This is how I finally got my chainsaw to purr. Fresh fuel. New fuel filter. New air filter. New sparkplug gapped to .25 per mgr. spec. New inexpensive carburetor off of Amazon. After chasing my tail for four weeks trying to tweak all the right carb settings, this is FINALLY what worked for me and I hope it will help someone else. I turned the L, H and T(idle) screws clockwise all the way in until they were lightly seated, do not reef. I turned all 3 screw adjustments out counterclockwise 1.5 turns. And now it starts, idles without the chain turning and doesnt die down under load.
You sir are a mechanical genius, my almost new Echo 49cc was doing the same thing. Set the plug at .035 and it went through 3 tanks today and many restarts without any problems.
I have an echo weedeater with points and condenser, I bet you saw has the same. It is the electronic ignition that usually kills small engines. The coil on a Stihl costs as much as the poulan, which was $99.99 on black Friday.
I have had my poulan pro for five years . Never had any issues with it . I love this saw . I have cut lots of trees with this saw . I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I will be doing this gap check for sure . Thanks for the video .
THANKS man !! I had tried everything to make this blasted Poulan Pro 4218 of mine run right, everything except opening up the gap. Now the saw runs fine and my blood pressure has gone back to a normal range. I'm often amused/confused by people who badmouth Poulan saws yet have no problem buying a top of the line saw and then paying that big repair bill a couple of years down the road because they left the saw sitting for too long with old fuel in the tank - and that bill from a qualified repairman costs more than I paid for my saw. Not saying that the Poulan is the same quality as a Husqvarna or a Stihl but if properly maintained it's good enough for most people. Page 1 of the owners manual states " For Occasional Use ". Follow the instructions in that same manual about draining the tank or running it empty and you'll have few problems. Thanks again for the tip on the plug gap.
Thank you for the video. I just used your fixes on this saw for my dad. After doing a couple adjustments and gapping the plug it runs great now. Thanks again.
Nice hack! I have had the 18 inch 42cc for probably 20 years and it has worked wonders for me. I also have the issues of not starting when hot and just dropped a new plug in and I will pull it and recap it to the new spec.
I just got a poulin pro from a friend and he hated it. He told me he was to old to be pulling on it so much. So I came to trusty RUclips and found your video. Just tuned this saw up and did your little hack and what a big difference. Thanks a million!
My saw is just broken in, maybe had it two years and cut wood two winters.Today I was cutting and it started doing just that after two tanks of gas. I am going to go out now and fix it. Ran great then got hot. I bet that this is the fix. Tank you very much. I subscribed will look in.
My poulan chainsaw is dead in the water after sat for a year. I try everything but still have no luck. I decided to look for a good brand stihl to buy but I won’t need it any more after see this video. I did exactly what he said on here after that i did a cold start amazingly it start right up in one pull I’m so happy 😀. Thank you very much.
Awesome! Maintenance is key, and almost anything will last a lifetime if it's taken care of properly! Thank you for the comment! I agree, high end fuel is definitely worth it for these small engines!
Thanks for the tip about the plug, have to check it out. I read some of the comments, the same on other channels as well. They hate Poulan! I have worked on several and the main problems were due to lack of maintenance. I have a Craftsman," identical to Poulan" for over 9 years & the last two it was really put to work. Just starting to have some issues, could be the carb it is the original with original parts. Cleaned it out a couple of times & had to change the fuel lines once but for the price it is hard to beat.
I have a Poulan Pro 42cc and an older Poulan Super 250A and have been checking everywhere for the best plug setting . Thank you so much great advice, no longer a pulling Pro .
Bought a poulan pr4218 about a week ago. Have 4 hours on it and it Cuts great, but I dont like to shut it off because it's a struggle to get it running, when hot. I'm gonna try regaping, and if it works, your a genius! Thanks!
Thank you❤❤❤❤ Super simple and effective help. I got this 10 year old Mcculloch I've inherited from my father... Im just a DIYer... Almost replaced most of this chainsaw parts and it still bogs down when hot.. This greatly helps. All our gasoline stations here in RP already contains ethanol so that sucks makes it harder to start... And also imitation spark plugs is everywhere.... Which makes your explanation viable where the gap closes when metal expands... Truly mostly with class B metals used in spark plug nowadays.
Will try this fix on my Poulon. The same thing happens to my McCullouh. when that corrects the Poulon issues. Run spark plug at .030 not .025 as required. Thanks.
