Poulan 3400-3700-4000 fuel line replacement revisited

[Modifiedmark]

Seems fuel line issues are the fad now days and it seems new members are popping up more and more wanting help with fuel line replacements.

I did a brief how-to on this series of saws before but not thinking ahead I posted it in the Poulan thread where it's now buried in amongst 400 or so pages making it extremely difficult to find when needed.

I know we don't need any more stickies in the chainsaw fourm but maybe at least by starting a new thread on it, it can be found easier with the search function.

I plan on doing a couple other Poulan saw series when time permits like the 25 series and Micro's at least as I know they come up a lot as well.

For now I'll show how I put the new version of Oregon brand fuel lines that is supposed to withstand 30% ethanol in my Poulan 4000. The Poulan 3400 and 3700 use the exact same fuel line setup as well.

Here is the patient my Poulan 4000 that had some ethanol damaged lines on it.

Outside of a screw driver to remove the top cover and recoil, on the Poulan here are two things that I consider necessary when doing fuel lines on almost all chainsaws.

Some thin gauge stove pipe wire from almost any hardware store and a medium size pair of curved hemostats.

Remove the air filter cover and filter. Remove the 3 screws holding the cyl cover on then lift and turn the cover to remove it.

You then need to remove the 4 screws holding the recoil and make note of where the different length screws go. Mainly remember that the shortest one goes in the uppper left corner and the long ones go in the rear by the fuel cap.

 

[Modifiedmark]

You will need 12" of 1/8"X3/16" fuel line. You need to cut a 3" piece for the vent line and 9" for the fuel line itself.

Take note of the 2 holes in the top of the tank, the rear hole is for the vent and the front hole is for the fuel line. You will also note that the vent hole is just a little bit bigger.

Seems alot of these old saws show up to there new owners with out any duckbill check valves on them and even worse the little plastic double barbed fitting that holds the duckbill valve to the vent line is missing as well.

Here is the small double barbed fitting thats sometimes missing so you can see what it is. Also pictured is the new Poulan duckbill with the part# clearly labled on it.

The reason that the tank hole for the vent line is just a little bit bigger is so that when the vent is installed, you pull the line all the way to the top of the tank and the plastic barb is actually pulled up into the hole that way and tightens the line into the tank hole.

I showed in the prior posting how to use a common Homelite duck bill with a 1/8" piece or plastic tubing stuck in the vent hose to hold the valve. If you do that you will need a .117x.211" line to fit that hole right.

Here is the vent line with the barb and duckbill assembled and ready to install into the tank. You need to remember that the longer end of the double barb is inserted into the line and the duckbill goes on the shorter end.

Notice how the end of the line is angle cut to help guide it into the tank hole

Take a piece of the stovepipe wire and insert it through the vent line hole in the tank and fish it out through the tank fill hole.

Poke a small hole in the angle cut on the line and pull the line up through the hole in the tank pulling it all the way to the top of the tank. Remove the wire and route the end of the line back in above the tank by the ign switch.

Cut the same angle on the end of the fuel line and using the wire again, this time through the fuel line hole, guide the line up through the hole in the tank.

Pull enough line through to go under the carb and around the other side of it to the carb inlet fitting.

 

[Modifiedmark]

I forgot add that after the line is pulled though the tank, cut the angle off the end of the line so it is flat.

Using the hemostats I then grab the end of the line on the side of the carb just shy of the end of it and guide it onto the carb inlet fitting.

You can then install the fuel filter on the tank end of the line and put it back into the tank.

Now your ready to reinstall the recoil, cyl cover, air filter and cover.

Fill the tank and go cut some wood.

 

[PLMCRZY]

I want to add, i could not find a duckbill around my area but the dealer had a Echo vent assembly. I used that instead of the duckbill, seems to work great. Also if you dont have hemostats or angled needle nose you can take the carb off and its a breeze then.

Although you will have to zip tie it to the kill switch wire so the "vent" is out of the way of your bolt hole for the pull start.

 

[Modifiedmark]

I want to add, i could not find a duckbill around my area but the dealer had a Echo vent assembly. I used that instead of the duckbill, seems to work great. Also if you dont have hemostats or angled needle nose you can take the carb off and its a breeze then.

Although you will have to zip tie it to the kill switch wire so the "vent" is out of the way of your bolt hole for the pull start.

Why not post up a picture of the Echo vent and how you made that work.

I'm not familiar with that setup.

 

[PLMCRZY]

Why not post up a picture of the Echo vent and how you made that work.

I'm not familiar with that setup.

Give me a sec ill run out there and take a few.


*EDIT*

Sorry about the cell phone picture, i couldnt find the charger for the real camera.

Anyways Heres the line with the zip tie, you have to do this to keep the vent from blocking your bolt hole. Dont put the vent in the tank i put just enough fuel line in the tank so it wouldnt slip out.

It looks a little smushed but it vents just fine ive had no problems with it.
Heres the vent itself that you need, part #'s # 13130056430 / 13130040630
Its about $5 and its made by oregon.

