Chainsaw Repair

The ultimate timing position you are looking for is to have the points break at 22 degrees before top dead center.

To accurately do this you will need a degree wheel, a volt-ohm meter, and a feeler gauge.

You are going to need to have an idea of the relationship of the crankshaft Key way to the top dead center position if you are going to do this with the flywheel removed?

The volt-ohm meter or even a self powered test light is required to know just when the points break.

The feeler gauge is to set the point gap in order to have the proper coil saturation dwell time.

You will need a piston stop to use with the degree wheel to find top dead center. I have been successful in determining TDC with the degree wheel attached to the crankshaft alone without piston stops and all that jazz. Just determine the center of the dead zone at the top of the compression stroke by feel.

If you need a degree wheel, there are many on the internet that you can print out and glue to a piece of card board, metal, or plastic that will work very well for this purpose. I can give you links if necessary?

If all this is getting too complicated for you, just set the points at .010" and put the timing marker on zero. Don't worry about the rest if it runs good . . .

I've made a error in my discussions with you relative to the point gap. The spec is .3 to .4 mmn which is .012" - .016"

I don't know if if you are a inch or metric man or if it even makes any difference to you. It wouldn't to me.

Most old chainsaws have a window in the flywheel that is over the points adjustment when they are at their widest point? If not, remove the flywheel and set the point gap at their widest position.

If the key is good in the flywheel, the timing hasn't changed.

If the point gap is between .3 and .4 mm and the spark plug is good and set at .5mm - it should fire. If not, I would suspect capacitor first and coil second?

A chainsaw that big, I would want to use the 4.5 mm double braid Dacron polyester pull cord. I fill the starter pulley up but not so full that it will jam.

Your idea of using cigarette paper and it slipping out is probably your best bet.

I've never seen the chainsaw so I don't know about the capacitor?  One bridge that needs to be crossed is that fact that it may have some electronic device added to make the ignition work?

If it is a pure points and coil magneto ignition, there is going to be a capacitor or condenser across the points somewhere?

I see the capacitor on the left side of the picture where the wire from the coil connects. It can be tested with a ohm meter actually if it is isolated.

There's two coils - there's a trigger coil shown at the bottom of this picture


And the main coil shown as the big black thing in this picture that has the high voltage spark plug wire on it. One of those small wires goes to the off-on switch?