Better Than Barely! Finding Problems At Every Corner!

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]Hey. Uh, it's been a little while since I made a video. I'm just noticing, hey, I shaved. [laughter] Yeah, I shaved. But, um, well, it's been a while for me, but not for you. I kind of had a stockpile videos because I was, you know, I was off off of work. I'm back at work now. So, back to the same old grind. But, I'm working on Joey's 395, and I thought, you know what? I'll bring you guys in and, uh, show you some issues I discovered.

[00:00:28]Um, I put a new top end on it and well, I ran into some troubles. So, here I'll kind of show you my little troubleshooting kind of thing and where I'm at right now. All righty. So, there is Joey's 395.

[00:00:45]Not much of a saw right now. I just got done spraying this stuff down, all the hardware, getting all the grime off of it, you know, rubbing it on the towel, cleaning it up. Got a couple more parts to clean like this guy, you know, but we're pretty much there. We're working on the assembly right now. So, I just threw a new set of bearings in it and seals.

[00:01:07]Um, ran into an issue. So, what happened is I uh I built this saw or I shouldn't say I built it. I put a top end on it. So, he had issues with his top end. I threw Well, he had issues with his top end because the plating came off the cylinder. So, I put an uh imported up a top end and put on the saw. Had [snorts] it running good, but then the plane came off of that cylinder. So, I took one of the cylinders that was in my stockpile of parts that I had ported previously and put on it and got it running and I started working on the process of troubleshooting all the issues on the saw. Ran into it needed a coil. Uh the carburetor was acting funky.

[00:01:54]uh you know, just little things along the way. [snorts] But I decided to go ahead and throw another top end on it. And that's sitting right over there. And whenever I put that top end on it, it's ported up and everything, but I I ran into some issues. And one of the issues I ran into was the flywheel was hitting right here.

[00:02:13]And I was like, "Huh, first time I've had that happen." So I ground a little material out, put her back together, you know, all that stuff. And it ran good for a short period, but then it really started to run funky. It like it didn't want to it just didn't want to go. Here I discovered that that issue is connected.

[00:02:39]Bearing issue.

[00:02:41]Um, this one is furs up. Can you see it?

[00:02:48]She won't rotate.

[00:02:50]Furs up completely. She'll rotate a little bit. That's about as much rotation I get until she starts wanting to spin the whole race, everything.

[00:03:00]This one still rotates.

[00:03:03]See, that one feels smooth and everything, but this one's pretty pretty rough feeling. Um, and I don't know, this side here appears to be pushed over like this way up.

[00:03:20]So, I don't know. I threw a new set of bearings in it. I just got done doing that.

[00:03:27]You know, bearing issue. I think what happened is the bearing went out and it was pushing the flywheel, letting the flywheel push against the side of the case or the the the cylinder. And I probably never had would have had to do that be if if if the uh bearing wouldn't have failed, you know. Uh, another sign we got here is these are this is a brand new set of seals.

[00:03:50]See that seal? How she looks? Look at this one. She's all chewed up. The bearing got into the seal.

[00:03:59]Chewed it up. Brand new set of seals.

[00:04:02]So, I'll just put I just put another set in there. And I'm in the process of uh [sighs] you know, reassembly. And I'll bring you back in when we get her running and I'll show you what she runs like. Uh all righty. So, yeah. I'll bring you back.

[00:04:18]Hey, I want to show you something else.

[00:04:20]Another issue I ran into. Give her a big old zoom here.

[00:04:24]All right, there's some light. Can you see it?

[00:04:30]Well, that'll have to work. You see how somebody had already filed away the key?

[00:04:37]It's pretty much gone.

[00:04:39]So, how do I time it?

[00:04:42]How am I supposed to time it?

[00:04:45]Basically, I'm taking a guess. I'm throwing it on here and I'm going to do a visual guess and try to center it up to pretty much factory position. So, uh, if you're going to file away the keyway, try to make timing marks before you remove it to show the original position.

[00:05:07]Um, you could run into trouble down the road trying to figure it out, and that's kind of what I'm running into. So, just put yourself a set of timing marks on center punch, whatever, just to uh give you a, you know, your factory position so you don't run into these troubles later down the road. I got to put it on here and pretty much do a visual and guess that I got it at the right spot.

[00:05:33]>> So, this is his cylinder. I've already ported it. I've had it on and running and everything. I just I had to pull it apart because of them bearings, you know. Here's what the port work looks like. There's the intake. Uh I've I mean yeah, it's not very symmetrical. It's kind of ugly, I know, but that's what it looks like. I really didn't wind it up at all. Uh maybe to the edge of the chamfer. Uh lowers. Yes, I do. I did do some work to the lowers. And you'll see a funky looking kind of like a finger and a bridge thing. So the lowers, I just kind of open them up to where I get a nice clean pass through. I don't really go hog wild there. Uh I take some material out of the bridge, too, cuz that bridge, remember that video I did on the three uh 372 cylinders, the bridge, that's the points that that's where your highest velocities are going to be through there. And the more of a blunt route those you get there, you the the more it kind of affects your pressures in there cuz higher velocities will create lower pressures. But you you got to be careful at the lower there, especially at the entrance point because if you get your pressure is weird and stuff, you can create a choke point. Um, so I just kind of do that, just kind of sharpen it off and stuff just to help clean things up a little bit. And then I kind of, you know, clean my pour it up a bit to kind of give her a smoother pathway in. And that bridge looking kind of finger looking kind of thing, that's different, isn't it? It's a windowed piston.

[00:07:05]So, I figured why not? I'll just feed it from there since I'm already getting it.

[00:07:09]You know, I got a windowed piston, so I'll just go ahead and feed it from there. And we'll see how she does. You see that weird shape to it, though? I was like, you know, 550s do that. Let's see what happens. You know, there's only one way to find out, and that's to try it. So, that's what I'm doing. Oh, and there's the exhaust port. Uh, when I raised it, I just took it back up to the factory position. Widen it up a little bit.

[00:07:33]Nothing drastic there. Uh, so most of the work was probably there. The transfers, I did not raise them at all.

[00:07:40]The fingers were sitting about 3° or the bridges, they're sitting about 3° before the transfer feed, but other than that, I really didn't do a lot to the uppers. Cleaned them up. But it's not just it's really not an extravagant port job really. Um, nothing done to the combustion chamber. did a pop-up piston, set the set the squish, did that bit of work in the transfers and the intake and took the exhaust back to the factory position. So, not not extravagant if you really think about it. The the biggest thing is just the way I did those bridge finger looking things, you know. Uh I didn't drag them into the lowers. I figured why not keep them out of the lowers if I can. then the two, you know, then the transfer feed and that feed can travel independent from each other and I don't have to worry about one interfering with the other. So that's why I kind of did that. We'll see how she does. You never know. It's worth the experiment to me.

[00:08:41]There's the piston. She's a she's a popup. Remember me showing you uh previously on the lathe how I like to use a piece of high-speed steel and kind of round the corner over because it gives me kind of a rounded over transition. So if you take a look at this edge, you can kind of see it gives me a nice rounded transition into the popup. I don't like to have that sharp edge. So I take a piece of high-speed steel on the lathe and I round it over and make the shape that I like and that's how I machine it. So, there's the piston. That's the only work I've done to the piston. Rest of it still, you know, factory. So, that's it. I didn't go in there do a bunch of crazy work trying to lighten it up or none of that stuff. So, let's get her assembled. I think you you'll be seeing it running next.

[00:09:31]Yeah, I'm ready to start uh working on firing it up for the first time. Well, yes and no. Uh, I've ran this cylinder before, so I know it's fine. But, uh, with the new bearings, new bottom end, you know what I mean. I did install a push button switch. So, she's on automatically. Push it to shut it off.

[00:09:54]Now, I was having trouble with the onoff switch before I replaced the wire to the coil and still having issues. So, I was guessing the switch might have been bad.

