Worked for me. Thank you. Dumped out old gas, put in fresh non ethanol, set gap and off she ran. Brother had left this saw outside storage building in the weather at our cabin when he put in some shelving. Said best place for it. Can't wait to walk up and start sawing next to him and his golden Stihl.😁
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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 TH-cam and found your video. Just tuned this saw up and did your little hack and what a big difference. Thanks a million!
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.
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!
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 .
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!!!!
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!!!!
Thanks for video. My Poulan wouldn’t run. I refused to throw in garbage. I heard something rattling in gas tank. It was ceramic gas filter. The gas line rotted and detached from gas filter. I replaced gas line and filter for a few dollars. Of course debris was sucked into carb. I carefully disassembled carb slowly and cleaned out debris. Runs great. I love this video. There are others on Poulan. When filling gas use funnel with a strainer inside. After use drain fuel back into gas can. Some fuel can rot gas line. I found fuel system on Poulan was a pressurized fuel system to my surprise. No one talks about this. Anyway don’t been intimidated. Watch TH-cam videos and remember you are the most powerful computer on earth. You can do anything. We were made very well. :)
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!
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.
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.
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.
It is late night and my arm is in pain because a poulan chainsaw got so tired n 2 big trees to chop n small pieces and i had that problem got so frustrated the I kicked n give up finish the job with saw all but tomorro i will open the gap on that spark plug ,thanks a lot for the advice
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.
I had this hard to start when hot issue with my Poulan Pro 5020AV and here is what worked for me: 1. Set the spark plug gap to .030 (this alone did not work for me but has for some people). 2. Adjusted the L screw counter clockwise a quarter turn, no adjustment for the H screw (still hard to start when hot). 3. Adjusted the idle screw (marked T on the cover) as it was stalling out when I set it down, then was hard to start hot. As it turns out there is (dare I say it) a procedure in the owners manual for starting these chainsaws when they are warm. It starts great every time now, first or second pull when hot, coupled with the carburetor and spark plug adjustments above. I can set it down and it idles until I shut it off or it runs low on gas. Very happy with it and it runs as good as my smaller Stihl saw now. the other observation is the air filter collects a lot of debris so keep it cleaned up. Hoping this helps someone out there, give your owners manual a try.
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.
Great tip,I ALSO GAVE THE PLASTIC AIR PLATE AN ADD.HOLE IN IT TO GIVE IT A LITTLE MORE AIR FOR THE AIR FILTER (TRY IT IF NEEDED TRUST ME IT WORKS)AND IT IS RUNNING GREAT!
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!
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.
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.
appreciate your video, I have a coulpe of Blue Max chain saw's, just over 3 yrs. now ( both run good,cut good), several month's ago, bought the Poulan Pro, PR5020, and she's been great too ! ,, with ALL 2 Stroke engine's, Personally use an E3.12 plug, and only run " True Fuel ", and or " SEF ", couple of week's ago, saw an Older Poulan 295 ( Farm Hand), on craig's list for $25, dude honest enough say, he can't even remember if it ran or not, when he shelved it several yrs ago, put in an E3.12, changed the fuel line and filter, and did not try start, till new air filter arrived. could not see light thru the air filter. put new air filter on, remeve'd new plug jus put in, poured a little sef fuel in it, and put all back ,few pull's, and she's running like a beast, !! your so right, ! you gotta take care of any engine or tool, and 2 stroke's, take extra care, ! ,, with the air filter,that was in it, just knew futile, to try start, no way air was getting in, so far a Poulan fan !!
Very cool! I appreciate the comment, I always like hearing other people's stories! It's getting harder to come by people that know how to really take care of equipment and make them last anymore these days.
Got this same saw, it's about five years old but has probably less than 10 hours on it. Yea I'm not a professional sawman, it's for tree trimming, small jobs, so I don't need a high dollar saw. Was cutting a downed oak today and it ran fine till it ran out of gas. After filling it would not start at all. I will defiantly try this tomorrow.
Thank you very much I've had my poulan since I was 16 for my b day it's been 15 yrs in use and I had this issue with it starting when hot this summer I almost thought it was time to buy a new saw being that I went thru the whole chain saw and nothing seemed to fix it I spaced my new spark plug like you said and now it's running great so thank you saved me 125 bucks lol
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.
I looked at mine. The plug gap was 45 mil, I set it to 30 and the machine started very well but would stall after 5seconds at idle. Tried a carb adjustment without success, rest the gap to 36 and got excellent results, good starting and excellent idle. Thnx
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've got an old Poulan Shark, model 1950. I've used it for close to 20 years. The only major thing I've done other than normal maintenance, replaced the bar oiler gear. Plastic. The oil was too heavy at -17F and I stripped the gear. Now I have no spark and put it on the shelf. It ran better on its worst day than the new replacement one.
Thank you for debunking the myth that Stihl chainsaws are the only chainsaw in existence I don't have six hundred bucks for a chainsaw I did open up the gap on the spark plug diagnosing the starting problem by myself you are excellent mechanic for this stuff I am so dependent on these tools in an off-the-grid situation
Very professional answer. So tired of all the Poulan Chainsaw fix videos spending 90 percent of the time trash talking this lower quality product. I get that.. You get what you pay for but the mechanic at least gives hope if your care for the product and a fix, Kudos for being a Pro with experience!
Thank you for the comment and kind words! You're absolutely right, you get what you pay for. No sense in bashing a chainsaw if it only costs you $150 ya know!
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 love my Poulan. I found a gas station that sells none alcohol fuel. What a difference! No problems except once in a while it will bog down when I pull on the throttle. BUT my fix is to turn both needle valves all the way in and back out again while counting the turns. I feel(and I may be wrong) that I may be pushing out some crud that got in there.
Nice, yeah that's definitely the best stuff to be running in these 2 stroke engines. That ethanol crap isn't any good for them. If mine starts bogging down i'll do what you do on yours, thank you for the tip!
That was a good tip. It definitely started easier. I still need to adjust the carb it seems because it still won't run. Waiting on my adjustment tool to show up from Amazon. I do believe this will be a decent saw. I got a refurb for a hundred bucks
Researching this saw I see a lot of people get into carb adjustment and say that really helps out of the box. One guy was saying it's configured to run too lean out of the factory.
I've got a 20 year old Poulan 2150 that I was given by my father-in-law. I started using it instead on the Echo I had just because it came with a case. I don't use my saw very often and keep it outside in an open shed so the case keeps it fairly clean. Just recently had to replace fuel lines and primer as they were leaking. Had a couple hours worth of logs to cut for a several year supply of fire wood I'd been given. Ran well for the 1st tank full of gas then wouldn't start. Let it (and myself!) cool a while and then it started up again. I'd gapped the plug to the recommended .025" granted I used a feeler gage not spark plug tool. I'll have to try the .030" gap using a spark plug tool and see what happens. Hard to believe .005" will make that big a difference. We'll see in a couple years when I use it again and see if that takes care of the hot start problem!
Well,,a few comments,,,your personality,,,you have an honest face and attitude,,,thank you so much for this honest video,,,the little engines shop here in the city has only one answer when you go see them for a chainsaw problem,,,i have to change the spark plug and clean and soak the carburator to fix it,,,and charge you $90. for the repair,,,,,,now i see that i probably did not need any of it,,,there s another video that the guy makes an 3/4 inch hole in the center of the plastic cover over the air filter and say it fixed his problem of not starting when the chainsaw is hot ! but after readins the comments here,,,looks like your trick is excellent. thanks again. The funny thing,,,,is that this little engine shop is overloaded of work !!!! Hummmm,,,looks like more people should look at your video !!! LOL.
Haha, thank you for the kind words! I've also heard that adding a hole to the airbox is helpful, but I agree more people should just watch this video and it'd probably save them a lot of money haha. Thanks again for the comment and kind words!
Great video - had my carburetor rebuilt by the local small engine repair. Saw ran fine, but wouldn't start after a sharpening break (Osage Orange kills chains). Took it in the the repair shop, he said that he adjusted the idle. Started great again, but then it wouldn't start after a sharpening break. Getting ready to practice the chainsaw toss, but ended up trying to adjust the gap per your video and the saw started right up. Thanks again!
Awesome! I'm glad this helped man! It's funny how sometimes the simplest things are overlooked. I fought with mine for a long time also before checking the plug gap.
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 !!
mjg bass …..this action was def the right one as Poulans are complete pieces of shit . I truly hate theses curses that leave many with buyers remorse .
Bought a refurb PP5020AV from Nothern Tool and was initially less than impressed. But for $89, I knew it was a bit of a gamble. However, after buying the spline tool to tune the carb properly and replacing a well worn anti kickback chain with a pro series model, I have nothing but praise for the little yellow engine that could. Using ethynol free fuel and a quality two stoke synthetic oil, I've had a gallon of pre-mix last several months in the can with no ill effect. The saw still starts easy, runs strong, cuts well and never balks. Sure, it is not an all day, every day piece of industrial equipment; but more than enough for most homeowners.
Awesome! I always love hearing people's stories man, thank you for sharing! You said it well, "not an all day every day piece of industrial equipment; but more than enough". Couldn't have worded it better myself. Thank you again for sharing!
I've had my 4218a for 8 years. It's a great saw. Sharpen your chains, tweak the high side, gap the plug and cut wood. Clean It, run Good bar oil... Wear chaps.... Lol That's about it. Great saw. I. Have the pruning saw too. Screaming banshee wood cutter. Had it 7 years.
I was driving down the road today and there was a Poulan Pro 42 inch chainsaw sitting out there with a free sign on it I walked up and pulled the cord and had compression it don't have a bar or chain I got a Husqvarna chainsaw that was made by Poulan Husqvarna model 35 and it seems to be a great saw so I'm going to start goofing with it see if I can get it running I'll keep your spark plug hack in mind and if I get it running I'll get a chain and bar for it just hang on to it 42cc is a big engine for a chainsaw thanks for the video
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. 😜
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 always ran a Stihl but bought a 50cc Poulan pro and cut 4 rk today but man was it a pain to start after it got warmed up. Will try this tomorrow.
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 check the my Poulan 3816 spark plug gap, and sure enough the plug was out of spec I gap it at 25 to 30 , and retune it and it runs great. Starts so easy now , hot or cold, Runs beautiful, thank you for the great advice. How for a better chain. lol
I went to my daughters last weekend to cut a couple small trees down. I took my Poulan Pro. It cut the first tree down fine...the I couldn't keep it running to cut down the 2nd tree. I I tried everything to no avail. When I got home the next day I got my Poulan Pro Carb adjustment tool and was able to adjust the low and high and now it runs fine. I ordered an extra set of carb tools to keep in my truck in case it happens again.
Totally agree with you about takin care of a saw and it will last,,,my little poulan is going on 20 years now and I don't take care of it..maybe 15 hours a year of use.I beat the hell out of it ,don't sharpen chain,have never put bar oil in it,don't care if it breaks,there cheap enuff to just buy a new 1..hasnt broken yet though so I just let it go....I don't need a $500 saw to cut some occasional wood or a tree here and there.. you could buy 4 poulans and for the cost of 1 stihl...don't get me wrong stihl by far the best but I wouldn't have a use for an expensive saw like that... unless I won the lottery of course and just had money to piss away on the best of everything then I wouldn't care about that either.you are spot on In your video.
Thank you for your video. Would love to see you maintenance routine for the Poulan. Appreciate the kindness to those of us who don't have expensive tools.
