# Chainsaw: Starts when cold, won't start if hot



## mooman

I have a craftsman chainsaw that will start right away if cold but when I shut down to sharpen the blade or refuel it won't start up unless I let it cool for 20 minutes or so. It has a green choke tap that can be pulled all the way out for for full choke and pushed half way in for half choke. It also has a red switch that you push in to shut off.

Instructions: prime 6x. set choke at full. pull cord 5 times. set choke at half pull till it starts. It always starts right up.

I think I have tried every combination of settings to get it restarted. No matter what, after a couple pulls I smell gas (flooded?) and end up having to wait 20 min to get it started.

advice please


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## Eagle1

Had Poulan like that, never could get it fixed. Start right up cold or after a long break but once hot it was no go. Finally beat it to death on the loader bucket when it died with one cut to go late in the day and would not start. Bought a high end Husky the next day and been a happy camper... I still have craftsman as my root saw and a little electric for the little stuff.


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## Bret

I had the same issue a long time ago with my first saw--a Craftsman. I could start it eventually but it made me very tired just starting the saw. I accidentally ran over the saw with my field mower. It made me sick for a few days but it fixed the saw. I never had problems with it again.


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## flewism

Do you have spark when it will not start?


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## mooman

how can I tell if I have spark?


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## Davidd

I have had this in the past on a few different engines. It turned out to be the ignition systems over heating and the circuit opens up. I would replace the ignition module and away it went.


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## M5farm

if you are using the choke when you try to restart it could be flooding. pull choke to engage the throttle then push it back in before you start to crank a warm engine. most of the time a warm engine does not need anything except the cord pulled.


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## Hip_Shot_Hanna

Sounds like the low and high mixture is lean , they are usualy set lean ath the factory and just get worse ! turn them out around a quarter turn and see if that helps , my poulan tends to vibrate the screws in and weakens the mixture ( it also vibrates the idle screw out and stalls out , ya need a saw file and a screwdriver handy with some saws ) a yard sale $5 homelite works fine after adjusting the mixture screws , the previous owner was still cussing it after I handed over the $5 for it !


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## idigbeets

Yea try adjusting the carb... but typically the heating up / non start is a bad ignition coil.

If you want to see if you get spark, remove the spark plug boot, hold a screwdriver near the plug while pulling starter cable.... Try it when the saw won't start after heating up.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

I bet it is a rebranned Polan , we had the same problem with a polan , my friend took it back upgraded to the polan pro still had problems and then the oiler quite in one day cutting he took it back they gave him credit towards a husky , he has run the husky for some time. 2 days after he had the husky the mechanic at the store called and said he figured out why the oiler stopped , the vent screen for the oiler is behind the sprocket and was plugged , what a dumb place to put something that sucks in air in the dustiest place possible , my friend was just happy to have a saw now that would cut without overheating or needing cool off time after a refuel even though he now had 250 dollars into a saw when he had started off with 109 in a saw the savings in wasted time fiddling and saved heating fuel would pay for it any way

we thought we were vapor locking it , after you check that it has spark ,what happens if you start it up and say cut 20 minutes , then stop fuel up then cut 20 minutes stop fuel up so that it never runs dry , does that change the behavior 

we were also able to over heat the saw cutting though larger logs but it had an 18 inch bar so we expected we should be able to keep an 18 inch bar in wood , we had been trying to be cheap , but often what the department store manufacturers do is run a smaller saw at a higher rpm with a larger bar to make the sale figuring the averagE home owner won't run it more than a tank full of gas before a break , most people cut a few limbs or a fallen tree here and there and that is it , the idea that a average home consumer would cut for 2-6 hours strait is , frankly beyond what the saws were meant for and far more than most people could manage physically 

if you cut 2,3,4,5 gas ups in a row without 20 minutes break you probably need a commercial grade saw or a second department store saw 

unless i am looking for a pruning saw , 50cc is the smallest saw i can see owning till i am to old and weak to lift it my grandpa made it to 75 with a full 50+cc saw now he runs a little 14 inch stihl and my uncle does the big cutting for him he is 80 this year


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## simi-steading

Another problem not mentioned that could be the cause.. 

if the engine has any scoring in the cylinder or the rings are worn, or the cylinder is polished from a lot of use, the compression can be too low when the saw is warm... 

Check your compression on the saw when it's cold, and again when it's hot if you have a gauge.. If not, does the saw pull with a lot of compression when cold, and feel like it's weak when hot?

One other problem could be a case leak.. as the saw gets warm, it can be expanding, and the leak is getting larger..


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## mooman

Thank you guys. Lots of avenues to explore now. 

-Running it till its dry or stopping mid tank makes no difference
-Yes it does feel "weak" when hot.

