Got My First Poulon Wild Things!

[SteveSr]

I took this monster to a local charity firewood cutting outing this morning. After a little tuning it was ready to rock and roll! I tuned it like any other saw with a little 4-stroking out of the cut. I cut about 50 rounds of between 10"-16" logs. The saw seemed to have enough power and suffered no ill effects other than a somewhat dull chain by the end of the session.

I did notice a couple of things which definitely indicate a low-end consumer saw.

1. It definitely doesn't oil the bar enough for this kind of workout. I don't know if there is anything that can be done about this. This may be why they dropped from an 18" bar to a 14" on later models.

2. The clutch bearing seemed to make a lot of racket but only when the chain brake was on. I oiled it good and it felt alright while rebuilding the saw so I left it alone... Also didn't have the puller to remove the clutch.

3. The recoil feels really cheap, like I was going to break it before the day was out... but it held up.

4. When starting it wanted to pull the tiny handle out of your hand. Don't know if this model has timing retard on starting or not. I bet not due to cost.

I also found a spot on the inside of the cylinder cover on the recoil side that was starting to melt due to exhaust from the modded muffler finding a path out of the left side of the heat shield. I cut the top inch of the heat shield and bent it forward to direct the exhaust out the front.

 

[Old2stroke]

Definitely not a saw for serious Pro cutting but once they are set up to run like yours, they can be a reliable, easy to start homeowner saw. You are stuck with a nonadjustable oiler but they usually put out enough to keep an 18" bar happy, try a thinner oil maybe? The starter seems weak but they seem to last as long as the saw, which isn't saying much in the hands of Mr. Homeowner. Having exhaust come out of the rear of the muffler always seems strange, when I mod them, I leave the back alone and make new exit ports in the front of the muffler, works just as well and makes more noise so owner thinks it's REALLY making a lot more power. These saws have a bad reputation that they don't deserve just because they come with factory settings that too often are too lean and are purchased by people who know nothing about chainsaws and just run them the way they are until they self destruct.

 

[scottr]

I took this monster to a local charity firewood cutting outing this morning. After a little tuning it was ready to rock and roll! I tuned it like any other saw with a little 4-stroking out of the cut. I cut about 50 rounds of between 10"-16" logs. The saw seemed to have enough power and suffered no ill effects other than a somewhat dull chain by the end of the session.

I did notice a couple of things which definitely indicate a low-end consumer saw.

1. It definitely doesn't oil the bar enough for this kind of workout. I don't know if there is anything that can be done about this. This may be why they dropped from an 18" bar to a 14" on later models.

2. The clutch bearing seemed to make a lot of racket but only when the chain brake was on. I oiled it good and it felt alright while rebuilding the saw so I left it alone... Also didn't have the puller to remove the clutch.

3. The recoil feels really cheap, like I was going to break it before the day was out... but it held up.

4. When starting it wanted to pull the tiny handle out of your hand. Don't know if this model has timing retard on starting or not. I bet not due to cost.

I also found a spot on the inside of the cylinder cover on the recoil side that was starting to melt due to exhaust from the modded muffler finding a path out of the left side of the heat shield. I cut the top inch of the heat shield and bent it forward to direct the exhaust out the front.

Steve , is the heat insulator in the cylinder exhaust port ?
Also is the muffler gasket between the muffler shield and muffler ?

Scott

 

[SteveSr]

Steve , is the heat insulator in the cylinder exhaust port ?
Also is the muffler gasket between the muffler shield and muffler ?

Scott

Yes, the heat insulator is there along with the gasket between the heat shield and the muffler. The muffler mod now allows more flow and it goes both directions now. If your saw has a black cylinder cover you might not even notice.

 

[SteveSr]

Here are some photos showing the issue. It also looks like the top of the cylinder cover were getting rather warm as well from the discoloration of the plastic. I didn't notice any issues when running possibly because of fan airflow. On shutoff, and especially when the saw was turned on its side to refuel I noticed a little smoke wafting out of that side of the saw. At first I thought that it was just some leftover kerosene that I had used to clean the saw but now it was apparently the top cover.

The photos also show my mod to the heat shield and I also decided to add some aluminum tape to the inside of the top cover. I hope that this will solve the issue. I haven't run the saw yet to check it out.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

The oiler should be able to keep up, mine runs almost 1 to 1 with the fuel usage, makes a mess when tuning.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

 

[SteveSr]

The oiler should be able to keep up, mine runs almost 1 to 1 with the fuel usage, makes a mess when tuning.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

What year is yours? The production date should be encoded in the serial number on the EPA sticker. I am wondering if they changed the pump at some time during the production run. Mine also makes a mess while tuning but looks like it only goes through about 2/3 tank of oil to one tank of fuel... and that is with the extra fuel required by the muffler mod.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

What year is yours? The production date should be encoded in the serial number on the EPA sticker. I am wondering if they changed the pump at some time during the production run. Mine also makes a mess while tuning but looks like it only goes through about 2/3 tank of oil to one tank of fuel... and that is with the extra fuel required by the muffler mod.

Tag

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

 

[SteveSr]

Tag

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

I believe t hat the "03" is the year and "344" is the Julian day of production. This made it easy to determine warranty status.

 

[Old2stroke]

Here are some photos showing the issue. It also looks like the top of the cylinder cover were getting rather warm as well from the discoloration of the plastic. I didn't notice any issues when running possibly because of fan airflow. On shutoff, and especially when the saw was turned on its side to refuel I noticed a little smoke wafting out of that side of the saw. At first I thought that it was just some leftover kerosene that I had used to clean the saw but now it was apparently the top cover.

The photos also show my mod to the heat shield and I also decided to add some aluminum tape to the inside of the top cover. I hope that this will solve the issue. I haven't run the saw yet to check it out.

You might have to patch that missing notch in the top left of the heat shield. This is why I like to make the extra holes in the front of the muffler.
I haven't checked all the part numbers, but I believe all those box store versions from the 1900, 2150, etc right up to the newer 4218's and all the Poulan Pro's of the same size all use the same oil pump.

 

[SteveSr]

You might have to patch that missing notch in the top left of the heat shield. This is why I like to make the extra holes in the front of the muffler.

I was trying to avoid that. Bonding a cover over that hole isn't going to be easy. Not much room for screws or rivets. Holes in the front would solve this but may create other issues like burning your log. At least now I know where to keep an eye out for problems. My normal saws that I work on and rehab (almost exclusively Stihl) already have this part of the design figured out.

I haven't checked all the part numbers, but I believe all those box store versions from the 1900, 2150, etc right up to the newer 4218's and all the Poulan Pro's of the same size all use the same oil pump.

This would be good to verify. I didn't dump and clean the tank before putting this saw back in service. Maybe I should have. I am now wondering if the pump may have crud in it. Can the pump be disassembled for cleaning?

 

[Old2stroke]

I was trying to avoid that. Bonding a cover over that hole isn't going to be easy. Not much room fro screws or rivets. Holes in the front would solve this but may create other issues like burning your log. At least now I know where to keep an eye out for problems. My normal saws that I work on and rehab (almost exclusively Stihl) already have this part of the design figured out.


This would be good to verify. I didn't dump and clean the tank before putting this saw back in service. Maybe I should have. I am now wondering if the pump may have crud in it. Can the pump be disassembled for cleaning?

I was wrong. there are actually two different pumps. Older saws like yours has a 530071259 and somewhere along the line the newer ones, including the Pro models use a pump with a big round black base that mounts with 2 screws, 530071891. I don't remember if these pumps are easy to take apart but most pumps just have a pin that has to be removed for disassembly. Has the cheapy "spring" thing on the crank that serves as a worm screw to drive the pump been disturbed? Sometimes when you put these things back on, the spacing between the coils isn't equal and may not drive the pump properly.

