Husqvarna 3120XP Resurrection

[Stu in Tokyo]

Greetings from Tokyo 

Back in 2006, my buddy Jim bought this saw to use at the international school he worked at then, there was a very old Ginko tree that was coming down and he wanted to slab up the trunk to use in his shop classes. I built him a Tokyo chainsaw mill to do the job. Then Jim moved back to the US and the saw stayed here in Japan. The saw was bought new in the US. Since Jim left, someone got hold of the saw and abused it fairly bad. I recently got a call from one of the staff out there and they just wanted to get rid of the saw, it was causing some trouble having a "CHAINSAW" in the school I mean what could go wrong?  :

I went out today and got the saw, it is in bad shape, but I paid almost nothing for it, so I figure with some new parts and TLC it will be good to go.

The Saw...


 


 


 

Now on to the uglies, the chain.....


  

  

  

 
Sorry that last one is a bit out of focus.

The bar is badly worn...


  

 

From what I can see the chain was on super tight, it was stupid tight when I got the saw, the bolts holding the bar on were also super tight, took a lot more effort that it should to loosen the nuts.



 
You can see the burnt paint and the bubbled sticker, shows how hot this must have gotten.



  

 
You can see how badly burnt/melted the chain brake handle is, that cannot be normal...?



 
The side cover which houses the chain brake, it is a mess.



 
The chain brake itself is broken, worn out and melted away, the aluminum of the side case is actually melted on to the steel strip that is the brake.



 
The fuel line was hard and actually broken.



 
I was able to pull out enough fresh fuel line from the gas tank to cut off the hard bit and hook the carb up again, I just wanted to make sure the saw will run!

Took some doing but I got it to start, runs poorly, the carb is not set up correctly.

Does anyone have any ballpark settings for me?

There are two screws on the carb, one smaller on marked "L" and a larger one marked "T" I figure that the smaller "L" adjustment is for the low or idle range, and the larger "T" is for the higher revs.

Ball park on the number of turns out?

I'm running 50:1 Dino oil to gas.

It will run, but it is not set up right at the moment, I need to dial it in, and I need to buy some parts.

I'm thinking a new 24" bar and chain, might as well replace the sprocket too I guess, a new sticker to replace the bubbled one (it just simply looks BAD!!) a new brake for the chain brake, and I think I'll rebuild the carb while I'm at it. Any thing I'm missing?

Should I pull the head and look at the cylinder? I seems to have good compression, and I put a new sparkplug in it too.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[celliott]

Interesting, nice find!
I think if it got that hot, I would definitely be pulling the top end apart and inspecting all the internals.

[JohnG28]

At the very least pull the muffler and have a look through the exhaust port. May give an idea of what's going on inside, and the way it was abused I'd say there would likely be exhaust side scoring first.

[sawguy21]

That got pretty hot, the bar and chain sure took some abuse. Pop the muffler off and have a look at the piston skirt, that should give a fair idea of the internal condition.

[Stu in Tokyo]

Great idea guys, I'll do that for sure!

Any suggestions on the ballpark carb settings?

[HolmenTree]

The saw was run quite abit with the chain brake engaged by looking at the burnt off brake band. These saws have the torque to spin the clutch drum on a engaged brake band. Who knows the operator may have cut a cord of wood with the chain brake on :D
The plastic brake lever melted from contact on the muffler.
Rebuild the carb with a new diaphragm kit, the diaphragms are probably as brittle as the fuel line. These saws have a fixed Hi speed. [L is Lo, T is idle.]
Pull the muffler and look for severe scoring on the piston, just by pulling it over will show you if it's got good compression. Hopefully the saw was run on the proper mix ratio of fuel.
All in all it looks like you got one hell of a good deal, cosmetically it looks like a new saw, besides the sprocket cover.

[Stu in Tokyo]

The saw was run quite abit with the chain brake engaged by looking at the burnt off brake band. These saws have the torque to spin the clutch drum on a engaged brake band. Who knows the operator may have cut a cord of wood with the chain brake on :D
The plastic brake lever melted from contact on the muffler.
Rebuild the carb with a new diaphragm kit, the diaphragms are probably as brittle as the fuel line. These saws have a fixed Hi speed. [L is Lo, T is idle.]
Pull the muffler and look for severe scoring on the piston, just by pulling it over will show you if it's got good compression. Hopefully the saw was run on the proper mix ratio of fuel.
All in all it looks like you got one hell of a good deal, cosmetically it looks like a new saw, besides the sprocket cover.

Thanks

Yeah, I too wondered if someone ran it with the brake engaged, I mean the heat to melt stuff the way it is, just crazy, must have been run with the brake engaged. I would imagine with normal use that brake strap (?) would last a long time, no?

Cheers!

[sablatnic]

You should take off the muffler, and take a look at the piston, and the oil line, which is located behind the muffler. Good luck with it!!

[Stu in Tokyo]

OK I had a look, there are some scuff marks, but I'd certainly not call it scored!
I have a background in 2-smoke off-road and on road racing bikes, the piston looks fine!

The rings look good too, there is nothing blowing by those rings.



 
You can see the top of the piston, just, and the rings and the area below the rings is still silver, not brownish, good sign to my eye.



 
Piston on it's way up a little more.



 
What I'd call scuff marks, nothing more than surface marks, no scratches that I can see.



 
End of the scuff marks, and now for the bottom of the piston skirt



 
The bottom of the skirt does not even have scuff marks.

I think I'm good to go!

I'll order a carb rebuild kit, a new bar, chain, sprocket, brake and maybe even a brake handle, see how much that cost, and then a sticker for the side, just to get rid of that bubbled one.

Cheers!

[sawguy21]

That certainly should cover it. Now watcha gonna sacrifice with that monster? ;D

[JimBuis]

Well Stu, it is good to see you on here. The Forum is one of my all time favorite sites although I haven't been around much recently. It sure is a shame to see that saw in such bad shape. I bought that saw new in 2006 I believe it was and checked at St. Louis' Lambert Airport as checked baggage and took it back to Tokyo with me.

If there is anything I can help with Stu, just holler. Of course some of these guys are a lot better with small engines than I am, but I'll help if I can.

Jim

[Vance in AK]

You are inspiring me!  I have a 3120xp that needs some help.  Dogs & chainbrake were removed to use it on a mill 7 lost 9was only on the mill for one small project.  Hasn't been started in mrobably 15 yrs but stored in a dry heated area.  Was thinking of trying to swap the beast for a nice midsize saw, but maybe I'll resurrect her instead!

[Al_Smith]

That piston doesn't look bad at all .The chain needs some attention ,the bar is pretty much toast . A little TLC it will be good as new .

[HolmenTree]

The piston looks in good condition, bottom end bearings should be just as good as well, looks like the proper fuel mix was used  .
That's the beauty of the carb fixed hi-speed on these big saws, nobody can monkey with the carb setting and burn these saws up seeing this type of saw is designed for heavy duty cutting with long cuts.
You won't have to replace the chain brake lever, only burnt underneath, should still be structural strong .Throw the chain in the garbage can and replace the bar nose, then joint it up to match the worn bar, check the bar rails for 90°square and for rail spreading.
The previous owner ran this saw with the burnt out bar nose with no sprocket and bearings, pretty abusive. Good thing this saw has an outboard clutch, heat was able to escape to the sprocket cover. Now on an inboard clutch saw there would be all kinds of damage towards the interior of the saw.
Just replace the brake band and get some fresh grease to that clutch drum bearing.

[Al_Smith]

That very poorly filed guard type semi chisel chain didn't help the heat to the bar situation .Of course a 3120 would pull it if it were on backwards .Big orange saw has a bunch  of power .

[HolmenTree]

I think the previous operator didn't care how sharp or how well the chain cut ,he just sat on the big saw and let it do the work.

Kind of like those photos you see from India or similar places where theres hundreds of people catching a ride on top of an already overloaded train. :D

[Stu in Tokyo]

You guys are correct, the last operator had no idea, it is obvious to me that he (and its always a HE) ran the saw with the brake engaged, that is the only thing that explains the heat generated, and the chain, well it is so dull, I would not doubt it if would cut better run backwards :

I went out to my local Home Depot like place here in Japan, as they do sell chainsaws and do have some of the accessories etc. When I say close, I should qualify, this place is outside Tokyo proper, I live in downtown Tokyo, on a VERY good day, using the toll expressways, I can be there in under an hour, that is "Close" for me here in Tokyo. This place is a bit in the countryside, they sell all sorts of farming stuff. I thought they sold Husqvarna chainsaws too. Well they don't sell Husqvarna saws anymore, the fellow at the small engine repair counter and he they used to sell Husqvarna chainsaws, but they gave up as Husqvarna Japan was utterly useless. For example they would order some parts for a customer, like say a carb rebuild kit, it would take a month.....yes a MONTH to get the kit.

I had a run in with Husky Japan a few year back with my good old 185CD saw, I needed some parts, a carb rebuild kit was the main thing I needed, the guy on the phone told me that I should buy a new saw, that the old 185CD was no good. Yes I know it does not have a brake on it, but I use it in a chainsaw mill, so that is not really a concern, nope he said, you should buy a new saw, he would not order the parts for me.

Well today I came up very short, this was my list of things I wanted to buy:

185CD
A spark plug just to have a new spare (I have two used spares)
An 18" or 20" bar
A couple of chains for the new bar
A new chain (ripping if they have it),  for my 24" bar
A new muffler

I have a modified motorcycle muffler that mount for when I'm milling, keeps the noise down, but it is not good to use without the mill.

3120XP
New chain for the 32" bar
brake parts
Side cover sticker
Fuel line
Carb rebuild kit

And just to have, one of those combo wrenches, that has the socket and the screw driver all in one, I had one but it went missing.

I walked out of the home center with only the combo wrench, they did not have any fuel line in stock, they also did not have any of the chain I needed, so they could not make me up a chain, oh bother. >:(

Now I'm going to have to avail myself of an online retailer in the US I guess, I wonder if any of them will ship international?

Cheers!

[mad murdock]

Talk to the folks at Baileys, I bet they will fix you up.

[Stu in Tokyo]

Talk to the folks at Baileys, I bet they will fix you up.

Yes, I've dealt with them before, and while shipping always cost, that is part of the whole "Living in Japan" thing I guess. While I'm at it, I'm going to see if they can get me some new stuff for my old 185CD saw, maybe put a shorter bar on it for round the house use  ;D
If I need a big saw for the mill, the 3120 will certainly do that, but I might also sell it, really the 185CD has worked well on the mill. I'd much rather have a new smaller lightweight saw for "yard work".

We shall see, I've got to get both saws running first. Need to go buy some new gas, the gas I'm using is from Nov 2012, it has fuel stabli in it, but I think it's better to get some new gas, the old 185CD is a bit of a pig to start first thing in the morning. I need a gas saw running by Tuesday, I have a chance to get a few nice trees as there is some road widening going on here locally, if I can cut the wood into manageable chunks I can have it.

Cheers and thanks for all the help fellas! ;D

[Stu in Tokyo]

Interesting the chain that is on the 3120XP saw is marked B3 and has 95 drive links. I think this is a Granberg ripping chain.

95 drive links, what length would that make the bar, 30" ???

The Oregon bar has a number on it, well it has two number the top number is 0-343-95-404 the number below that is 3263 2100 ED
I thought that the "32" in the second number makes the bar a 32" but maybe I'm wrong?

[Stu in Tokyo]

OK this is driving me nuts  ;D



On the tip is says OREGON 404 and it is a solid nosed bar, no sprocket......

I can't find any info on this bar, anyone have an idea?

[HolmenTree]

Stu you have a 30" .404 .063 bar there that takes 92 drive link loop of .404 chain. Yes B3 is Grandberg's code for .404 ripping chain.
Don't forget to order a Oregon Powermatch sprocket nose tip.

[Stu in Tokyo]

Stu you have a 30" .404 .063 bar there that takes 92 drive link loop of .404 chain. Yes B3 is Grandberg's code for .404 ripping chain.
Don't forget to order a Oregon Powermatch sprocket nose tip.

Thanks much, how did you glean such info?  ???

Is there a secret decoder ring I need or something?  :D

The chain has 95 drive cogs, or links on it (the piece the goes into the groove on the guide bar) maybe that is part of the problem, the wrong chain on the bar?

I'm going to order a bar and chain set, that will solve the problem.

Cheers!

[Stu in Tokyo]

Stupid question, the saw is running a .404 chain now, does this mean I would have to change the drive sprocket to run a .375 chain?