I'll go ahead an explore the options that don't require me throwing too much money at it. How much do these ignition modules run and are they fairly easy to replace?

I bought the saw four years ago as a poor single homesteader for small projects. Got it "new" from a guy that claimed he refurbished returns from sears. He bundled it with a "new" front tine tiller for $125 (for both). Been using both 4 seasons now so I figure I've gotten more than my money's worth. I started burning wood last year so yeah....probably time to upgrade to a pro model. Husky's seem to be the favored brand?


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## idigbeets

Yea u got your moneys worth !! I run a few husky 372xp and love them almost as much as my 346xp. I haven't used the newer models w/ auto tune so i can't tell ya much there. When I was younger we did logging jobs quite a bit and the husky's were saw of choice imo. 

You'll spend some time on the coil, probably around $30-40 for the part. But as stated above, check some other things out too, scoring of the cylinder can do it too, which you'd just throw that saw out then... 

Honestly.... I'd still throw it out or sell it as a fixer upper.... and get a real saw


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

I run a Stihl as does everyone in my family and everyone i ever worked for. but pro grade husky are good also 

Johnsered is also a good saw of these 3 look who is the servicing dealer closest to you 

buy the saw from a servicing dealer only and take good care of it 

use good 2 stroke oil , sharpen the chain with a file and guide yourself learn how if you don't know this will save you more money in chains and sharpening than a new saw costs before you have worn out a good saw , use only premium no ethanol gas it is an extra cost at the pump but it runs cooler and is better for 2 stroke engines and you generally only run a few gallons at most in a year


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## idigbeets

Yea, we do not have ethanol free gas here... anywhere within 60 miles....

OP... any progress?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

a relative of mine works now part time only when they need him to work on older tractors for john deere he was there for 40 some years only job he ever had besides the farm , any way when the ethanol gas came around in about 1989 the JD dealer had their own tank of race gas brought in , this way if you brought your mower for service in the fall and didn't pick it up till spring the wouldn't have to fix it twice , the ethanol gas would gum them back up sitting int he yard in about 2 months 

here any county near Millwakee must have 10% ethanol and it is the norm to find it in the rest of the state as it is less expensive but Mobil premium once you get away from Milwaukee is ethanol free at our new station in town it even comes out of it's own hose at the old station I would put 2 gallons in the truck and the third in the gas can 

if there are any race tracks around look near them for race gas , we have another station at the south end of town that is closest to the race track that keeps Cristal blue race gas all summer 

but if you can't get real gas , you can run the premium with ethanol and a touch more oil in our mix but rotate it frequently as it goes bad faster


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## Hotshot

I work for a hardware store that sell chainsaws.We just started handling huskys and found out that the consumer models are built by poulan.So if you are going to buy a Husky stay with a pro model


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## idigbeets

AH.. I do have a place that sells racing gasoline.. it is like 103 octane or something like that.... would that be ethanol free though? It is pricey around $5-6/gallon.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

idigbeets said:


> AH.. I do have a place that sells racing gasoline.. it is like 103 octane or something like that.... would that be ethanol free though? It is pricey around $5-6/gallon.


usually it is , and it is very good stuff http://www.racegas.com/fuel/compare
this is a link to a race gas they say their product stores for a year plus 

this is the reason they were using it at the john deere service shop , they often worked on old tractors that were not meant to run on the new gas and they would sit for some time after being worked on , often people would take them to a parade or two a year maybe a tractor show 

also lots of lawn mowers would come in for service then sit for sometimes months 5,6,7 months

I know in other parts of the country many have probably been mowing already but i haven't mowed since october and probably won't for a few more weeks things are just starting to green up here but with a chance of snow tonight


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## simi-steading

Hotshot said:


> I work for a hardware store that sell chainsaws.We just started handling huskys and found out that the consumer models are built by poulan.So if you are going to buy a Husky stay with a pro model


Actually, Husqvarna owns Poulan..


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## idigbeets

And Jonsered....


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## BadFordRanger

I haven't read all the answers, but I don't think it is the module Moo! It sounds like you are flooding it when you go to fire it back up! 
Try not doing anything to it when "RE-STARTING" it except to hold the throttle wide open! 
I have owned maybe a half dozen different chainsaws and used many, many more that that over the years and I have learned one thing about chainsaw! 
They all have a secrete combination for starting and that combination changes when they are really cold, cold, warm, or hot! 
I had one Craftsman saw that I had to take the plug out and use my lighter to heat it when the saw was already hot and put it back in and pull it one time and it would fire back up, but short of that I could pull it until the sun went down and it wouldn't crank back up! 
It cranked fine when cold, and ran good and had fair power for an 18" saw, but after as little as about five minutes of running it, if I turned it off I had to go through that ritual! I started taking a propane torch in the woods with me if I was taking the saw, but unless it was out of gas, I'd just set it down and let it idle while I moved the limbs etc.! 
But all said, I am 99% sure it is flooding (WHEN) you turn it off, or you are flooding it with the primer or choke when you try to restart it! 
When you do cut it off, set it down for a few seconds simply idling before turning it off! 
Only use the primer and choke if it ran slap out of gas while cutting hard! 
And always listen to the saw! She will tell you when she is getting ready to run out of gas!


