You say:
. I am by no means any sort of mechanic but I like to tinker with the basics.
Poulan/Craftsman chainsaws are good for getting your feet wet. (as you say tinker with the basics) After playing with the Poulan/Craftsman you will be able to know what a good chainsaw looks like when you see one. Poulan made some really good long life type saws back in their early days, but now days (modern times) they are at the lower end of the food chain. (disposable type, throw away and go buy new syndrome) Do not re-cycle, Poulans that are thrown away is how I get my donor parts.
Lots of info on-line about the Poulan 2375 AND DO NOT ASSUME THAT ALL 2375'S ARE THE SAME AND all parts are interchangeable. (CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR)
As these guys say, give the carb throat a little bit of mixed gas/oil (50:1) and crank, you should eventually get a promise pop if the saw has spark and compression. (and is not flooded)
Hold the throttle wide open when cranking, with no choke, when you get a start immediately release the throttle.
You have to be carful on the Poulan 2375 types, you can easily throw good money at bad and not have anything reliable when you get er running..
A 30 year old saw is eventually going to need at the very least the fuel lines, primer bulb replaced and maybe the carb. Tune up kit can be found on Amazon that has fuel lines, primer bulb , spark plug, and carb for less than $20. If it needs a replacement chain another $20, but you need to hear the pop promise to run first.
I would also remove the muffler and take a peek at the piston even though it has compression. If scored, it's a parts saw. Look at the ring/rings (some only have one) and see if it's not stuck if compression seems weak when pulling the rope.
I like to have about 2 or 3 Poulans handy as donor saws for parts when piddling with Poulan and all of them are freebies. I do not buy any Poulan stuff.
On the owners manuals FRONT PAGE for Craftsman/Poulans in big BLACK letters
FOR OCCASIONAL USE ONLY.
That is a hint.
