XL-850 - Should I Buy It?

[edju1958]

I saw an XL-850 for sasle that really caught my eye on eBay.The thing I have a real problem with is the shipping cost of $75.When I confronted the seller about shipping costs he said that eBay set the shipping costs.I know this to be false & I told him that I ship saws all the time & it should only cost around $40 or less.We went back & forth with our reasoning & I asked him since eBay was screwing me on shipping,what would his rock bottom price be on the saw?He replied with an almost 30% discount.Amazing!

Now about the 850 ignition......is there an electronic module that could be used in place of the ancient yet barbaric ignition system that's on it now?Is the system Wico or Phelon?(my bet is it's Phelon).The XL-76 had a similar system that used a chip that was prone to failure & that chip could be replaced with a Nova II chip.Is the 850 system similar?As I understand it,the coils are NLA.

[edju1958]

Apparently not a lot of active members here have an XL-850.And also not much is known about the weird ignition system.I've decided to let this saw go.I can't justify spending in excess of $250 on a saw that may never run.When I get a gut feeling to walk away I heed that warning,learned that from experience.

      As for eBay setting the shipping costs - pure poppycock.

[rowdy235]

Sounds like a good one to pass on ed. One bad thing about rare-ish saws is rare-ish parts.

Also agree on the shipping costs, definitely was giving you the run around

[edju1958]

Amazing turn of events with this not-so-honest seller (IMO).He relisted the saw for $24 less than the original asking price PLUS the shipping charge of almost $75 came down to $45! He was adamantly insisting that he couldn't change the shipping costs as eBay set it.

Edit:Holy crap! I put in an offer on the saw for $27 under the asking price & the seller accepted my offer!I've got plans for this old beast,LOL.I have a 30 in.bar & chain that I bought new back 6 yrs.ago & used it only once on a test cut,that'll be going on ther 850.It needs a new air filter & cover,I know where I can get both for a fraction of the cost of what they're asking on feebay.

[blythkd]

So is that pickup switch on the ignition a known issue? Or are you paranoid about it because it will be hard to find if you need one? I've got an 850 or 875, not sure which as I can only make out the 8 at the beginning of the model on the side of the saw. I'm not sure how good it is. It might just need to be parted out.

[edju1958]

I guess I'm paranoid about it going bad & having no replacement available.However,over the past few yrs.there have been members here that have experimented with other electronic ignitions on various models & have found alternatives.I'd have to see what the ignition system looks like & go from there.

        Brent,if your saw has the electronic ignition it's either an 850 or an 875,the 870 was a points saw according to Acres'site.Then again,after looking at the 870/875 IPL it could be either points or electronic for both the 870 & 875.

[blythkd]

I haven't messed with it. I suppose it could be an 870 as well, I didn't think about that model. You've got me curious now!

I wonder if the 850/875 models are enough like 925's to adapt the later ignition to them?

[xl130]

Your post got me curious about the ignition system on this saw. I have never seen a saw with that switch before. I have had a good number of 922/902 saws. They either had wico points, phelon 3 piece ignition or a single solid state coil. Leon has a switch but they are probably far and few between. Would probably just be easier to swap it over to points or 3 piece if you could find the correct parts for that ignition. I bet it’s good to go though Ed.

[edju1958]

Trevor,if it has the electronic ignition system it can't be switched to points,there's no lobe on the crank for the points cam to operate.It could be switched over to points by changing out the crankshaft,but is it really worth all that hassle?Supposedly the saw fires on a prime,we'll see soon enough.

[xl130]

There is a good chance that shaft does have a lobe, same pn as the points style except for a “-2”. Possibly that indicates a shaft without lobe though. Anyway good luck. I’m sure it will be manageable.

[edju1958]

I got the 850 today & quickly checked it overr.Not only is it missing the AF cover & filter,it's also missing the bar plates & bar stud nuts.It also needs a new muffler body as one of the cover bolts was missing,si I took the cover off & found that the nut that's in the muffler body for the bolt to screw into is missing.However,it did firer on a prime,so all in all not too bad.Pics to come!

[mineralman2]

Sounds like another delightfully convoluted eBay experience. After reading all your info here I'm glad you got the saw! For that price you could afford to drop some more money on parts to make it complete. Thanks for sharing!

[onlyhomelites]

Yep, sounds about right! It's amazing how many little hidden details pop up on a thorough lookover. Have fun Ed!

[edju1958]

Maybe I should just part this pig out.While trying to get the fuel elbow out that screws into the fuel tank it broke off.I even heated it before trying to unscrew it.Does anyone know if a 9xx tank will work?

thumbnail by edju1958, on Flickr

[edju1958]

This "saw" is nothing morer than junk.After further inspectyion I found the fuel tank to be severely corroded & seriously doubt if it'd even hold fuel.Most likely the divider between the tanks leaks like a seive.Part of tyhe crankcase on the lower right corner where the recoil is supposed to attach to is missing.This junker is going back.

[rowdy235]

That’s a tough break ed, I was hoping for a better outcome for you!

[pioneer1200a]

it sucks when people aren't honest about what they are selling. Sometimes picture just aren't enough unfortunately. I hope you have better luck next time.

[onlyhomelites]

Ouch!