I have a Husq. 288 xp lite and it is freshly rebuilt meaning no short cuts and gone all the way through. I took it out and cut about six cuts and then it dies and doesn't want to start. It started easily at the shop. any ideas on what could be going on with this saw. I am getting really tired of spending money on it and getting no reliability out of it. If it hadn't been for bringing along a 15 yr old stihl I wouldn't have gotten anything done. I am about ready to make an anchor out of it for the boat.
-It has fresh gas
-everything is new freshly rebuilt even gas line
-it ran great at shop
-pulled plug and it appeared slightly wet (very slightly, I heated it with a lighter stuck it back in and it cranked but ran rougher than at the shop)
-How can you tell if it is running to rich and how do you adjust? ( I don't have in a manual and would like to learn since I am very rural and it is an hour to where I cut on the ranch)
-The saw wants to rev when the throttle is not being pushed sometimes.
Thanks for your help.
Sounds like you have an air leak somewhere.
If I were a betting man I'd say something is amiss with the carb . The metering valve might be off adjustment ,the tiny screen full of microscopic wood fibers ,spacer gasket installed on the wrong sde of the metering diaphragm or any such thing .
As far as an air leak ,that's possible too and usually gets worse as the saw warms up .Sooo if the thing has spark when it dies on the vine the only thing left is fuel delivery .
Now as for instructions just go to whatever brand of carb that thing uses web site .They all have one ,Zama ,Tillotson ,Walbro and look up the model .There in will be directions and tutorials covering rebuilding ,tuning,trouble shooting .
may be an air suction from the protects oil or even something regarding the caburator....
Thanks a lot guys. I am trying to learn. I am going to look up the website on the carb and give that a go. I put a new carb on the saw when I rebuilt it and when I took it into the shop to have it looked at out of frustration the shop said the carb should be cleaned so they took it apart and cleaned it. So there is always the possibility of making a mistake putting it back together. Hey we are all human. I was so excited to get it back from the shop (it ran great when I got it back). I cowboy for a living and don't make a big wage but I decided to have the shop check it out so that I could get some wood cut for a friend who is laid up and can't cut for himself. It's just a bummer that I only got to cut 6 cuts and it quit. I thought about taking it back to the shop but am nervous they will tell me it will not be expensive and then slide another big bill in on me. I appreciate your help and if you think of anything else please post away we are in the middle of a bad snow storm so I will check in.
The problem could be a loose connector on the wire between the electronic module and the coil.
Quote from: sablatnic on January 23, 2010, 03:01:46 PM
The problem could be a loose connector on the wire between the electronic module and the coil.
yes...why not? may be...but from my point of wiew quiete difficult...
Thank you I am going to check the wire as soon as possible
yea we had a lot of 288s im think theres at least 20 or more in the parts bin. check the ignition wires and the kill switch and the plus wire they rub thru sumtimes
288's biggest problem is the wires and the wire running to the coil that sits beside the carb is the weakest link and causes the most trouble just like you are having
Quote from: tmroper on January 23, 2010, 01:12:29 AM
I have a Husq. 288 xp lite and it is freshly rebuilt meaning no short cuts and gone all the way through. I took it out and cut about six cuts and then it dies and doesn't want to start. It started easily at the shop. any ideas on what could be going on with this saw. I am getting really tired of spending money on it and getting no reliability out of it. If it hadn't been for bringing along a 15 yr old stihl I wouldn't have gotten anything done. I am about ready to make an anchor out of it for the boat.
-It has fresh gas
-everything is new freshly rebuilt even gas line
-it ran great at shop
-pulled plug and it appeared slightly wet (very slightly, I heated it with a lighter stuck it back in and it cranked but ran rougher than at the shop)
-How can you tell if it is running to rich and how do you adjust? ( I don't have in a manual and would like to learn since I am very rural and it is an hour to where I cut on the ranch)
-The saw wants to rev when the throttle is not being pushed sometimes.
