Husqvarna 545 Mark II – What I've Learned So Far

[Swine]

This forum was a big help to me a little while ago with my issues of identifying model and problems of an old Jonsered saw, and as a new member I am greatly appreciative, so I wanted to share my experience, issues and solutions, thus far with a new 545 Mark II that I bought to cover firewood duties until I get the Jonsered sorted out this winter. Hopefully some folks find this useful or at least educational.

I got the 545 Mark II because it seemed to be the most affordable "pro level" saw Husky makes, and it was the only one that big box stores carry (I got mine at TSC). Some background before I get into the journey:

I grew up cutting and splitting firewood but haven't done much since I was a teenager (I'm almost 40 now so...). This has been a learning process as far as saw maintenance, felling technique, et. al. I'm a teacher by trade, so I greatly enjoy this aspect of learning all kinds of new things.

–I only run ethanol free 91 octane or the 95 premix I bought to extend the saw warranty
–I am meticulous about chain sharpening (every 1-2 tanks), bar flipping (every 5 tanks or so), and chain tension
–I have a 20" bar
–My saw was manufactured in 2020
–So far I've only run Husky X-Guard bar oil
–I've put about 2 gallons of fuel through her and felled/bucked about 5 cords of wood (16 inch length)
–Largest tree I've felled was about 34 inches at the base (yeah, I'm thinking about picking up a 70-80cc with a longer bar now!)
–99% of what I cut is standing dead softwood: mostly fir, some spruce and pine (it's what my wood taking permit allows in the national forest)
–I've only cut between 35-65 degrees F
–All my cutting happens between 6-7500k feet in the mountains

If you do some internet sleuthing there have been quite a few people complaining about the Autotune carb, issues starting, etc. But here's my story:

First of all, she's a cold hearted saw. It takes 5-10 pulls to get it to turn over, and you should absolutely follow the exact instructions in the manual. I usually get it to turn over but it will die and I have to do it a few more times before it's warm enough to idle on its own. Also, curiously, when it's dead cold its really "notchy" and the rope has issues retracting, I really don't know what this is about because once its warm it's smooth to start. The starter mechanism when I take it off is also really smooth.

The manual says to run the adjustable oiler at max if you have a 20" bar and above. DO NOT DO THIS. At least in my experience all it does is oversaturate and causes the clutch to gum up with oily chips and actually even basically stopped the whole thing up once. I run mine one click back from max now and have had no issues. For reference, I have the depth gauges filed down a bit past the "soft" wood setting that comes on the roller sharpening guide, so I am taking pretty big chips.

From the very beginning I have had major issues getting the saw to restart when it runs out of fuel and is warm. This doesn't look like vapor-lock, rather, I fuel her up again, get her started, and as soon as I apply the slightest bit of throttle it bogs and dies. Likewise, if I wack the throttle it bogs and dies. Again, this was happening only AFTER I completely ran it out of fuel and she was hot. To get it restarted I would have to hit the purge bulb 5-20 times and then she would start again. But crucially, the same thing. It would idle fine, but if I apply throttle at all, it would die. Alternatively, if I would refuel before running out this didn't seem to happen. The only way to get it started and working so I could cut again was to let it cool down for 1-2 hours.

This was driving me nuts until I did some searching and found other folks with the same problem, and then watched this video of a guy showing a hidden screw on the carb that he then backed out a quarter turn. This was for a 550xp but I read the same about the Mark II and because the 545 is just a detuned 550 (to my knowledge), I decided to give it a shot.
video

It seems to have worked with possibly some caveats. It now starts after I run out of fuel and its hot. It does stumble around for the first 5-10 seconds, almost like the Autotune is recalibrating itself, but most importantly, I can keep working and she screams after those 5-10 seconds with pretty good initial throttle response, sometimes there is a slight stumble if I don't "ease into" the throttle for 1/10 of a second or so.

I really don't know what the hidden screw does on the Autotune, other folks with issues have had Husky update firmware, replace carbs, etc. It doesn't seem like that stuff always works. I haven't gone that route mainly because the local service center hasn't returned my call and I needed to get work done. My theory is that to some extent if you run it out of fuel the saw thinks it has to recalibrate but its so lean from the factory that maybe with my elevation and the fact that it is hot it just wasn't getting enough fuel. Keep in mind I've run this thing WOT for many hours bucking big logs, the carb should have learned by now.

