Nik's Poulan Thread

[OhioGregg]

So did anyone mention why the Gilardoni cylinders are desirable? Also, since I heard the cylinder fins are there for cooling, do you think the Gilardoni cylinder will be cooler than a regular Poulan because of the added fins on top?

Don't know if they are any cooler or not.. Reason I mentioned it was, its just an easy distinguishing mark so to speak. Different than the non-Gilardoni, thats all. The main reason they are desirable, is they were very well made.
Made in Italy rather than China or some place like that.

Gregg,

 

[OhioGregg]

Not really sure. Maybe it was like the Coors mystique if you lived east of the Mississippi back in the 70's. More likely it was the easiest way to get a 60 cc cylinder.

LOL, Bob. I was around back then, and lived in Connecticut at the time. I graduated in 1972. My best buddies brother in law was a pilot of a corporate jet for some company. When ever he had a trip to Denver, he would bring back a case of Coors for us...
Everyone always wondered how we were drinking Coors all the time.

After it became available back east, it wasn't so unique any more. LOL

Gregg,

 

[joe25DA]

LOL, Bob. I was around back then, and lived in Connecticut at the time. I graduated in 1972. My best buddies brother in law was a pilot of a corporate jet for some company. When ever he had a trip to Denver, he would bring back a case of Coors for us...
Everyone always wondered how we were drinking Coors all the time.

After it became available back east, it wasn't so unique any more. LOL

Gregg,

Wouldn't have "Smokey and the bandit" without that history!

 

[redunshee]

Oh man I wasn't alive in the 70s and I lived in Hawaii most of my life. Never heard about the Coors mystique.

I read some really old posts about Poulans recently. Please don't tell me this is the same 4000 you've been working on for years?

Well for you young guys for a while Coors didn't distribute their beer East of the Mississippi. I lived in Connecticut and everyone heard about Coors but could'nt buy it. Thus the mystique.
No only saw that is pulling my hair out is my PP475. I can hardly pull recoil and comp is somewhere north of 170. Pull the plug and no problem. Installed it's almost impossible . May have to pull the jug and add a gasket to reduce comp. but I find it hard to believe it will help that much. That and cylinder gaskets are NLA. Have to maybe put the cylinder on my copier, copy base and cut out silhouette and make a gasket. Squish is more than .025 so that's not the problem.

 

[redunshee]

Wouldn't have "Smokey and the bandit" without that history!

So true Joe, so true.

 

[redunshee]

There is a type 3 60cc 3450 though. Not in TA that I have seen. Just normal 3450 type 3.

Yea, I had one but so it to a member here a few months ago. Now I'm after a 380.

 

[redunshee]

Oh man I wasn't alive in the 70s and I lived in Hawaii most of my life. Never heard about the Coors mystique.

I read some really old posts about Poulans recently. Please don't tell me this is the same 4000 you've been working on for years?

Nope. I have 3 4000's. Had Mastermind port one of them. He said it needed a bigger carb to realize all the advantages of a woods port. Problem is most bigger carbs have an impulse nipple which would require drilling the cylinder to accept an impulse nipple as well. Not brave enough to possibly ruin a good cylinder to accomplish that.

 

[joe25DA]

I was thinking of having one of my 4000s ported at one point, still possible.
For the record here is the top end of the PP 365. I enjoy running this saw too!

 

[Acornhill]

I was thinking of having one of my 4000s ported at one point, still possible.
For the record here is the top end of the PP 365. I enjoy running this saw too!View attachment 395003

I actually used my 365 for the first time since i fixed it last year and was pleasantly surprised. Yes it has some serious compression.

 

[Ambull01]

Well for you young guys for a while Coors didn't distribute their beer East of the Mississippi. I lived in Connecticut and everyone heard about Coors but could'nt buy it. Thus the mystique.
No only saw that is pulling my hair out is my PP475. I can hardly pull recoil and comp is somewhere north of 170. Pull the plug and no problem. Installed it's almost impossible . May have to pull the jug and add a gasket to reduce comp. but I find it hard to believe it will help that much. That and cylinder gaskets are NLA. Have to maybe put the cylinder on my copier, copy base and cut out silhouette and make a gasket. Squish is more than .025 so that's not the problem.