[00:10:06]So, I put this one on to see if it works, you know. Uh, it could also be this ground strap here. That could also be an issue. We'll find out. But, let's see. Uh, see if I can get this thing fired up for the first time.

[00:10:21]And yeah, cross your fingers. It's been raining all day, so there's probably uh not going to be any cutting today, but I'll try to tack some in at the end of the video. I figured I'd set the camera up. I'm sure you all have already seen my starting procedure. I just basically flood the saw and fuel. Crank it over.

[00:10:42]You know what I mean? I got a little squirty. Little squirty. That's why I call them a squirty.

[00:10:49]Just squirt fuel in there. It's about empty.

[00:10:53]There we go. We got some fuel.

[00:10:57]Just keep squirting and cranking.

[00:11:00]That's my preloop.

[00:11:02]Not worried about the bearings. They were already uh they're already lubricated. That's the top end. Making sure she's got some lubrication.

[00:11:12]Now I'm just going to crank it over a few times extra hard to push out that extra fuel.

[00:11:25]Just like that.

[00:11:27]Let's throw the plug in.

[00:11:30]Now, for choke wise, I'm just pulling the choke and pushing it back in to set the high idle. That's all I'm doing.

[00:11:37]Let's see if she fires. Usually fires in a pull or two. If it takes more than that, then it might be an issue.

[00:11:48]Just like that flywheel. All right, let's try again.

[00:11:54]Hopefully, she holds this time.

[00:12:16]Uh-huh.

[00:12:19]Uh-huh.

[00:12:23]Heat. Heat.

[00:12:56]All right, I swapped out the coil. I swapped out the plug. Still no change.

[00:13:02]And I'm trying to think here [snorts] with the way that it's running. It's pushing a bunch of fuel out the exhaust.

[00:13:13]They'd be running late, right?

[00:13:17]So, you see that little mark on the flywheel how she's lined up? That's top dead center. Does that look correct?

[00:13:27]I don't think it does. So, what I did is I'm I'm comparing it to my 395. It's a hold former clone, you know. So, don't you know, remember the key was missing on this flywheel.

[00:13:39]So, I'm trying to set the timing by feel. And I think that's it. I think that's my issue. But you see where that mark is on positioned on the flywheel.

[00:13:47]Now, look at mine.

[00:13:52]That's how mine's positioned.

[00:13:55]So, this part of the magnet is way up here on the other one.

[00:14:01]You see it? She's way up.

[00:14:06]I think I need to move it down like that.

[00:14:11]I think. But I got to do it with it at top dead center.

[00:14:15]That's what I think I got to do.

[00:14:20]You see how she is on this one? That's top dead center.

[00:14:25]So, that's I think what I'm going to do and see what happens. All right. So, I've done a bunch of work here troubleshooting and I haven't found the issue yet.

[00:14:37]So, I'm suspicious either something about that port work sucks and it's not going to run.

[00:14:44]Um, it could also have an air leak in the crank case because of how difficult it is to try to get it to start and it doesn't want to run right.

[00:14:53]You know what I mean? because I just had that crank case apart and put it back together.

[00:15:00]Uh I could have overlooked something uh especially at like the crankshaft, the connecting rod or something. I could have overlooked something and it could actually be an issue. So I think what I'm going to do is move this top end to my saw to confirm it's a good top end and then move on from there. So stick around. We'll have to see. This This could be a bad pore job on that top end.

[00:15:26]Just something about it doesn't, you know, the engine doesn't like it.

[00:15:30]>> But I'm suspicious it's in the bottom end, the way it's behaving.

[00:15:36]All right, I went in and took a little break. I'm back out here.

[00:15:40]But I think I'm getting ready to pull this saw back apart. Pull that top end back off. When I pull on it, it it I don't know. I don't I'm not happy with the way it's feeling.

[00:15:52]Something something seems off.

[00:15:55]I'm wondering if I overlooked something at the crank, you know. So, I'm going to pull the top end off and kind of take a look at things and see if I can sort something out. So, that's what I'm getting ready to do. And I might just throw this top end on mine, especially if I find issues in the bottom that I overlooked. I might just throw this top end on mine while I work at getting parts for this.

[00:16:25]So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to Let's just get this top end off and see if we can find something.

[00:16:32]>> All right. So, here's what I'm coming up with.

[00:16:37]The big end wants to ride to the right.

[00:16:41]It It doesn't want to come It doesn't want to center. And it's It's even more difficult the more I try to bring it to the left.

[00:16:50]And I don't know if can you see it? It just doesn't seem to sit quite right under the piston.

[00:16:58]Look real close.

[00:17:01]You see it?

[00:17:06]I'm also noticing that the piston, she's got a bit of wear around here that's not over here. Like this whole side of it. I'm I'm seeing wear over here.

[00:17:20]And it's the same thing inside the cylinder.

[00:17:24]Uh probably can't see it, but can you look down through there? You see how it just seems to be riding in there kind of hard.

[00:17:35]So that's where I'm at.

[00:17:39]I'm I'm I'm wondering if we got a tweak connecting rod or a bad big end bearing here at this connecting rod.

[00:17:46]or something.

[00:17:49]It doesn't have the wiggle that you would expect from a bad bearing. Like there's no wiggle there, but it just it does not want to ride.

[00:17:58]True. It keeps like trying to pull to the right.

[00:18:04]I got to sit here and wiggle. I actually got to stick a screwdriver in there and pry to the left in order to get the bearing to come over to the left side.

[00:18:12]Uh, naturally it just wants to sit right there, right up against that right side.

[00:18:18]So, I don't know. What do you guys think? I think I'm just going to throw a crank in it and see if that helps, fixes it or whatever.

[00:18:34]And in the process, I might be able to fix my keyway issue here for the flywheel and the timing headaches that caused.

[00:18:43]You know, I might see if I can locate like an aftermarket or OEM. Maybe I can locate an OEM bottom on eBay or something. A good OEM bottom and just move all the parts to it. We'll see. So, in order to confirm these ideas, I think what I'll do is put the top end on my saw and see if she runs and has the same issues. That'll tell me if that port job cuz this this could totally be the port job. It just just doesn't like that type of a port job for some reason.

[00:19:16]And if I throw that on my saw and I have the same problems, then yeah, I think that really narrows it down. Now, if I continue, if I don't have any trouble at all with that top end on my song, then I think we narrowed her down to the bottom half. You know what I mean? So, [snorts] yeah, I I got the timing set exactly the same as mine from top dead center to the exact same point. That's that's how I set the timing on it. So, I have it set exactly the same as my saw and it didn't I mean honestly the adjustment I made or whatever I didn't even notice a difference in it the way it wanted to run. It made no difference by adjusting that ignition timing as even as much as I did. It made no difference at all.

[00:20:06]Very very extremely difficult to get it to go start and it's a struggle to keep it running.

[00:20:14]I have to basically flood it to the point to where she's got a whole bunch of fuel in there to get it to take off.

[00:20:21]But, uh, that's where I'm leaning.

[00:20:24]That's where I'm headed. I'm going to go ahead and stick this on my saw. Now, it doesn't take long to do this. It's already It's basically an already built cylinder top end. I just got to bolt it on. So, let's do that. So, I was playing around. I can move this one around. Nice. And if you look down in there, you see the bearings. So, let me get something to point with.

[00:20:51]Right in here, I can see like a shiny spot the whole way around the cage for the bearing on Joey's saw where the connecting rod was definitely had definitely rubbed on the actual cage.

[00:21:06]I bet you it is the bearing on the big end of the crank has things kind of tilted and because this one I don't see anything. The only thing I've seen is if you look in the crank, you can see where the loes.

[00:21:22]Can you see it down there? You can see where the loes have kind of rubbed on the actual case.

[00:21:31]You see it? It's kind of hard to spot.

[00:21:34]Let me try something here. give you a little more focused light beam.