I like the saw, it has good power, especially for the elevation I'm at (I wouldn't mind more power though ;D). It's also relatively light and makes climbing up and down the mountains while limbing and bucking less of a chore. Would I recommend it? To be honest, now that I'm thinking about a 70-80cc saw I'm specifically looking at non-Autotune models. Autotune just seems to be quite finicky. Maybe if I fully figure out my 545 Mark II issues then I will rethink that. I don't have any plans of getting rid of it, and I like the challenge of problem solving, but it really doesn't seem to be a set it and forget it piece of equipment.

She doesn't have a ton of hours but has seen some use!


 

Hopefully this is somewhat useful for others, I will report back when I learn more. Unfortunately, I won't have any more time to cut this fall before my permit period ends, so I'll have to wait for next year.

Also, edit to add, as others have noted, the bucking spikes are pathetic and pretty much useless around knots, and it's annoying that there is no 3/4 handle wrap from the factory. I'm thinking about doing the mods outlined in this video, apparently you can get a 562xp handle and spikes to work.
video

[axeman2021]

Since you have received no replies I will just say this if the dealer can't or won't help with problems, I would sell this saw and get a Stihl.

[sawguy21]

You are not going to find a west coast wrap handle for a consumer saw, if you need the length get a bigger saw with a longer bar. Any new unit will need some fine tuning by a knowledgeable tech after 5 or 6 tanks of fuel, it needs that long to break in. Give it a chance to prove itself. I worked with its predecessor, a 345 with an 18" bar, and found it quite satisfacory for the small stuff we were cutting but didn't ask it to take on a 34" tree.

[Greenhighlander]

Great write up on your experience.   

My main advice is to not run your saw out of fuel.  I can tell you from experience that doing so will eventually ruin it .  
It is best to refuel when the saw does its little thing letting you know she is low.  

[Spike60]

I disagree GH. It's well written in a sense that it is detailed and an interesting read. But that only masks the reality that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about. There is a lot of bad information that is being passed on here, and the well written nature of the post will fool many folks into screwing around with their carbs. Another clear case here of someone who doesn't know what AT does or how it works giving bad advice. Your theory about too lean from the factory is wrong, and a typical example of an otherwise intelligent guy drawing conclusions without enough information to do so. One of AT's strengths is that it will compensate for the elevations you are cutting at.

First off, how can the only pro level saw sold at a box store be considered an advantage? And then the local dealer, (we don't like to be called "service centers"), doesn't return your call. I wouldn't return your call either. Why don't you see if the folks at TSC can help you out? And you should never go into those carbs and mess with that screw no matter what intenet expert you stumble across. You admit you don't know what it does. There is a field carb set procedure that you can do by making a long continuous cut of 45-60 seconds that will dial in your saw for your specific cutting conditions.

Your problem is a rather simple one to solve, but the urge unlock the voodoo mysteries of AT can't be simple to an over complicated mind, can they? The reason the problem only exists when you run the saw completely out of fuel is that as you are running the tank dry, the carb settings are changing to compensate for the air that is being drawn in through the now exposed to air fuel filter. If you run it until it stalls out, (not really good for any saw), the saw needs to reset itself.

Yes, my post is a bit harsh. But we pride ourselves here on giving accurate advice to people and your post while well written, falls far short of that.

[Real1shepherd]

To the OP....did you ever pull the plug and monitor the burn? My guess is that the saw isn't running lean at all......

I totally agree with Bob....you're drawing conclusion on what you've 'heard' on the Internet. You bought at a box store instead of the dealer....what's the dealer's incentive to work on your saw under warranty and push his regular customers off to the side?

Try the 40-60 seconds long cut Bob's talking about to calibrate the AT.  

