flush so the crank tip sticks out just slightly. Then smack the crank end directly with a hammer.

 

I've had very poor luck getting flywheels off without the proper puller, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to try a little...I wouldn't get too carried away though, if something gets messed up you'll be kicking yourself for not getting the correct tool. You can usually buy them online for not a lot of $...or maybe see if the local dealer will pop it off for a couple bux.
I recently added to my motorcycle puller collection, then found out after that my nephew had the one I needed

 

Determine where it’s leaking before going into the crank seals. They frequently hold pressure but fail vacuum. Double/triple check your setup for leaks. Windex helps.
Cylinder base, intake boot, spark plug, pulse line, case gasket, casting itself. Spray everything and look/listen. There’s only a few spots where these engines can leak… but just enough to drive us nuts when they do.

 

I thread a piece of pull pull cord behind the flywheel loosen the nut pick the saw up by the rope and
Strike it a few times with a brass hammer or rubber mallet
I've removed countless flywheels this way.

 

That did the trick. The first few times I was afraid to give it a decent whack but then I hit with a good whack it loosened up.

Pressure tested the saw, and the crank seals on the flywheel side were good. Moved over to the clutch side and that was a different story. Video below of the leak.

https://youtube.com/shorts/pDjP02uBlcc?feature=share

At first I thought the air leak was coming from around the crank where that little O ring goes. I then noticed bubbles were coming from under the seal. Found a deep well socket that was a touch smaller than the outside of the seal and hit it with hammer gently, and the air leak went away.



Put everything back together, and it still ran erratically. Reset both carb screws to 1.25 turns, and it idled pretty decent. Adjusted the low side a little, and it would just sit there and idle fine. High side is still a little fat but I'll play with that once I get it into some wood.

Definitely a satisfying feeling to be able to troubleshoot and fix a problem!!!