Thanks for your help.
who rebuilt the saw? i would start with that person or shop.
you mentioned that it wants to rev on its own, were the seals replaced? it could also be a gasket between the carb and boot has a tear or is improperly installed.
when it runs and then dies, have you tried cracking the gas cap? you might have a tank vent problem that is creating a vacuum and not allowing the carb to pull fuel.
your problem could also be a bad coil. they can get hot and make it impossible to re-start a hot saw until it cools. you could also have a cracked wire that is getting hot, increasing resistance and not allowing enough voltage to operate the ignition.
a new carb should not need anything done to it other than dialing in the H and L screws. i think the shop took you money on this one.
if u had it rebuilt at a shop i would take it back to them and tell them the problem and have them run it until the problem occurs again if they are a reliable and honest shop they should fix it for free but if u wanted to try and fix it id check the jets and readjust them it may be running to low on the low end and to high on the high end but my money is on it being a carb problem weather it is adjusted wrong r the gaskets r not in right or sumthing
I have seen guys do this before , if you can get the saw started say the next day , grap yourself a nice piece of wood that has say 25 cuts worth in it if your saw dealer doesnot have any and hand your saw to the guy that rebuilt it and tell him to makes those 25 cuts, if its the carb , the problem should show up before he gets all those cookies cut
I checked the wires and they looked good on the outside. The coil, carb, jug, spark plug, side cover (pretty much everything). Problem is I got this saw because I didn't have the money to buy a new one and I heat all with wood no propane or electric. I cowboy for a ranch and is what I have been doing all my life and live on a pretty slim budget. Back to the saw I got the blown up saw for free and took it to a local shop to have it rebuilt about 2 yrs ago normally I do all my wrench turning on diesels and 4 stroke gas but don't know a lot about 2 stroke and trying to learn (so I really appreciate picking your brains) When I got the saw back it did the same thing ran great then dud. Well I got frustrated and let it sit after using it once and not getting anywhere with the shop and used my trusty old 029 Stihl. Well my uncle came down with cancer and couldn't get out to cut firewood this year so I got that saw out and took it to the shop. The guy said the carb probably just needed cleaning that didn't make any difference so he said I would have to leave it with him. I got it back he said that when it was rebuilt 4 screws on the crankcase had not been installed when rebuilding and it had a bad air leak and you know the rest of the story. I am going to try and call him tomorrow and hopefully something will come of it. I am just nervous that it will be yet another big bill. No offense but when I was hanging out watching him work on it one thing that worries me is the guy was pretty rough with a pair of pliers pulling wires and hoses. I sure hope I can get this thing figured out we have a lot of winter left and my old stihl has been used hard. Thank you guys for all your comments I can't tell you how much I appreciate your time.
Forgot to ask how do check the wires to make sure they are good?
Simply look at them or is there some kind of test you can do with an electrical meter?
Thanks
I checked all the wires and they all seem to be good
Yesterday,
I cranked the saw to let it warm up. (the only way I could crank it was remove plug and clean then it starts easily)
I adjusted carb based on guidelines on the chainsawr site and it ran and sounded great. turned it off and it fired right back up right away several times. Satisfied I turned it off walked a couple hundred yards to where I had a log to test it on in a cut. Tried to crank it and nothing. Went back to the shop readjusted and tested again (once again everything was great). Went back to the log and nothing again. What do you guys think? I don't have a tach so I adjusted it a tad rich. What kind of tach do you guys reccomend? I really appreciate you guys feedback like I said earlier.
Thanks
It sounds like you have a fuel problem.
Sometimes no matter how many times a carb has been cleaned or had the diaphragms changed, some are just worn out.
I would check the tank breather vent and fuel filter first. The filter is on the end of the hose in the tank, and the vent is either in the cap or on the side/top of the tank. These things are easily overlooked in a rebuild hurry. Also check the fuel line where it travels through the side of the tank at the grommet. That is a known failure point for the fuel line and a slight crack could cause the problems you list. I would also go over the saw after its been through a couple of heat cycles to check all the bolts to make sure theyre tight.
