Scored Pistons?

[gman98]

Hey guys, I was wondering if there is a way to tell if a piston/cylinder is scored without actually getting into the cylinder itself?

Thanks

[DelawhereJoe]

You can pull the muffler and look inside, the easy way to see if you have worn things out inside is to hold the saw up by the pull cord, if it starts pulling out its not holding compression. Could be rings are bad or the air in the cylinder is leaking through cylinder scoring.

[Big Wood]

removing muffler and inspecting piston from there will tell the tale and whether it is safe to run. i have been known to run what the average man would throw out for firewood duties. if it runs it's not broked  ;D i make sure my work saws are healthy though, a guy can look pretty silly bringing junk up on the hill  ;)

[Al_Smith]

The cylinder and piston don't have to be perfect to run well .

[gman98]

Well I checked the piston.  The piston itself looks good.  There is a ring of brown residue around the top of the piston.  What causes this?

Thanks

[dougand3]

Carbon/Unburned fuel that sinks down to above ring = normal. Move piston to the bottom and look at intake side cyl wall for scoring/scratches. Flashlight helps.