My dads poulan is 40 years old and runs fine. Mine is just under 30 years old and runs perfectly. I had hot start issues when it was brand new. Those went away with a spark plug change. I love my poulan saw. And yes I’m a weekend wood cutter
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Worked for me. Thank you. Dumped out old gas, put in fresh non ethanol, set gap and off she ran. Brother had left this saw outside storage building in the weather at our cabin when he put in some shelving. Said best place for it. Can't wait to walk up and start sawing next to him and his golden Stihl.😁
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.
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 got my dad's super XL , it was a beast , but it's hurts my chest pulling start it ,so I wimped out and use modern easy pull poulan saws.
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 .
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.
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
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 TH-cam 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!
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
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.
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!
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.
Gapped the plug as you recommended, fired up on first pull! Thank you
My Pro started up like a CHAMP! thank for the help good sir.
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!
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!
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 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.
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.
not only a good tip but a good looking man as well
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.
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.
Have two Poulan saws and just bought new plugs and was wondering on the gap....Excellent!
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!
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!
Man you don't know how much I appreciate your wisdom. Wow Thankyou Sir.
Thanks for video. My Poulan wouldn’t run. I refused to throw in garbage. I heard something rattling in gas tank. It was ceramic gas filter. The gas line rotted and detached from gas filter. I replaced gas line and filter for a few dollars. Of course debris was sucked into carb. I carefully disassembled carb slowly and cleaned out debris. Runs great. I love this video. There are others on Poulan. When filling gas use funnel with a strainer inside. After use drain fuel back into gas can. Some fuel can rot gas line. I found fuel system on Poulan was a pressurized fuel system to my surprise. No one talks about this. Anyway don’t been intimidated. Watch TH-cam videos and remember you are the most powerful computer on earth. You can do anything. We were made very well. :)
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!!
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 Tip! Well done young Man.
Thank you sir!
Good info. Logical explanation of cost of budget chainsaw VS pro saw. Thank you.
Thank you for the comment! I'm glad you enjoyed!
This has solved my problem. The chainsaw works perfectly. Thank you.
Awesome, glad I could help! Thank you for the comment!
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.
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!
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 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!
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
It is late night and my arm is in pain because a poulan chainsaw got so tired n 2 big trees to chop n small pieces and i had that problem got so frustrated the I kicked n give up finish the job with saw all but tomorro i will open the gap on that spark plug ,thanks a lot for the advice
Haha I feel your pain. Let me know if this was the fix for your saw as well. Thank you for the comment!
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 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! 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👍.
This worked perfectly! Thanks for the tip... much appreciated!
I had this hard to start when hot issue with my Poulan Pro 5020AV and here is what worked for me: 1. Set the spark plug gap to .030 (this alone did not work for me but has for some people). 2. Adjusted the L screw counter clockwise a quarter turn, no adjustment for the H screw (still hard to start when hot). 3. Adjusted the idle screw (marked T on the cover) as it was stalling out when I set it down, then was hard to start hot. As it turns out there is (dare I say it) a procedure in the owners manual for starting these chainsaws when they are warm. It starts great every time now, first or second pull when hot, coupled with the carburetor and spark plug adjustments above. I can set it down and it idles until I shut it off or it runs low on gas. Very happy with it and it runs as good as my smaller Stihl saw now. the other observation is the air filter collects a lot of debris so keep it cleaned up. Hoping this helps someone out there, give your owners manual a try.
Thank you. This worked for me. Gap was paper thin. I set it and it works now.
Almost 21years now for my 16" Homelite I bought at Central Tractor in early 1999 !
Lol cool
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 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.
Found this, been having problems, figured I'd go with a new plug. I'll make sure I re-gap it. Super frustrating, awesome tip
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!
Great tip,I ALSO GAVE THE PLASTIC AIR PLATE AN ADD.HOLE IN IT TO GIVE IT A LITTLE MORE AIR FOR THE AIR FILTER (TRY IT IF NEEDED TRUST ME IT WORKS)AND IT IS RUNNING GREAT!
I've seen a lot of guys do that, it definitely does help! That's about the only thing I hate about Poulan's is their restrictive air intake.
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!
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.
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.
appreciate your video, I have a coulpe of Blue Max chain saw's, just over 3 yrs. now ( both run good,cut good), several month's ago, bought the Poulan Pro, PR5020, and she's been great too ! ,, with ALL 2 Stroke engine's, Personally use an E3.12 plug, and only run " True Fuel ", and or " SEF ", couple of week's ago, saw an Older Poulan 295 ( Farm Hand), on craig's list for $25, dude honest enough say, he can't even remember if it ran or not, when he shelved it several yrs ago, put in an E3.12, changed the fuel line and filter, and did not try start, till new air filter arrived. could not see light thru the air filter. put new air filter on, remeve'd new plug jus put in, poured a little sef fuel in it, and put all back ,few pull's, and she's running like a beast, !! your so right, ! you gotta take care of any engine or tool, and 2 stroke's, take extra care, ! ,, with the air filter,that was in it, just knew futile, to try start, no way air was getting in, so far a Poulan fan !!
Very cool! I appreciate the comment, I always like hearing other people's stories! It's getting harder to come by people that know how to really take care of equipment and make them last anymore these days.
Thanks so much man!!! Gonna try this on my Poulan when I get home today. Thanks again 👍🏻👍🏻
Got this same saw, it's about five years old but has probably less than 10 hours on it. Yea I'm not a professional sawman, it's for tree trimming, small jobs, so I don't need a high dollar saw. Was cutting a downed oak today and it ran fine till it ran out of gas. After filling it would not start at all. I will defiantly try this tomorrow.
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 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!
Thank you very much I've had my poulan since I was 16 for my b day it's been 15 yrs in use and I had this issue with it starting when hot this summer I almost thought it was time to buy a new saw being that I went thru the whole chain saw and nothing seemed to fix it I spaced my new spark plug like you said and now it's running great so thank you saved me 125 bucks lol
Awesome, glad I could help man!
You got a Chainsaw for your 16th birthday???
Is Leather Face your father???
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.
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!
Thanks so much! was headed out to buy a new saw (Stihl) now i will try to resurrect my Poulan first.
I looked at mine. The plug gap was 45 mil, I set it to 30 and the machine started very well but would stall after 5seconds at idle. Tried a carb adjustment without success, rest the gap to 36 and got excellent results, good starting and excellent idle. Thnx
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.
top notch advice. Worked perfectly! thanks for putting this video out.
You're very welcome, I'm glad this helped you out bud! Thanks 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?
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!
I've got an old Poulan Shark, model 1950. I've used it for close to 20 years. The only major thing I've done other than normal maintenance, replaced the bar oiler gear. Plastic. The oil was too heavy at -17F and I stripped the gear. Now I have no spark and put it on the shelf. It ran better on its worst day than the new replacement one.
I hear ya there. That sounds like a good little saw, 20 years for a cheap saw like that is awesome!
Thank you for debunking the myth that Stihl chainsaws are the only chainsaw in existence I don't have six hundred bucks for a chainsaw I did open up the gap on the spark plug diagnosing the starting problem by myself you are excellent mechanic for this stuff I am so dependent on these tools in an off-the-grid situation
Very professional answer. So tired of all the Poulan Chainsaw fix videos spending 90 percent of the time trash talking this lower quality product. I get that.. You get what you pay for but the mechanic at least gives hope if your care for the product and a fix, Kudos for being a Pro with experience!
Thank you for the comment and kind words! You're absolutely right, you get what you pay for. No sense in bashing a chainsaw if it only costs you $150 ya know!
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 love my Poulan. I found a gas station that sells none alcohol fuel. What a difference! No problems except once in a while it will bog down when I pull on the throttle. BUT my fix is to turn both needle valves all the way in and back out again while counting the turns. I feel(and I may be wrong) that I may be pushing out some crud that got in there.
Nice, yeah that's definitely the best stuff to be running in these 2 stroke engines. That ethanol crap isn't any good for them. If mine starts bogging down i'll do what you do on yours, thank you for the tip!
That was a good tip. It definitely started easier. I still need to adjust the carb it seems because it still won't run. Waiting on my adjustment tool to show up from Amazon. I do believe this will be a decent saw. I got a refurb for a hundred bucks
Not a bad deal at all! They really are good saws if properly maintained. I hope a carb adjustment will help out the rest of the way!
So thankful for TH-cam. I am way to stupid to figure this stuff out on my own.
Worked lile a charm. Thanks brother!! Good work keep the videos coming!
Researching this saw I see a lot of people get into carb adjustment and say that really helps out of the box. One guy was saying it's configured to run too lean out of the factory.
I've got a 20 year old Poulan 2150 that I was given by my father-in-law. I started using it instead on the Echo I had just because it came with a case. I don't use my saw very often and keep it outside in an open shed so the case keeps it fairly clean. Just recently had to replace fuel lines and primer as they were leaking. Had a couple hours worth of logs to cut for a several year supply of fire wood I'd been given. Ran well for the 1st tank full of gas then wouldn't start. Let it (and myself!) cool a while and then it started up again. I'd gapped the plug to the recommended .025" granted I used a feeler gage not spark plug tool. I'll have to try the .030" gap using a spark plug tool and see what happens. Hard to believe .005" will make that big a difference. We'll see in a couple years when I use it again and see if that takes care of the hot start problem!
Thanks for the tip, fixed my saw!
Sweet, I'm glad this helped you out! Thank you for the comment!
Well,,a few comments,,,your personality,,,you have an honest face and attitude,,,thank you so much for this honest video,,,the little engines shop here in the city has only one answer when you go see them for a chainsaw problem,,,i have to change the spark plug and clean and soak the carburator to fix it,,,and charge you $90. for the repair,,,,,,now i see that i probably did not need any of it,,,there s another video that the guy makes an 3/4 inch hole in the center of the plastic cover over the air filter and say it fixed his problem of not starting when the chainsaw is hot ! but after readins the comments here,,,looks like your trick is excellent. thanks again. The funny thing,,,,is that this little engine shop is overloaded of work !!!! Hummmm,,,looks like more people should look at your video !!! LOL.
Haha, thank you for the kind words! I've also heard that adding a hole to the airbox is helpful, but I agree more people should just watch this video and it'd probably save them a lot of money haha. Thanks again for the comment and kind words!
Great video - had my carburetor rebuilt by the local small engine repair. Saw ran fine, but wouldn't start after a sharpening break (Osage Orange kills chains). Took it in the the repair shop, he said that he adjusted the idle. Started great again, but then it wouldn't start after a sharpening break. Getting ready to practice the chainsaw toss, but ended up trying to adjust the gap per your video and the saw started right up. Thanks again!
Awesome! I'm glad this helped man! It's funny how sometimes the simplest things are overlooked. I fought with mine for a long time also before checking the plug gap.
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.
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 !!
I wish I seen this video 5 months ago.I smashed mine on the driveway 10 times then threw it away.
Hahaha! Well if you ever buy another Poulan I'm betting this is the fix. Thanks for the comment!
mjg bass I was almost to that same point lmao
I kicked mine this morning, but was able to restrain myself short of smashing it, but the thought was certainly there. I'll be doing this fix tonight.
mjg bass …..this action was def the right one as Poulans are complete pieces of shit . I truly hate theses curses that leave many with buyers remorse .
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 have 3 of them and love them.Change the fuel lines before they go bad and they won’t let you down
Bought a refurb PP5020AV from Nothern Tool and was initially less than impressed. But for $89, I knew it was a bit of a gamble. However, after buying the spline tool to tune the carb properly and replacing a well worn anti kickback chain with a pro series model, I have nothing but praise for the little yellow engine that could. Using ethynol free fuel and a quality two stoke synthetic oil, I've had a gallon of pre-mix last several months in the can with no ill effect. The saw still starts easy, runs strong, cuts well and never balks. Sure, it is not an all day, every day piece of industrial equipment; but more than enough for most homeowners.
Awesome! I always love hearing people's stories man, thank you for sharing! You said it well, "not an all day every day piece of industrial equipment; but more than enough". Couldn't have worded it better myself. Thank you again for sharing!
I've had my 4218a for 8 years. It's a great saw. Sharpen your chains, tweak the high side, gap the plug and cut wood. Clean It, run Good bar oil... Wear chaps.... Lol
That's about it. Great saw. I. Have the pruning saw too. Screaming banshee wood cutter. Had it 7 years.
Thanks for the vid!!!! You are spot on, if ya don't maintain a Sthl it will run crappy to....they all great when they run proper
I was driving down the road today and there was a Poulan Pro 42 inch chainsaw sitting out there with a free sign on it I walked up and pulled the cord and had compression it don't have a bar or chain I got a Husqvarna chainsaw that was made by Poulan Husqvarna model 35 and it seems to be a great saw so I'm going to start goofing with it see if I can get it running I'll keep your spark plug hack in mind and if I get it running I'll get a chain and bar for it just hang on to it 42cc is a big engine for a chainsaw thanks for the video
Thanks for the comment! Not a bad deal when you can get a free saw, no matter what condition! Let me know if you get it running!
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. 😜
Get the 12" hemostat pliers from Amazon for replacing fuel filters and lines.
Thanks for the tip man!
You can grab it at the local surplus as well! Cheap but it gets the job done!
Some like to take a piece (6") of wire, with a bend at the end, and use that for fishing out the filter.
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 this is awesome! I have a poland 260 pro ive had for 18yr great saw ive had same problem this fixed it!
Thanks always ran a Stihl but bought a 50cc Poulan pro and cut 4 rk today but man was it a pain to start after it got warmed up. Will try this tomorrow.
Let me know if it fixes your problem. Thank you for the comment!
It did, it starts better after it’s warmed up and cold ! ThankYou
Thank you! Got a new Poulan and this is happening to me. I'll give it a try.
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 check the my Poulan 3816 spark plug gap, and sure enough the plug was out of spec I gap it at 25 to 30 , and retune it and it runs great. Starts so easy now , hot or cold, Runs beautiful, thank you for the great advice. How for a better chain. lol
Awesome! I’m glad this helped you out!!
I went to my daughters last weekend to cut a couple small trees down. I took my Poulan Pro. It cut the first tree down fine...the I couldn't keep it running to cut down the 2nd tree.
I I tried everything to no avail. When I got home the next day I got my Poulan Pro Carb adjustment tool and was able to adjust the low and high and now it runs fine. I ordered an extra set of carb tools to keep in my truck in case it happens again.
Totally agree with you about takin care of a saw and it will last,,,my little poulan is going on 20 years now and I don't take care of it..maybe 15 hours a year of use.I beat the hell out of it ,don't sharpen chain,have never put bar oil in it,don't care if it breaks,there cheap enuff to just buy a new 1..hasnt broken yet though so I just let it go....I don't need a $500 saw to cut some occasional wood or a tree here and there.. you could buy 4 poulans and for the cost of 1 stihl...don't get me wrong stihl by far the best but I wouldn't have a use for an expensive saw like that... unless I won the lottery of course and just had money to piss away on the best of everything then I wouldn't care about that either.you are spot on In your video.
Thank you for your video. Would love to see you maintenance routine for the Poulan. Appreciate the kindness to those of us who don't have expensive tools.
My dads poulan is 40 years old and runs fine. Mine is just under 30 years old and runs perfectly. I had hot start issues when it was brand new. Those went away with a spark plug change. I love my poulan saw. And yes I’m a weekend wood cutter