 

[SteveSr]

I was wrong. there are actually two different pumps. Older saws like yours has a 530071259 and somewhere along the line the newer ones, including the Pro models use a pump with a big round black base that mounts with 2 screws, 530071891. I don't remember if these pumps are easy to take apart but most pumps just have a pin that has to be removed for disassembly. Has the cheapy "spring" thing on the crank that serves as a worm screw to drive the pump been disturbed? Sometimes when you put these things back on, the spacing between the coils isn't equal and may not drive the pump properly.

Thanks for the info. I have not had the clutch off due to lack of the proper tool or ambition enough to make one. I doubt that this saw had many hours on it from what I could tell. The fact that it is oiling at all indicates that the pump gear is likely intact. Looking at some online pictures of the pump it would appear that there is a single pin that holds the metal pump and gear into the plastic assembly. Hopefully when the pump is removed it all will come apart for cleaning.

 

[SteveSr]

Thanks for the info. I have not had the clutch off due to lack of the proper tool or ambition enough to make one. I doubt that this saw had many hours on it from what I could tell. The fact that it is oiling at all indicates that the pump gear is likely intact. Looking at some online pictures of the pump it would appear that there is a single pin that holds the metal pump and gear into the plastic assembly. Hopefully when the pump is removed it all will come apart for cleaning.

Well, after reading some clutch removal threads and watchin a few YouTube videos I decided to give the rope in the cylinder, punch, and hammer approach to remove the clutch. Worked like a charm!

The black connector on the end of the pump is the pump input and output means. It just slides on to the pump with a friction fit. The pump itself is the silver tube. Pulling the pin with the head on it allows the pump to be disassembled and cleaned. Same design as the Stihl oil pumps but MUCH easier to disassemble and clean.

BTW, the other roll pin controls the eccentric of the pump piston. Removing it gets you nowhere as the piston is contained by the brass insert on the other end of the drive gear.

 

[JP7]

I've cut plenty of wood with various versions of Poulan, back when I was young and stupid and a Stihl was unobtanium $$$$$$. $5 for a non running Poulan at a garage sale, 15 mins and a can of carb cleaner to get it running again and get a season's worth of cutting out of it. The idiot who "taught" me how to tune them just leaned them out as much as he dared, and when a saw burned up in a couple cords of wood, well that was just how long a saw lasted. If you got two seasons out of saw that was a damned good saw! Ever since I learned how to tune a saw, I've wondered how long they'd actually last if they were turned right.

18 years and counting on my 42cc Poulan. It has always run a richer tune, and runs exclusively Husqvarna LS oil. The piston and cylinder look excellent for the unbelievable amount of hours on this saw. About the only thing special I do it let it take breaks about every 15 minutes to prevent overheating. Fell then limbing, then shut down gas & oil, grease and maybe a file over the blade, then block it up. They are notorious for burning up crankcase seals, so shutting down is almost a requirement for any Poulan after the 80's.

 

[husqman67]

Please don't laugh too loud! At least the price was right... FREE. Sort of followed me home. The total take was a 2175 36cc Wild Thing, a 2375 42cc Wild Thing, and a 1975 42cc Wood shark. I have a friend that was looking for a cheap consumer grade saw and I said that I would keep my eye out for one. Little does he know he gets 2 extra parts saws! I thought about keeping one of these for a "loaner" but decided I would just be hook for fixing someone else's abuse.

So now the hunt begins for an IPL and service manuals for these. Can anyone help me out with these or point me in the right direction?

It looks like I need the usual fuel system parts... Air filter, purge bulb, small and smallest fuel lines. Any suggestions on where to get these? I imagine that the purge bulb is a Walbro of some sort. The rest of the fuel system appears to be Walbro.

I got a real kick out of the rear exit exhaust. Never seen that before! Are there ant modification "improvements" that I should make while I have this thing apart... Like a muffler mod? The 2375 appears to have a pre-EPA non-limiter carburetor.

Yes these Poulan saws should be for a homeowner’s occasional gather of some camp firewood, trimming and limbing projects, the 18” bar is way too much for the 42cc wild thing just giving my 2 cents of my opinion, but it does give some meaning to stand up and buck and little extra reach for limb trimming