Chainsaw Repairs

EBuff75 · July 20, 2024, 10:06:28 PM

When my parents moved, my father gave me his Poulan chainsaw since he wouldn't have any use for it at their new place. I used it one time to cut up a large branch in my back yard, but since then it's just been sitting in the garage.

One of my neighbors has dead tree that he'd like to have removed and I'd remarked that it would be easy to take down with my chainsaw (it's too thick for the mini chainsaw). Today, I pulled it out and tried to get it started. You'd think that the issue would be a gunked up carb, but no, the idle is messed up (revs up to full-throttle as soon as it starts running and won't settle down). And, of course it uses a specific tool to adjust the idle screws. I tried multiple different solutions that I found on the internet, but no joy after several hours of effort.

So I gave in and ordered a set of carb tools on Amazon, one of which is the 21-spline driver that I need for this saw. The tool kit is supposed to arrive Wednesday, so hopefully I'll be able to get the saw running properly next weekend. Since I'm considering working on my motorcycle to try to get it running again, I figured that having the full set of tools (which includes a bunch of various-sized "pipe cleaners") to work on small carbs would be useful. Not to mention, the kit that I bought came with several different size lengths of fuel line, replacement primer bulbs, and several fuel filters. I need one of the ceramic fuel filters for my edger anyway, so hopefully one of them from this kit will fit it.

More news as events warrant!

MacWa77ace · July 09, 2025, 01:36:59 PM

@EBuff75 Did you ever get this chainsaw going?

At least it started. If you start it and it immediately revs to full rpm it could also be a messed up accelerator pump or a broken/leaking carb jet nozzle. Hopefully it was something simpler. But going from working to sitting to over revving is weird. Going from working to sitting to not working at all is normal.

I use carb cleaner or a fuel line and directed puffs of air thru it to clean out all the ports and 'tunnels'.

There's like two schools of thought on the long term storage of small engines. One is to run them dry before storing. The other is, if you run them dry the bulbs and the diaphragm, and internal O rings will dry out and not function so don't do that. I'm kinda in that school and keep starting my seldom used stuff every month or two to keep 'em wet. Neither work great and I've tried both.

I saw a video from @Chickanic where she said to suck/pump 2 cycle oil up thru the carb after running dry for long term storage to keep all the internals 'wet' and then just primer bulb pump it out before use. I've never tried that but IMO logically that would work.

I keep a stock of fuel lines, primer bulbs in all sizes that fit my stuff [I go thru those bulbs like crazy down here for some reason] and fuel filters. And I just got a carb rebuild kit for my Stihl trimmer which won't idle right. And a head gasket for my Ryobi, which noticed a couple of weeks ago a bunch of oil on the cover over the muffler. And when I finally found where it was coming from it was seeping/blowing out that gasket. I tried to tighten the head bolts but they wouldn't tighten any tighter and it still leaked.

EBuff75 · July 09, 2025, 01:41:28 PM

Not yet. It's on my to-do list, along with a general cleanout / reorganization of the garage. The weather hasn't been cooperating lately as it's either been raining, or too hot to spend all day working outside. When the weather has been better, I've been more focused on things like yard work. Hopefully sometime soon though!

DarkAxel · July 10, 2025, 12:39:03 PM

It's been my experience with the Poulan brand that the gaskets aren't very ethanol resistant, fwiw.

jdavidboyd · July 10, 2025, 01:30:58 PM

I used to have trouble with the Poulan saws that I had (I'm on my 3rd), until I started treating my gas with Seafoam. I go a little heavier than the recommend amount, and since then, they start right up whenever I need them. I don't ever drain the gas out either. I just quit using them, and pick them up a few months later, and they work. Before, if they sat for a bit, or over the winter, they would never start again. That's why I'm on my 3rd. This one I've had for 4 years now. Before 1.5 or so was the most I ever got out of them.

majorhavoc · July 10, 2025, 09:40:42 PM

I know this topic is almost a year old, but I saw the subject line tonight and for some reason read it as "Chainsaw Reapers". I thought: that would be a great title for a really cheesy B movie. Or the name of a truly awesome metal band.

That is all.

MacWa77ace · July 11, 2025, 07:43:20 AM

Quote from: majorhavoc on July 10, 2025, 09:40:42 PMI know this topic is almost a year old, but I saw the subject line tonight and for some reason read it as "Chainsaw Reapers". I thought: that would be a great title for a really cheesy B movie. Or the name of a truly awesome metal band.

That is all.

BTDT

Not Quite Metal.

MacWa77ace · July 24, 2025, 12:24:50 PM

Quote from: MacWa77ace on July 09, 2025, 01:36:59 PMThere's like two schools of thought on the long term storage of small engines. One is to run them dry before storing. The other is, if you run them dry the bulbs and the diaphragm, and internal O rings will dry out and not function so don't do that. I'm kinda in that school and keep starting my seldom used stuff every month or two to keep 'em wet. Neither work great and I've tried both.

I saw a video from @Chickanic where she said to suck/pump 2 cycle oil up thru the carb after running dry for long term storage to keep all the internals 'wet' and then just primer bulb pump it out before use. I've never tried that but IMO logically that would work.