i have a question for the poulan pro guys

[corvairbob]

ok outside of getting hammered because i got a poulan pro chainsaw i have a question on starting it. it does start and seems to run out good and will set and idle good but when cold it pulls the rope out of my hands when i pull the start rope. i did it cold and then 3 primer pumps and so on until it finally started. the guy i got it from did the same thing he said it is a hard to start cold start but he did not tell me it pulls hard when cold starting. after it runs for a bit it pulls a lot easier. i still have to primer it 2 times but it pulls way easier. i can almost hold it with one hand and crank it when it is warm.

i had gas saws years ago and i could hold every one and pull start them but i did not use them enough and the carbs always got mucked up so i went to an electric saw.

i can't use that electric saw now as my house burned and i have no power to anything, they cut the lines at the pole. and i need the saw so i can cut the deck down and some trees so the builder can bring in a modular home.

anyway is this a normal thing now with these poulan pro type saws or maybe any newer saw? and i just have to get use to it? or might i be doing something wrong or maybe this saw may have a mechanical issue that i have to look into.

 

[hacskaroly]

ok outside of getting hammered because i got a poulan pro chainsaw

Welcome to the forum, no shade for owning a Poulan, lots of people here have them and some are into collecting the older ones. I have a 3314 and it works when I need it. I am assuming your saw does not have a decomp on the cylinder? I had an issue with a saw being tough to start and pulling the handle out of my hand at times. I ended up putting a bigger D-ring handle on it and it gave me a more comfortable and sturdy option to pull. Of course it isn't a saw I drop start, I put it on the ground and place my heel on the rear handle plate and left hand on the front handle before I start yanking on it to keep it sturdy.

Hopefully someone else will chime in if they had a similar issue and a different fix.

 

[corvairbob]

thanks tomorrow when i stop over to that house i will see if i can get some photos and numbers. it may have a decomp valve on it. and that is how i started it also. i put my toe in the handle and hand on the top handle and gave that d-ring a tug and every time it pulled out of my hand. if that is how the new ones start i may have to get another generator and use my electric saw. i hesitate to get a generator at this time because being i'm not there now i have started getting looters and i do not need to get a generator and have someone take it. i do have the area secured but nothing can really be theft proof.

 

[hacskaroly]

Totally understandable. Its only my Husky 2100 and Stihl 046 that have given me issues in the past with pulling the recoil handle out of my hand, especially if I am not paying attention. Most other saws I have tried between 45 and 92cc within the past few years have not had that issue and these were Huskys and Stihls, I can't vouch for Echos and the other options that are out there - I just have not had the opportunity to try them, but others here on the forum can speak to them.

 

[JeffWischer]

Hi CorvairBob! I'm new here as well. We had a '62 Monza when I was pre-teen. They were cool cars.
That yanking the starter cord out of your hand sucks, for sure. For what it's worth, I have a fairly new TroyBilt snow blower that will do that, and at 5'5", 150 pounds, It will sure get my attention! I can offer no definitive explanation. I wonder if it's a timing thing- at the super-low rpm of a pull-start, it will fire early enough (before TDC) to "run" in the wrong direction for one rev? Just a guess.

I'm also making a 1985 Craftsman-Poulan 2000 run again. It was my dad's, so it has sentimental value, and I can use a lightweight top-handle for jobs that don't require one of my bigger saws. Given my size and age (70), sometimes it's a toss-up as to who is "running" whom- me versus the saw, that is!

Really sorry about your house. And the looting. Hoping that you get it all squared away sooner than later.

 

[JeffWischer]

One more thing, Bob. Did some dream-shopping the last few weeks, and decided to get my current saws running in top shape, then think about something that might be easier to start. May the next Spring sale, of BlacknFriday, etc. Anyway, the well-known saw makers (Husky, Echo, Stihl as I recall) are all touting easier-to-start versions of many of their saws. That might be worth looking into. My "big" saw, a Husqvarna 350, has the decompression valve/button that really helps. It might be worth a trip to an OPE shop that has demo saw(s) or customer saw(s) (in for repair, waiting to be picked up) that you could try. If the advertising is true, there should be a noticeable improvement.

 

[corvairbob]

thanks jeff. i will get the model of it and get the speck and manual and do some checking. it may be something mechanical going on. maybe a shear pin on the flywheel or maybe carbon in the exhaust? i will mess with it and see. may even be the coil is set to close and causing the what feels like kickback. again thanks.

 

[JeffWischer]

Yes, Bob, those are all possibilities. Because that snowblower is like new, and will occasionally "fight back", I was thinking along the lines of what an engine might do even if nothing is wrong. As I was reading what you just posted, I remembered something from 15-20 years ago- had a push mower that I had hit a stump with, hard enough to bend the crank, but I didn't figure that out at first. But, it did shear the key between the flywheel and the upper end of the crank shaft. Was of course WAY out of time, and sprained my wrist but good when it fired backwards! Good luck.