Kevin

[Allar]

I have the older version 545 and i know the issues they have/had  but i never really heard anyone complain about the Mark II saws.
Interesting  :P

[Greenhighlander]

I disagree GH. It's well written in a sense that it is detailed and an interesting read. But that only masks the reality that the writer doesn't really know what he's talking about. There is a lot of bad information that is being passed on here, and the well written nature of the post will fool many folks into screwing around with their carbs. Another clear case here of someone who doesn't know what AT does or how it works giving bad advice. Your theory about too lean from the factory is wrong, and a typical example of an otherwise intelligent guy drawing conclusions without enough information to do so. One of AT's strengths is that it will compensate for the elevations you are cutting at.

First off, how can the only pro level saw sold at a box store be considered an advantage? And then the local dealer, (we don't like to be called "service centers"), doesn't return your call. I wouldn't return your call either. Why don't you see if the folks at TSC can help you out? And you should never go into those carbs and mess with that screw no matter what intenet expert you stumble across. You admit you don't know what it does. There is a field carb set procedure that you can do by making a long continuous cut of 45-60 seconds that will dial in your saw for your specific cutting conditions.

Your problem is a rather simple one to solve, but the urge unlock the voodoo mysteries of AT can't be simple to an over complicated mind, can they? The reason the problem only exists when you run the saw completely out of fuel is that as you are running the tank dry, the carb settings are changing to compensate for the air that is being drawn in through the now exposed to air fuel filter. If you run it until it stalls out, (not really good for any saw), the saw needs to reset itself.

Yes, my post is a bit harsh. But we pride ourselves here on giving accurate advice to people and your post while well written, falls far short of that.

For the record I only meant that the post was clear and well put together , when I said well written. I did not mean that I agreed with everything that was said. I admit I was not thinking of it possibly misleading anyone .  
Regardless I do agree with your post . Especially the part about running an AT dry and starting issues. I have read about that very thing a few times on here now.  
I just know , sadly from experience , that running a saw dry can and will ruin the piston and cylinder. It is how I burnt up a 261 a number of years ago now.  
As for the big box store over a dealer I also agree . That is exactly why I bought my 445 Mark II from my local dealer over the box store. Especially for the service part and the fact that the price was the same.   

[AndyVT]

My 562xp was "auto tuned" by the dealer at the shop.
I took it home and following the recommended cold and hot start techniques, it has always started within a couple of pulls after pop off.
I have probably got 10 hrs on the saw so far. Using 50:1 mix.

[lxskllr]

So, what does the "secret" screw do?

[Swine]

Just to clarify, I don't make it a habit of running my saw until it's bone dry. This issue with it not being able to take throttle at all after restart (by the way, I couldn't get it restarted AT ALL sometimes without hitting the purge upward of 20-30 times in these situations, which I find extremely strange) also happened when I'd get the first hiccup "I'm running out of fuel" signal. That usually doesn't last very long, a second or two at most, and I wasn't always able to hit the kill switch before it would die. At this point, it's still not bone dry, you can get it to restart and run for 10-15 seconds and totally drain the system, but that's silly and I don't do that.

I'm not sure what bad information I'm giving. This is a data point of one, is anecdotal, and is purely my experience: your experience could be totally different. You certainly don't have to mess with carbs and screws if you don't want to, in a perfect world I would have had it looked at by the dealer already. But I'm also the sort of person that likes to work on stuff myself and learn, that's kind of my life philosophy. I'm not telling anyone else what is going on with their saw, just what I've experienced with mine.

I got back into cutting firewood thinking I couldn't really justify spending more than what a 545 costs, and I didn't think I'd be felling such large trees. In hindsight I would have gotten a bigger saw through a dealer, which I most likely will next summer. 

I like TSC. They support our local 4-H and FFA. It's close to my house. They treat me right; I know the manager. And my tax exempt account is already set up and good to go there. And, finally, I wasn't really anticipating a brand new saw to give me issues, in particular one that is in the pro line. Mea culpa I suppose on that count.

I find it concerning that someone who appears to be a dealer and others in this thread basically told me they wouldn't return my calls and have no incentive to help me. Are you kidding me? You don't even know what message I left with the dealer, why would they treat me like a second class citizen, out of spite? That sure is going to go a long way in creating a life-long customer of Husqvarna, not to mention the fact that I will spend thousands in the future on saws and parts. Good grief, how's that block on the shoulder treating ya'll?

