Husqvarna 372xp Leaking Oil + Stihl BG55 Blower

That clutch looks 10x beefier than this one with the skinny legs (not sure what to call them)! But yeah I might do that to my own saw but I'd feel a little better just using the tool.

Why did you make the change? Did you find that the piston stop would slip? Or chip? Or crack?

 

There’s a risk with metal or even plastic piston stops in smaller two strokes. I’ve been into saws where the previous person wrenching on them broke the piston.

 

What if the piston is scored and the rings are stuck and there's no compression? Then I guess it's a risk worth taking using the stop or rope.

 

There’s a risk for impacts, too. Time is a factor as I don’t have to take out the plug, stuff the cylinder with rope, etc. One time I got the rope stuck in the ports on a 361. Luckily that was getting a top end rebuild but if not? Yeah.. not good.

 

True, but even then an impact can work. Heck, I’ve used one with rope in the combustion chamber and have used rags to block flywheel rotation on some junker saws. I break apart so many carcasses that I find what works for me in various scenarios and just go with it.

 

just to add, the piece I put in there was a piece of nylon stock,
I’ve had to cut it a couple times because it does get rounded by the pistons over time and it’ll squirt out.
I agree with you on the hard metallic stops. The nylon stick though, I find, accomplishes the same result without having to deal with the string.

 

i made that video for a fellow FWH member. I had broken the clutch free before filming. They normally don’t come off as easy as the video. Probably a couple good whacks

 

I bought a cheap piston installation kit and it came with a large and a small nylon piston stop. They seem to work so far.

 

Probably the same ones I have
A black and a white

 

Both of mine are black!! haha. But yea comes with different sizes for the rings and also that "U" shaped block to help prevent the piston from getting knocked around.

 

i used zip ties to close the piston ring before I got this kit
It’s worth the 10 or 14 bux, depending on the deal, to have it IMO

 

Yep, I’ve used em before. I got that kit from Bailey’s and love those ring compressors.

 

I tried starting up the 372xp that was leaking oil. I replaced the oil pickup line because the old one was flopping around even though it was supposed to be held in place by the oil pump. I'm not convinced that's the problem but I did have to take it all apart to clean out all the gunk or else it's impossible to see where the oil is coming out of.

The saw wouldn't idle so I'll have to turn up the idle screw. There was a whole bunch of old oil I didn't clean out under the muffler which is a weird spot. I waited for it to cool, took off the muffler, and one of the bolts for the muffler wasn't even on tight and the gasket was only half there! So I'll order a new gasket for that and I left it on my bench titled to see if I see a puddle of oil in there. If I don't, I think the culprit must be the oil adjustment screw or the delivery line where it connects to the oil pump or the pump itself. I can try using some RTV gasket sealer but maybe I'll just swap out the oiler with one of the donor saws instead. I think I saw some oil coming out of the oil adjustment screw but that wouldn't explain it showing up under the muffler.

Fresh yellow oil was definitely getting to the bar as I tested it out first without the bar and could see it dribbling out from the bass delivery line. I had drained out the old red bar oil so the fact that fresh yellow oil was also showing up underneath the muffler is disconcerting. I think maybe the case gaskets are leaking? Not sure at this point.

I think this is only happening when the saw is running because when I set it aside the last few days there was not a drop of oil anywhere.

 

Case gasket? Maybe try to tighten the case screws and see if one rattled loose. Check for cracks around everything and run it without a bar/chain for a bit and try to isolate the leaks. Throwing parts at saws is tempting but adds up fast.
High use saws typically have many things wrong with them at once.

 

Front screw was a tiny bit loose. I will check the others after the overnight test. I haven't ordered anything yet. My goal was to clean it up so that I could try and see where the heck it was leaking from. Have you ever seen it leak under the muffler like that??

 

And the fact that the muffler gasket was half gone, and that one bolt for the muffler was loose.....tells me this thing has been used *hard* and probably chucked and dropped all over the place.

 

Yep, many times.

Get a list going before you order. Run the totals by your guy unless you’re keeping the saws. 371/372 Original Editions are fantastic saws. 372 xtorqs are solid saws (my opinion, of course).

 

Yep I have everything in a spreadsheet and wrote down all the serial numbers and took pictures of all the saws. It starts getting pretty hairy when you have a ton of the same saws and the parts all start to look like they belong to every saw. Lmfao. Thanks for your insight as always.

 

I'm pretty sure the 372xp is leaking from the case gasket. I saw fresh yellow oil this morning when I checked it. Not a ton but enough. My suspicion is that the case bolts are loose given that one muffler bolt and the exposed case bolt was loose. I shaved off the excess gasket and wiped it clean with a rag and brake cleaner. Waiting for the flywheel removal tool to arrive. I tried using the $20 HarborFreight air hammer and alas it did not work.

Then I did something stupid and whacked the crankshaft having thought I had screwed in the nut......but of course I hadn't and one whack is all it took to see the nut all crooked and the threads slightly damaged. Luckily I have a m8 x 1.0 tap and die and was able to fix it with just hand pressure on the shaft as the holder for the die was way too big to fit in there. I learned my lesson on how to remove and reinstall the Husky spring loaded pawls for the flywheel as well. I did end up using the machinist vise for the nut and the holder for the tap. Cleaned it out no problems. Dodged a bullet there!

 

I broke the crankshaft of a 372 (my first pro Husky experience) when tightening the fw nut. It happens…

I use a modified two-jaw puller for these saws. It works well.