Help identifying old Homelite chainsaw (1 Viewer)

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Spook50

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After the cherry tree in our back yard got blown over a few days ago, my dad dug out an old non-running Homelite 150 Automatic chainsaw that his dad had bought some time before 1980. I'm going to try the basic tuneup stuff on it and see if I can get it going again. Problem is I can't find any markings on it to denote exactly which model of 150 it is. All there is is a decal listing a lot # of B6292 and a serial # of 40043644, and it has a 16" bar. I've searched all over and even checked Homelite's site with no luck whatsoever. Any of you guys know how I can find out what exact model it is?

I'll post a couple pics once I can get to my laptop.
 
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Homelite 150 is the model number. They made Blue ones up until 1972'ish and then changed the color to Red.

Great saw but it has some quirks. (Just imagine strapping a seat and steering wheel to a 600hp V8 and bolting a set of Dana 60's to the V-8's crankshaft.)
Depending on how far you tear it apart, the one way slip bearing/nut on the flywheel is backwards thread. Try to unscrew it the wrong way and you will snap the crankshaft off.
 
So pretty much any replacement parts for it should be interchangeable you think? Homelite listed about a dozen or so variations of the 150 on their site, so I wasn't sure what parts may have changed throughout their life.

Here's what I'm working with. If nothing else, it'll be a good winter project to get it all fixed up and sharpened so I've got something for household use.

2012-10-20_20-02-13_641-1.jpg


2012-10-20_20-02-26_506-1.jpg


2012-10-20_20-03-10_789-1.jpg
 
That is the newest version.

So I take it the only big changes between models were between the pre and post '72 version?

If that's the case, that makes it a lot easier than I expected.
 
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Started dismantling it finally and cleaning up the small parts. The piston, rings and cylinder wall all look surprisingly clean and undamaged (glazed, but no scoring whatsoever). Compression is at 140 PSI even, after 6 pulls, so I'll take that as a good sign. Between this and the lawnmower's Briggs L head engine, I'll have a couple fun projects for when I'm able to fully dive in.
 
Check the oil pump and make sure it is in good shape. That is in the center of everything.

You talking for lubing the chain? That checked out good. I got the engine running last night. Just needed the old sludge-like fuel mix cleaned out, new gas (ethanol free of course, 16:1 ratio), fixed the recoil starter and replaced the badly worn and fouled spark plug with an E3 (found out they work pretty damn good in small engines. No benefits in vehicle engines though). Once I got some clean gas going through the carburetor it fired up. I set the low and high screws to the basic factory settings and toyed with them from there. Still pretty rough so I'm going to rebuild the carb later on and I've got to verify the ignition is dialed in right. Still a learning process but overall the saw is in surprisingly good shape for as much as it's been used and abused over the years by my grandpa and my dad.

Was going to put a 24" Stihl bar and chain on it which apparently a bunch of people have done with good results, but I found out Oregon makes a direct bolt-on 20" bar and chain kit so I'll just use that. Don't foresee any need for larger than a 20" bar for homeowner-level use anyway, so I should be good.
 
Correct me if I am reading this wrong, but a 24" bar on a "limber type" saw is just asking for excitement, and this one has no clutch?:eek:
 
You do not have to run 16:1 mix oil in the saw. If yours was an old Blue one, you might want to think about it since the bearings were oilite tyupe bearings.

Most of them were sold with 16" or 18" guide bars. The mounting pad for the STIHL is different than the Homelite. If you get spacers so the bar studs align the guide bar, the oiler hole will not line up.

You can buy an Oregon B/C for it a wal mart.

Your basic settings should get it running close to factory specs. If the saw has not ran in a long time, the seals may be dry. Now that you have had it running, the seals will soften up and begin to seal or the oil film will allow them to seal. This goes for the diaphragms in the carburetor as well.

There should be a set of Points and a Condensor under the flywheel. Clean the contacts. If they are burned/bad, I think the setting is .016" if you install a new set.
 
Correct me if I am reading this wrong, but a 24" bar on a "limber type" saw is just asking for excitement, and this one has no clutch?:eek:

Oh no it has a centrifugal clutch (that I'm having a hell of a time getting off). I wasn't too keen on having to modify a 24" Stihl bar for the sake of having one, so when I saw the 20" Oregon bar that was specifically made for Homelites I thought that might be a good choice. The more advice I got from people who know a helluva lot more than me about what chainsaw powerheads can realistically handle though, the more I leaned back to just getting a new 16" bar and sticking with that.