[HolmenTree]

Stu you have a 30" .404 .063 bar there that takes 92 drive link loop of .404 chain. Yes B3 is Grandberg's code for .404 ripping chain.
Don't forget to order a Oregon Powermatch sprocket nose tip.

Thanks much, how did you glean such info?  ???

Is there a secret decoder ring I need or something?  :D

The chain has 95 drive cogs, or links on it (the piece the goes into the groove on the guide bar) maybe that is part of the problem, the wrong chain on the bar?

I'm going to order a bar and chain set, that will solve the problem.

Cheers!

Oh sorry for the typo Stu, you do have a 32" .404 95 DL b/c
I got mixed up from your previous post about you saying 30", I missed the 95DL chain you mentioned.

[HolmenTree]

Stupid question, the saw is running a .404 chain now, does this mean I would have to change the drive sprocket to run a .375 chain?

Yes you need to change both the drive sprocket and bar tip to run .375 chain.
Your best to order a new b/c from your supplier.
.404 is pricer then .375, but you have almost twice the chain with .404
Alot more cutter for longer filing life, less stetching in the chassis, takes more abuse in dirt, rocks, holds a better edge.
I'd stick with .404 for what that saw was designed for.

[HolmenTree]

Don't forget to order a Oregon Powermatch sprocket nose tip.

To add to my previous post , I took for granted you had a Power match bar on your saw. I can't make out from your photo if it is or not, post a side photo of the bar nose for me.
You may have either  the old style medium or slimline contour bar nose.
Hard to find those noses today, just buy a new bar.

[Stu in Tokyo]

The saw was bought new in 2006.



  

  

 
Both sides of the nose of the bar.

 

 

The drive sprocket says "Power Mate 404-7" so I assume it is a 404 seven tooth driver sprocket.
Does that look badly worn to you?
I guess they are not expensive, so I should add one to my order.

I agree on a new chain\bar combo purchase but I'm not sure if I should buy the 404 or the 375, I think I'll most likely sell the saw, really I don't need it here in Tokyo, my 185CD does a good job on my mill when I need it.

Cheers!

[01crewcab]

It doesn't hurt to replace both. You have the old style 3 rivet Oregon tip.

[beenthere]

Appears that the tip has been changed once (at least) from the looks of the three rivets.

Wondering if you can recover your investment in new bar if you are for-sure going to sell it. Maybe sell it as is.... ??

[HolmenTree]

The saw was bought new in 2006.
Both sides of the nose of the bar.
The drive sprocket says "Power Mate 404-7" so I assume it is a 404 seven tooth driver sprocket.
Does that look badly worn to you?
I guess they are not expensive, so I should add one to my order.

I agree on a new chain\bar combo purchase but I'm not sure if I should buy the 404 or the 375, I think I'll most likely sell the saw, really I don't need it here in Tokyo, my 185CD does a good job on my mill when I need it.

Cheers!

Yep not a Powermatch bar or the original one. That's a Oregon medium contour bar from the 1970s, actually replaced the old roller from the '60s, then came the slimline contour much the same nose joint but a bit narrower and had a 90° step in on both sides of the rails. In 1984 the PowerMatch guide bar was introduced what we have today, [I field tested the first PowerMatch bars and radial port rim sprockets]. The 3120XP was introduced in 1989.
The drive sprocket looks suprisingly good, it's a 7 T radial port rim. But if your gonna go new b/c get a new rim too.
I'd stick with the .404. If you got a good deal on the saw and want to make a profit go ahead and sell it, but it would sure beat your old 185 to heck as a milling saw.

[Al_Smith]

--plus the fact if it's not abused that big ole saw will last forever .

[HolmenTree]

OK this is driving me nuts  ;D


On the tip is says OREGON 404 and it is a solid nosed bar, no sprocket......

I can't find any info on this bar, anyone have an idea?

I might as well answer this too :D
No from your pic this is not a solid tip bar, the sprocket and bearings were burnt out and the previous owner treated it as a solid nose bar and keep running it like that,

only problem is there is no stellite to support that chain. :D

[clww]

That saw is in pretty good shape to have been abused so much. smiley_dizzy

[Ianab]

That saw is in pretty good shape to have been abused so much. smiley_dizzy

Probably actually has very few hours on the saw. You can do a lot of damage with a blunt chain, worn out bar and the chain brake on in a VERY short time  :D But as long as the gas has oil in it the engine shouldn't die.