I was about to buy a 475 from the trading post before I found my Makita. The 475 was about $200 I think. Seller was nice enough to tell me it probably wouldn't do great as a primary saw because of parts availability.

Seems weird to me how adding a gasket would reduce comp. I thought it would be the other way around. Or maybe removing a gasket decreases the length of the cylinder/length the piston has to travel so that increases comp. Anyway, too advanced for me right now.

I'm impressed you can make your own gaskets. That's MacGyver league right there.

Tomorrow I finally get a chance to tinker with the saw again. I think I'll mess with the carb this time, see if the impulse slot thingy is clear. I may take the carb apart a bit, hopefully I don't mess anything up.

 

[redunshee]

I was about to buy a 475 from the trading post before I found my Makita. The 475 was about $200 I think. Seller was nice enough to tell me it probably wouldn't do great as a primary saw because of parts availability.

Seems weird to me how adding a gasket would reduce comp. I thought it would be the other way around. Or maybe removing a gasket decreases the length of the cylinder/length the piston has to travel so that increases comp. Anyway, too advanced for me right now.

I'm impressed you can make your own gaskets. That's MacGyver league right there.

Tomorrow I finally get a chance to tinker with the saw again. I think I'll mess with the carb this time, see if the impulse slot thingy is clear. I may take the carb apart a bit, hopefully I don't mess anything up.

Look at it this way. When you remove the gasket, what happens? The cylinder sits lower on the saw case reducing the volume of air space between the top of the piston and top of the cylinder. Less air space for combustion yields higher compression. Making gaskets is something you have to do on older saws. Not difficult once you do a couple. Believe me, if I didn't have to make a gasket, I wouldn't.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

It lives!

View attachment 394956

Finally got it running right this afternoon! After the carb kit didn't do it I decided to pull the carb off again and went further and pulled the reed valve off. The gasket was pretty smashed and tore when I pulled it apart. So I made a new gasket for the reed valve and put it all back together. That did the trick and she runs strong now! Pretty excited about it, was frustrating me there for a while.

glad you got it going. what were the symptons? I've got two that have issues. if its as simple as making a new gasket I'm in like flynt.

 

[Ambull01]

It lives!

View attachment 394956

Finally got it running right this afternoon! After the carb kit didn't do it I decided to pull the carb off again and went further and pulled the reed valve off. The gasket was pretty smashed and tore when I pulled it apart. So I made a new gasket for the reed valve and put it all back together. That did the trick and she runs strong now! Pretty excited about it, was frustrating me there for a while.

Awesome, good job. Nice looking saw. I read the reed valve saws have a lot of torque. I have to research and find all the saws that use reed valves.

Look at it this way. When you remove the gasket, what happens? The cylinder sits lower on the saw case reducing the volume of air space between the top of the piston and top of the cylinder. Less air space for combustion yields higher compression. Making gaskets is something you have to do on older saws. Not difficult once you do a couple. Believe me, if I didn't have to make a gasket, I wouldn't.

Okay thanks for the simple explanation. I think that's what I said, you just put it into words better lol. What do you make the gaskets out of?

 

[joe25DA]

Gasket paper. Any auto parts place sells rolls

 

[Ambull01]

Got a question.

I took the sliding plate thingy off, wanted to check the impulse passage.

There's a tiny plastic flap on the inside of the sliding plate. Hope you guys can see it.

Is that just a minor manufacturing defect? It's probably not the cause of the fuel starvation at WOT but figured I would cut that flap off with a little hobby knife thing.

 

[blk05crew]

glad you got it going. what were the symptons? I've got two that have issues. if its as simple as making a new gasket I'm in like flynt.

Thanks, it wasn't getting enough fuel. If I put a little mix in the cylinder it would fire and run for a little bit with the choke on but then die and not fire back up again.

 

[blk05crew]

Awesome, good job. Nice looking saw. I read the reed valve saws have a lot of torque. I have to research and find all the saws that use reed valves.

Thanks, I'm glad to have it running finally!

 

[blk05crew]

I just saw a dirty non-running 3400 sell on ebay for $156. Am I missing something there!?

 

[Acornhill]

Don't believe everything you see

 

[Acornhill]

One just sold for $83.00 shipped