Blew up another 576 Husky

[lostyooper6]

I have a 576 I blew up one a few months after I got it, the dealer replaced it (jsut wouldn't start not sure what happend, seem to have compression).  This one locked up on me last night while cutting, all that changed was that I cleaned the air filter and carb area with some carb clean.  Running fuel from the same can of gas my last 4 or 5 tank fulls have come out of.  Anybody had issues with their 576's?  I love the saw, but never had this much trouble with a Husky before.   

[beenthere]

cleaned the air filter and carb area with some carb clean.

That sounds suspect to me. What purpose was carb cleaner used for?  Just wondering.

[Cedar Savage]

Yea carb cleaner is bad stuff for chain saws......it'll melt the plastic...

[MEloggah]

they are noted for bad cranks. ill never go to the 576. ive ran 371/372's since they come out and havnt had any issues other then plumb wearing them out from every day logging use. plus, I demo'd a 576 and I didn't think it hung as well as the 372 and I didn't feel a *DanG bit of difference in power. the 562 on the other hand has my attention for cutting white pine or other soft woods.

[MidWestTree]

Heck of a topic for my first post but I'll share my experience with the 576's to date. I've not run a mid 70cc class saw that will touch it, I replaced three tired 372's with them and they are torque monsters by comparison and definitely my all time favorite for a felling and bucking saw in the typical oaks and hardwoods we cut. They are faster than the 372's in the cut and pull harder at lower rpm's. I wouldn't pick up a new 372 in place of it for any reason.

I've had two of them replaced (standard 576xp's) before either of them made it to the 2 hour mark for scored pistons and cylinders, and I checked them thoroughly for air leaks before they went back to the dealer after they blew. Both saws were air tight and running the same mix everything else was using on those days, no failures of any kind on the other saws and blowers. We have always run Lucas semi synthetic and 91 grade pump gas @ 50:1 and have never had any trouble.

Both of those saws still felt like they had quite a bit of compression left when you pulled one, when in fact there was none. 

Hard lesson learned, these larger strato saws will make heat like none of us have seen in non strato engines, both that failed me were maxed out on the limiters when shipped from the factory and still weren't getting enough fuel to run cool enough. On the replacement saws I have found the sweet spot in getting them tuned properly required removing the limiters and opening them up nearly a full turn past the factory high side settings. We are now running 93 octane fuel with a 40:1 mix, and the replacements are doing just fine.

You have to cut the limiter tabs off the plastic shafts to get these adjusted to run properly, just put the first tank of fuel in the third saw and started it today, it required the same tuning to get it off the deaths edge of lean from the factory settings. These were all manufactured in 2011-2012, well past the range of saws in March of 09 that got a redesigned piston and cylinder that carried into all the later 576 models.

Husky replaced my bad ones no questions asked, so I have to wonder how many more burned up like that before mine did it? Not a good experience with the model at all, and really not happy that they required that much tweaking past a factory setting to make them right but there's nothing in their class that runs with them and the anti-vibe is incredible compared to anything they have offered to date.

One man's opinion, the 576xp is an amazing design that get's neutered before it leaves the factory to meet EPA standards. It's an easy fix if you don't have to learn the hard way, and maybe the AT models are able to compensate enough to avoid burning up like these did on me. 

[ladylake]

Seems like most saws any brand need to be tuned before running them, not like the old days when they came set rich for break in and needed to be tuned leaner after 3 tanks.  Steve

[MidWestTree]

Seems like most saws any brand need to be tuned before running them, not like the old days when they came set rich for break in and needed to be tuned leaner after 3 tanks.  Steve

That certainly seems to be the case, I suppose manufacturers are between a rock and a hard place trying to build 2 stroke power equipment that meets EPA standards and aren't a warranty nightmare.

[cuterz]

EPA at its finest

[MidWestTree]

EPA at its finest

I wonder, do manufacturers (Stihl and Husqvarna for instance) distribute products globally based on US EPA guidelines or do they do things a little differently on models for that market?

[Al_Smith]

I'm not casting espersions on the use of carb cleaner but I did smoke a saw engine once with no more than a partial teaspoon full of straight gas .

[snowstorm]

I'm not casting espersions on the use of carb cleaner but I did smoke a saw engine once with no more than a partial teaspoon full of straight gas .

ever see the evinrude outboard ad? they claim there motor will run several hrs with out oil

[Al_Smith]

I haven't even seen an Evinrude for 30 years let alone an ad .My father had a pair of 25s' on his 23 foot Owens cabin cruiser .Good old dependable engines .

