Poulan Wild Thing Starting Problem

[MossRoad]

My father in law loaned his Poulan Wild Thing saw to a relative (not me) for several years. That relative let it sit for the last two years, then gave it back.

Now we cannot start it. Here's what I've done so far.

Pulled the top cover off of it.
Removed the air filter. I can see the carb opening now.
Pulled the spark plug.
It looks brand new.
I gapped it and set it on top of the head and with the switch turned on it has a great spark when I pull the cord.
Put the plug back in and sprayed a shot of either into the carb opening.
Left the choike open.
Many pulls and not even one pop.
Repeated the ether two more times.
No pop.
Pulled the plug and set it on the cylinder head.
Pulled the cord and set the unit on fire immediately as the ether sprayed out the plug hole! :laughing:
Blew the fire out and repeated several times.
So I know the ether is getting through the carb into the cylinder.
But when I put the plug back in it never pops.
I would expect it to at least pop once or twice on ether.
Even with no fuel in the unit I would expect it to at least pop.

Any suggestions other than the typical "through it out, it's a Poulan!" comments would be greatly appreciated? :laughing:

 

[hosspuller]

How's the compression ?

 

[radioman]

either take the carb apart and use carb cleaner to clean every single hole,surface. replace diaphram. blow it all holes out with air. change gas filter in tank on end of tube. change gas pickup tube as well. put back together and try again.

 

[amaxwell]

After sitting for a couple of years the gas probably gummed up the carb.and also the filter in the tank. Start with new filter and removing the carb.and cleaning with carb. cleaner. The carb. may have to be partly dis-asembled to get out all the dried gas gunk.

 

[Egon]

Have you twiddled with the hi/low carb jets?

Tried new fuel?

Used appropriate Starting Language?

Ask the wife to start it?

 

[Scooby074]

The answer is in your last sentence.

Throw it out. Those wild things are poison and you'll end up throwing more at it in parts (and frustration) then its worth.

 

[deepNdirt]

what color spark does the plug have? Needs a good Blue spark, if it is weak dim red/orange get a new plug and try it, if no spark at all? the coil may have went bad, and oh! I wouldn't use to much ether, if it does ever get a good spark you might get more than a Pop instead of shooting ether into the carb,....
Note: be sure the cylinder is not hot when doing this, start from a cold engine by dropping a few drops of raw gas into the cylinder spark plug hole,
a small squeeze dropper can be helpful for this, after re-installing the plug set the choke and pull, if it has a good coil & spark plug it will fire over for a few seconds, indications the carb could be clogged and not allowing fuel into the cylinder, You stated that the ether had made its way into the cylinder, But can we be sure? it could have just be old fuel from the many times you been pulling the starter, and if the spark is weak old fuel will foul the plug and simply fill the cylinder, although this would indicate that fuel is in fact getting through from the carburetor into the cylinder.......... another thing I've had to do to each of the 2 poulan's I own is replace the fuel lines, and on one of them I took apart the carburetor and found a screen inside the carb. was badly clogged, I don't think the model you have has the Carburetor with the screen inside, But if you do take it off you could check and see, this is about all can go wrong with them, ....Spark.... fuel..... compression....

 

[EddieWalker]

I saw a show on TV about small engine repairs and they said that 90% of the time, the fuel has gummed up one of the ports when it wont start or run properly. They take off the carb and let it soak in a bowl of carb cleaner over night.

I bought a Wild Thing once and after a day of trying to keep it running, returned it and bought a Stihl. I like Stihl, but have found that I like Echo a lot better.

Eddie

 

[LD1]

The only I ever have starting issues on small engines that have both fuel and spark is....compression.

If it wont pop on ether and you have a good blue spark, it is probabally scored up a bit and under 90-100psi compression. And it doesnt matter what you do, it just plain wont start with that low of compression.

 

[brin]

I have a Poulan that is at least 12 yrs. old...try this Moss, after it sits and rests awhile...choke it and pull the cord 2 or 3 times...then put the choke in and hold the trigger down and pull it a lot....see if that works...considering all else you have done ..give that one last try..

 

[hosspuller]

One more thing to check... The new ethanol gasoline eats rubber and plastic parts. I have had several fuel hoses go bad. Look for cracks that lean the fuel mix or allow bubbles into the fuel line.

 

[dfkrug]

Have you twiddled with the hi/low carb jets?

I just sold my Wild Thing 42cc saw, which I got free. It was not running
and it had been sitting for years. They also come with crappy
consumer-grade bars/chains. Owners often toss these units as soon as
they can't start them. If it has compression, it may be an easy fix, as
mine was. I invested $25 in a new bar/chain, and the saw worked well.

The H and L screws use splined heads, which require a special tool to
adjust, or I just grind a small slot in each one. These have to be removed
when taking apart the carb, and cleaned out with carb cleaner and
compressed air. If all the rubbers and hoses are good, it should start, but
over-priming is very easy. A carb kit is $10.

 

[mrmikey]

Those wild things are poison and you'll end up throwing more at it in parts (and frustration) then its worth.

As much as I hate throwing things away I agree. I had two saws, a Poulan 16" that I used for grubbing of old alders and such and an Echo CS370, my 'good saw'.
After a week or so of using my Echo for cutting wood on and off I went and grabbed the Poulan to do a bit of clearing. Over a dozen pulls later it started, the minute I'd try and cut or if I layed it down for a minute, it'd croak. I'd start it up after pulling my arm off, same thing.
Long story short, I took a 10 lb sledgehammer to it, childish yes but man it felt good LOL. It's in the back of my truck now to go in the dumpster at work, the pos....Mike

 

[deepNdirt]

They're must have been some bad batches built of these poulan's saws, I hear people talking about their bad experiences with them all the time, it does happen,

I remember back in early 80's buying a new push mower from Wally-mart, Back then you bought the mower and it came packed in a card board box , was some assembly required, (The handle and wheels,) and then came with a quart of oil to put in, I got the mower all together put in the oil filled with gas pulled it 1 time and started right up,.... Blew oil out the exhaust and smoke up the neighborhood, needless to say I called Ol-Wally to tell them about what the mower had done,
They told me to bring it back in and not to bother to box it back up and they would give me another, would be sure to assemble it for me, when I brought the other one back they took one look at the oil all over it
and took it around to a stack of other returned mowers setting on pallets.

I ask did all them have same problem, he said yup! and this was the second batch they have received, Seems as though during the engine assembly someone or people forgot to install the rings onto the piston,:confused2: This was the start of the B&S black engines era everyone became so Leary of,

Back to the Poulan chainsaws...... I have not seen any major problems in my 2 poulan saws, Basically simple maintenance issue, spark plug/fuel lines etc,etc,.,, I wish I had a way to post up video's, I could show you 2 poulan saws that will crank on 2nd or 3rd pull each and every time,:thumbsup: although neither of the 2 are the wild thing, the 16" is actually called the Anniversary Poulan , however is still 42 cc saw, basically I think is same engine but the older of them, this saw is 14+ years old, My 20" is even Older,

 

[MossRoad]

All right fellers, let's get back to the basic question of why won't it pop on a shot of ether?

I have no fuel in the thing at all. So let's not talk about fuel, mixture, jets, gummed up lines, filters, or the poor quality of the unit, etc... it is not a fuel issue at the moment. I want it to pop on a shot of ether before I tear into the carb.

As I mentioned before, I sprayed a shot of ether into the carb and gave it a few pulls. No pop. I removed the plug and set it right next to the plug hole and on the first pull ether shot out of the plug hole and ignited instantly in the open air. Instantly. I repeated this several times and it was always the same.

Plug in = no pop.
Plug out = instant ignition as the ether is ejected out the plug hole.

By the way, the ether shoots out of the plug hole about a foot as that's how long the nice blue flame is, so I'm assuming there's enough compression to eject it that far on a pull of the cord from me.

So I'm wondering if no air is getting into the cylinder through the carb, or not enough air at least to let the ether ignite? The choke is clearly open. Is there a throttle plate inside the carb? I haven't looked yet. If there is and that is closed, would that explain it?

I don't have access to the saw again until next weekend. All the thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks. :thumbsup:

 

[Scooby074]

Whats your compression? Thats first.

 

[Egon]

The ether takes the same path as the fuel/air mixture does it not.

Try starting it with the trigger fully pulled.

 

[deepNdirt]

The ether takes the same path as the fuel/air mixture does it not.

Try starting it with the trigger fully pulled.

Yes but in order for it to reach the cylinder, it is as you stated the trigger/butterfly must be open to let it in, although some carburetors cannot take the repercussion back through them without possible damage,
actually some Pistons cannot take it either
I use to work on 2-stroke dirt bike engines, over this time I had a few come in with the piston skirts shattered, as well as the reed valves blown apart from someone trying to start their bike with with ether, Either from having a fowl plug or low in cylinder compression, usually find out later was a young person who wanted to ride his dirtbike and was told about trying either to start it,.... what could have been a simple top-end ring & piston job wound up being a full engine rebuild, the Parts from the piston ruin the cylinder wall fell down into the crank getting chewed up and winding up in the gear casing,Clutch basket, etc,etc, resulting in halving to spit the case and clean or replace many internal parts,
because ether evaporates quickly it is good to use when needing to clean out old fuel from a cylinder or to dry out a cylinder,.... It is termed "Starting fluid" and will definitely start a difficult to start engine, however will also end the life of a worn engine, if a engine is difficult to start its because some part is failing, and that part needs to be replaced/ repaired,

 

[xyz123]

Whats your compression? Thats first.

:thumbsup: pull the muffler and look at the ring and piston. Do you have a stuck ring on exhaust side. All the pop in the world wont matter if so.

The wild thing is the simplest design to work on that has plastic crankcases. In a hour you can pull the cranks and piston and rebuild. Geter done.

Ether does not lube the cylinder piston. Get a squirt bottle with mix in it.

Treat them right, know how to tune, sharp chain and you will get your $100 worth out of a 40cc saw. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pKx09Qqbxk

 

[Egon]

As I mentioned before, I sprayed a shot of ether into the carb and gave it a few pulls. No pop. I removed the plug and set it right next to the plug hole and on the first pull ether shot out of the plug hole and ignited instantly in the open air. Instantly. I repeated this several times and it was always the same.
/QUOTE]

All I'm saying here is the path for air to the cylinder will be open. The use of ether is entirely up to the OP.

I have had occasions where holding the trigger down will allow a saw to start.

Moss, did the fellow who borred the saw let it sit for so long cause it was cutting real slow??:laughing: