McCullouch 310 Repair, help?

[Chainsaw Collectors]

I have a McCullouch 310 chainsaw. I got it for next to nothing so want to fix it and then sell it. Or maybe I’ll end up selling it for parts/repair. Anyways, it runs fine, but the chain spins even at idle. I looked up some YouTube videos on why a chain would spin at idle and the first thing to try was carburetor adjustments. I did the idle screw with the saw running first, that helped a little. Then, with the saw off, I did the H and L screws as the manual said to. It then started but only ran for 3 seconds. Now it won’t start. So I have 2 questions. How hard/expensive is cintrivical clutch work and is it worth it? And my other question is why won’t it start back up other than that one short time after adjusting the H and L screws of the carb? Thanks for your time.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Thats an interesting one. For many reasons.
First thing I might have been checking was for weak clutch spring, worn clutch and needle bearing- but then I'm not putting videos on youtube.

The 310 is not the nicest saw to learn on, some might call it down right complicated.
Youtube has some good stuff on it- but it is full of crap as well- anyone with some form of digital recorder can make and put up anything they please- facts are not checked.

If moving the idle screw- NOT the mixture screws- did not slow the chain speed- my educated guess was the saw has an air leak causing it to over rev and run lean, burning out the top end.
Muffler off and photograph the piston through the exhaust port to see if it is all scored up.

Did you happen to note the mixture (H&L) screw positions and settings before setting them to what the manual says?
Counting the revolutions turned in to lightly seated from "as arrived" can give you an indication of what might be wrong- if they are a long way open a previous owner may have been trying to "tune" out an air leak- and that does not work...... well not for long anyhow.

 

[Chainsaw Collectors]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, worn clutch spring and bad bearing were the 2 other things I heard in the YouTube video. I did not note the mixtures of the screws before adjusting. I did get it started back up, but it only ran for 5 seconds. I tried getting the one cover off so that I could access the muffler, but for some reason I couldn’t break the nut loose. I forgot to mention in my previous post that this saw smokes a lot. I do have the right fuel ratio in it. Since this would be my first experience with a cintrivical clutch and the 310 is complicated, and because it won’t idle even after carb adjustments, and because it smokes a lot, I think that I’m better off selling it for parts…

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Probably a good idea- although do not expect to make money on it- they are like $5 yard sale saws the 310's.

You might have to invest a few more dollars- but try to find an easier platform saw that is common in your area- so parts can be had easily.
The 2## series Husqvarna's are pretty good basic saws that are easy to work on and parts are fairly easy to find.

 

[Chainsaw Collectors]

I only paid $4.375 for it. I got 8 saws for $35 in the deal. I have it listed now for $25. It does have the case. If no one buys it I can reduce the price.