The plug gap is a good thing to check for sure, but I've discovered another sneaky problem that can cause hard starting problems when a saw is hot. Using winter blended gas or gas with ethanol in chainsaws, especially the smaller ones, can cause hard starting in warm weather. The telltale symptom is excessive pressure in the fuel tank, which causes some sort of a vapor lock in the carburetor. If you remove the fuel cap (carefully!) when the saw is hot and find that there is a tremendous amount of pressure in the tank, and the fuel is bubbling like it's boiling after the cap is removed, you're probably looking at a fuel blend/vapor lock problem, not a saw problem. Winter blended gas and gas containing ethanol both have a much higher vapor pressure and are much more prone to vapor lock problems, especially in the smaller, cheaper saws where the fuel tank is wrapped around the crankcase. I discovered this the hard way today, after farting around all week trying to solve a hard start problem with my Poulan 2050WT. Every time I shut the saw down, if I didn't re-start it within a minute, it wouldn't run and I had to wait a couple hours before it would re-start. I had to choke it to get it to even fire, and then it would only run for a brief spurt and die - classic fuel starvation symptoms. I know my small engines pretty well and, unwilling to admit defeat, I spent half the week trying to figure out why a normally reliable saw wouldn't start hot. My other large saws were running fine so there had to be a problem with the Wild Thing, right? I tried everything short of a total rebuild to solve the problem, including your plug re-gap suggestion, with no success. It simply would not start and run if it was hot, but if I gave up on it and let it sit for a while, it would fire right up like a brand new saw. I finally figured out that there was NOTHING wrong with the saw... I purchased ten gallons of high octane pure (0% ethanol) gasoline last November, and treated it with Stabil like I always do, and I was still working off that supply of fuel this summer. Normally, those ten gallons of fuel would have been long gone by now, but I had already completed most of the season's sawing by the time I bought that fuel in November, so it lasted much further into the year than usual. I don't normally do a lot of sawing in 90+ degree heat for obvious reasons but I had some storm cleanup to do, I wanted to use my small, lightweight saw to do it, and it was driving me absolutely crazy. It was crapping out on me every time I shut it down, and I was bound and determined to find out why. When I finally noticed the excessive pressure in the fuel tank and the fuel boiling like that, a little light bulb lit up in my head. I had never seen fuel boil in the tank like that before and I knew something was amiss so I went and bought some fresh, summer mix fuel and presto! The problem was solved. My theory is that the crankcase heat, which is normally blown out of the saw's housing by the flywheel, has nowhere to go once the saw is shut down. Within a few minutes, the temperature of the remaining fuel in the fuel tank spikes, causing extremely high vapor pressures in the fuel system. I assume this forces the metering valve in the carburetor closed with enough force that it cannot reopen, making the saw all but impossible to start until the pressure recedes. So, do yourself a favor and make sure you're using a good ethanol free, summer blended fuel and don't over work the saw if you're going to use a small saw in the summer heat. People can say whatever they want to say about the quality of Poulan chainsaws, but I suspect most compact saws are vulnerable to this problem. I wasted a lot of time and I nearly caved in and bought myself a new $400 saw this week, when all I really needed was some summer blended fuel. I love getting new toys just like anyone else but I already have too many saws and that $400 would have been wasted money.
Funny I have the same issues and expect you are correct about that because the saw seems to run good for 5 or 10 minutes and then craps out. I also tried everything from changing gas lines, spark plug, to carb adjustment. When I open the gas tank it sounds like I am opening a soda with it about 3/4 full of gas and vapor. I have always suspected it was a gas tank issue since it seems to run fine until it gets hot. And if you shut it down for a few minutes forget it, it is not starting for a while. Maybe I will try the ethanol free gas and gas treatment. Problem is finding ethanol free gas but even with the fuel stabilizer it may run better.
I happened to end up with one of these saws. I'm trying to fix it, or at least figure out why it won't start. It's great that you shared this information with everyone. I've always thought that most tools are well made, but with some quirks. Realizing the issues can be fixed or made to run longer and better with experience with the tool. Thanks.
Thanks went out to shed and gaped my Poland I also have a few Mcculloch saws but the Poland I bought brand new I had this problem but I tried this trick and hope it works.
Wow amazing! Not only it fixed the starting issue, my chainsaw now doesn’t shuts off when I put it in ideal or while hot. it now starts on first pull. Thank you my brother!!!!
You are obsoletely correct on your comments on the Poulan chain saw. I'm no pro and I'll use it maybe once a year. I've had mine for five years, cleaned it after use, do basic maintenance as you have recommended and it has worked like a charm. Guess what, I've never bought one, my neighbors just wanted to move on to a "better quality" chain saw. So I have two given to me by my neighbors. As they say-a person's trash is another person's treasure.
had a lot of problems with these saws, but your correct the more you take care of them the longer they last. specially if you don't want to invest a lot of money in a good saw.
