Starting up an old chainsaw.....

[AdmiralYoda]

I was given a Husqvarna 345 chainsaw about 10 years ago and it has sat in my garage waiting for some attention. Based on the engine part number it was built somewhere between 2000-2009, the model#/serial# label is missing. When I was given it the owner said it worked great but didn't start one spring and it hasn't run since. Probably 12-15 years now since it has seen regular use.

I put some fresh gas in it and it didn't want to start. No surprise. Aside from taking apart the carb...any last ditch tricks to try and get an old 2-stroke running?

I was thinking of filling the gas tank with Berryman B12. I'll take the spark plug out and pull the cord a bunch of times to try and get B12 into the carb and let it soak. Then maybe let it sit a few days and then drain the tank and fill it up with fresh fuel. Squirt a bit of oil in the cylinder and reinstall the spark plug. Maybe it will start?

If it doesn't I'll take the carb apart and attempt to clean it out or rebuild it. OEM carbs are going for $140 and the Chinese knockoffs go for $40 which I'd rather avoid. Any tips or tricks? Thanks!

 

[spasm3]

Sitting that long, I think you will have to take the carb apart. Diaphragm may be shot.
I would check to see if you have fire to the plug first.
I'd skip straight b-12, don't want to wipe the oil off the engine internals.

 

[BC1]

Dont but B12 in it. That will most likely hurt the fuel line. Actually check the fuel line for holes. They are real thin. I have changed mine twice over the years. Same 345 saw bought around 05.

 

[Lubener]

I would first make sure it has spark and you could spray a small amount of starting fluid in the cylinder prior to starting. Some starting fluids have an upper cylinder lubricant which is what I would use. If the gas was run out ten years ago , you might get lucky with it.

 

[JohnnyG]

Try using WD40 instead of starting fluid! Usually I've found that an engine like that just has very dry cylinder walls, then not enough compression. The WD40 will lube and then burn off quickly.
I just spray a little bit into the spark plug hole.

Don't get me wrong, you can do the piston soak too because if the wrong oil was used, the rings might be stuck.

 

[wavinwayne]

I would start by rebuilding the carb and replacing the fuel lines, fuel filter, air filter, and primer bulb. That's how I got my old Craftsman saw running again last year with help from the good folks here. I'm sure somebody has a youtube tutorial for doing this job on your saw.

 

[blain450]

Any tips or tricks? Thanks!

I'd refer to the Chickanic, she's the queen of small engines.
CHICKANIC

 

[Chris142]

I'd refer to the Chickanic, she's the queen of small engines.
CHICKANIC

I stopped watching her when she said that Stihl makes a good oil.

 

[shortyb]

Check fuel lines and primer bulb to make sure they're intact. Dump the gas in it now and put a whole 2.6 oz bottle of 2 stroke oil (I like Echo Red Armor) in the tank and prime the begeezuz out if it to get the oil through the entire circuit. This will soften the more than likely hardened diaphragms. Dump all the remaining oil into a gallon can and remove the spark plug. Take a tablespoon of the oil and put into the cylinder and pull the rope several times to distribute the oil. You can check for spark at this stage. Do NOT put any solvent cleaners in it, that will not play nice with the delicate diaphragms. Put about a half gallon of gas in the can with the remaining oil. Set it all aside for a few hours and simmer. Fill the tank with the heavy premix and attempt to start on choke. When/if it pops, take the choke off and try to start it. If it starts, let it run for a bit then goose the throttle several times if it responds. Then run at full throttle and open and close the choke several times to get the diaphragms to flex. If you wear your arm out trying to start after all this, you're probably going to have to rebuild the carb. You can get rebuild kits for a fraction of the price of a whole new carb. Check out Chickanic on YouTube, she has some good info. Good luck.

 

[Nessism1]

I'd take the thing apart before even attempting to start it. Carb is gunked, fuel lines need to be replaced, etc. Get it over with, then make sure you have a good source of fuel with stabilizer in it. That's a nice saw, and well worth the effort.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Anyone mention the carb? If you can rebuilt it, go for it. Otherwise you might take it to a good shop; they do this all the time. I would consider that money well spent. Huskys are great, high power saws. I am jealous!

 

[nomas]

Fresh gas . clean spark plug , a shot of starting fluid . You might get lucky .

 

[Arc]

The OEM carb is the same one you can buy on ebay or amazon so toss it and buy a new one. Also mix your own gas instead of a pre mix can. Fire it up and go cut some wood.

 

[97prizm]

I was given a Husqvarna 345 chainsaw about 10 years ago and it has sat in my garage waiting for some attention. Based on the engine part number it was built somewhere between 2000-2009, the model#/serial# label is missing. When I was given it the owner said it worked great but didn't start one spring and it hasn't run since. Probably 12-15 years now since it has seen regular use.

I put some fresh gas in it and it didn't want to start. No surprise. Aside from taking apart the carb...any last ditch tricks to try and get an old 2-stroke running?

I was thinking of filling the gas tank with Berryman B12. I'll take the spark plug out and pull the cord a bunch of times to try and get B12 into the carb and let it soak. Then maybe let it sit a few days and then drain the tank and fill it up with fresh fuel. Squirt a bit of oil in the cylinder and reinstall the spark plug. Maybe it will start?

If it doesn't I'll take the carb apart and attempt to clean it out or rebuild it. OEM carbs are going for $140 and the Chinese knockoffs go for $40 which I'd rather avoid. Any tips or tricks? Thanks!

Look at the Chicanic YouTube video she just posted. It shows how to get an old saw/ or trimmer that sat running again.

 

[wavinwayne]

I stopped watching her when she said that Stihl makes a good oil.

FWIW, it's not the oil she normally suggests to her viewers. Her recommended shop brew is regular E10 gas mixed with Red Armor and a splash of ethanol shield, at least according to a recent video she posted.

 

[IndyIan]

That carb has got to be plugged up and probably the diaphragm is hardened up too. Just get a new carb kit from your local saw shop, and do it yourself, or let them install a carb kit and get it going for a couple hours of their time. It will be much much better than any new 100-200$ saw!

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Thanks everyone! I was kind of hoping to get away with being lazy lol. I have the ability to rebuild it....I was just hoping for a way to get away with it!

 

[Fordiesel69]

I am kind of an expert at tearing down the 350 model. The 345 model is almost identical.

-Before going any further, blow the dust off the bottom of the saw and reveal the 4 allen head bolts that secure the cylinder to the crankcase. Give them a slight tightening and make sure they have not broken or gotten loose. Next do the same for the top if the cylinder. This is very common on the 350, less common on the 335, 340, and 345. Depending on your cylinder you may not have bolts going down thru the top. They may only go from the bottom up.

-Look at the clutch for signs of overheating. If silver or tan, you should be ok, if blue or purple, do not bother going any further. You will need to strip the saw down and replace the crankshaft seals. I tell it this way, if you can manage to get the carb on and off the saw, the rest is a cake walk, and very rewarding to do, that way you know the saw will be bullet proof for you later on.

-At a bare minimum you should be trying to rebuild the OEM carb. To do it properly you will hose it down with carb spray before taking it apart to avoid adding more contamination inside it. Pull both H and L needle and set aside so they do not get mixed up. Strip the carb down and soak in 2 stroke mix. Blow out all passages with 15 - 30 psi shop air. Reinstall the new carb kit and replace the microscreen. Do not skip this step, a microscreen can look mint and still not flow a single drop of fuel. I like to use a "zoomspout oiler" and fill with fuel, and rehearse blowing fuel thru each and every passage before assembly. After all of this I must admit, some carbs can look great after and still not function. But it is still worth the effort.

-Plan to replace the primer bulb with a new one, and if fuel lines are black, replace the filter with a new one but do NOT upgrade the fuel lines to the new chinese yellow ones in the kit. Only upgrade if your black ones have failed.

The power to weight ratio on these 345;s and the newer 435's are really fantastic.

 

[Cujet]

The 345 may not have a primer bulb (many of them did not). If not, the engine will likely never start with a dry carb, as the fuel won't pump through via weak crankcase pulses.

Before you do anything else, check spark, then carefully pour a bit of 2 stroke gas in the carb. Pull like crazy, throttle open.

No B12 in the tank. It's a plastic tank and B12 will soften it.