I know Japan has some local forestry industry. Where do those guys buy parts and supplies? Probably not in down town Tokyo I guess, but there must be saw shops in the more "rural" areas?

Ian

[Al_Smith]

I'm not so certain the saw engine was abused but they certainly did a number on the cutting system .
Now on that tip I'm not certain if a replacement is made for that old old of style .I'm also in agreement to stay with .404 chain .

I've got 5 saws larger than 100 cc and each one has .404 chain .

Were it I ,I believe I'd hang at least a 36" bar on that thing if not a 42" because a saw of that size was made for large wood .They don't get used much but if the occasion arises they are worth having around .

[Stu in Tokyo]

I'd love to keep the saw, but I live in downtown Tokyo, and I now own four chainsaws  granted two of them are electric, but here in Tokyo an electric saw is a good thing.

Let me explain my thinking, and then you guys please poke holes in it  ;D

I own the 185CD, it is a circa 1976 saw, I can still get parts for it, so it should last a while yet, I think it is of the older longer stroke engine type, so it has a lot of torque and pulls well enough while in the mill. We don't get many big trees here, there was this war that ended 68 years ago, the city was bombed and fire bombed, so you never see a tree that is over 65 year old, most are under 50 years old if that. I think for the occasional milling job, like once every five years, the 185CD will do just fine.

Off the mill the 185CD is a beast, it is almost as heavy as the 3120XP within a pound or two, it also has no safety brake, not a huge deal, guys ran saws for a long time before the brakes came out, but still, not the best saw to be running off the mill, heavy, and not as safe as it could be. The 185CD also has a custom muffler I built for it from a 2-smoke off road bike muffler, it really works well, I get good power, and the saw runs fine with it, it redirects the sound straight up when running the mill (good thing in a city of 12 million) and on the mill the lack of the brake is a non-issue. The last point is that even in good condition I would not get $300 for the saw, no way.

I plan to fix up the 3120XP and sell it, they are 285,000 yen new here that is about $3000 just so you know, I think fixed up in good shape, with a new bar, chain and the carb rebuilt, I should be able to get a fair price. maybe a 1/3 of the new price. Once the saw sells, then I'll buy a good smaller gas saw, something with a 16" to 18" bar, something that I can use more easily. One reason I want a smaller easier to handle saw like that is because of where I live, Japan, we have earthquakes. They say that Tokyo is well over due for a big quake, it will happen. If it does, or maybe when it does a small light gas chainsaw is a good thing to have. They found after the Kobe earthquake in 1995 one tool that most of the local volunteer fire departments did NOT have were chainsaws. Most of the older buildings here, the ones that fall down, are made using what we would call balloon framing or even timber framing. If you have to cut through a bunch of 4" x 4" or larger timbers to get to someone trapped in a house, what better tool than a smaller gas powered chainsaw. As an aside the reason the small local volunteer fire departments did not have chainsaws was that the government bureaucrats did not think the were a safe thing to let the volunteer FDs handle. When the big one hits we know we are on our own for at least three days, no help will come, maybe even a week, as Tokyo is the center of government and of the disaster relief agencies too, so a week we will have to rescue or neighbours and fight our own fires, that is why each neighbourhood has a volunteer FD.

So I think that selling this big saw is the right way to go, but replace it with a good smaller saw.

What do you think, does that make sense?

Then I have to wonder, should I just sell the power head, forget about a bar and chain?

I think that without the bar and chain, it would look much less attractive to a buyer, then again, this is not a saw that an amateur will buy, so leaving the choice of bar and chain to the new owner might be the best idea. Maybe I'll just sell it with the old bar and chain on it, or just the power head?

Cheers!

[Ianab]

I think you are right that anyone who has any business buying that saw will be able to source a bar and chain to suit.

Having it starting and running smoothly is the important thing.

I'd ditch that bar and chain. Seeing that on a saw would make me wonder what other abuse it had suffered. Without those, it looks MUCH better.   :D

You can always buy a bar and chain later if you don't get any interest in the power head only, and a good bar and chain for that size saw would be a decent hunk of $$, that you could put towards the smaller saw.

