Chainsaw dies

[jshouse41]

I have a craftsman 18" 42cc chainsaw that will start and run but dies when I take the choke off. It Idles fast at half choke and will run as long as the trigger is pulled with the choke off but it will not idle. I have tried adjusting the high and low settings on the carb but with no success. Does anyone know what my problem is?

 

[SawBum]

I have a craftsman 18" 42cc chainsaw that will start and run but dies when I take the choke off. It Idles fast at half choke and will run as long as the trigger is pulled with the choke off but it will not idle. I have tried adjusting the high and low settings on the carb but with no success. Does anyone know what my problem is?

It sounds like fuel/carb issues. Take your time and start at the fuel filter, inspect, clean. then the fuel lines to the carb, make sure they are not gummy and calapsed. Then to the carb, remove it,clean, inspect and or replace all the diaphragms and gaskets, just do not use high compressed air on the carb. Hopefully you found your problem, if not it could be more extreme such as air leaks. Also ck the carb mounting gasket when you have the carb off.
Good luck...............Ron

 

[Woodie]

I have a craftsman...

That right there is your problem!

Sorry to be a smarta$$...I just had a Craftsman myself...I tell friends it was my "starter saw." Until it, too, stopped starting. It died of, shall we say, sudden-deceleration trauma in my driveway. (Some might also call it "cement-impact syndrome.")

Sears doesn't know how to fix 'em, and I'm not good enough at engine work to fix 'em either, so the carcass of the saw I paid $150 for two years ago brought me a $125 discount on a new saw.

Good luck...the guys here can probably help you get 'er right, so you've come to the right place.

Welcome to AS.

 

[slipknot]

I know you checked you HS ans LS jets but it kinda sounds like your low spd jet is too lean. Did you adjust it to lean it out or richen it up when you checked them? Also check your plug, it could be fouled. IF all this has been done then please excuse this post as I wasn't trying to insult your intelligence as you never know who or what(homeowner/expierienced) your dealing with on this site. Hope that helps.
Also you didn't mention you adjusted you throttle stop screw....turn it clockwise to speed it up..that might help! Just remember how much adjustment you made so you could put it back if needed. Also the low spd jet and throttle stop screw can can get mixed up....example....if the saw runs to fast to where the chain is moving.....is that the low spd jet set to lean or is that the throttle stop screw in need of adjustment??? It gets confusing!!!

PS I have a craftsmen 36cc 16 " that i have cut about 30-35 cord of hardwoods with believe it or not! It has lost a lot of power and fails the starter rope drop test! I think it needs new rings! which is not gonna happen!

 

[jshouse41]

Thanks

Thanks for all of the quick replies. All replies are helpful as I am not expert. After some more tuning I was able to get it started by adjusting the throttle stop to increase the idle speed then readjusting the high and low.

 

[slipknot]

Sweeet..congratulations! Where at in ohio are you from brother?

PS..I think this site hurts the saw repair shops business. this site make everyone else smarter when we all share knowledge.

 

[jshouse41]

I am from Springboro, OH in warren county. I agree that this site hurts the repair business but I also think it keeps older saws running instead of being trashed. I wont pay 70 bucks to get an old saw fixed when i can replace it for 160.

 

[buck futter]

so you are all set now?

I was going to guess bad gas, is the gas you have new?

 

[jshouse41]

I am all set. I was able to cut for about an hour last night with no problems. I originally thought it was bad gas so I remixed and made sure it was a perfect 40:1 and still had the same problem. The idle speed adjustment did the trick but I am not sure how it got messed up.

 

[deercatcher]

Gasoline formation is season dependent. And saws can go out of adjustment in a seasonal change as well.