This Started Out Good

[farmersammm]

At least I finally got to where I could reach the primer bulb

[shortfuse]

Sammm, when you work on that sh!t, please put a 10'x10' tarp under your work table so you can find all the parts when you go to put it back together!

[ronsii]

Sammm, when you work on that sh!t, please put a 10'x10' tarp under your work table so you can find all the parts when you go to put it back together!

Uhmmmmm... when dealing with something that has ANY springs in it you better make it a 20 x 20 tarp

[bigb]

And keep a large trash can at the edge of the table so when it all goes wrong and you get really pissed off you can rake the whole mess into the barrel.

[motolife313]

U can buy a brand new stihl 171 for 200$ with 2 year warranty if you buy a pack out there oil. You’d be crazy not to

[MinnesotaDave]

Ah, very nice separation for recycling Sam

...this is a recycling thread right...

[John T]

Just another example of Samm neglecting and abusing....

Moto nailed it.

Just buy a new one.
and TRY to take care of it this time.

[shortfuse]

And keep a large trash can at the edge of the table so when it all goes wrong and you get really pissed off you can rake the whole mess into the barrel.

...and have some one else put it back together for you. I do that with washers and dryers...saves on half the labor (the disassembly part) if they have to fix them.

[farmersammm]

This might pose a problem

Long as I have it apart, I figure I ought to replace all the fuel lines. They're pretty rotted from the gasoline in them over the past 4ish years. But, the grommet that they pass through, on top of the fuel tank, is probably made of unobtainium. And I'm thinking it has to be removed to replace the lines. It's impossible to pull the things through the holes. Or maybe not.........need to take the gamble, and pull them until they either move, or break.

I have the bulb kit that comes with a new fuel filter, and extra fuel line.

I did take a ton of pics when I tore the thing down, so I should be able tp get it back together (hopefully)

If not, I'm only out $10 for the fuel primer kit.

[Beefman]

Just did something similar to revive a 15 year old echo weedeater.

I found a fuel line doohickey (three lines, with vent and filter and a similar fuel tank grommet) and primer bulb for a couple bucks on amazon.

A whole new chinesium carburetor was like $12.

Sad actually.

[farmersammm]

Just did something similar to revive a 15 year old echo weedeater.

I found a fuel line doohickey (three lines, with vent and filter and a similar fuel tank grommet) and primer bulb for a couple bucks on amazon.

A whole new chinesium carburetor was like $12.

Sad actually.

Thanks......I just looked on Ebay. They have them,, but they're shipped from China. Be next Summer before they get here.

Wally World seems to have something that looks like it, but no dimensions on their site.

AHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were absolutely right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCUZAF6...NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[shortfuse]

It's almost gotten to the stage where if Amazon doesn't have it, it ain't made....next is ebay.

[farmersammm]

I was able to get the grommet out without any damage.



I thought about it, and realized that if you need for anything made of rubber to be slick, you should treat it like a tire.

Give it a few squirts with tire soap, let it flow into the joint...........then simply push it down into the fuel tank

The repair kit doesn't come with the identical WEIGHTED gas filter.

I was able to go to my small motor guy, and get the original Walbro filter, so I lucked out. But, if I hadn't found one, it would be a simple matter of drilling a hole in a piece of steel to fit over the fuel line like the donut on the Walbro filter.

[Hobbytime]

I have followed several of your repair stuff threads..and for bejesus sake, you could make changing a normal light bulb into a 2 week renovation...laugh it was meant to be funny..but true...you ripped a chainsaw apart into little bitty pieces to change out a primer bulb...thats what? usually a 1/2 hour job..on a bad day...

[farmersammm]

I have followed several of your repair stuff threads..and for bejesus sake, you could make changing a normal light bulb into a 2 week renovation...laugh it was meant to be funny..but true...you ripped a chainsaw apart into little bitty pieces to change out a primer bulb...thats what? usually a 1/2 hour job..on a bad day...

This thing is built like modern day cars........everything is impossible to get to. The weedeater was a trip in the park compared to this stinkin' thing. The entire handle assembly had to come off to access the fuel lines, and it's bolted to the motor on the back, side, and front, of the stinkin' motor. Man.......this is a killer!!!

I can get a new one at Lowes for $180, but I'm so damn far down in the market, I gotta fix this one

[whtbaron]

Poulans are much like that as well... I don't think they were ever intended to be fixed, just disposed of. I had one with a motor with no compression, and one with a good motor but the end of the crank that holds the clutch was broken. Seemed like a simple idea... take the good parts from both and build one that runs. That's when I found out some are made in Mexico, some in China, some in Taiwan and the parts don't interchange. Still got a big box of parts here if u want to come and get them... I switched to Stihl.

[gnewby]

My first chain saw was a McCullagh & it was a good chain saw cut lots of cedar trees and elm trees with it. After I started having issues with it and we had a bad ice storm my wife bought me a Poulan, the first one only ran for about 5 minutes then the engine locked up on it. I returned it and the second one could not get it to idle, took it back the third one I fought fair and square for a long time but gave up on it and went and bought a Stihl and gave away the third Poulan.

[Hobbytime]

This thing is built like modern day cars........everything is impossible to get to. The weedeater was a trip in the park compared to this stinkin' thing. The entire handle assembly had to come off to access the fuel lines, and it's bolted to the motor on the back, side, and front, of the stinkin' motor. Man.......this is a killer!!!

I can get a new one at Lowes for $180, but I'm so damn far down in the market, I gotta fix this one

I hear you on the impossible to get to, I never want to have to change valve cover gaskets on my truck, I can barley see the valve covers buried under all the hoses, wire, brackets and crap that probably does nothing but mandated for pollution to be there...

[whtbaron]

My first chain saw was a McCullagh & it was a good chain saw cut lots of cedar trees and elm trees with it. After I started having issues with it and we had a bad ice storm my wife bought me a Poulan, the first one only ran for about 5 minutes then the engine locked up on it. I returned it and the second one could not get it to idle, took it back the third one I fought fair and square for a long time but gave up on it and went and bought a Stihl and gave away the third Poulan.

You hear lots of comments like that, but oddly enough I've had pretty good luck with them up until the last 5 or 6 yrs. I've got 3 that had around 12 to 15 yrs on them before they lost compression. The one with the broken crank was from trimming caragana branches and the rubber stalks wrapped into the chain and snapped it... not really the saw's fault. Last couple didn't stand up that well... got maybe 3 yrs on them before they started losing compression so even their quality has slipped. I've still got an 18" I use for rough applications and so far it's been working well...

[12V71]

You hear lots of comments like that, but oddly enough I've had pretty good luck with them up until the last 5 or 6 yrs. I've got 3 that had around 12 to 15 yrs on them before they lost compression. The one with the broken crank was from trimming caragana branches and the rubber stalks wrapped into the chain and snapped it... not really the saw's fault. Last couple didn't stand up that well... got maybe 3 yrs on them before they started losing compression so even their quality has slipped. I've still got an 18" I use for rough applications and so far it's been working well...

I've had a Cheapo 14' Poulan for 6 years that I use for cutting up railroad ties and gluelam beams for cribbing at the shop. little thing has been used hard with little care and still begs for more. Chopped up a bunch of trees around the house too. Oh, it works on PVC/C900 pipe too.

[gnewby]

I am just going by my experience with them. I have owned 5 chain saws, three of which were Poulans back to back and all three were bad. My other two chain saws both not the Poulan brand were both great.

[farmersammm]

With all this messing around, I think I inadvertently found the reason the thing quit running. Sure the primer bulb was bad from sitting around for a long time, but this had to be the reason IT DID SIT AROUND FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE IT NO LONGER WOULD RUN

This thing has a tube/hose that takes the impulses from the crankcase to the carb in order to run the diaphragm pump!! The diaphragm is what pumps the fuel out of the tank, and is located on all these little carbs. The hose was competely cracked, and broken in half.

I wasn't sure what the hose was, and called the small motor dood, and he immediately knew what it was. He said they're not too common, but he's seen them. Anyways..........he couldn't find one in his parts book for the MTD/Craftsman. He said they're special high temperature material. And.......he said they absolutely won't run without this hose. Most designs take the impulses from the crankcase through the base of the carb, but this thing has that long rubber thingy that isolates the carb from the motor, so it has to have the hose.

So.............if it can't be found........I did what I could, and substituted some vacuum line in its place (that's the stuff in the pic). I'm not sure if it'll last, but tried to help it last by folding up some cut up beer can aluminum between the hose, and the cooling fins on the motor. Keep your fingers crossed I don't see what else I can do, being as the hose is not available (shrug). That rubber vac line gets pretty hot in normal automotive applications, so I might get lucky, and have it last for a while.

Took forever to take this part of the thing apart, dunno how they do it on a fast assembly line The rubber thingy that connects the carb to the intake, the brown thing, has to pass through 3 different things, and ya gotta fight it to get it to go through.

[shortfuse]

dunno how they do it on a fast assembly line

1. They have the special tools,
2. Probably one experienced assembly dood per part, and
3. They do thousands of them, FAST.

[ronsii]

1. They have the special tools,
2. Probably one experienced assembly dood per part, and
3. They do thousands of them, FAST.

And remember... that 5 year old chinese kid has a lot more dexterity in his hands than a 90 year old...

[William McCormick]

Sam get a Milwaukee Fuel chain saw. I was going to get one but I had to buy so many other tools that I put it off. I have the Milwaukee weed whacker I like that with the 12 amp hour battery that things does a good job.

Sincerely,

William McCormick