Great forum here and a great education! I just picked up a Homelite 150 Automatic model UT 104324, serial number 380600059. It appears to have had little use, is completely old-school as far as safety brake and that sort of stuff, but I put a tank of 50:1 regular gas in it and it fired right up, idled just fine, and cut as well as its not-so-sharp chain could be expected to do. I have a couple of questions as I get to know and trust the saw, and any input is greatly appreciated. 1. Did I injure the engine with a short run of 50:1 fuel, and should the octane be higher than regular fuel? Should I definitely be using a 32:1 mix? 2. How do I know if the automatic oiler is oiling? The oil tank had oil in it, and I topped it off with bar and chain oil: how much oil residue should I see on the bar? 3. Does the safety tip wheel fit onto the roller tip bar on this saw, and can Bill Walcott send me one? 4. Is there a retro-fit toothy-poker plate available to mount on the engine face like more modern saws use? That seems like a good stabilizing/safety device. 5. Is the Oregon 72 the proper chain? The bar protrudes 16 inches past the engine face. Thank you all so much for what you have created here: this has been a great tool! Glen Moore, Seattle WA

deeredoctor, I'm not an engineer (though I did get to sit in the engineer's seat of a locomotive once. 8^) I'm a mechanic (for about 40 years now, started at age 16 and had 1 year in trade school to that vocation). I have an incurable compulsion to read and study and experiment and build and on and on (shut up already!!!!) I have worked as a professional electrician (2 year stint with a good sized electrical contractor in the early 1980s) and as a welder (1 year at trade school to that vocation). You are correct to point out that the OEMs don't always "get it right the first time". I have seen addendums to the addendums of Factory Service Bulletins throughout the years that make you wonder just how many committee members were actually in attendance when the first bulletin was written. You are also correct in that many things do come down to a "matter of choice" in how one does their work/projects and such. I don't want you to think I was belittling you or the work you have done. I just wanted to make sure every reader got the point about what a fuse/fusible link/circuit breaker is needed for and why it really should be a detail to consider when modifying circuits on ANY type of electrical system. Just as I would NEVER suggest anyone remove or defeat any overcurrent device provided by an OEM, neither would I suggest that new or add-on circuits be rendered without addressing the aspect of short circuit/overload protection. Your highlighting the odds of getting struck by lightning are good too. We all know that it could happen and thus don't (I hope) do things to to increase the chances of being a "lightning rod". Glad you mentioned the part about Ford (though probably not the only OEM "guilty" of being off the predicted mark). That their fuse DID NOT prevent every possible scenario shows (at least to me) either the original estimate of amp draw in that circuit was wrong...or somewhere between concept and production, the parameters changed (like maybe the ampacity of those ignition switches or the associated wires on it) and nobody caught that or went back to change the rating of the fuse/fusible link.

I have a 25VNA048 for a 2900 square feet house (basement excluded as usal). This new unit makes so much noise in cold temperatures that I just, 2 days ago, clipped the max rpm from 7000 to the minimum 4xxx. Last night and today is again a 5F type weather here and the system still keeps up with a 74F setup inside. Lowering the RPM lowers the heat output of the HP but even then it is good enough except for noise which is a bit more tolerable but not a success. I have removed the HP lockout below x following a recommandation of someone else on this site but kept the above 5F lockout for electric heat. This last one makes a huge difference on the average daily energy use but makes the system slower to respond to an Inside temperature increase in the morning for exemple. So Elena, not sure I understand why other distributors are saying not to ask toooo much from the 25VNA. Efficiency is definetly not a problem in my case (but noise is!). I was surprised to find out that the electric heat lockout does not go below 5F, I would have tested the HP system even below, altough I would have probably awaken the whole street. Just to let all know, I bought a new Carrier system with eyes nearly closed because my previous Carrier system gave me about 16 years of confort without a single real service call in the same house and I went for an entirely new Carrier because of energy efficiency. Should have opened my eyes.... Thank you all for your input, it helps circling the problem.

It's a moot point now, after going over the parts manual, it's almost certain the original problem was caused by a missing carburetor float spring - the modular "utility" carburetor (only) uses a spring below the float. I assume it will always flood without it under certain conditions. Part #609016 Took a walk down memory lane and dredged up the old eBay listing to refresh my memory on the howlers the seller posted, as near as I can tell hardly any of it was true. Caveat Emptor, sure, but what a jackwagon. Up for bids is a 1976 model year Lawn-boy 2-cycle 21 inch walk-behind mower. The model # 7265, the serial # 7531893. This mower has a D-601 series 2-cycle engine that has been fully tuned up. I have put on a new muffler gasket and sleeve, put on a new governor kit, brand new old stock carburetor, new air cleaner, new gas line, new champion CJ14 spark plug, and the blade has been sharpened and balanced. The muffler and exhaust ports have also been cleaned. The engine has 115 lbs of compression and is very powerful. The lower bronze crankshaft bushing has hardly any play and feels tight like a new engine would. There is hardly any vibration from this mower when running. It is a very smooth running machine that has lots of life left in it. The housing has no cracks or repairs done to it and only has light to normal pitting on the bottom side as you can see. It has been completely taken apart, sanded, and repainted with automotive grade epoxy piant. This mower comes with a side discharge plate only. If you would be interested in a side bag kit, I have a used one for an additional $30.00. This housing is made of Magnesium making it extremely light weight and yet durable. This is even lighter than the Aluminum housings which were made in 1977 on up.