 

[Modifiedmark]

I forgot to add that at this time I have still not come up with a part # for the double barbed plastic fitting. I have not seen it listed on any IPL yet.

Poulan did list a fuel line kit on there IPLs and Im guessing that it may have been included in the kit, but I don't know for sure.

I do know that alot of weedwackers had 2 piece fuel lines on them with a double barbed connector on them, the ones I have seen will also work fine for this application.

Got the local dealer saving them all for me.

 

[redunshee]

Give me a sec ill run out there and take a few.


*EDIT*

Sorry about the cell phone picture, i couldnt find the charger for the real camera.

Anyways Heres the line with the zip tie, you have to do this to keep the vent from blocking your bolt hole. Dont put the vent in the tank i put just enough fuel line in the tank so it wouldnt slip out.

It looks a little smushed but it vents just fine ive had no problems with it.
Heres the vent itself that you need, part #'s # 13130056430 / 13130040630
Its about $5 and its made by oregon.

I've seen those. So you have the Echo vent tucked between the kill switch and fuel tank. I imagine you had to use a larger size line than the fuel line.
Bob

 

[OhioGregg]

Great job on the fuel line replacement tutorial Mark!!!

The only thing that I would add, is the 9" fuel line is that for a reason. You want to end up with 5" sticking out of the tank, that goes under the carb to the inlet.
So you have 4" inside the tank with the weighted filter on it. Its important that the filter is not stuck up against the back wall of the tank. It should be free to swing back & forth and not hit the back wall.

Would get real annoying to be cutting a few minutes and the saw quit, only to find the filter stuck up at the top of the tank, out of the fuel.

Gregg,

 

[GlenM]

The wire trick is something I figured out some time ago. I have a spool of wire used for ele fence that works well, sometimes I wrap a twist tie wire around angle cut that does the trick.
fwiw

 

[Sprintcar]

Excellent Post Mark. Rep coming your way after I reload. I got a line out on a 306A, if he bites, it's yours.

Jerry

 

[Modifiedmark]

Great job on the fuel line replacement tutorial Mark!!!

The only thing that I would add, is the 9" fuel line is that for a reason. You want to end up with 5" sticking out of the tank, that goes under the carb to the inlet.
So you have 4" inside the tank with the weighted filter on it. Its important that the filter is not stuck up against the back wall of the tank. It should be free to swing back & forth and not hit the back wall.

Would get real annoying to be cutting a few minutes and the saw quit, only to find the filter stuck up at the top of the tank, out of the fuel.

Gregg,

Good points Gregg, the more you guys add to this the better it becomes. I'm not really all that good at explaining whats on my mind.

The wire trick is something I figured out some time ago. I have a spool of wire used for ele fence that works well, sometimes I wrap a twist tie wire around angle cut that does the trick.
fwiw

Most electric fence wire I have seen is a little too thick for whats needed here. Not saying it won't work but the thinner wire is much easier to work with. Someone mentioned mig welding wire and I think thats a geat idea, its a little stiffer and still smalll dia if you used the .023 wire but .030 would work as well.

Excellent Post Mark. Rep coming your way after I reload. I got a line out on a 306A, if he bites, it's yours.

Jerry

Thats good but I like that other Poulan you got the other day... :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[PLMCRZY]

I've seen those. So you have the Echo vent tucked between the kill switch and fuel tank. I imagine you had to use a larger size line than the fuel line.
Bob

I used whatever mark recommended in the first thread about changing fuel line. Both lines are the same size.....yes its tucked behind all that stuff its a tight fit but it works!

 

[Bob Wright]

I want to add, i could not find a duckbill around my area but the dealer had a Echo vent assembly. I used that instead of the duckbill, seems to work great.

Here is a good place to find a duckbill. Look inside almost any vintage Echo chainsaw fuel cap. They are all the same PN on the Echos. The ones for my CS-60S are 9 bucks each and i found a bag of them on ebay cheap for a CS-302 and it goes under the cap...Bob

 

[Modifiedmark]

Here is a good place to find a duckbill. Look inside almost any vintage Echo chainsaw fuel cap. They are all the same PN on the Echos. The ones for my CS-60S are 9 bucks each and i found a bag of them on ebay cheap for a CS-302 and it goes under the cap...Bob

Dang, $9 for a duckbill? The correct new ones from Poulan cost me $2 from my dealer.

I forget how much the Homelite ones are but I buy them 10 at a time and I think there a little bit cheaper.

For $2 though you might as well use the right ones.

 

[joe25DA]

Great write up Mark. Nice 4K too

 

[pastryguyhawaii]

Thanks for the good information Mark. I like threads like this that can teach me something. My 4000 is a fantastic saw.

 

[PLMCRZY]

Thanks for the good information Mark. I like threads like this that can teach me something. My 4000 is a fantastic saw.

I see brad did some work on it, how is it over a stock one?

 

[stubnail67]

very nice!

very nice write up mark!!!! if i can rep ya i will!!!

 

[pastryguyhawaii]

I see brad did some work on it, how is it over a stock one?

I never ran it stock. I traded for it after he ported it. It's just a real nice saw to run, lots of torque.