Dan, on the subject of the fuel & oil mix; what 2stroke oil do you prefer? I've heard the Royal Purple and other full synthetics are good enough to go down to a 50:1 ratio, but haven't done much digging into that. Right now I'm using a bottle of the basic stuff I grabbed at Wally World last spring for the trimmer (which I have mixed into a 32:1 ratio in the fuel can).

I'm not sure what shape the seals are in, so I went ahead and got new fuel line and a rebuild kit for the carb and I'll tackle that this weekend.

Then I get to tackle properly tuning the carburetor, which I'm very much a novice at with 2strokes.
 
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I run the STIHL Ultra (Synthetic) oil at a 50:1 ratio with 89 or 91 octane in all of my saws. Even the ones from the late 1960's. After the initial carburetor adjustment using the thinner blend/ratio, you are good to go.
 
I run the STIHL Ultra (Synthetic) oil at a 50:1 ratio with 89 or 91 octane in all of my saws. Even the ones from the late 1960's. After the initial carburetor adjustment using the thinner blend/ratio, you are good to go.

When you say thinner do you mean less oil in the mixture?

I'll have to try some 91 octane next time I mix a batch. I've been putting 87 octane ethanol free in but there's a gas station right near the house that has 91 ethanol free too.
 
The oil has to be suitable for 50:1 ratio. You cannot blend your 32:1 at a 50:1 ratio or you will seize your unit due to lack of lubrication.

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD

That's what I thought. I'd like to avoid having it seize :D

So when you tune the carb you mean you're just running it with an oil that calls for less per gallon of gas?
 
The oil has to be suitable for 50:1 ratio. You cannot blend your 32:1 at a 50:1 ratio or you will seize your unit due to lack of lubrication.

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD

I guess somewhat like the Amsoil Sabre 100:1 oil? I would never run anything at 100:1, but it seems that many professionals landscapers and tree guys use it at that ratio. I would think at 100:1, a good amount of engine wear is taking place.
The last time I used my 029 Farm Boss, I ran the Stihl Ultra Premixed 50:1 non-ethanol gas. Since I don't use the saw much I figured the $9.00 can was good to use.

Zack
 
As much as I use my equipment, I use the STIHL Premix fuel. I have a really hard time using 2 1/2 gallons before it goes bad (30 days). I end up dumping it in one of my Land Cruisers, about monthly. Now that is expensive. (Bottle of Ultra Mix oil $3.50 + 2 gallons of 91 octane fuel at $4.40 per gallon = $11.30 per month)
 
As much as I use my equipment, I use the STIHL Premix fuel. I have a really hard time using 2 1/2 gallons before it goes bad (30 days). I end up dumping it in one of my Land Cruisers, about monthly. Now that is expensive. (Bottle of Ultra Mix oil $3.50 + 2 gallons of 91 octane fuel at $4.40 per gallon = $11.30 per month)

I don't plan to use the saw often, but the trimmer I use on a weekly basis throughout the summer. It does go through gas seemingly faster than it should though. Doing the edges of my small yard goes through almost a full tank of fuel (Ryobi 725R). Hardly any carbon buildup in the muffler or exhaust port though.

The saw I'll get cleaned up good, get everything dialed in, then do what's needed for long term storage and just run it up every 2-3 months to make sure everything's still good.
 
As much as I use my equipment, I use the STIHL Premix fuel. I have a really hard time using 2 1/2 gallons before it goes bad (30 days). I end up dumping it in one of my Land Cruisers, about monthly. Now that is expensive. (Bottle of Ultra Mix oil $3.50 + 2 gallons of 91 octane fuel at $4.40 per gallon = $11.30 per month)

Todays additives suck, and the employees, friends and neighbors that don't get this.

My wife does..

How long has this fuel been in here? Is my first question and were you listening the last time we went over this? Is the second.
 
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Fxxx.



Had to really pull to get the engine out of the case, fumbled when it finally came apart, and the flywheel thunked on my work bench.

That's enough to piss ya off.....
 
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