I have a Poulan chainsaw that has never given me a second of trouble. I had to replace the fuel lines recently after 10+ years. It will start and idle but as soon as I give it gas, it shuts off. Does anyone know a good small engine guy (or girl) in the Columbia area? I need to get this thing running.
Thanks
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
you tried adjusting the carb?
A to Z on hwy 1 across from the barnyard. They have always been good to me when I needed parts. I usually fix my own stuff, so I never used them for that, but they are great for getting parts at reasonable prices.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
I have monkeyed around with it but haven’t been successful. Thanks Tiger.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
Same thing was happening with my 25 Johnson. One end of a fuel hose going into the carb didn’t have a clamp, so I added a small cable tie as a hose clamp and it fixed the problem. Make sure you have a hose clamp on each connection.
13ft Whaler with 25hp Johnson
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
after 10 years it may be time for a new chainsaw. Unless you spend a bit on a higher line saw 10 years is about what you get.
Most lower line chain saws and weed wackers have a little sticker on them that denotes the actual factory life expectancy. Most are not much more than 40 hours continual use.
No doubt all pieces of equipment can be repaired. But is the cost worth it? Get a new poulan chainsaw with an extra chain brand new for $120 ish. a new chain and bar will be close to $60 bucks.
Spend the money on repair and have an old repaired chainsaw or start out fresh with about the same money spent.
Newer small engines are almost as easy/cost effective to replace as repair. Unless… you do your own repair work.
on adjusting the carb. Good advice… if you could still adjust them. Tamper proof high and low side screws have kind of taken that out of the equation.
Our good old government’s EPA division has deemed that the shade tree mechanic just can’t handle a simple carb adjustment.
DF, I think Fred is about right on that. Get your wife to put her hands on the old saw! Then when you go to look for it you won’t be able to find it! That’s how I got 10 or 11, 25Ft tape measures! She use’s it and then I can’t find it, so I buy a new one:wink:
I’ve had the worst day ever with that stuff today. Got up with big plans, needed to cut up some tree limbs and scrubs that fell down over the winter around the yard and driveways, needed to cut the grass for the first time this spring, wanted to pressure wash the boat, truck and a few things around the house.
Wife said she’d cut the grass if I got the mower ready. Battery dead… put it on charger and moved to chain saw. It’s a good Stihl farm saw, only 2 years old. Drained the old gas, put in new, no crank. Cleaned plug, adjusted carb, drained nasty gas out of bowl, pulled the SOB 200 times until I had blisters on my fingers, no crank. Dangitman, didn’t really need to cut all those tree limbs anyway. Carb is clogged and I can’t fix it. Got to go to the shop.
Back to mower. Battery charged, fired her up and got the biggest cloud of white smoke I’ve ever seen. Mower won’t run more than 5 seconds. Drained fuel, drained filter, took off carb bowl and poured out something that used to be gasoline last year, not sure what it is now but you can’t light it with a match. Killed battery again trying to get it to run. Back on charger.
Pulled out the pressure washer. New last fall, only used it twice. No crank. Drained fuel, drained carb bowl, smelled just like the funk in the mower. Filled it with fresh, pulled that dang cord 200 times, no crank. Put it by the chainsaw to go to the shop.
In the meantime while waiting on me and my master mechanical skills, Mrs Cracker decides to vacuum the pool while I’m working on the @#$%@ mower again, she then tells me the pool vacuum isn’t working. Great. So I go and unclog the hose, clear an airlock and backwash the sand filter and get her going again, then back to the mower. So far I’m 1 for 4.
Took the carb off the mower, cleaned it as well as I could, put it back together and it actually ran 
Got her tuned up pretty good and ready to cut, but by now the wife was out of patience and not in a grass cutting mood anymore.
So then I mowed 3 acres of yard and drivew
Some days you’re the hammer some days the nail. I know those days and being the nail sucks.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
Hey Cracker, a bottle of STA-BIL will save you a lot of headaches… and money!
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
Cracker, I used my pressure washer for the first time this year on Saturday. I normally let something like that run out of gas when I know I’m not going to use it for a while. I filled it with gas, set the choke and gave it a couple of pulls. Could see real quick that it was going to wear me out. Got my secret sauce out and applied just a little! Gave it 2 pulls and it fired right up! I always keep a can of Starting Fluid on hand. If it won’t run on that stuff it isn’t going to run period! Sounds like the best part of your day was the drink and the nap!
quote:I agree.
Originally posted by tigerfinHey Cracker, a bottle of STA-BIL will save you a lot of headaches… and money!
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
Double D.
quote:
Originally posted by Fred67on adjusting the carb. Good advice… if you could still adjust them. Tamper proof high and low side screws have kind of taken that out of the equation.
Our good old government’s EPA division has deemed that the shade tree mechanic just can’t handle a simple carb adjustment.
I have noticed that - the adj screws have that weird top on it.
Turns out, a blue butt splice connector will fit over that screw with just enough grip to unscrew it. Then you can dremel a slot in the top for a screwdriver.
I tamper with mine regularly 
quote:
Hey Cracker, a bottle of STA-BIL will save you a lot of headaches..... and money!
I know, it was entirely my fault, I know better, which is what really makes me mad. I’m religious about the boats, yard equipment not so much:face_with_head_bandage:
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
[quote="
So is there any need for STA-BIL even when only using e-free gas in small engines?"]
Originally posted by tigerfin
Hey Cracker, a bottle of STA-BIL will save you a lot of headaches… and money!
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
[/quote]
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Yes, all gas will break down eventually. If you don’t use it within a few weeks, then put STA-BIL in it. This time of year I don’t use it much, but anything that I don’t use frequently gets it.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by mhebbardquote:
Originally posted by Fred67on adjusting the carb. Good advice… if you could still adjust them. Tamper proof high and low side screws have kind of taken that out of the equation.
Our good old government’s EPA division has deemed that the shade tree mechanic just can’t handle a simple carb adjustment.
I have noticed that - the adj screws have that weird top on it.
Turns out, a blue butt splice connector will fit over that screw with just enough grip to unscrew it. Then you can dremel a slot in the top for a screwdriver.
I tamper with mine regularly
Many times those caps can be removed/pulled off. then you can adjust as needed. run them down to bare while counting rotations remove and clean everything. Replacing all the hoses/reset and clean carb on small poulan saw wont take more than an hour or so. Just did one last week. Taking pictures helps.
Increasing the idle speed may solve your problems without pulling the carb.
quote:
Originally posted by DFreedomI have a Poulan chainsaw that has never given me a second of trouble. I had to replace the fuel lines recently after 10+ years. It will start and idle but as soon as I give it gas, it shuts off. Does anyone know a good small engine guy (or girl) in the Columbia area? I need to get this thing running.
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>The only thing that is going to “break” on a 2 stroke Poulan chain saw is to burn a hole through the piston. I doubt that is your problem. Those little blue and red plastic covers over the high and low carb adjusting screws are to try to prevent the kind of guy (like you and me) from wasting time over and under adjusting the fuel flow. Hopefully you replaced the primer bulb when you replaced the fuel lines.(?) Before you take the saw to the mechanic or buy a new one, I suggest looking at a couple YouTube videos on chainsaw repair.OR… George Bush or Obama or Eisenhower, is the reason your chainsaw won’t work.
PS My neighbor says he wants to borrow my Poulan chainsaw this weekend. It’s the chainsaw I bought right after Hugo.