[1270d]

I think I remember seeing somewhere that husky still makes the 2 series saws for distribution in third world type markets.  Dunno if its true or an internet rumor.

[celliott]

I think I remember seeing somewhere that husky still makes the 2 series saws for distribution in third world type markets.  Dunno if its true or an internet rumor.

Yup. Here's a new 272XP
http://www.husqvarna.com/latin-america/products/professional-chainsaws/272-xp-r/

And Stihl does the same thing. Here's a list of saws from Stihl South Africa. Shows a MS 381, a MS 720 and MS 780, as well as a MS 361 still. I do remember stumbling across some country's Stihl website and seeing an 036 and 038 magnum still listed.

http://www.stihl.co.za/STIHL-Products/Chainsaws/0130/Petrol-chain-saws-for-forestry.aspx

It must simply be emissions laws in these countries as to why they still sell them.

[sawguy21]

Stihl shipped skids of 070's of all things into Thailand for cleanup after the tsunami. I got calls looking for them a few years ago, figured somebody was jerking my chain. Turns out the calls were legit, south Asians wanted to buy in Canada and take them as carry on. Way cheaper than purchasing locally.

[HolmenTree]

Stihl shipped skids of 070's of all things into Thailand for cleanup after the tsunami. I got calls looking for them a few years ago, figured somebody was jerking my chain. Turns out the calls were legit, south Asians wanted to buy in Canada and take them as carry on. Way cheaper than purchasing locally.

The 070 / 090 Stihls last sold here in Canada in the early 1990s, would probably have still been sold up until the EPA mess, if they came with functional chain brakes.
For a 1959 original design they're very tough durable workhorses even in todays standards, I call my 090AV a tractor.
Same goes for the old 1940's IEL or was it Mall twin cylinder saws, today some mining companies still use the powerheads to run pumps.
Some old proven designs never die and go the wayside. :laugh: 

[petefrom bearswamp]

Yup HolmenTree,
Stihls and Huskys are very good.
The old ones were good ones too.
Here in the central NYs in the old days (70's) the old Homelites were king too.
I never used the big ones but had several xl12 and super xl12 series saws, the last of which is a 1973 super xl 12 which still runs at my camp.
bought it new then used it for a day doing TSI work which paid fort it that day.
I think it was $130.00 or so.

[1270d]

I was offered a 575, maybe a 576 (what's the difference) for 50 bucks.   Guy ran straight gas in it.   Not for long though.   I've  rebuilt plenty of saws from the crank up but have never touched one of these.  Think I should bother?

[AdkStihl]

I was offered a 575, maybe a 576 (what's the difference) for 50 bucks.   Guy ran straight gas in it.   Not for long though.   I've  rebuilt plenty of saws from the crank up but have never touched one of these.  Think I should bother?

If its a 576XP.....buy it for $50 and Ill double your money if you send it to me  ;)
Pictures 1st of course

[scully]

I switched to Dolmars .  Not that it means anything but heres what my new saw guy said . 10% ethinol or lower only but if you can get Ethanol free do it ! They test fuel from the tank if you smoke the saw . Assumeing that your fuel was perfect I was wondering is the 576 one of those new injected ? saws ? that changes mix at altitude etc? I may be way off on the discription but I heard they were doing that and I wonder ????????????

[HolmenTree]

I had a trio of 576 Auto Tunes for 3 years , have since replaced them with 3 - 550 XP Auto Tunes which I solely use for an annual powersaw competition I put on for the general public every February 3rd weekend.

The 576XP Auto Tunes ran flawless,  the micro processors make these saws run better then any saw I used to own previously . You really have to run a 576 with the Auto Tune to fully appreciate them. The newer 550's run even better with the newer programing.
I've been running my 372XP for the last couple of weeks in my tree service business, then grabbed my new 562XP Auto Tune this afternoon...... what a difference! The 372 would balk and sputter for the first minute of warm up, the 562 from cold runs like a well warmed up saw, all thanks to the computer.

Own an Auto Tune and you'll never go back to the old technology. I've also heard the Stihl M-Tronics are equally impressive.

[mkjones32]

Thumbs up on the 576XP AT!