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## idigbeets

I'm sorry, but if you have to go through all that to keep a chainsaw running, start one up, etc... it is time to tear them apart and rebuild. None of my chainsaws have issues starting, stopping, restarting, etc.


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## doingitmyself

I run a Stihl, it starts every time, its just a running mutha.


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## mrs whodunit

Stihl are too pricey for me so I run an Echo. Cut 12+ cords of wood with it a year.

great saw


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## Bret

I always like a good chainsaw mystery until it is my own.


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## Madsaw

If your looking to replace this saw. Go with the older model 365/372, 2165/2171 husky/ jonsered saws. There is tons of aftermarket parts for this series of saws along with tons of used parts. Electrolux owns husqvarna jonsered and poulan line of saws.
I just bought a ,husky 365 with bad bearings. I replaced them and installed a 372 (50mm) cylinder and piston. Saw starts and runs good. I got to break it in now. All said and done I have $92 in the saw. They will last a homeowner firewood cutter a lifetime properly tuned up. If your able to rebuild carbs and adjust them accordingly run what ever gas you can get. But , always use fresh gas no more then a month old if it had ethanol in it and run the saw dry before storage.


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## petz

Hip_Shot_Hanna said:


> Sounds like the low and high mixture is lean , they are usualy set lean ath the factory and just get worse ! turn them out around a quarter turn and see if that helps , my poulan tends to vibrate the screws in and weakens the mixture ( it also vibrates the idle screw out and stalls out , ya need a saw file and a screwdriver handy with some saws ) a yard sale $5 homelite works fine after adjusting the mixture screws , the previous owner was still cussing it after I handed over the $5 for it !


I want to thank Hip Shot Hanna.
This was exactly my problem with Jonsered 2050T. Compression engine hot was 140 lbs.
Spark was there. Had to wait 1/2 hour to cool down in order to restart. Now after making the mixture richer, it starts hot on 1. pull


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## alleyyooper

*Echo Chain saws right now are probably the best bang for your dollar, 5 year home owner warranty.* The CS 590 a 59.9cc saw is priced at $400.00 today. I bought a little CS 400 last spring. I now have ran the snot out of it on the 3d chain. Buy from a Echo dealer and have them set it up and run it for a good tune. They have a reputation of coming from the factory set very lean.

I also own a 197? Husqvarna 162SE, a *1994 55 EPA*, a 2004 Jonsered 2159 All 50cc saws the 162SE is the best of the lot I feel.

Efco makes a nice saw but not sold in my area have to buy off the internet here.

Makita Makes a real nice 64CC saw too.

Dolmar makes a 64cc saw that gets 5 star reviews.


If you can not get ethanol free gasoline and do not use more than a gallon a year buy the premix caned fuel. Expensive but will save money in the long run. If you use more than a gallon a year buy premium gas and add a treatment to it like stabil.

 Al


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## HermitJohn

alleyyooper said:


> Makita Makes a real nice 64CC saw too.
> 
> Dolmar makes a 64cc saw that gets 5 star reviews.



Uh... they are the same saw. Makita owns Dolmar and both saws are made in the Dolmar factory in Germany.

I have the 64cc Makita. It is a very nice saw. Good as same size Husky or Stihl. And I got it used for bargain price. There is a bargain aftermarket kit to increase displacement if you need an even bigger saw cheap.

Echo merged with Shindaiwa and everything now sold under Echo name. I had couple older Shindaiwa saws that were very nice. I guess older Echos were too, but I never owned one. Like most things Japanese, parts get hard to come by after ten year. They make stuff that lasts, but you cant get parts for older stuff unless it was insanely popular and has 3rd party aftermarket support. Or you get lucky and find NOS parts on ebay or some dealer that has been around long time.


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## alleyyooper

Makita & Dolmar I sort of thought they looked alike except the color.

Lot of the Makita around this area, Home depot had them as rental units and after the fleet got so old they sold them really cheap.

 Al


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## vpapai

Some chainsaws have a cold air deflector that can be adjusted during cold weather use. You have to change it back to the warm air setting for the warmer weather. Check your model to see.


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