# Husqvarna 351 saw won't start



## rquad (Aug 31, 2005)

I just pulled out the old Husky 351 from the basement. It was last run a few months ago in spring. Now she won't so much as spark. I dumped the gas and added some fresh, sandpapered and regapped the spark plug (which appears to be in good shape), and sprayed WD40 clone in the cylinder. Not even a burp. When I pull the plug and put my finger over the hole, I get a little black soot on my finger but no wet gas. Is this normal or should my finger get wet? Any other pointers on how to keep this one out of the shop?

Can a carb go from good to needs-rebuilding in just a few months?


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## hasady93 (Sep 11, 2005)

Well it may sound funny but yes things can go bad in just a short time.It could be a few things,I would clean the air filter(blow it out with some air),replace the fuel filter and when you do that pressure check the fuel line to make sure it doesnt have a hole in it.Have you checked spark(is it firing).If it is firing but seems to be getting no fuel,tkae some carb cleaner spray it into the carb with the air filter off and start it if it starts and then shuts off after running on carb clean then you know you have a fuel problem.Your carb may need to be rebuilt which is a very common thing and only takes a few minutes to do so.Try some of these things and let me know how it is going.


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## hasady93 (Sep 11, 2005)

ONe more thing you should check is the compression.An older saw like the 351 should be around 100 to 120 psi depending on how tierd it is.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

was the old gas treated with stabilizer before storage? you can dribble a little bit of 2 cycle gas/oil mix into the carb, if it starts, its a fuel problem. 90 psi on compression is minimum, it'll start, but take alot to get going.


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## rquad (Aug 31, 2005)

*Carb rebuild*

I'm thinking seriously about getting the carb rebuild kit (diaphragm and gaskets only). It's only about $10, and at least that eliminates one possible problem. I think the saw is about 10 years old and it's never had a rebuild as far as I can remember, so I think it probably wouldn't hurt to get the new diaphragm since it'll go bad eventually anyway.

I don't have a way of checking the compression psi, but I would assume that wouldn't have gone bad since the spring. I think the oil used had a fuel stabilizer in it, but as I said, I went ahead and dumped it for some fresher gas.

The carb does look clean, and there was gas in the fuel line. I'm not convinced that the carb is pulling the fuel on through.

What's the possibility of the ignition system having gone bad? I sanded the magnetic squares good and clean, but maybe the pickup module went south?

And what's the best way to check the spark? Pull the plug and ground it on the head? Or leave the plug in and check for fire from the wire to the tip of the plug?


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

pull the plug, and ground it while turning it over for spark. carb is cheap to rebuild, so i would do that first, then afterwards check the rest, make sure to buy new fuel lines if the old ones are hard.


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## rquad (Aug 31, 2005)

*Found the problem*

Believe it or not the problem turns out to be the chain brake. Even though the rope pulled freely, the lock somehow prevented it from starting. This one fooled me because the brake lever atop the handle didn't appear to be locked. It took a good shove into full locking position and then another shove back out to free it up. After that, two pulls and up it went. Amazing.


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