I don't think I was very clear in stating that the saw is running lean, what I meant is that it seems like it's not getting enough fuel after the hot refill, which I termed lean (too much air, not enough fuel). I am not a carb expert, but I am trying to understand how all of this works, and it's frustrating that we have yet another company creating a "black box" and not being willing to educate the end user. Carbs aren't magic – the goal is a perfectly balanced stoichiometric equation, high school chemistry. It's seems that at least in part software isn't adjusting things adequately in my situations. FWIW, I pulled the plug both before and after I turned the "magic screw," it looks the same and actually appears to have the coloration of running rich in both cases. 

It also seems I wasn't clear enough in my first post: I have run this thing countless times for 60+ seconds sustained WOT in very large rounds. What exactly haven't I done correctly to calibrate the carb?

I have the shop manual, while there is a parts diagram the hidden screw and brass plug is not mentioned or documented at all. I'm assuming we aren't hearing from Spike because they're not allowed to talk about the specifics. But maybe he'll chime in?

Anyway, this is all for educational purposes, I'll keep updating as I learn more. I don't have much to clear on my property at this point though, so I won't get a lot of saw time in again until the new year and permits open up in the national forest.

[Real1shepherd]

I'll let Bob answer for himself....but surely you understand the point of buying at a box store and then going to a dealer(who didn't sell you the saw) and expecting to be put in his busy service cue of folks who bought saws from him. Bob is extremely loyal to his regular clientele. He doesn't need the headache of dealing with a saw bought somewhere else. 

And Bob's point is more than valid about messing with an adjustment screw where you have no idea of its function. Seems to me that if you're willing to take the carb off and hunt for that adjustment screw, you'd wanna know exactly what it did an how it may effect saw functions.

Nothing is "educational" when you're following lame YouTubers who are recommending a hack with no explanation of why it works.

I'm pretty sure that a dealer could check out the carb's program function. So maybe you should take it to them in person and schmooze the guy since you didn't buy it there. I think Bob was trying to tell you the fix is easy if you follow Husky protocol.

Kevin

[Spike60]

You are back tracking on some items from your original post. Such as, "I completely ran it out of fuel". One additional thing you can try is to reset the lo setting by letting it idle for 3+ minutes, as the low setting samples and resets every 3 miuntes. Plugging it in and looking at the fuel setting numbers would tell a good dealer more of what's going on. A simple reset might cure any ills. Maybe TSC, oh wait a minute, they don't do that.

One thing I find entertaining is the indignation people have at a dealer not being interested in servicing stuff bought at a box store or online retailer. They get all worked up about the dealer but never direct any of their anger at places like Lowes or TSC who have chosen not to participate in the service side of the industry at all. While they're putting your money in the drawer they tell you, "if you have a problem, don't call us". This is accepted, but when the local dealer isn't interested in servicing that unit, it's a crime against humanity. Gotta love it.

In our case, it's little to do with spite, and all about taking care of our regulars. As the last shop in a market that used to have 8, we are maxed out taking care of our regular customers. We have neither the capacity or interest in taking care of everybody else. Nor are we going to make an investment to work on all of the stuff sold by stores that don't work on anything. If we take in all of that stuff, it only results in my regular customers waiting in an ever longer line, and I'm not going to do that to them. We're not quite "members only", but we are very selective in what we do and box store units come under the heading of "not my problem". You say "Second class citizen"; and yes to an extent that's true unfortunately.

It takes about 5 seconds to hand your local dealer a tax exempt form.

You kind of bought the wrong saw to begin with. From what I believe TSC carries, the 460 Rancher would have been a better choice for you based on what you are cutting. Did you have a conversation with your buddy the manager about your cutting needs to discuss what saw would best fit those needs? Further, if you are burning wood for heat, the savings involved, (especially now), would easily "justify" the price of any saw in the catelog.

You've made an assumption that I am not allowed to talk about the mystery screw in the carb. On what information is this assumption based? 

All it is, ooops wait a minute, I gotta ask for permission.