Ian

[Stu in Tokyo]

I think you are right that anyone who has any business buying that saw will be able to source a bar and chain to suit.

Having it starting and running smoothly is the important thing.

I'd ditch that bar and chain. Seeing that on a saw would make me wonder what other abuse it had suffered. Without those, it looks MUCH better.   :D

You can always buy a bar and chain later if you don't get any interest in the power head only, and a good bar and chain for that size saw would be a decent hunk of $$, that you could put towards the smaller saw.

Ian

Thanks Ian, that sounds like a plan!

[HolmenTree]

Yes just sell the powerhead only, much easier to ship in a compact package saving you and the customer some money, plus the customer can decide with his own bar size.

Just put in a new carb kit and replace the sprocket cover complete with new brake band and lever.
Baileys Woodsmen Supply sells brand new OEM 3120XP sprocket covers fully complete with brake band, lever, sawdust flap,chain adjuster, felling dog and decal for $149.99 [cheaper then a new 32"bar/chain]
part #HVP 503 13 5503

Our sponsor here CHAINSAWR may have a good used one for a much lower price.

[Stu in Tokyo]

Yes just sell the powerhead only, much easier to ship in a compact package saving you and the customer some money, plus the customer can decide with his own bar size.

Just put in a new carb kit and replace the sprocket cover complete with new brake band and lever.
Baileys Woodsmen Supply sells brand new OEM 3120XP sprocket covers fully complete with brake band, lever, sawdust flap,chain adjuster, felling dog and decal for $149.99 [cheaper then a new 32"bar/chain]
part #HVP 503 13 5503

Our sponsor here CHAINSAWR may have a good used one for a much lower price.

Thanks, I'll look into that!

[JohnG28]

I think your thought process sounds pretty logical to me. A good smaller saw sounds like it would make good sense given your situation. Plus you can have a smaller saw that's still reasonably sized seeing as you're downgrading from a 3120. ;D You may want to get a bar of some sort, maybe a 20" to conserve cost, maybe used like HolmenTree said, just so you can run the saw for a potential buyer as well as yourself once you get it done. Even if you're selling it sure it wouldn't hurt to give her a test or two before selling. ;D

[Stu in Tokyo]

I think your thought process sounds pretty logical to me. A good smaller saw sounds like it would make good sense given your situation. Plus you can have a smaller saw that's still reasonably sized seeing as you're downgrading from a 3120. ;D You may want to get a bar of some sort, maybe a 20" to conserve cost, maybe used like HolmenTree said, just so you can run the saw for a potential buyer as well as yourself once you get it done. Even if you're selling it sure it wouldn't hurt to give her a test or two before selling. ;D

I think I'll just run the old bar and chain on the saw in a video showing the saw running, but then not include them, as they are toast. I VERY much doubt the buyer will actually show up here in Tokyo to buy the saw, most likely they will be from outside of Tokyo somewhere and shipping will be a lot, like A LOT cheaper than making the trip into Tokyo to pick up the saw.

Cheers!

[Stu in Tokyo]

Yes just sell the powerhead only, much easier to ship in a compact package saving you and the customer some money, plus the customer can decide with his own bar size.

Just put in a new carb kit and replace the sprocket cover complete with new brake band and lever.
Baileys Woodsmen Supply sells brand new OEM 3120XP sprocket covers fully complete with brake band, lever, sawdust flap,chain adjuster, felling dog and decal for $149.99 [cheaper then a new 32"bar/chain]
part #HVP 503 13 5503

Our sponsor here CHAINSAWR may have a good used one for a much lower price.

I looked at CHINSAWR but they did not have any used sprocket covers for this saw, thanks for the suggestion!

I agree that replacing the whole sprocket cover would be the best idea, but that is $150 plus shipping, the handle, sticker and brake band cost $39.10. There is no real damage to the sprocket cover, I could paint it if I wanted too, but I bet cleaned up with a new sticker on there, no one would know. The $110 will buy me a new better bar and some chain for my 185CD which I use in the mill.
I run a 24" bar on the 185CD, I'll maybe up that to a 28" when I buy a new bar and chain, and I was also thinking that maybe an 18" bar and chain on that saw just to have around would not be a bad idea, but I still want a smaller gas saw.

Thanks again everyone for the help!

Cheers!