Pulling clutch off of Craftsman/Poulan

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daemon2525

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I am just about to go crazy. The short story is that i have already ruined a perfectly good saw by cramming a rope into the Cylinder to remove the clutch and I am preparing to do it again.

If I put just a little rope in the thing, the saw will still revolve 360. If I cram enough into the cylinder that it will not move, then I end up getting it caught in the exhaust or other port and really @#$ing it up.

I just did it again, but may not have ruined the saw... YET..

I got too much rope in the thing, got it caught in the exhaust port, flipped the entire saw onto the ground and thought I had broke the case.

Didn't break the case but could not move the crank either direction because I had the rope jammed in the exhaust port. So what do "I" do???

I try VERY carefully to turn the crank backwards with a screwdriver and break a fin off!!! @#@$!!!

How else? Can't I just stick a wooden down into the exhaust port with the muffler removed?
 
Tie a half hitch into the rope every inch or so. Take the muffler off so you can see the port. Thread the rope down into thru the sparkplug and look before you start putting any torque on the clutch that the rope isnt hanging out of the exhaust port. A half hitch is a once over and through affair like tieing your shoe laces without the bow.

Best wishes,
Bob
 
It's off!!

Thanks! I realized after I took the muffler off that it would have made sense to do that BEFORE. And see what I was doing.

I was also using too big of a rope. I was using a 3/8" rope that would barely fit through the spark plug hole. After switching to about a 1/4 inch rope and watching that I had the piston high enough that it would not come out the exhaust, it worked like a charm.


Thanks again. My blood pressure is going back where it belongs.

Your clue that my rope was too big was that you said to tie a knot in it!!! I could not have possibly done that with what I was using.
 
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On most saws I use a brass punch on the clutch itself without jamming up the piston with a rope or piston stop, I've broken one clutch ear in a thousand and I welded it back on, it was on a Husqvarna 61...
 
When I remove a clutch I shine a light in in the plug hole and turn the crank untill the piston is above the port and insert my rope and remove the clutch. When you install the clutch I pull the starter rope out about a foot or so and then turn the crank the other way till the piston is above the port and insert the rope. Keep light pressure on the starter rope and tighten the clutch. The reason for pulling slack on the starter rope is you may not be able to get the piston above the port in the right direction before you are putting tention on the starter rope. If you do get it in right then you will be tightening the clutch against the starter rope and not on the rope in your cyl. I perfer the soft rope in the cyl. to a screw in piston stop, works good for me.
 
I got me one of them plastic stops from Baileys. I broke it the first time I used it because I put it in wrong. It freaked me out until I made sure I got all the little pieces out of the cylinder. There was enough left to try to do it right and it worked like a charm. The good thing is I didn't risk scratching the cylinder or nothing.
 
I put a socket the size of the flywheel nut on & take a screwdriver or such & insert it at the clutch. usually there is some sort of indention in the motor body that the screwdriver can go in. Then at the same time hold the screwdriver & turn the ratchet. You may need to push down on the screwdriver a little. This usually works great for me. I've used wood pushed in thru the exhaust port before with good results too. I find the hardest part sometimes is getting a hold of the clutch if there is nothing for the screwdriver to grab a hold of. I havent done it yet, but I'm gonna make a clutch tool out of an old 3/4" socket. I have a tool for the husky. I think it may be the same for the dolmar. Hope I helped, if you can decifer my verbage. LOL.:D
 
Why not just buy a metal piston stop, they are cheep, and save time and trouble. i once made one out of old spark plug,nock out porclen insert over size wooden dowell rod from bottom of plug..........:givebeer:
 
cheep clutch tool

You can make poulan and small huskey clutch tool from old junk saw bar,get bolts the size of holes in clutch,mount in bar slot with washers,is evean adj for bigger poulans.........:givebeer:
 
Pulling clutch on 16" Craftsman saw

Looks like I need to pull the clutch to get to the chain oiler assembly. From the markings on the clutch it appears to be a left hand thread. Can anyone confirm this?
 
It is a craftsman 358.3522161, 16" 36cc

Couldn't find that model in the CRaftsman website. Wanted to look to see what type of clutch it had. On some you can use a drift to loosen the clutch. Obviously you'll need to stop the piston from moving. I use a small rope in the sparkplug hole making sure the piston is above the intake and exhaust ports.
 
Pulling clutch on 16" Craftsman saw

Here is a snap
naughtonjim901
 

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