[PJ65]

I purchased a 550 this summer for thinning work.  Was hesitant to get an autotune saw.  The saw is awesome and I find myself leaving the 372 in the truck more and more. As long as I follow the husky start and warmup sequence I have had zero issues.

[Swine]

I didn't realize I'd encounter such pedantry; do we need to explicitly define "run out of fuel" and "completely," I clarified that I don't run my saw until it's absolutely bone dry, shaking it all around and ripping on the cord until there isn't a drop of fuel left anywhere. 

It's pretty clear from your very first post that your aim in all of this is to criticize me and try and make me look stupid. That's fine I suppose and certainly your prerogative. But I don't see how that attitude or approach really helps anyone. 

I don't really have any indignation at the dealer not returning my call; I am surprised, however, that you consider it good customer service to imply that you have zero incentive to help someone who bought a saw from some place other than your's. No one is asking to skip the line or get preferential treatment. If someone treats me well and does a good job why wouldn't I go back and give them my money in the future? 

I expect the nuances of this disagreement would be better hashed out over beers, so if you're ever in Utah feel free to hit me up  8)

[Spike60]

Would love to take you up on that. No doubt a friemdlier conversation, and I hear Utah is beautiful.

About customer service, it's good if not excellent, based on allocation of resources. Our long time regular customers are very loyal, because of that service. But our plate is full, and as I stated earlier, it's not possible to accomodate everyone that calls or walks through the door. In the last 10 years, we've sold 5500-6000 pieces of serialized equipment. May sound impressive, but it's just a drop in the bucket compared to what the local box stores are putting out there. And NONE of them offer service. Why is this accepted as OK? How do you rate their customer service?

We have an obligation to take care of our regulars, everything else is optional. A shop can only work on so much equipment. We have no obligation to work on box store equipment or absorb customers from dealers who have left the market. I get that no matter how elaborate or politely I explain this, the uderlying message is that I'm telling someone that they are NOT a customer. They don't care how much work we have or that we'd like to go home at a normal hour; all they are hearing is "No".

It is what it is, but not born out of spite for us. More like "no room at the inn".

[Real1shepherd]

I didn't realize I'd encounter such pedantry; do we need to explicitly define "run out of fuel" and "completely," I clarified that I don't run my saw until it's absolutely bone dry, shaking it all around and ripping on the cord until there isn't a drop of fuel left anywhere.

It's pretty clear from your very first post that your aim in all of this is to criticize me and try and make me look stupid. That's fine I suppose and certainly your prerogative. But I don't see how that attitude or approach really helps anyone.

I don't really have any indignation at the dealer not returning my call; I am surprised, however, that you consider it good customer service to imply that you have zero incentive to help someone who bought a saw from some place other than your's. No one is asking to skip the line or get preferential treatment. If someone treats me well and does a good job why wouldn't I go back and give them my money in the future?

I expect the nuances of this disagreement would be better hashed out over beers, so if you're ever in Utah feel free to hit me up  8)

You seem intelligent and literate.....Bob(Spike60) has laid out a perfect explanation of why he doesn't accept box store warranty issues. Like he said, it's not personal, 'no room at the inn'. You bought at a box store, you took your chances.

And since he's an old J'reds and Husky dealer, he's naturally gonna defend a Husky saw model he thinks has an easy fix. Otherwise, some people will read your post and conclude that your Husky model is a piece of you-know-what. I think he's trying to avoid that thinking and not have members fall into the 'should have bought a Stihl' tired troupe. Which is an unintelligent decision at best with so many good choices out there.

Kevin  

[foxman350]

Didn’t realize how old this thread was 

[Spike60]

Yeah, that was a fun one. But I realize that I never really answered the man's question. So, for everyone's benefit, here's the real deal on that screw:

That screw is set at the carb factory on a computer during the manufacturing process to optimize the air flow characteristics for each carb. It should NEVER be touched. Once you mess with that adjustment the carb will never be right again. Sometimes you can get it close, and it will run OK, but not consistently. Unfortunately, the fix is really a brand new carb. 

