Sorry about that screw up on my part. Yes after pulling on the cord like this slow pop....pop....pop. That is the time that it takes to pull the cord all the way because it is that hard. One foot on the guard and one hand on the handle. After about 100 pulls (exaguration) it suddenly pulls easily. I really haven't messed with it that much. As I said i took the spark plug out and it pulls easily. It acts like this every time that I have taken it out of the garage. If I shut it off for a short time after using it will pull easily and start but if I remember correctly it will not pull easily if left off for any length of time. And no it doesn't matter if the ignition is off or on.
this is my starting drill for the 330/360 and these are excellent saws.
cold:
pull out choke (i can't remember if you need to depress the throttle lever to do this but you may need to.) pull hard several times until you hear the first "pop" when the spark plug ignites the fuel. push the choke lever back in but don't touch the throttle lever since it is now locked in the high idle position until you pull on the throttle lever. pull hard on the starter until it starts. let it run at high idle until it is warm. these echos are a little cold blooded and need a little time to warm up. after the engine is warm, operate the throttle lever. it should spin up smoothly. when you release the throttle lever it will return to normal low idle speed.
hot:
i hold the saw by the rear handle in my right hand and fully depress the throttle lever. (wfo) with the left hand pull smartly on the starter. this is called "drop starting," though usually a saw is held by its front handle, not the back. but top handles have a different balance. be aware that the user manual recommends the method you use, on the ground, foot on rear handle, for safety reasons. since these saws are mostly used by climbers, that doesn't make much sense. you'd have to rappel down to start and climb the tree again.
your description of the saw being hard to pull over initially puzzles me. it sound like an ignition problem, either timing (flywheel) or the coil is grounded by a defective or improperly operated switch. also, do you have any other experience operating chainsaws? i'm just wondering if you possess the physical strength required (no offense intended, strength is an acquired asset.) the echo 330t may be the easiest saw there is to start. you may just need to pull harder.
lastly, you didn't mention if you read the user manual. even if you have you should go over it again. if you don't have one, they are easily found and downloaded on the web. again, google is your friend. hope this helped, good luck.
