Poulan 5020 wont re-start when hot

[N4cer26]

I have a poulan 5020 that I bought brand new last year. Since new it doesn't want to start after being used when the motor is hot. I have increased the plug gap to .030 and it made no difference. Where do I go from here? Thanks!

 

[ammoaddict]

I have one too. Every time I would start it I would have to retune the carb to keep it running. Now it wont start at all. Probably needs carb work.

 

[hacskaroly]

Welcome to the forum! Do you have any further information you can add, such as fuel type used and how long it takes to cool down before being able to restart? Like @ammoaddict stated, could be carb issue, potentially clogged air filter (not sure of your usage when it is running). I think some of the Huskys like the older 562's had issues with heat build up vapor locking the fuel lines and some heat-reflective tape between the carb and the cylinder helped reduce the overheated fuel issue.

 

[N4cer26]

I have one too. Every time I would start it I would have to retune the carb to keep it running. Now it wont start at all. Probably needs carb work.

Yeah, I figured a new saw just out of the box would be tuned and ready to go.....apparently not!

 

[N4cer26]

Welcome to the forum! Do you have any further information you can add, such as fuel type used and how long it takes to cool down before being able to restart? Like @ammoaddict stated, could be carb issue, potentially clogged air filter (not sure of your usage when it is running). I think some of the Huskys like the older 562's had issues with heat build up vapor locking the fuel lines and some heat-reflective tape between the carb and the cylinder helped reduce the overheated fuel issue.

I wish I had more info for ya. I just cut firewood at my Northern Michigan property....nothing crazy. When I shut the saw off to rest, can't get it restarted. After pulling my guts out I go to my other saw.....the kicker is the other saw is also a Poulan (older saw) and does the same thing......so I dont really know how long it takes the 5020 to cool before it will start. I just alternate between two defective saws . One of these days I will have to break down and get a Husky or Stihl. Was wondering if carb adjustment could be needed. Didn't consider overheated fuel!

 

[N4cer26]

I use regular unleaded at 40:1. Any 2 stroke oil I have on hand.

 

[Likesaws]

I wish I had more info for ya. I just cut firewood at my Northern Michigan property....nothing crazy. When I shut the saw off to rest, can't get it restarted. After pulling my guts out I go to my other saw.....the kicker is the other saw is also a Poulan (older saw) and does the same thing......so I dont really know how long it takes the 5020 to cool before it will start. I just alternate between two defective saws . One of these days I will have to break down and get a Husky or Stihl. Was wondering if carb adjustment could be needed. Didn't consider overheated fuel!

My Echo’s start better than my Stihl and Husqvarna.
Maybe give it echo in look and save some coins.

 

[FergusonTO35]

The 5020 is usually a good cheap saw like the 2000 series was. Buy yourself a Briggs & Stratton inline spark tester, its like 25 bux on Fleabay or or Amazon. Install between plug wire and plug. If the thing shows spark in the window while cranking then you can be assured that the ignition is good because the gap in the tester is crazy wide. If it still has the original spark plug I would go ahead and replace it with the Denso or NGK equivalent, plugs can fail when they get hot and HuskyPoulan probably gets them from the lowest bidder.

After that, the first thing I would suspect is fuel tank vent, which is a little one way valve on the gas cap. I have seen them starve the engine for fuel as the tank gets low and make it act like the carb won't stay in tune. I'm sure you already know this but the factory carb settings are super lean and can make it hard to restart even if nothing is wrong.

 

[N4cer26]

The 5020 is usually a good cheap saw like the 2000 series was. Buy yourself a Briggs & Stratton inline spark tester, its like 25 bux on Fleabay or or Amazon. Install between plug wire and plug. If the thing shows spark in the window while cranking then you can be assured that the ignition is good because the gap in the tester is crazy wide. If it still has the original spark plug I would go ahead and replace it with the Denso or NGK equivalent, plugs can fail when they get hot and HuskyPoulan probably gets them from the lowest bidder.

After that, the first thing I would suspect is fuel tank vent, which is a little one way valve on the gas cap. I have seen them starve the engine for fuel as the tank gets low and make it act like the carb won't stay in tune. I'm sure you already know this but the factory carb settings are super lean and can make it hard to restart even if nothing is wrong.

Yeah, I have been thinking about the mixture. The saw runs great at wide open throttle. Do you think I should just richen the low end screw or do the high end as well? Since it has been hard to start since day 1, I doubt its the tank vent, but something to check nonetheless!

 

[hacskaroly]

I doubt its the tank vent, but something to check nonetheless!

I guess one way to check is after running it wide open and then shutting it down, pop the fuel cap (release any pressure) and then attempt a restart. If it restarts, then you can look there, but if it still does the same, then it would point to something else. Just trying to think of easy ways to eliminate things. As @FergusonTO35 stated, look at a different plug and then shoot for a 0.25 gap and see how it goes.

 

[atpchas]

I use regular unleaded at 40:1. Any 2 stroke oil I have on hand.

Presumably NOT marine engine 2-stroke oil.

 

[N4cer26]

Presumably NOT marine engine 2-stroke oil.

No, just regular 2 stroke oil.