craftsman worth fixing? should i polish the turd?

[dswensen]

Here are some shots of the piston and cylinder. After a good cleaning the cylinder wall looks worse than I thought as well. I'm still not sure how bad it is as I have nothing to compare it too but new piston and cylinder are not in the budget for this saw. Maybe I can find someone who has a donor saw and wants to help a new guy out? Or maybe she will just be a donor saw? Not sure yet. Let's get some oppinions. Thanks guys.

I'm afraid it's a goner. You would have to put quite a bit of work into it to even see if it's savageable. Start looking at EBAY for P/C/ring kits. Should be able to find them for around $65. That is IF you want to spend money on a "turd". I would only if 1) I knew it wasn't coming out of the mortgage/rent/grocery money and 2) I realized I was putting more money into it that it will be worth once it's running - and don't care.

BTW, someone here should be able to tell you what model Poulan that is. You can shop at www.searspartsdirect.com for parts based upon the sears model number, but be advised there are cheaper sources for Poulan parts.

Don't forget sealer for that clamshell.

 

[Rookie1]

I was looking over Craigslist and found this ad. 18" Craftsman chainsaw This should give you an idea of its worth.:msp_smile:

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Here are some shots of the piston and cylinder. After a good cleaning the cylinder wall looks worse than I thought as well. I'm still not sure how bad it is as I have nothing to compare it too but new piston and cylinder are not in the budget for this saw. Maybe I can find someone who has a donor saw aView attachment 297993View attachment 297994View attachment 297995View attachment 297996nd wants to help a new guy out? Or maybe she will just be a donor saw? Not sure yet. Let's get some oppinions. Thanks guys.

I'll have to concur with the others, this one is toast. I don't have any donors of this type but that one's not worth saving. Occasionally they pop up on ebay for fairly cheap or try yard sales, flea markets, etc.

By the way, I don't see how the saw "ran fine the last time I used it". It looks like someone may have straight-gassed it, if they did it wouldn't have run very long..

 

[jtracy1223]

I'l

By the way, I don't see how the saw "ran fine the last time I used it". It looks like someone may have straight-gassed it, if they did it wouldn't have run very long..

Funny you should say that. I still had the guys number in my phone and called him back today. Told him I pulled it apart and that it was shot. He wanted to tell me he was not a lier and it ran just fine last year. We went back and forth before I told him he was a damn lier and it wasn't about the money it was about the fact that he was full of ####. He then goes on to tell me he was about to offer me my $ back but I had now pissed $hit less about $25 and it was a matter of him being a lier and a cheat and I would rather burn the saw on his front yard than take a dime back for it.

 

[machinisttx]

Here are some shots of the piston and cylinder. After a good cleaning the cylinder wall looks worse than I thought as well. I'm still not sure how bad it is as I have nothing to compare it too but new piston and cylinder are not in the budget for this saw. Maybe I can find someone who has a donor saw aView attachment 297993View attachment 297994View attachment 297995View attachment 297996nd wants to help a new guy out? Or maybe she will just be a donor saw? Not sure yet. Let's get some oppinions. Thanks guys.

My advice: Go down to your local scrapyard and buy a half dozen plastic poulan branded saws that look similar to that one. Most likely won't cost you even half of what a new P/C would, and you'll probably get several runners if you replace the fuel lines. At worst, you'll be able to mix and match enough parts from that half dozen to end up with at least one decent saw. I paid twenty seven cents a pound for the last saw I bought a few days ago. Didn't find anything of interest to me today, might tomorrow. I'll check the plastic poulans I come across and see if I can find something to send you if you'd like.

Edit: I just looked at the pic again. Looks an awful lot like a 4018 Wild Thing. From what I understand, anything poulan currently makes that's green is 42cc, regardless of what the tag says. The current yellow "poulan pro" stuff may be different.

 

[jtracy1223]

My advice: Go down to your local scrapyard and buy a half dozen plastic poulan branded saws that look similar to that one. Most likely won't cost you even half of what a new P/C would, and you'll probably get several runners if you replace the fuel lines. At worst, you'll be able to mix and match enough parts from that half dozen to end up with at least one decent saw. I paid twenty seven cents a pound for the last saw I bought a few days ago. Didn't find anything of interest to me today, might tomorrow. I'll check the plastic poulans I come across and see if I can find something to send you if you'd like.

Edit: I just looked at the pic again. Looks an awful lot like a 4018 Wild Thing. From what I understand, anything poulan currently makes that's green is 42cc, regardless of what the tag says. The current yellow "poulan pro" stuff may be different.

Thanks to ev eryone who posted. If anyone has a used piston and cylinder for this saw that is just waisting space I would be glad to pay a fair price for em. I will also check the scrap yard like you said. See what's around. Maybe just pull all the good parts off it and peice em out to make my $25 back or keep em around to try and fix the next one I find. I see how ya'll get addicted to this. Its just fun too see what you can find fix or collect. I don't need any more saws past my one sthil but I already enjoy collecting them and see myself with way more then I could need in the next few years

 

[rocketnorton]

the only time ive seen "0" comp is piston w/hole in it, run wayyyy lean.... yer pics say " learn something new everyday", and I do... a good piston tested "wet" will show something - not much - even w/o rings... I say doorstop, if ya got nothing else....

 

[jtracy1223]

the only time ive seen "0" comp is piston w/hole in it, run wayyyy lean.... yer pics say " learn something new everyday", and I do... a good piston tested "wet" will show something - not much - even w/o rings... I say doorstop, if ya got nothing else....

I'm sure there is a lil PSI to her. I can feel it when I put my thumb over the spark plug hole and pull it but think I remember reading that the shrader valves in the tester have to have at least 20 psi to work? That number could be wrong?

 

[half_full]

just be patient and a used P&C will show up.
Learn from my mistake.
I purchased 3 additional P&C/powerheads. First two were bad as well. Take a compression gauge with you or make sure your purchase is returnable.
Make sure you get a matched set for P&C. There are some that have a chromed piston and some that have a chromed cylinder.

This post may help in your search

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/117370-4.htm#post4172225

 

[machinisttx]

Thanks to ev eryone who posted. If anyone has a used piston and cylinder for this saw that is just waisting space I would be glad to pay a fair price for em. I will also check the scrap yard like you said. See what's around. Maybe just pull all the good parts off it and peice em out to make my $25 back or keep em around to try and fix the next one I find. I see how ya'll get addicted to this. Its just fun too see what you can find fix or collect. I don't need any more saws past my one sthil but I already enjoy collecting them and see myself with way more then I could need in the next few years

Looked at the scrapyard I went to today and didn't see anything worth fooling with. There are several at a couple of other scrapyards, but it will be next week before I get by them again. I have a P/C on a non running saw, but it doesn't look any better than the one you've got.

I'd bet your local scrapyards will close at noon today, go forth and find parts. Try to save some old magnesium while you're there. I saved a bit more today myself.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Probably the best place to find these is at a yard sale or a small engine repair shop. Generally, with ethanol, the fuel lines go bad in these saws and people try to replace them and put them in the wrong place and they won't run. I've acquired several saws this way, some just left the lines unhooked and put it back together to sell. Usually you can check the compression before you buy a parts saw. I still wouldn't pay more than $10 for it.

 

[machinisttx]

People around here don't even seem to try replacing lines on them. I picked up a 2150 a week or so ago that had a new looking oregon intenze bar and chisel chain on it. As clean as the saw was, it probably didn't have 8 hours of run time. I replaced the lines and it fired right up. I'd guess I paid six or seven bucks for the saw.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

People around here don't even seem to try replacing lines on them. I picked up a 2150 a week or so ago that had a new looking oregon intenze bar and chisel chain on it. As clean as the saw was, it probably didn't have 8 hours of run time. I replaced the lines and it fired right up. I'd guess I paid six or seven bucks for the saw.

I've done at least a half dozen in the last year or so, usually the previous owner just gives it to me. The most I've paid for one is $10 and that was at a flea market and I didn't want to go home empty handed so I bought it. Usually I just pass these by even thought they're not bad saws. I generally buy saws there to resell. Stihl is the number one reseller, Husqvarna and Echo are slightly behind Stihl in that department. Of course there are exceptions.