New Poulan 5020 hunting idle, won't rev

[dgr]

Hi guys,
Thank you for letting me be a part of this great site. I recently purchased a new Poulan PP5020. It has a hunting idle and refuses to rev. Feather the throttle or cram it down and it dies. I had to turn the idle screw up a turn and a half to get it to idle without dying. Here is a video of it idling. It warmed up enough that the bar is coated in oil and the top cover is slightly warm to the touch. I simply could not to get it to rev unless I started it at half choke and then feathered the throttle with it already on high idle. I believe it was very lean out of the box. Does the saw sound really lean to you guys?

If I didn't live 1.5 miles from the store and needed the saw tonight, I would have been rather upset. I actually have an adjustment tool due to arrive tomorrow and hemmed and hawed about waiting for the tool to arrive and fixing the mfgs mistake. In the end, I decided to return it and ask for one that would run. Poulan can sell it as a factory refurb. I verified the new one starts and will at least rev before I ran out of daylight.



While researching the saw, I ran down some part numbers other owners may find useful.
72DP060G 60 Drive Link S-70 Semi Chisel Chain, 3/8-Inch - Oregon semi-chisel chain for a 16" bar
160SLHK095 .050" Gauge 3/8" Pitch 16" Pro-Lite Bar - Oregon 16" Pro-Lite bar with K095 mount
72LPX070G 70 Drive Link Super 70 Chisel Chain, 3/8-Inch - Oregon Full Chisel for the stock bar
72LPX060G 60 Drive Link Super 70 Chisel Chain, 3/8-Inch - Oregon full chisel for the 16" bar
160RNDK095 - Oregon 16" Pro-match Bar

Hopefully those will help someone in the future.

 

[Andyshine77]

The saws carb is set lean, common issue and not really Poulans fault.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/chainsaw-tuning-101.250802/

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Mine wouldnt run out of the box either. Mine wouldnt even idle or take throttle at all.

I opened the L up and then set the I. H was real close.

Started and ran perfect afterwords.

 

[dgr]

Thanks for the replies.

Andy, thank you for the link to the tuning videos. I'm not following your statement. "...not really Poulan's fault." They are selling through a retail outlet that has no way to resolve the issue short of, go grab another and slap a RTV sticker on this one. The tool to adjust the carb is not available where the saws are sold and Poulan provides no information on how to adjust the saw. I get that is is a $200 saw but to not even be able to get it above an idle isn't acceptable at any price point.

An unusable saw doesn't really sell brand loyalty. If I was joe average homeowner, the return would have involved grabbing the orange saw, paying the difference and swearing off Poulan forever. That isn't the best marketing campaign. Fortunately for me, I read the big thread here before considering this saw. I had the tool on order before I even purchased the saw.

The replacement also ran lean but I was able to resolve it quickly. H still probably needs some work but it's running pretty well. I'll post some results if I can get my cell phone to cooperate. In the end, I'm pleased with the saw. It does exactly what I need it to do. It has already paid for itself. Spending 2-3x as much would have gained me little other than my saw dealer tuning it before I left with the saw like with my MS 193 T.

Jeremiah, where can I order one of those stickers for my saw?

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

Jeremiah, where can I order one of those stickers for my saw?

Duct tape and black permanent marker.

@ Stickers

 

[dgr]

Here's some pics of a couple trees we took out this weekend. Something I didn't think about - bring lots of hands and rakes when felling a dead hardwood.





This was a neighbor who watched us take out the big tree. Back up the trailer, snip some branches and drop it in.



Another dead yard tree.





I know these pics are *yawn* for most on this board.

I'm really pleased with the function of the saw. It threw the chain which gave me an excuse to put on the Oregon chain I ordered. I'm sure this was my fault as I didn't check the chain tension after starting work. Other than the carb settings, the only other thing that is a bother is the oil tank runs out before the fuel tank. I wasn't idling the saw much so I don't think that's an issue. It's a minor annoyance and is something I will just need to get used to. It doesn't bother me to take a break from holding this thing to refill the oil reservoir. LOL

 

[Andyshine77]

Thanks for the replies.

Andy, thank you for the link to the tuning videos. I'm not following your statement. "...not really Poulan's fault." They are selling through a retail outlet that has no way to resolve the issue short of, go grab another and slap a RTV sticker on this one. The tool to adjust the carb is not available where the saws are sold and Poulan provides no information on how to adjust the saw. I get that is is a $200 saw but to not even be able to get it above an idle isn't acceptable at any price point.
?

To meet EPA regulations the carbs have to be set on the edge and the factory settings are never going to be spot on, that's just not how carbs work. A good dealer would normally tune the saw when he sets the saw up, so it's not a problem. However this is what you get when you but from a big box store instead of a dealer, and is the reason many people hate Poulan saws these days.