chainsaw quits running

[budepps3760]

We had a bad storm come through and a neighbor's tree came crashing down in my backyard. It's a deserted lot and no one to file a claim on since my insurance man said it was considered an act of God. Trunk is about 24-28 inches in diameter. Got out my Poulan Pro 240 and started cutting however after running maybe 10 minutes it just slows down till it stops. After maybe 15 minutes it will crank and do the same thing after maybe 10 minutes and then whole cycle repeats itself. Any ideas as to cause?

 

[murphy1244]

How long has it been sitting with gas in it? Run some sea foam thru it.

 

[farmer2009]

Mix up some 93 octane gas and oil. Then add some carb cleaner. See if that helps. Also changing the spark plug and air filter may help.

 

[LD1]

When it starts to give fits, try cracking the gas cap. It could have the vent hole plugged.

IF that dont do it, check the condition of the fuel line inside the tank. Ethanol can turn them to mush and cause it to collapse pretty easy and starve the saw for fuel

 

[s219]

We had a bad storm come through and a neighbor's tree came crashing down in my backyard. It's a deserted lot and no one to file a claim on since my insurance man said it was considered an act of God. Trunk is about 24-28 inches in diameter. Got out my Poulan Pro 240 and started cutting however after running maybe 10 minutes it just slows down till it stops. After maybe 15 minutes it will crank and do the same thing after maybe 10 minutes and then whole cycle repeats itself. Any ideas as to cause?

Knowing that saw, I'd suspect it's overheating and about to seize up. Either that, or the bar/chain may be messed up and binding with heat. I had a neighbor with one of those saws, and it behaved the same way. Could not cut more than about 10 minutes before it would need to cool down. It's just not a real good saw.

 

[Egon]

If the bar gets extremely hot check for correct chain/bar gauge.

 

[crazyal]

Pull the muffler off and take a look at the piston. If it's scored then you'll either need to repair it or replace the saw. I suspect it'll be cheaper to replace it if the cylinder is damaged.

 

[Bluegill2]

Hard to help if the basic questions aren't answered...

 

[MossRoad]

... Got out my Poulan Pro 240 and started cutting....

Well there's your problem.... a Poulan Pro 240 is listed as a snowblower!

Check that your muffler hasn't come loose. My Poulan saw did a similar thing last spring. Hope its that easy.

 

[Zerk]

If it was a gas problem, I suspect it wouldn't run , cool off and start again. Bearing or something is getting hot is my guess. Does it pull over the same when hot? Does chain move ok?

 

[xyz123]

Thats where I am having troubles too. I know poulans and never heard of poulan pro 240 chainsaw. Now I have heard of the 2400 but not a PP. Pics please.

 

[Threepoint]

Hmm. Three weeks since the OP's post.

 

[Zerk]

If he figures it out, hopefully he tells us, to help the next guy.

 

[Buggs67]

Well all your suggestions helped me. My Stihl 025 just started acting funky. Starts, runs, then starts to act like fuel starvation.

He's old and I rebuilt the carb and he ran good. Could be old age (he's about 20 years old) and hardening of the arteries. I'll check the things suggested above. I just bought a Farm Boss so maybe he's just being jealous and looking for attention.

 

[MoKelly]

I have had the plugged fuel cap issue hit me 3x over the past few weeks --- once on my chainsaw, once on a leaf blower and yesterday on a push mower.

Used to be the last thing I'd check. Now it will be the first thing I check.

Just amazing to me that cracking the fuel cap and the thing comes back to life.

MoKelly

 

[mccash40]

I just started having the start OK, run a bit, and shut down problem with my MS290. The fuel is OK, the saw is not abused, but I've tried all suggestions in this thread and it still does the stop routine after running for a few minutes. Any more ideas?

 

[Garycw]

Maybe the vent in the cap is plugged. When it starts to die or before loosen cap a bit to see if that keeps it running. Worth a try. Sounds like it's starved for fuel
Also check the hose inside tank with filter

 

[hslogger]

The best way to check the chainsaw in tank hose and filter is with a piece of wire with a shepherd's hook at the end. Stick that in there and slide to the filter assembly. You can gently pull the filter to the opening and inspect that. Maybe the filter is funky. Maybe the hose assembly is sitting in the tank in a position that has it starving out. IF you gotta pull the filter off, use a surgical hemostat on the hose to hold it and keep it out of the tank so you can then replug the filter or new one in. A hemostat, with a light touch won't damage your hose and will keep it handy so you can easily reassemble. I have two or three little wire pieces that are pre bent just for this kind of use.

 

[Garycw]

Also a good chance there's a bad hose in tank or external. I can't count the number on small 2 cyl motors I've replaced due to ethanol
And yes you'll need hemostats to replace hoses

 

[Egon]

Look at the exhaust ports. They sometimes plug up.