Thanks have an Echo which is a heavy duty saw with my 4218 Poulan Pro which I burned the engine up on it using it too hard in hot weather and now replaced the engine runs great.
Mine was doing this yesterday. Really frustrating. I pulled my plug and looked like you could barely fit a piece of notebook paper in there. Set gap like you suggested. It fires first pull. Thanks a million sir!!!!
This is a great video in my opinion. My previously reliable Poulon Pro chainsaw will not start, and I am annoyed just trying to get the cover off. Now I know that I need a “scrench.” Changing topics, my Stihl grass trimmer won’t start when it’s hot. Now I know to check the spark plug gap. I vote for more videos like this. Well done. BTW, you look great in front of a camera. Thanks!
Thank you for that comparison. I bought my poulan pro for 59.98 at Wal-Mart brand new 2yrs ago and it's a champ. I've been cleaning up my property with it ever since.
Exactly. Dude when i heard what you said it was like bitting into a juicy tinder steak and dropping the fork back on to the plate because the taste was unreal.😃 My uncle's told me the same thing you said about the saw comparison when I was looking to purchases one. We got the best bang for our buck.
Thx, good tip on the regap. Mine started perfect as per the instructions out of the box. But it did chug a bit restarting warm. I'm going to regap as you suggest. I'm a newb and wondering if a bucking spike is a good easy add. I do like having the saw chassis up against the log so I think I might like a spike. Have you, do you use one?
Thank you for the video I've got this very problem with my poulan saw.would not start after it warmed up and was hot. I'm going to regap the plug in my saw in the morning and see what happens, thank you Again.
Your tip applies to all small engines. Poulans are great Saws. The old Poulan metal saws are still working,with maintenance, and are reliable. In an instant world, few want to maintain, because it is work that pays later. The old magnesium Poulans are still around, 90% of them need gas lines and carbs cleaned and they are good for another 30 years-- made in America they are Legendary saws.
I have two 61's and a 41 in my collection also a 306a and a 361 in my collection. They are good saws. I also have some wild things and other plastic poulans a great number of those. The plastic saws are piled in a school bus I never use those.
No problem, I am pretty much exactly what you described. I work as a police officer and like to cut and chop a little wood on my days off for bonfires. Have a good one! I'll check out the other videos.
Thanks for making this video! I'm getting ready to buy a Craigslist Poulan for 30 bucks and I already know it's probably going to be a pain. Good to know how to deal with it's little querks.
Normally I wouldn't buy a used chainsaw since you don't know how the previous owner took care of it...but for only $30 how can you go wrong?! I would do that all day man, thanks for the comment!
Had a more expensive brand for several years and it always had problems. Bought a Poulan Pro SM42 15 years ago and it is still a great saw. I either crank it or use it every month and always use fresh fuel.
I agree with you on the Poulan Pro saws, had a bunch of folks laugh at me, but I stihl have some money left in my pocket to trim and cut out trees on my five acres. I learned to take care of equipment and also buy used ones with light use for third to half off retail, someone used once or twice and could not get them restarted. Saves me money to buy other equipment and tools. It all depends on the person and what you are willing to learn and do to keep some bucks in your pocket, even though everyone has been conditioned to throw everything away that inconveniences them nowadays.
I also agree with you, thank you for the comment! It's too bad that people are so conditioned to just throwing things away nowadays instead of getting their hands a little dirty to fix what they have. But on a good note, like you said, since everyone is so conditioned to doing that, it makes for guys like us to save buttloads of money on good running equipment if you're willing to put the work in!
Good info about spark plug gap .030. I have an 8 year old poulan p4018 !8" bar. i only use it occasionally,but all of a sudden was hard starting & was a problem running when engine got hot. I replaced the fuel lines & filter , which were hardenig as well as the bulb. slight improvement, but after replacing the carb the chainsaw runs great even when operating for long periods of time. I will remember your tip about the spark plug gap though,as the manual says to gap .025
Just want to thank you for your mechanical advice. I have a Poulan 5020 pro. It would not stay idling and or stay running. Everything thing looked mechanical sound. Then I heard about the spark plug gap so I changed the gap to .30 it idles great and starts.
Very good advice. I also put regular size gas lines. Bigger than what it come with. They put a tiny line and then an even smaller one inside jt. Starts and runs so much better.
I agree with you on the Poulan, I have a couple of 42cc, take care of it and it will last, what would you recommend for something bigger, I have bought 5 Chinese saws, all broke a year later and you can't find parts--thanks Gary
I agree, I have two 4620 Poulan Pro's, no they are not considered an industrial grade saw but for cutting firewood they do the job, I even use one milling small logs using my Grandberg G777 small log mill using a rip chain. I take my time and don't crowd the saw. Good video btw.