[00:21:39]Can you see it?

[00:21:41]You can kind of see how the lobe had rubbed on the case, but other than that, that's the only thing I noticed. So, I'm going to go ahead and put that top end I built for him on this saw, and that'll confirm my suspicions. Um, it's just this top end here. I think when I'm done with it, I think it's going to be the fast one. So, I've built different versions. I think this is going to be one of the faster ones. This is more of a traditional figure port style. See it?

[00:22:12]But uh but I think that big combustion chamber is what's hurting me. So I plan on cutting probably a 20 or 30,000 deep suler around there. About half of that.

[00:22:25]And I think when I do that, that's that's when we're going to notice the difference, I think. But for now, you know, Joey might be getting this top end, but we'll see. Uh, I might hang on to it. I mean, I've done all the work to lighten the piston, everything.

[00:22:43]So, we'll see how this develops. But for now, that top end I was put on Joey saw, we're going to put on here. Maybe we'll swap it back around here in the future.

[00:22:52]We'll see. But that's what I'm doing.

[00:22:55]All right. This is my 395.

[00:22:58]This is the same top end that I had on Joey's saw. Now put on to my saw.

[00:23:05]And I mean, I can tell a difference pulling on the cord.

[00:23:08]She She feels like it should, but we're going to fire it up. Uh, this is going to basically tell us whether or not that port job was crap or not, you know, which I didn't notice it before. I there's the piston has little like imagine shoot somebody shooting with a very very small BB gun. It's got spots on the top of the piston and the combustion chamber. Something's coming apart in that engine of one Joey saw.

[00:23:40]And I think it's that big end bearing.

[00:23:42]The the other bearings are new.

[00:23:45]So it I just I think it's that bearing which means new crank.

[00:23:52]So, that's what I'm leaning towards. I'm probably going to throw a new crank in it just because I don't feel comfortable with it. But, we're going to try this top end on my saw just to make sure we got a runner. So, uh I already got fuel put into the cylinder. I've been pulling on it. And if you see my starting sequences, bunch of fuel in there, crank it over, lube it up good. Couple of hard pulls to blow the extra fuel out. Throw your plug in. Start it. That's what we're getting ready to do.

[00:24:21]piece of cardboard for the bar oil as she's pumping it out. Let's put her down. Leave her sit on that to catch the oil.

[00:24:31]So, we already got the fuel in it. I've been cranking on it.

[00:24:37]Uh, let's go ahead and get ready to start it.

[00:24:42]Compression release, high idle.

[00:24:47]Let's see.

[00:24:58]I may not have any gas in it.

[00:25:01]Oh, she's bone dry.

[00:25:17]Oh, wow.

[00:25:55]All right. I shut it off to get that that top end that top cover was giving me trouble, so I shut it off. One of the clips got hung up, you know. Uh I put a push button switch on it. So she's always on. Push the button to stop it.

[00:26:13]this. That's the first time this saw's had a switch since I got it. It broke after like the third time I ran this saw. And I just finally got a switch put on it.

[00:26:23]So, yeah.

[00:26:56]So this saw is running fine with that top end. So I think we can pretty much conclusively say we need to get into that bottom end. the I mean I replaced the main bearings. We just gota I think we're gonna have to put a crank in it, you know. [snorts] Ah, so now I was thinking timing at first, that ignition timing, cuz I had to find those issues, but I set the timing exactly the same as this saw. It should at least run better than what you know, better than barely barely running it. So, we're going to get a crank, I guess, and throw in his saw. We'll see what we can find on eBay. We might be able to use top end or use bottom end or something like that, you know, something in better shape. Uh, but that's it for today. Uh, we're going to have to take this saw out and give it a test run, which [snorts] one of these clips was screwed up and when I was in there with a screwdriver prying on it, I ended up ripping my wires loose for my new switch.

[00:28:00]So, I got to fix that switch again.

[00:28:03]But anyway, yeah, let's do it twice.

[00:28:06]Anyway, uh yeah, we'll catch you on the next one.