Never underestimate the poor quality of our gas these days especially when laced with ethanol. Start with fresh gas, preferably high test, buy only enough that you will use in a couple of days. Mix the oil into the gas yourself to what ratio you feel comfortable with. If your fuel mix is over 30 days old, dump it into your truck and buy fresh. Make sure that you can cap the fuel container tight once mixed because ethanol will soak up moisture like a sponge.
If you would like to send me your email address through the private message system, I will forward the 288 shop manual.
Best wishes,
Sharkey
Thanks Sharkey,
I am no saw mechanic but feel it is a fuel problem myself. I have sent you my email and appreciate you sending the manual. Is there any test you can do to tell if the carb is worn out or is it just a last resort option. I am going to check the tank breather and fuel filter. I am determined to not let this saw whip me. smiley_beertoast
I thought I had the problem figured out with this saw. I took it to the shop and the needle valve needed adjusting. He put it back together and it cranked pretty good and sounded ok. I took it home and it wouldn't start so I pulled the plug and it was wet. I am just getting more and more frustrated with this saw. Do you think rebuilding the carb would be a good route to go?
by any chance did you trace the wire all the way to the coil ? try this unhook it from the coil i think its just a plug and start it you can always choke it off later the one we had there was only a smalll nick in it and the dealer rebuilt the whole thing at the shop and it still gave us misfires and stalls
Woooooooooohooooo
I think I may have gotten it figured out but I am not going to hold my breath until I get to test it right in the woods the way it has been going but I feel pretty good with how it is running.
My number one mistake with diagnosing this saw was trusting what the shop did with it.
What I found wrong.
1. Both gaskets and diaphrams that are on the top and bottom of the saw were installed in the wrong order.
2. The needle valve was not seating. When the shop installed the lever arm they didn't adjust it so the needle valve would seat properly.
3. When the shop installed the intake gasket it slid down block off air flow from the carb and caused an air leak.
After fixing the above the saw starts with one pull and the carb adjusts perfectly. I tell you what this thing had me stumped but it was my fault for trusting in anothers capabilities. I am hoping to get out and give it a go maybe this weekend.
Thank you guys for all your help I hope it is a runner now.
There's definitely a lot to be said for the old saying: "if you want something done right...." ;)
glad to hear you figured it out yourself and it's up and running properly.
Every little mishap/frustration is a chance to educate yourself on new subjects and take away valuable lessons
I'd be calling up that shop and asking for a refund on the labor charges. Too many people just let it slide and let other people get away with charging for incompetence. Go get a partial refund instead of paying them to mess up your saw.
Thanks guys,
Rocky I am going to definitely give that a go.
I sure hope the issue is resolved.
Quote from: Rocky_J on February 23, 2010, 02:13:18 PM
I'd be calling up that shop and asking for a refund on the labor charges. Too many people just let it slide and let other people get away with charging for incompetence. Go get a partial refund instead of paying them to mess up your saw.
i have to agree workmanship like that just palin sucks and you should be entitled to a refund or atleast half or store credit for the labor cost may get a chain or 2 out of the bunch anyway ... hope it works out for ya
I've had this problem, the piece between the carb and the cylinder head has a crack in it, i don't know how to spell it, its called the condream, on a Stihl its the rubber boot, it has a clamp on each side, i've had them come louse, or crack.
On a Husky it was a solid piece of hard fiber, between the carb and the head, it took me a long time to find the problem.
Just a guess
I went out and cut firewood this weekend and the saw did pretty good. It cranked well. idled well, and cut small stuff extremely well but when I cut a large daimeter pine it really slowed the rpm's to the point of almost not cutting.
Anyone have any suggestions for what might be going on?
how's the compression on the saw sounds as if its warming up and loosing power ... a 288 should rip through pine like cutting water with a sharp chain
I don't have a compression gauge that will fit the saw so I am going to have to pick one up. I did the quick test and held onto the pull cord handle and the saw did not drop. I also have pulled the muffler and everything looks good and shiny. Everything is newly rebuilt on this saw from the shop even though that doesn't mean everything.