All that nonsense that's out there about it being a "hidden adjustment screw" is complete BS. It's comical that bad info like that exists in the first place, but the shelf life of that baloney is what is really amazing. We have a special group here, and we don't need that kind of contamination, so I guess that had something to do with me coming down hard on him like I did. 

[Guydreads]

I think this fellow didn't ever get the point... 

Number 1: Him encouraging people to follow his example, when he doesn't even know what he is talking about is utterly ridiculous, especially encouraging that, after a dealer, who was not (at the time) allowed to say WHY not to adjust this screw said not to adjust this screw. 
Number 2: Not understanding basics of physics. Say you can repair 8 saws a day. (probably more but just hypothetical). You have 8 REGULAR customers come in per day to have their saws fixed. Some random dude that bought some saw that's simply not a clamshell, not really pro either at TSC comes in as the 9th saw... Is the dealer going to drop REGULAR customers to please one guy that he can't even fit in??? Be logical people. Come on.

[Spike60]

Guy, that "not allowed to say anything" is not true. It was all part of the phoney story that is getting passed around. The OP here was the one that suggested the "not allowed" deal, so I ran with it for fun, but it's all nonsense. There was no gag order or anything like it. In fact, Husky would be thrilled if customers understood what was going on and would just leave that thing alone.

But that guy was FOS in most of what he was saying, so when people are laying it on that thick, I give no quarter. On one hand he is saying why he likes and does as much business as he can to TSC. Then he tries to again bate the hook for his local dealer with "I will spend thousands in the future on saw and parts". All double talk and I have no respect for a goof like that. The more he wrote, the more he contradicted himself.  

[Guydreads]

That makes it even funnier in my opinion lol OP pretty clearly didn't know what he was talking about 

[KEC]

I bought a Jonsered 2252 a few years ago from a dealer who serviced saws and had a tech there that was very good. I think that the dealer sold out to a franchise company that is less interested in providing good chainsaw service. And that tech is no longer there; I'm going to try and track him down. For various reasons I've decided that I will no longer go there. I tried to buy a new bar and sawchain and they said that they don't carry the bar and chain that I need. I finally found a hardware store that had a bar, chain and sprocket, but in talking to them they fall short as a go to service shop. I'm all ears if someone can steer me to a Husqvarna dealer near Syracuse. I'd like to know more about the harm of running a saw out of gas. My Jonsered 2252 is essentially the same saw as the Husqvarna 545 as I understand it. Thanks guys, in advance.

[Guydreads]

Well, as I understand it: The auto tune which most of these new pro Huskies have (and your Jonsered has) tries to compensate for the lack of fuel when you run the saw out of fuel by reducing air in the air-fuel mixture to a minimum. The saw shuts off, and it has no "battery" or power to set itself back to a "standard" (normal fuel-air ratio) setting. So it's really hard to start because (I think, correct me if I'm wrong pros, I'm all ears) it floods itself. Also it's not good practice with any saw to run it out of fuel for this reason: because when you starve the engine of fuel, you also starve it of OIL, so at those rpms as the saw is dying, excessive wear can begin to occur. If you do it a lot, it can do so much damage as to lock up/ruin your piston and cylinder.

[NYH1]

I bought a Jonsered 2252 a few years ago from a dealer who serviced saws and had a tech there that was very good. I think that the dealer sold out to a franchise company that is less interested in providing good chainsaw service. And that tech is no longer there; I'm going to try and track him down. For various reasons I've decided that I will no longer go there. I tried to buy a new bar and sawchain and they said that they don't carry the bar and chain that I need. I finally found a hardware store that had a bar, chain and sprocket, but in talking to them they fall short as a go to service shop. I'm all ears if someone can steer me to a Husqvarna dealer near Syracuse. I'd like to know more about the harm of running a saw out of gas. My Jonsered 2252 is essentially the same saw as the Husqvarna 545 as I understand it. Thanks guys, in advance.

House Trucking.
2516 Co. Rt. 37
Central Square, NY 13036
(315) 668-2157

About ten minutes from the Rt. 49 and 81 exit at Central Square.  They sell and service Stihl and Husky.  They were also a Johnny Red dealer.

Good luck, NYH1.