 

[Coupe]

Hi Bob, I have a Husqvarna 36 one of the older model ones and same problem will rip the handle
straight through your fingers and is not good on a cold morning. Pretty sure the mod Husqie I have
was made by Poulan for Husqvarna. It is a timming issue with them and they seem to have the set
a bit to advanced. My one done the coil in a few years back and when I put the new coil
on I retarded it a bit and made it a lot better but still have to watch it. What I found when I start it
I rock it over till the piston is right at the bottom of the stroke and also seems to help. I think it
may be a think with poulans to have them advanced to get the best out of them.

 

[corvairbob]

ok thanks that sounds about what i have going on with mine. but trying to figure out how to do a bit of a retard on the time with be a bit of a challenge for sure i may waller out the coil hols a bit and see it it helps.

 

[Cobb]

ok outside of getting hammered because i got a poulan pro chainsaw i have a question on starting it. it does start and seems to run out good and will set and idle good but when cold it pulls the rope out of my hands when i pull the start rope. i did it cold and then 3 primer pumps and so on until it finally started. the guy i got it from did the same thing he said it is a hard to start cold start but he did not tell me it pulls hard when cold starting. after it runs for a bit it pulls a lot easier. i still have to primer it 2 times but it pulls way easier. i can almost hold it with one hand and crank it when it is warm.

i had gas saws years ago and i could hold every one and pull start them but i did not use them enough and the carbs always got mucked up so i went to an electric saw.

i can't use that electric saw now as my house burned and i have no power to anything, they cut the lines at the pole. and i need the saw so i can cut the deck down and some trees so the builder can bring in a modular home.

anyway is this a normal thing now with these poulan pro type saws or maybe any newer saw? and i just have to get use to it? or might i be doing something wrong or maybe this saw may have a mechanical issue that i have to look into.

Hello my fellow Poland owner. I’m new here as well. Next time you try to start it cold, pressure primer button minimum of three times you can do more because it just recirculates back to the tank. It’s not actually going in the engine, but then full choke, anchor your soul with your foot and left hand, then grab your pool rope and slowly roll it until the beginning of tension against it coming up on compression stop there don’t ease it into compression, cause it leaked by the ring slowly stop as soon as you feel the tension coming up, then retract your cord, grit your teeth & give it a yank she’ll fire up

 

[corvairbob]

thanks and it did that. i first pulled the cord to get it up to compression and then pulled it. and nothing. the i did the same thing with 3 primer pumps and again and again and again and by the time i got to 12 pumps it did start but it pulled har every time and it pulled off my foot holding down the the bottom of the handle. i'm guessing by your statement that the extra primer pumps did not do much for gas to the engine but for the cranks it needs. anyway tomorrow i will let my neighbor give it a try and see if he says it is kicking back on the rope. and if he does i will drill out the coil 1 drill size over the hole size in it now and retime it but push the coil to the left to give it a bit or a retard and try it and keep going until it does not kick back. thanks

 

[corvairbob]

ok update. i had my neighbor give this a try and i did not tell him my issue and sure enough it pulled out of his fingers the first pull. he did the 3 pumps and pulling maybe 5 times kindo of what the instructions on the saw say and the it started. and it ran good and idled just fine. so then i told him my issue and he did tell me it does pull rather hard. and appears to have good compression. so then he left and returned with a large d-handle pull handle and tole me he has those oh all of his chainsaws. so after he started it i again gave it a pull with my now sore hands and it did start. so i'm resigning to the fact the saw is good and my old hands are the real issue. this i the saw. i now have a few photos. and this is the handle i will put on it the next time i visit that house. you see the original one is a bit small and my old fingers must just not be able to grab it good anymore. remember i was not complaining about starting just that it seemed to pull back out of my hands. now with this handle i should be able to hold onto it much better. BUT just as soon as i get back into the house and have power you can bet iw ill return to the electric saw. thanks guys for the help.

 

[hacskaroly]

Yeah, it makes a difference on having more surface area to pull on and having two points going to the rope. Even though you will transition back to electric, at least you know with the new handle you can get this saw started if you have too!

 

[Ketchup]

Most of the saws I have that yank the cord are a result of timing advance. The way to retard it is pull the flywheel and file the keyway 1/4-1/3 so that you can rotate the flywheel clockwise a little bit. It doesn’t need much.
Also, if you have any battery tools, getting a little chainsaw that uses those is incredibly convenient.

 

[corvairbob]

thanks. and yes what i may do is take the coil off measure the holes and drill them the next size larger and retard it that way. much easier then locating a offset key. and i have porter cable battery tools and go figure they do not make the chainsaw for those batterys. darn darn darn.

i may do this the next time i go to the house and see if it helps. if not i will install that large d-handle. thanks

 

[Coupe]

As I said in one of my threads Bob get it right at the bottom of the stroke sometimes
helps too. I have a really nice Jonsered 930 Super like new I picked up at a farm clearance sale
that has hardly had any work and it is a compression thing with her and I find just rocking
it over a few times will help. Otherwise if I don,t anchor it well on the ground it can
be a handfull as well. Sounds like you have it covered so that;s the main thing.