I have a homelite just did a tune up with new carb and lines filter and plug doesn't start once hot will try to regap the plug and see if that is the problem,thanks for the tip.
I had two of those disc gap tools. One was almost 5 thousandths off compared to the other. So I verified the sizes using a digital caliper, then threw away the gapper that was way out of spec. Digital calipers today only cost $10 - $20 and come in handy often.
@@MidwestGarage On my 3rd yr. with my 42cc. No problems until this yr. I've been trying to tweak the carb. This makes excellent sense. I'll be looking at that gap 1st thing in the morning. Thanks for the tip !!
Running a 42 yr old Husqvarna air injection 45, all original and because of regular maintenance it’s starts first time every time. I run titanium coated semi-chisel chain and can cut up to 4-5 cords of wood without need to sharpen. After every use I strip off the top and side covers and blow everything out with the airline, change the spark plug every year and use good quality two stroke oil which ensures good lubrication to barrel and piston. Todays offerings just don’t have the same quality of workmanship in them. 😜
This is how I finally got my chainsaw to purr. Fresh fuel. New fuel filter. New air filter. New sparkplug gapped to .25 per mgr. spec. New inexpensive carburetor off of Amazon. After chasing my tail for four weeks trying to tweak all the right carb settings, this is FINALLY what worked for me and I hope it will help someone else. I turned the L, H and T(idle) screws clockwise all the way in until they were lightly seated, do not reef. I turned all 3 screw adjustments out counterclockwise 1.5 turns. And now it starts, idles without the chain turning and doesnt die down under load.
You sir are a mechanical genius, my almost new Echo 49cc was doing the same thing. Set the plug at .035 and it went through 3 tanks today and many restarts without any problems.
That's awesome, I'm glad this helped you out! Thank you for the kind words!
I'm still running 50 year old Homelites. Maintenance is everything!
I have an echo weedeater with points and condenser, I bet you saw has the same. It is the electronic ignition that usually kills small engines. The coil on a Stihl costs as much as the poulan, which was $99.99 on black Friday.
I have a old blue and white Homelite chainsaw still runs great
I use my Super Ez Automatic when my Stihl quits running. So basically I cut half of my wood with it.
Yup i just dont like these new saws all i have is old stuff
I have had my poulan pro for five years . Never had any issues with it . I love this saw . I have cut lots of trees with this saw . I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I will be doing this gap check for sure . Thanks for the video .
Gapped the plug as you recommended, fired up on first pull! Thank you
THANKS man !! I had tried everything to make this blasted Poulan Pro 4218 of mine run right, everything except opening up the gap. Now the saw runs fine and my blood pressure has gone back to a normal range. I'm often amused/confused by people who badmouth Poulan saws yet have no problem buying a top of the line saw and then paying that big repair bill a couple of years down the road because they left the saw sitting for too long with old fuel in the tank - and that bill from a qualified repairman costs more than I paid for my saw. Not saying that the Poulan is the same quality as a Husqvarna or a Stihl but if properly maintained it's good enough for most people. Page 1 of the owners manual states " For Occasional Use ". Follow the instructions in that same manual about draining the tank or running it empty and you'll have few problems. Thanks again for the tip on the plug gap.
Thank you for the video. I just used your fixes on this saw for my dad. After doing a couple adjustments and gapping the plug it runs great now. Thanks again.
My Pro started up like a CHAMP! thank for the help good sir.
I still have two buddy's that own one.if they run into that problem I will tell them to thank Midwest garage. Thanks for the video 👍
I just hammer threw mine out into the woods. I'm gonna go out and see if I can find it and try this.
Are u in Louisiana too
😂😂...
I literally did the same thing but I left it there an to make sher it never pissed me off again I used it to line my 30 ought 6 up for deer season lol
The poor animals that found that toxic bar oil quite sweet.
Too bad chainsaws cant pick there owner
Nice hack! I have had the 18 inch 42cc for probably 20 years and it has worked wonders for me. I also have the issues of not starting when hot and just dropped a new plug in and I will pull it and recap it to the new spec.
I just got a poulin pro from a friend and he hated it. He told me he was to old to be pulling on it so much. So I came to trusty RUclips and found your video. Just tuned this saw up and did your little hack and what a big difference. Thanks a million!
I'm glad this helped! Thank you for the comment!
My saw is just broken in, maybe had it two years and cut wood two winters.Today I was cutting and it started doing just that after two tanks of gas. I am going to go out now and fix it. Ran great then got hot. I bet that this is the fix. Tank you very much.
I subscribed will look in.
