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Post by johnboy on May 30, 2020 6:50:27 GMT -5
Hi guys,
be easy with me as I am new here and from Ireland!!
i have just acquired a c-51 and have been disappointed that I couldn’t start it.
on taking off the flywheel I have found that there is no condenser fitted, I presume it’s been removed at some point as the wires were just hanging around inside.
my question is, should I replace it with new points and condenser, or get one of these electronic ignition module things?
it seems that I can buy replacement points and condenser cheaply in the US, but postage cost are more that the item itself.
Does it really cost 25 dollars to post a small envelope to Ireland?
can I PayPal someone to buy it and post it over more cheaply?
the rest of the saw looks relatively okay, but don’t want to spend out loads of money on points and bits to find out the saw is past it.
whats your thoughts?
thanks
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Post by sweepleader on May 30, 2020 7:16:32 GMT -5
Welcome to the House of Homelite.
I would replace just the condenser for a start, but since they will go bad sometimes sitting on a shelf, you might try to find one from a running saw. ALL of them on ebay of course are from running saws so you need to be careful buying one there.
Someone here might have one they would be willing to sell and know is good.
There have been a lot of Homelite's sold in Europe so I would be inclined to look around there. I don't know what the dealer network was like over there, most of the parts on the US market are from old dealer stock. There are chainsaw collectors in Europe, they show up here and on other chainsaw sites.
It might be possible to substitute a condenser from some other engine, it would need to be .2 mfd if memory serves. That would be the only important dimension.
Replacing with a chip can be a solution, that could be had locally. They present their own problems it seems, sometimes they work great, others not so much. Some have been unreliable, some advance the timing so much the saw can be hard to start. That is sort of a crap shoot.
Others will be along to offer what they can.
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Post by charles on May 30, 2020 7:36:41 GMT -5
Welcome to H O H ,
Good advice from Sweepleader ,
On any new-to-you saw , I would do a little diagnostic work to see what kind of condition it's in . Always pull the muffler and check the
piston and cylinder for excessive scoring . Then I do a compression check on a dry cylinder , the a second check after putting a little
light oil or ATF in the plug hole to see the difference . I would be curious why the condenser was removed . Its a bit of work to do that .
I would also check the resistance of the coil to see it's condition . This should tell you if its worth putting more money in the saw .
C T H
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Post by johnboy on May 30, 2020 9:11:23 GMT -5
Thanks both for your reply’s.
i will get out in the shed later today with the multimeter.
just need to google how to check the resistance of the coil with a multimeter!!
0.2mfd condenser is handy to know as I can order one of those through my electronic hobby!
will get back to you with the results.
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Post by edju1958 on May 30, 2020 9:41:16 GMT -5
If everything checks out good - the piston,cylinder,& coil,then I'd opt to use a chip.As sweepleader said,the condensers can go bad just sitting on a shelf.I can't tell you how many NOS condensers I've bought recently that were no good.I bought 2 saws in the last couple of weeks that already had chips put in.I've had no issues with the timing being too advanced that it was hard to start.One of the saws was a Homelite SXL.I think in the future that I'll start using the chips more myself,it saves on pulling the flywheel,which can be a major chore in itself.If you choose to use a chip,the key in it's being successful is mounting it in a place where it will stay cool enough to not cause failure.I think most of the failures encountered with chips are due to overheating.
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Post by sweepleader on May 30, 2020 10:11:01 GMT -5
...0.2mfd condenser is handy to know as I can order one of those through my electronic hobby!... Be sure to get about 4 or 500 volts rating. The back emf on the coil when the points open can easily exceed 300 volts. I think that is the main reason for failure and also for the physical size of ignition caps. |
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Post by johnboy on May 30, 2020 12:09:22 GMT -5
So the saw overall looks fine. No scoring on the cylinder walls, and it seems to have good compression. (I don’t have a pressure tester) But the electric are in a mess, so might look for the electronic ignition kit somewhere locally to Ireland. This is what I have at the moment. Any idea where the wires are supposed to go? On the first picture the back left is to the spark plug, and the on the left at the front is the on/off switch. The other two are just floating around!! thanks so much for the help so far. jonathan   |
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Post by charles on May 30, 2020 13:04:00 GMT -5
On the bottom picture , both black wires go to the points stud . They are the coil positive and kill switch lead . The twisted bare wire is the coil ground (earth) and mounts under
the condenser mounting screw ( or any other good ground ) . The original Homelite had the coil positive and condenser lead crimped in the same terminal . If you are able
to find a good condenser , it will also go to the points stud .
C T H
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Post by johnboy on Jun 3, 2020 9:20:19 GMT -5
So I have decided that I will go with electronic ignition with my saw, but am reading conflicting reviews as to which one I should use.
Some sites say that the Nova 2 chip works and other say it won’t.
From what I see I have two magnets inside the flywheel and that’s the reason some sites say I can’t use the Nova 2, yet other places are selling it as a replacement for points.
Does anyone know what’s true??
Thanks again guys.
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Post by edju1958 on Jun 3, 2020 10:17:31 GMT -5
There's a member here who just put a chip on a C51 not long ago & he's always had good results with using a chip.He's had a chip on one of his saws for over 10 yrs.now with no issues.The key is to have the chip mounted in a place that doesn't get overly hot.Here's the link to the thread.Scroll down about halfway on the first page to see how he mounted it.
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Post by Supercharged86 on Jun 3, 2020 12:42:31 GMT -5
As indicated above, any condenser rated to 600 volts and .2 mf will work, not even one made for a chainsaw (been there done that). But I've retro fitted a condenser for a model Super EZ into one of these chassis as well as many other saws with great success. These condensers, whether it be a Phelon or Wico are readily available. Good luck with your project. Steve
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Post by johnboy on Jun 13, 2020 8:13:52 GMT -5
Just an update.
I found a condenser that will work, and hit glued it into the crankcase for testing. Pulled the cord and I have noise, and lots of it.
I am a very happy man!!
Now I just want to know what RAL or paint code do I need to paint a metallic blue c51?
Now I know it runs, I can strip it down again a paint it.
Thanks for your help
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Post by undee70ss on Jun 13, 2020 13:15:09 GMT -5
Just an update. I found a condenser that will work, and hit glued it into the crankcase for testing. Pulled the cord and I have noise, and lots of it. I am a very happy man!! Now I just want to know what RAL or paint code do I need to paint a metallic blue c51? Now I know it runs, I can strip it down again a paint it. Thanks for your help About painting see here www.leonschainsawpartsandrepair.com/homelite-chainsaw-restoration.html |
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