Husqvarna Help needed

[tmroper]

Hi, newbie posting. I have a Husq 288 that has the following symptons and hope you guys can offer some advice.
1. The saw is in great condition but leaks bar oil bad.  It seems to be leaking between the two halves of the bar oil tank (the seam). I tried to tighten the screws with no luck is there a gasket that goes there that should be replaced or any suggestions to fix the problem.
2. The saw crank nice but doesn't even run long enough to make one cut.  I have read many posts about saw shuting out due to running to lean.  How do you know if it is to lean and how do you fix the problem?
Thanks

[Wild willy]

#1 I have an two older 288 and a 288xp I always found my prob, (most times) it has a bad fuel line check where the line go's from the carp to the tank, all it needs is a pin hole.And for the oil prob never had one leak their but some times your bar bolts will go bad and they will leak their just a thought. Good luck hope it helps wildwilly                                                 

[jteneyck]

Yes, there is a gasket that fits between the two halves of the crank case.  You may be able to isolate where the leak is coming from by cleaning off the oil on the outside of the saw real well, then set the saw on a couple blocks of wood above a clean paper towel.  Wait an hour or day then check to see if the paper towel has spots of oil and, if so, where they dripped from.  It's not a simple task to replace the crank case gasket, so you want to make sure it's really the source of the problem before taking on that task.  My Husky 55 leaks oil, too, and I just put up with it.

As for the saw cutting out before you can complete a single cut, I would dump out the gas and replace it with fresh mix.  I'd replace the fuel filter and check the fuel line and replace it if it's spongy or suspect.  Also, check to make sure the screws that hold the carb to the cylinder are tight.  And make sure the hi/low speed carb adjustment screws are set correctly (most are 1-1/4 turns open to start with).  If you've done all that and the problem remains, then I'd take the carb off and open it up to check for dirt.  It doesn't take much varnish or dirt/fuzz, etc. to cause problems.  If the saw is several years old, you might as well do a carb rebuild as long as you've got it apart - the parts only cost about $10.  And replace the carb/cylinder gasket when you put it back on.
Good luck.