Homelite Super 2 Chainsaw Refresh

Joined
May 30, 2022
Messages
2,479
Location
Torrance, CA
A friend gave me this saw some years back, but it's hard to start, and it doesn't hold a steady idle. It's low mileage, so I'm going to have a go at trying to fix it.

Removed the carb, took it apart, and cleaned it well. The diaphragms look good, so I'm going to reuse them.

The fuel lines are hard, so I'd like to replace them. The primer bulb split also. Checking online, most places sell yellow translucent fuel lines. Are these any good? The lines pass through holes in the shell of the fuel and oil tank, so getting the right OD is critical for sealing. They also can't kink.

Regarding the primer bulb, I see complete replacement fuel caps, and just bulbs. The bulb is held to the cap with a glued-on collar. I removed the collar on my old cap and cleaned off the hardened glue. Pretty sure it's just epoxy.

So, I need fuel line and either a bulb or new cap w/bulb. Anyone have experience fixing one of these things?


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You might want to go to a ODPE dealer so you can get the correct fuel line. I had a leak where the line goes through the tank because the aftermarket line was a little thinner than original.There should be a fuel filter on the end of the fuel line inside the tank which should be replaced. I would also lightly burnish the points which I believe you have..
 
I'd search the model number of the carb on ebay/amazon and you'll probably find a kit that will come with a carb the fuel line and a primer bulb for very little money..

Just a side note I recently bought a Joncutter G2511 for $99 and it is unbelievably good for the money. I've probably put 10-12 tanks of fuel through it now and its still starts in just a pull or two and has tons of power. If you have a desire to get a different 12in saw.
 
Yes. The primer bulb is MOSTLY your problem, replace that. But like others have said , just get all the stuff you need either from your local OPE dealer or find it on Amazon.
Those lines get brittle and are prone to cracking after so many years. Every time you put that saw a way for a period of time, drain all the gas out, and leave to fuel cap off.
I've had the fuel cap get attacked by ethanol or fuel and swell to the point that it would not go back on the machine.
Now I take it off, drain the fuel, and attach the cap to the machine with tape or string.
 
yellow fuel line is usually tygon.. which is good.
of course it needs to be the right size..
 
I'd search the model number of the carb on ebay/amazon and you'll probably find a kit that will come with a carb the fuel line and a primer bulb for very little money..

Just a side note I recently bought a Joncutter G2511 for $99 and it is unbelievably good for the money. I've probably put 10-12 tanks of fuel through it now and its still starts in just a pull or two and has tons of power. If you have a desire to get a different 12in saw.
I've been out of the tree business for a looooong time. $99 for a climber saw? That's amazing. Are they any good?
I've got a cheapo electric from HF that I'm kinda sorry I bought.
 
yellow fuel line is usually tygon.. which is good.
of course it needs to be the right size..
Those 2 stroke tune-up kits you can get on Amazon usually come with two different sizes of fuel lines, one is supply and the other return.
 
I ordered a kit that includes 4 different sized lines, a primer bulb, and a clunk/filter. I looked up a parts diagram for the saw, and Homelite speced two different sizes of line. I'm going to leave the oil tank alone, so only the fuel line needs to be replaced. The different line seems odd, because the hole in the tank is the same size for both lines. Anyway, fingers crossed the kit will have what I need.

Regarding the primer bulb, all the new caps I can find use a non vented bulb, but my cap has a check valve built in, so I'm going to rebuild the cap. The bulb sits on top of the cap, around a raised lip, then a ring fits down on top, and is glued down, sealing the bulb. An odd design, in my opinion. Gotta dig around and find some good epoxy now.
 
I've been out of the tree business for a looooong time. $99 for a climber saw? That's amazing. Are they any good?
I've got a cheapo electric from HF that I'm kinda sorry I bought.
Its a clone of the little Echo and it is a beast. As soon as they are back in stock I'm going to buy a second. Weights less than a battery powered Milwaukee saw and is much stronger. Thing starts first pull every time after its warmed up.
 
Its a clone of the little Echo and it is a beast. As soon as they are back in stock I'm going to buy a second. Weights less than a battery powered Milwaukee saw and is much stronger. Thing starts first pull every time after its warmed up.
Where do you buy them? I want one, because when you need a saw like that, there in nothing like them.
 
Where do you buy them? I want one, because when you need a saw like that, there in nothing like them.
They'll show up here along with amazon/Ebay when they are back in stock. You can see they have tons of clone saws and there are youtube videos out there reviewing most of them.

https://www.farmertec.com/Chain-Saws-c29241-p2.html

They do have this 12in saw in stock, but its a clone of something else, so I cannot comment on how good it is/isn't.

https://www.farmertec.com/US-STOCK-...-Shipping-For-US-Customers-Only-p1031613.html
 
I had a real PIA time getting a hose with filter on it into the small gas tank. I think I got a foot of gas line and put the filter on it and pushed it out of the gas tank rather than push it in. Or maybe push it in and out of the gas fill, put the filter on and then pull it back a bit so its in the right place. I did something like that.
 
I ordered two different china fuel line kits. One, the primer bulb fits nicely, but the fuel lines are very stiff. The other has better lines, but the bulb doesn't fit as well. Guess I'll keep both. Cost was only $7 each or so.

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Refirb project done...sort of. Can't get the thing running. Had a tiny little sputter, then nothing. Even starting fluid doesn't elicit a response. Spark seems good. 130 psi compression. I'm flumoxed.
 
Got it running on the high end. It won't idle or run in the mid-range. When rebuilding the carb, I made a mistake in taking out a welsh plug that covers a check valve and some metering jets for the idle and low end. The rebuild kit came with the plug, so I figured I should look under it. The problem comes in when reinstalling it. It was a major pain. I had to make a tool to drive the plug in. I suspect, when doing so, the check valve is binding now. I'll try the machine again in the morning, but if it's still the same, I'm going to have to dig that plug back out and get a new one, setting it more carefully this time.
 
Got it running on the high end. It won't idle or run in the mid-range. When rebuilding the carb, I made a mistake in taking out a welsh plug that covers a check valve and some metering jets for the idle and low end. The rebuild kit came with the plug, so I figured I should look under it. The problem comes in when reinstalling it. It was a major pain. I had to make a tool to drive the plug in. I suspect, when doing so, the check valve is binding now. I'll try the machine again in the morning, but if it's still the same, I'm going to have to dig that plug back out and get a new one, setting it more carefully this time.
A saw that old might also have bad crank seals.
 
Trying to find information about the Zama carb is putting my internet sleuthing skills to the test. I'm almost certain that the low end running problem stems from what's going on under that (triangle-shaped) welch plug that I (mistakenly) removed. I say that because I removed it again, and found that the little check valve diaphragm disc is missing. I must have lost it, not even realizing such a thing existed.

The check valve consists of a .002" thick plastic 2.8mm disc, that sits over the inlet fuel port feeding the triangle cavity with the low-end fuel metering passages. Then, the black plastic part holds it down, and the cavity is sealed by the triangle plug. I made a brass tool to punch out a new disc, and bought the proper tool to set the welch plug.

Fuel pushes up on the disc, deflecting it upward, and fuel enters the cavity. The check valve keeps fuel from backflowing.

Got everything all sealed up and the saw is going back together. The plastic housing has a big crack, so bought a clean one off eBay for cheap. Also, got a 14" bar and chain on the way. The original bar is 18", which is crazy for this small little saw. I'll save it for hacking out bushes or something, but use the 14"'er for cutting wood.

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