My poulan chainsaw is dead in the water after sat for a year. I try everything but still have no luck. I decided to look for a good brand stihl to buy but I won’t need it any more after see this video. I did exactly what he said on here after that i did a cold start amazingly it start right up in one pull I’m so happy 😀. Thank you very much.
Glad I could help man! Thanks for the comment!
I have a 20 inch poulan pro 50cc awesome saw love it
Have two Poulan saws and just bought new plugs and was wondering on the gap....Excellent!
Your tip along with other maintenance has made my poulan pro last for more than 6 years. Use high end fuel! Worth it.
Awesome! Maintenance is key, and almost anything will last a lifetime if it's taken care of properly! Thank you for the comment! I agree, high end fuel is definitely worth it for these small engines!
Thanks , that is exactly what I needed to do with my chainsaw!
I’m that weekend firewood chainsaw user .👍
Thanks for the comment, I'm glad this helped!!
This worked perfectly! Thanks for the tip... much appreciated!
This has solved my problem. The chainsaw works perfectly. Thank you.
Awesome, glad I could help! Thank you for the comment!
Thanks for the tip about the plug, have to check it out. I read some of the comments, the same on other channels as well. They hate Poulan! I have worked on several and the main problems were due to lack of maintenance. I have a Craftsman," identical to Poulan" for over 9 years & the last two it was really put to work. Just starting to have some issues, could be the carb it is the original with original parts. Cleaned it out a couple of times & had to change the fuel lines once but for the price it is hard to beat.
JOE Z x. .0000
THANKS! I had tried everything until i watched your video. I cant belive it was that simple. I have subscribed to your channel. Love an easy fix👍.
I have a Poulan Pro 42cc and an older Poulan Super 250A and have been checking everywhere for the best plug setting . Thank you so much great advice, no longer a pulling Pro .
Haha, glad I could help man! Thank you for the comment!
Worked lile a charm. Thanks brother!! Good work keep the videos coming!
Good info. Logical explanation of cost of budget chainsaw VS pro saw. Thank you.
Thank you for the comment! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Bought a poulan pr4218 about a week ago.
Have 4 hours on it and it Cuts great, but I dont like to shut it off because it's a struggle to get it running, when hot.
I'm gonna try regaping, and if it works, your a genius!
Thanks!
Thanks for the video! I was able to fix my saw this morning and avoid having to buy another one. Thanks!
Awesome! I'm glad I could help!
Man you don't know how much I appreciate your wisdom. Wow Thankyou Sir.
Thank you❤❤❤❤ Super simple and effective help. I got this 10 year old Mcculloch I've inherited from my father... Im just a DIYer... Almost replaced most of this chainsaw parts and it still bogs down when hot.. This greatly helps. All our gasoline stations here in RP already contains ethanol so that sucks makes it harder to start... And also imitation spark plugs is everywhere.... Which makes your explanation viable where the gap closes when metal expands... Truly mostly with class B metals used in spark plug nowadays.
I regapped My plug to 30 and it not only starts better hot but also cold and runs stronger overall. Thanks for the info
Awesome, glad this helped man!
Glad, I found this video.. I was going to play around with gaping.
@@kosh9639 This is a family friendly channel sir.
True words , well said!! maintenance is key as you say, thanks for the Video. Craftsman , Husky and Poulan all use similar parts
Thank you, sir. I just did this on a new Craftsman with a hot start problem and this fixed it.
Awesome, I'm glad to hear this helped you out!
Thanks this is awesome! I have a poland 260 pro ive had for 18yr great saw ive had same problem this fixed it!
Will try this fix on my Poulon. The same thing happens to my McCullouh. when that corrects the Poulon issues. Run spark plug at .030 not .025 as required. Thanks.
The plug gap is a good thing to check for sure, but I've discovered another sneaky problem that can cause hard starting problems when a saw is hot. Using winter blended gas or gas with ethanol in chainsaws, especially the smaller ones, can cause hard starting in warm weather. The telltale symptom is excessive pressure in the fuel tank, which causes some sort of a vapor lock in the carburetor. If you remove the fuel cap (carefully!) when the saw is hot and find that there is a tremendous amount of pressure in the tank, and the fuel is bubbling like it's boiling after the cap is removed, you're probably looking at a fuel blend/vapor lock problem, not a saw problem.
