Clutch problem husky 36

[Mountain man]

So I let a friend borrow my saw and when he returned it he said that while idling, with the chain brake engaged, it got really hot and melted the chain brake cover. What I found when I started working on it was that the clutch and chain brake were ruined. When I removed the old clutch drum, the bearings were in pieces and just fell out. When I put on the new clutch assembly, bearings, drum and clutch, the clutch doesn’t work and stops the saw when the chain brake is engaged. I reused the friction washers. Any ideas what is still wrong with the clutch replacement?

 

[Cuttingranger]

Hey, sorry for jumping in late! So, if your saw's clutch is stalling while the brake's on, let's troubleshoot a bit. First, check to see if the drum's getting stuck because the washers might be misaligned or maybe the cover's warped. Also, don't forget to give the clutch springs a quick look, are they damaged or flipped the wrong way? Just want to make sure everything's in good shape

 

[Helios guy]

Reusing the old friction washers is likely the culprit, swap them out with fresh washers, check that the drum and clutch are aligned correctly, and make sure the bearings spin freely before reassembly.

 

[Mountain man]

Thank you so much. I’ll try all of that. Right now it’s become a project. It runs and cuts beautifully just the problem with the clutch. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out.

 

[Leon Couper]

Yes you do have a problem there with the clutch. You should be able to put
a leather glove on and pull on the chain same rotation as it runs and should turn freely.
When you have to start putting the chainbrake on to stop the chain it either to many revs
on the power head or in the clutch. check the springs have not got weak but for
it to get that hot something is badly wrong. With the chain on any chainsaw the usual rule
of thumb is to back your idle back till the chain stops spinning but in your case don,t
think that would happen.

 

[Mountain man]

So I think my problems are solved. When I disassemble the clutch I had pieces of the needle bearing and other metal fall out of the saw. When I reassembled the new clutch assembly it didn’t work. So after much head scratching and cursing I went here and got a great deal of information. I thank you all for that!!
I decided to take a look at the schematic in my owners manual and to my surprise there is a part missing. It’s the thrust washer. I didn’t have it when I took the saw apart the first time so I’m figuring that it was part of the metal pieces that came out. I’ve ordered a new one as well as a new friction washer. So when they arrive I’ll put everything back together and see what happens. I’m figuring that without the thrust washer all of the parts are tight together and won’t allow the clutch to work. Thank you again for the info and I’ll definitely readjust my idler.

 

[Leon Couper]

When you put it back together it's a must that it spins freely
when not running. It is quite often tricky as if the springs are getting
weak in your clutch it will also try and engage early and you will not
get it to adjust on your idle either so everything has to be just right.

 

[Alan]

Absolutely, having the right free spin and spring tension is essential for fine-tuning that clutch. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts!