Another Husqvarna project, other end of the spectrum this time :)

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Well boys, I'm still on a saw rebuilding/modding kick. A couple of weeks ago, my brother and I went to our local Husky dealer who has been in business for well over 30 years, a true dealership not a box store..

Anyway, he has this big shelf packed full of old dead saws and Josh and I got permission to rummage through the pile and see if there is anything of interest to take home and rebuild. All of my main saws are 300 series and I kind of wanted to get a good 200 series to play around with and something in a size I don't already have. Josh picked up a 375K cutoff saw top end (75cc) to swap onto his 372xp X-Torq for 40 bucks. So he was happy. While he was pulling the top end off that cutoff saw, I found some interesting stuff, a 2100 complete with 32" B&C, 254xp, 262xp, 266xp, 268xp, about three 359 and one 357xp... then I found what I HAD to have... A 100% complete 242xp! The 242xp is a 42cc, pro-grade, mag case constructed saw and has been out of production for quite a while now but it has a cult following and clean runners often bring north of $300 for prices. The reason for this is as stated, small 42cc displacement being an "XP" and all of the benefits that brings. This is the smallest XP Husky has made to date that is not a top handle type climbing saw. They also boast some pretty impressive numbers in stock form, most interesting being a max rated RPM of 15.5k no load (this is higher than ANY Husky made too date) adjustable oiler (also very uncommon on saws in this size class today). I have been wanting a sub-45cc, pro-grade saw for awhile now and once I discovered the little hotrod that is a Husky 242xp it has been something I've been keeping an eye out for.

Now the downside, some parts for these saws are now NLA, most importantly being OEM piston, cylinder, and PTO side crank bearing which is a special proprietary bearing that has a seal pressed into it. This makes it a challenge but one well worth taking on going by the reviews of other 242xp owners out there. Now there are SOME aftermarket solutions for piston and cylinder kits and unfortunately the best AM option is no longer producing top end P&C kits. There are a few out there on ebay right now and I plan on ordering one this week. There are a couple other options out there but the quality is very hit and miss with those kits. Now the PTO bearing in my saw seems to be in VGC so I lucked out there. The only option I have there is a crank bearing from a Stihl 020AV that has the same bearing with the exception of a snap ring groove cut into the outer race. There are a handful of these left kicking around and I plan to grab at least one for a rainy day.

So all of that said, I got the complete powerhead for $60. The piston is scored on the exhaust side indicating a lean condition and burn down. Really happy with that as my fellow saw enthusiasts say I did VERY well to get it for that price.

Here is what it looked like when I got it home.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

So, I got the saw all torn down to bare cases. The cylinder did have some transfer and the piston is beyond repair unfortunately. I'm planning to get the higher quality AM P&C kit this coming week and run the new piston in my OEM cylinder, keeping the good quality AM cylinder for a rainy day.

I was able to save the cylinder using muriatic acid and sandpaper. Many times that is all that's required to salvage these Nicasil plated cylinders as in most lean burn down cases, the saw quits running due to piston damage before real damage occurs to the plating.

Here are some pics, got the damaged piston and the cylinder before and after cleanup.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

And here it is, all disassembled, cleaned and ready to start piecing together. I got base port timing numbers from a saw forum member who is a wealth of knowledge on this particular model. Sometimes AM cylinder and/or pistons vary slightly with OEM in terms of piston dimensions and port timing numbers. I don't have plans for big mods on this little hotrod as it is already capable of very high RPMs in stock form. All I am planning to do is a base gasket delete, mild ignition timing advance and open up the muffler a bit. The BG delete is a simple mod to bump the compression up a bit and that along with the timing advance should give this small displacement screamer a little more grunt down low and should help is pull better when it's not engaged in it's bread and butter job of high speed limbing. Any grinding I do, if any at all will be simply to bring port timing closer to stock config. But I probably won't do any at all. The base gasket delete lowers the exhaust and transfers a couple of degrees but increases intake. That along with the added compression should make for a pretty strong little 42cc. I'm really looking forward to getting this thing together!

[plastikosmd]

Wow u have some knowledge
I don't understand the saw technicals but appreciate the interesting read

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Thank you Sir.

Some of what I have learned has been from the school of hard knocks, and the rest I pick up on saw forums much like we all share knowledge about trikes here. :)

I do enjoy playing with these saws. I'm not a logger or anything, I heat with wood and do my share of felling and cutting for myself, my widowed mom, and my in-laws. Going down this path learning how to port them has really expanded my working knowledge of 2-strokes in general, in fact so much so that I intend to port my next 250r cylinder myself. :D My brother and I have built some pretty impressive saws that will hang with saws done by reputable porters. Not hot race saws, just good strong work saws. It is incredibly satisfying to watch a video of test cuts with a stock saw then watch a video of that same saw after we modify them. Seeing and hearing the difference really is rewarding after spending 5-6 hours just porting a cylinder.

[fabiodriven]

Wow Joe, lol. You are chock full of knowledge on this subject!

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Thanks guys, I tend to soak up whatever I can when it comes to things I get a liking for. :)

These things are fun to restore and mod...and alot cheaper than doing a trike! LOL!