Winter blended gas and gas containing ethanol both have a much higher vapor pressure and are much more prone to vapor lock problems, especially in the smaller, cheaper saws where the fuel tank is wrapped around the crankcase. I discovered this the hard way today, after farting around all week trying to solve a hard start problem with my Poulan 2050WT. Every time I shut the saw down, if I didn't re-start it within a minute, it wouldn't run and I had to wait a couple hours before it would re-start. I had to choke it to get it to even fire, and then it would only run for a brief spurt and die - classic fuel starvation symptoms. I know my small engines pretty well and, unwilling to admit defeat, I spent half the week trying to figure out why a normally reliable saw wouldn't start hot. My other large saws were running fine so there had to be a problem with the Wild Thing, right? I tried everything short of a total rebuild to solve the problem, including your plug re-gap suggestion, with no success. It simply would not start and run if it was hot, but if I gave up on it and let it sit for a while, it would fire right up like a brand new saw. I finally figured out that there was NOTHING wrong with the saw...
I purchased ten gallons of high octane pure (0% ethanol) gasoline last November, and treated it with Stabil like I always do, and I was still working off that supply of fuel this summer. Normally, those ten gallons of fuel would have been long gone by now, but I had already completed most of the season's sawing by the time I bought that fuel in November, so it lasted much further into the year than usual. I don't normally do a lot of sawing in 90+ degree heat for obvious reasons but I had some storm cleanup to do, I wanted to use my small, lightweight saw to do it, and it was driving me absolutely crazy. It was crapping out on me every time I shut it down, and I was bound and determined to find out why. When I finally noticed the excessive pressure in the fuel tank and the fuel boiling like that, a little light bulb lit up in my head. I had never seen fuel boil in the tank like that before and I knew something was amiss so I went and bought some fresh, summer mix fuel and presto! The problem was solved.
My theory is that the crankcase heat, which is normally blown out of the saw's housing by the flywheel, has nowhere to go once the saw is shut down. Within a few minutes, the temperature of the remaining fuel in the fuel tank spikes, causing extremely high vapor pressures in the fuel system. I assume this forces the metering valve in the carburetor closed with enough force that it cannot reopen, making the saw all but impossible to start until the pressure recedes.
So, do yourself a favor and make sure you're using a good ethanol free, summer blended fuel and don't over work the saw if you're going to use a small saw in the summer heat. People can say whatever they want to say about the quality of Poulan chainsaws, but I suspect most compact saws are vulnerable to this problem. I wasted a lot of time and I nearly caved in and bought myself a new $400 saw this week, when all I really needed was some summer blended fuel. I love getting new toys just like anyone else but I already have too many saws and that $400 would have been wasted money.
Funny I have the same issues and expect you are correct about that because the saw seems to run good for 5 or 10 minutes and then craps out. I also tried everything from changing gas lines, spark plug, to carb adjustment. When I open the gas tank it sounds like I am opening a soda with it about 3/4 full of gas and vapor. I have always suspected it was a gas tank issue since it seems to run fine until it gets hot. And if you shut it down for a few minutes forget it, it is not starting for a while. Maybe I will try the ethanol free gas and gas treatment. Problem is finding ethanol free gas but even with the fuel stabilizer it may run better.
I happened to end up with one of these saws. I'm trying to fix it, or at least figure out why it won't start.
It's great that you shared this information with everyone. I've always thought that most tools are well made, but with some quirks. Realizing the issues can be fixed or made to run longer and better with experience with the tool.
Thanks.
Having similar issues. Really appreciate all of this detail.
Thanks went out to shed and gaped my Poland I also have a few Mcculloch saws but the Poland I bought brand new I had this problem but I tried this trick and hope it works.
Good Tip! Well done young Man.
Thank you sir!
Thank you. This worked for me. Gap was paper thin. I set it and it works now.
Wow amazing! Not only it fixed the starting issue, my chainsaw now doesn’t shuts off when I put it in ideal or while hot. it now starts on first pull. Thank you my brother!!!!
Awesome! I'm glad this helped bud!! And thank you for the comment!
It worked ! Thanks for making the video.
Thanks for the tip, it worked!
Thanks for the tip, fixed my saw!
Sweet, I'm glad this helped you out! Thank you for the comment!
Thanks, you and the man in Canada have helped me a lot. Thanks from Texas
You are very welcome man!
who is the man in cananda?
You are obsoletely correct on your comments on the Poulan chain saw. I'm no pro and I'll use it maybe once a year. I've had mine for five years, cleaned it after use, do basic maintenance as you have recommended and it has worked like a charm. Guess what, I've never bought one, my neighbors just wanted to move on to a "better quality" chain saw. So I have two given to me by my neighbors. As they say-a person's trash is another person's treasure.
Thanks so much man!!! Gonna try this on my Poulan when I get home today. Thanks again 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks, very useful video.
thanks for the video! i Adjusted the plug gap like you suggested and the thing worked like a charm! Thanks!!!
You're very welcome! Thanks for the comment, I'm glad this helped!
Spot on. Spark got to have spark, and yes the presentation was very informative, even if only a quick refersher
Thank you for the comment!
had a lot of problems with these saws, but your correct the more you take care of them the longer they last. specially if you don't want to invest a lot of money in a good saw.
Thanks man, great information and I'll be doing this to my wild thing Poulan, it's not starting after it gets hot!
Thanks for the comment bud, I hope this works for you!
I did it today to mine, works great. I think my plug was gapped at .015 from the factory. Thanks for the video.
I'm glad this helped! Thank you for the comment!
Just what I needed. Thanks!
You bet! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks have an Echo which is a heavy duty saw with my 4218 Poulan Pro which I burned the engine up on it using it too hard in hot weather and now replaced the engine runs great.
Informative video. It worked for me. Thank you.
Mine was doing this yesterday. Really frustrating. I pulled my plug and looked like you could barely fit a piece of notebook paper in there. Set gap like you suggested. It fires first pull. Thanks a million sir!!!!
You bet! I'm glad I could help, comments like this make me happy! Thanks!
This is a great video in my opinion. My previously reliable Poulon Pro chainsaw will not start, and I am annoyed just trying to get the cover off. Now I know that I need a “scrench.” Changing topics, my Stihl grass trimmer won’t start when it’s hot. Now I know to check the spark plug gap. I vote for more videos like this. Well done. BTW, you look great in front of a camera. Thanks!
Thank you for that comparison. I bought my poulan pro for 59.98 at Wal-Mart brand new 2yrs ago and it's a champ. I've been cleaning up my property with it ever since.
Thanks for the comment! I too think they're great saws, you can't beat what you get for the price.
Exactly. Dude when i heard what you said it was like bitting into a juicy tinder steak and dropping the fork back on to the plate because the taste was unreal.😃 My uncle's told me the same thing you said about the saw comparison when I was looking to purchases one. We got the best bang for our buck.
Haha definitely!
O.k I have been fighting with mine all morning and I have to say Thank You so much. My saw started not on first but 2nd pull after i gaped it.
Great to hear! I'm really glad this helped you out!
Thx, good tip on the regap. Mine started perfect as per the instructions out of the box. But it did chug a bit restarting warm. I'm going to regap as you suggest. I'm a newb and wondering if a bucking spike is a good easy add. I do like having the saw chassis up against the log so I think I might like a spike. Have you, do you use one?
Thank you! Got a new Poulan and this is happening to me. I'll give it a try.
It helped me out very good
Thank you for the video I've got this very problem with my poulan saw.would not start after it warmed up and was hot. I'm going to regap the plug in my saw in the morning and see what happens, thank you Again.
Thanks so much! was headed out to buy a new saw (Stihl) now i will try to resurrect my Poulan first.
Your tip applies to all small engines. Poulans are great Saws. The old Poulan
metal saws are still working,with maintenance, and are reliable. In an instant
world, few want to maintain, because it is work that pays later. The old
magnesium Poulans are still around, 90% of them need gas lines and carbs
cleaned and they are good for another 30 years-- made in America they
are Legendary saws.
I have two 61's and a 41 in my collection also a 306a and a 361 in my collection. They are good saws. I also have some wild things and other plastic poulans a great number of those. The plastic saws are piled in a school bus I never use those.
I tried this with a new spark plug, it's like a different chainsaw. Much more power as well. Thanks for the tip, you saved me a lot of frustration.
Glad I could help man, thanks for the comment!
No problem, I am pretty much exactly what you described. I work as a police officer and like to cut and chop a little wood on my days off for bonfires. Have a good one! I'll check out the other videos.
Thanks so much! Also, thank you for your service on the police force!!
Thanks for making this video! I'm getting ready to buy a Craigslist Poulan for 30 bucks and I already know it's probably going to be a pain. Good to know how to deal with it's little querks.
Normally I wouldn't buy a used chainsaw since you don't know how the previous owner took care of it...but for only $30 how can you go wrong?! I would do that all day man, thanks for the comment!
Dude. Thank you!!!
Super saw and great advice. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comment bud! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Had a more expensive brand for several years and it always had problems. Bought a Poulan Pro SM42 15 years ago and it is still a great saw. I either crank it or use it every month and always use fresh fuel.
I had a similar issue with mine....but I ended up cleaning my spark plug, and got it to start working again. Thanks for the video.
You're very welcome! Seems to be that spark plugs are the major issue with these newer Poulans. Thank you for the comment!
Thanks for the advice👍
Thank you for fixing my hot start issues
You're very welcome, glad this helped!!
Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a try
This may be an overreaction, but you've changed my life.
Hahaha, thanks! (I hope you mean in a good way lol)
@@MidwestGarage now i have one more chainsaw and one less anchor
Not only yours but mine as well...
Hell we should start a cult. You're my Messiah. Cheers.
I agree with you on the Poulan Pro saws, had a bunch of folks laugh at me, but I stihl have some money left in my pocket to trim and cut out trees on my five acres.
I learned to take care of equipment and also buy used ones with light use for third to half off retail, someone used once or twice and could not get them restarted.
Saves me money to buy other equipment and tools. It all depends on the person and what you are willing to learn and do to keep some bucks in your pocket, even though everyone has been conditioned to throw everything away that inconveniences them nowadays.
I also agree with you, thank you for the comment! It's too bad that people are so conditioned to just throwing things away nowadays instead of getting their hands a little dirty to fix what they have. But on a good note, like you said, since everyone is so conditioned to doing that, it makes for guys like us to save buttloads of money on good running equipment if you're willing to put the work in!
Thanks Man !! Used it only one year. Won't start. I haven't tried this, but I will try this first thing in the morning.
How did it work out for you? I hope this helped man!
Good video. I got to try it tomorrow morning. Hope it will solve my problem.
Good info about spark plug gap .030. I have an 8 year old poulan p4018 !8" bar. i only use it occasionally,but all of a sudden was hard starting & was a problem running when engine got hot. I replaced the fuel lines & filter , which were hardenig as well as the bulb. slight improvement, but after replacing the carb the chainsaw runs great even when operating for long periods of time. I will remember your tip about the spark plug gap though,as the manual says to gap .025
Thank you sir! Gonna try this.
Great idea, worked for me after watching your vid!
not only a good tip but a good looking man as well
Hi, would this work for the Poulan 3314 the 14 inch. Thanks great video ...
Almost 21years now for my 16" Homelite I bought at Central Tractor in early 1999 !
Lol cool
Just want to thank you for your mechanical advice. I have a Poulan 5020 pro. It would not stay idling and or stay running. Everything thing looked mechanical sound. Then I heard about the spark plug gap so I changed the gap to .30 it idles great and starts.
Very good advice. I also put regular size gas lines. Bigger than what it come with. They put a tiny line and then an even smaller one inside jt. Starts and runs so much better.
Thanks for the comment bud, I didn't know they put smaller than normal lines in! That explains a lot.
Thanks, I sometimes have the same issue...though I still love my two.
Thank you friend for the fix..mine did the same when it got hot...
Great tip, thanks
I agree with you on the Poulan, I have a couple of 42cc, take care of it and it will last, what would you recommend for something bigger, I have bought 5 Chinese saws, all broke a year later and you can't find parts--thanks Gary
I agree, I have two 4620 Poulan Pro's, no they are not considered an industrial grade saw but for cutting firewood they do the job, I even use one milling small logs using my Grandberg G777 small log mill using a rip chain. I take my time and don't crowd the saw. Good video btw.
Thank you for sharing your experience
You're very welcome, thank you for the comment!
Thanks for this Video!
You're very welcome! Thanks for the comment!
I have a homelite just did a tune up with new carb and lines filter and plug doesn't start once hot will try to regap the plug and see if that is the problem,thanks for the tip.
Thank you man that help me a lot
Thank you, thank you... THANK YOU
You're very welcome! Thank you for the comment!
I had two of those disc gap tools. One was almost 5 thousandths off compared to the other. So I verified the sizes using a digital caliper, then threw away the gapper that was way out of spec. Digital calipers today only cost $10 - $20 and come in handy often.
We will try this. I hope it works. We do not want to return it. Thank you for the tip.
Let me know if it works, that seems to be the fix for a lot of issues guys are having in the comments of this video!
Thank you for this video. I recently bought the poulan 42cc and it runs great but hard to start. I can't wait to get home and gap that plug.
You're very welcome, let me know how it turns out!
@@MidwestGarage fires up with no problem now. Thanks again
@@MidwestGarage On my 3rd yr. with my 42cc. No problems until this yr. I've been trying to tweak the carb. This makes excellent sense. I'll be looking at that gap 1st thing in the morning. Thanks for the tip !!
Excellent video I tried it on my saw .... miracle🤠👍
Running a 42 yr old Husqvarna air injection 45, all original and because of regular maintenance it’s starts first time every time. I run titanium coated semi-chisel chain and can cut up to 4-5 cords of wood without need to sharpen. After every use I strip off the top and side covers and blow everything out with the airline, change the spark plug every year and use good quality two stroke oil which ensures good lubrication to barrel and piston. Todays offerings just don’t have the same quality of workmanship in them. 😜
Thanks what an easy fix.
I hope this helps you out!