Nik's Poulan Thread

[Brownthumb]

Put some bridges between the transfers wakes them up also.

 

[95custmz]

View attachment 801087 Hey there fellas. Been lurking in the shadows for quite some time. Finally made a profile. Been using a couple smaller Poulan saws for years cutting up trees around the farm as needed. Just recently really got into cleaning up and fixing up saws. At the moment I have nothing fairly to great aside from about a dozen smaller Poulans and a 3800 I picked up Saturday and then Sunday found a Craftsman that according to the numbers makes me believe from research on this site and others that it is either a 3700 or 3800. Anyways really like the 3800. Just wanted to say hello to everybody. Hoping in the future I come across a 5400 somewhere.

3000 FPS is correct. That gray Craftsman should be a 3.8 if it has the thick piston rings. I'm working on a 3.8 at the moment. Could not find a new carb for it, so just ordered a rebuild kit.

 

[Screwbolts]

Welcome here, my grey Craftsman is a 3400, thick ring obviously. You never know if they changed the top cover at some point.

What is the 358.xxxxxxxx part number on the top cover of your grey saw.

 

[Oliver2150]

Thanks guys!! Maybe I’ll pull mufflers on both tonight and see what I have. The Craftsman I was told has sat for the last 10 years and I could believe it so it probably needs a good going through.

 

[s sidewall]

Sounds like the saws I have collected. Of course after getting all the barn dust and dirt off of them, they look good. That oily saw dust really helped protected the paint underneath.

Steve Sidwell

 

[Screwbolts]

Found a plugged bar oil tank vent.

My ruffer looking mastercraft 56cc, 3400 had a stuck cotter pin in for a tank vent and the bar oiler couldn't over come the vacuum.

Yesterday I cleaned the bar oil pump, but it was in good shape. I saw the cotter pin was dry and looked like the hole was full of lose paint chips. I could not turn it at first by finger pressure. A pair of needle nose pliers freed it but after running the saw again it still lacked oil. This morning I pulled the bar again and left the saw on its side. Pin was still dry after 20 minutes. I then drained the oil and put a cup of universal solvent called gas in it. Still was dry on its side. Even after shaking the gas to pressurize the tank.

I then made a wire tool to use in my cordless drill to turn the cotter pin. After a couple seconds of this treatment I had a stream of red gas.



I have now run 1/2 a tank of my camp fuel mix threw the saw and the bar oiler is now working great. No need to touch the manual lever. Simple fix to flush the cap from the vent hole. The pin is now free to move sideways and in or out ever so slightly. Can't leAve the saw now on the bar side or there will be a puddle.

 

[s sidewall]

That's the only thing I hate about the vent system. One of mine had got knocked off the pallet under the big work bench at the farm. I found it that following Saturday and picked it up to put back in place and the whole side was covered in bar oil. Sticky mess to clean off. Shoveled up the soaked p gravel and burned it to get rid of the oil and then put the gravel back. I've learned to put the saw on a different location to prevent it from happening again.

Steve Sidwell

 

[Screwbolts]

That's the only thing I hate about the vent system. One of mine had got knocked off the pallet under the big work bench at the farm. I found it that following Saturday and picked it up to put back in place and the whole side was covered in bar oil. Sticky mess to clean off. Shoveled up the soaked p gravel and burned it to get rid of the oil and then put the gravel back. I've learned to put the saw on a different location to prevent it from happening again.

Steve Sidwell

Steve, you could always pull the pin out drill and tap the hole for a plug. or pull the pin drill open the hole to seal a piece of fuel line and fish a wire threw to the cap opening to pull a piece of fuel line threw the hole with a duckbill on the inside. or drill the tank in a convenient spot for the fuel line and duck bill. or mod the tank cap for a duckbill. I can see many ways around the cotter pin.

 

[FamilyTradition]

Welcome, Oliver. Great group of guys on AS and especially in the Poulan sticky. I used to be (and maybe still am) a hardcore Homelite guy. Fortunately I saw the light and am now a diehard Poulan aficionado. In fact, be prepared to open your horizons to all sizes, colors, and manufacturers. Best and again welcome. Max.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

Love it how you guys roll out the red mat for a new guy

Certainly are a nice bunch of guys in the green pub indeed

There bad influences Oliver run while you can haha before you have a shed full of old saws

 

[Oliver2150]

Welcome here, my grey Craftsman is a 3400, thick ring obviously. You never know if they changed the top cover at some point.

What is the 358.xxxxxxxx part number on the top cover of your grey saw.

Sorry Screwbolt. I just skimmed through some posts this morning before work started. Just now saw you asked. The number on top of the cover is 358.356090. I did a search on that number which brought me to a couple threads on the forum which is where I determined it is probably a 3700 or 3800. May try to pull the muffler off here later and check rings and for a chrome plated piston.

 

[Oliver2150]

Thanks fellas. Won’t lie I’m not partial to any certain color. Run Stihl’s and Husqvarna’s mainly at work when we need to clean up field edges. Which was the case today. I do have quite a few Poulan’s laying around in my shop currently. I add a couple pictures. Don’t mind the mess. Been pretty busy lately so it’s gotten neglected on being cleaned up lol.

 

[Screwbolts]

Sorry Screwbolt. I just skimmed through some posts this morning before work started. Just now saw you asked. The number on top of the cover is 358.356090. I did a search on that number which brought me to a couple threads on the forum which is where I determined it is probably a 3700 or 3800. May try to pull the muffler off here later and check rings and for a chrome plated piston.

Nothing to be sorry about. And that number does point to 3.7/60cc. I have downloaded the manuals on my phone. Please photo and post the ring photo threw the exhaust port.

Ken

 

[Oliver2150]

Nothing to be sorry about. And that number does point to 3.7/60cc. I have downloaded the manuals on my phone. Please photo and post the ring photo threw the exhaust port.

Ken

Ok so this is what I found. Those look like thick rings to me. Also looks like an aluminum piston and bore. I could be wrong on the piston though. Picture of rings, piston, and model number included.

 

[Screwbolts]

Ok so this is what I found. Those look like thick rings to me. Also looks like an aluminum piston and bore. I could be wrong on the piston though. Picture of rings, piston, and model number included.View attachment 801359View attachment 801360 View attachment 801361

That's a 3800, the port shape tells me that, nearly flat across the top. A 3400 is very arched across the top. It looks great! It will be a runner!

 

[Oliver2150]

That's a 3800, the port shape tells me that, nearly flat a coss the top. A 3400 is very arched across the top. It looks great! It will be a runner!

That’s what I was really hoping for!! I ran across it on Facebook Saturday. Had the guy send me a picture of the model number which is when I started doing research. Found out possibly it was a 3800 so I said the heck with it and traded the guy a $20 bill for it. It’s sat for over 10 years from what he said. It feels to have really good compression from just pulling it over. It does appear to have a Craftsman bar on it.

Gonna clean it up best I can and see what all needs done to her once I finish this 2900 I have up. I may have a line up on another one. Guy is suppose to send me the model number on that one here at some point. It looks identical to this one but in a little better shape and it supposedly runs as well. We shall see

 

[Screwbolts]

That’s what I was really hoping for!! I ran across it on Facebook Saturday. Had the guy send me a picture of the model number which is when I started doing research. Found out possibly it was a 3800 so I said the heck with it and traded the guy a $20 bill for it. It’s sat for over 10 years from what he said. It feels to have really good compression from just pulling it over. It does appear to have a Craftsman bar on it.View attachment 801365

Gonna clean it up best I can and see what all needs done to her once I finish this 2900 I have up. I may have a line up on another one. Guy is suppose to send me the model number on that one here at some point. It looks identical to this one but in a little better shape and it supposedly runs as well. We shall see

The above IMHO, qualifies for a big, " you suck "

Great price, keep the ball rolling, you will have a herd of them soon.

 

[Oliver2150]

The above IMHO, qualifies for a big, " you suck "

Great price, keep the ball rolling, you will have a herd of them soon.

I actually got a picture of the model of this other saw just now



Gonna go check it out tomorrow.

 

[Todd Loosli]

That is a nice looking piston, don't care about size of it but it hasn't been abused at all. For as old as they are, they are just great saws.

 

[Oliver2150]

That is a nice looking piston, don't care about size of it but it hasn't been abused at all. For as old as they are, they are just great saws.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the condition of that piston. The cylinder looks just as good.

On a side note Todd I read all about your dyno setup. That is extremely impressive!!