Old abandoned Poulan Wild Thing. Should I fix it?

[Junk Saw Collector]

We people who rave about Poulan saws:

1. Are saving money not making money. Poulans are not durable or fast enough to make money or harsh daily work. They are sufficient for most tree projects, clean up, getting work done.
2. Using something other than wood as their primary heat source. See #1 above
3. View working on it and with it as a learning experience
4. Prefer the non-strato, anti vibe, versions (except #13 below)
5. Bought their saw with low hours on the used market and in decent shape for <$40 or they are got it for free
6. Watch the used market for super cheap parts saws
7. Replaced the fuel lines, rebuild the carb., re gaped the spark plug and coil and replace the air filter.
8. Tune their carb rich enough and keep a carb screwdriver handy when cutting
9. Do an appropriate muffler mod
10. Know how to keep their chain sharp and properly adjusted.
11. Do the maintenance when they put it away.
12. Store it with an empty gas tank and a rag under it because it will leak bar oil.
13. Have an extra Wild Thing without AV as the loaner. If your neighbor, brother in law or friend can’t get the project done before his hands go numb, the project is big enough that he’s saving enough to buy his own darn chainsaw.
14. Have a case of CAD bigger than their budget.

Well said. I agree with everything except number 14. I can afford to buy whatever saws I want, but I don’t heat my house with fire wood, nor am I a logger. Chainsaws are a hobby to me and I like working on them. Why not get cheap junk that people are tossing out and fix it for next to nothing? I’m also getting into porting them, just for fun. I have no need for a 500i or an MS880, so I don’t need to spend that big money to have fun.

 

[Hickahollar]

Well they are good for what they are. And yes back when I needed a chainsaw because I had no money or heat I bought the cheapest chainsaw I could afford pb4218 and yes it cut 8 cords of wood the first year. there after I got a better job got the central heat and air working slowly kept repairing the fixer upper house I bought. Wood became a secondary form of heat but I still burn anywhere from 3 to 5 cords a year. And that saw lasted me about 10 years and would of lasted more had I not leaned it to much. They are not complete trash as a lot of people have you to believe just too slow for me now that I have a real chainsaw. But I wouldn't have figured out how to properly tune a expensive chainsaw because I would have hated to loose one because I screwed it up. But the poulan was cheap enough I decided to fiddle with it and learned the hard way what not to do. Now I'm much better versed on all of my chainsaws even my expensive sthils and yes that poulan saved me money but it's also helped me make a little bit of money. I do sale the occasional load of wood or cut a tree down for someone. My 2nd poulan has hung right in there with my ms250 for about 6or 7 years now. The 250 is a few years older. But now I have better saws so the small saws see alot less time than they used too.

 

[GL0B0TREE]

Well they are good for what they are. And yes back when I needed a chainsaw because I had no money or heat I bought the cheapest chainsaw I could afford pb4218 and yes it cut 8 cords of wood the first year. there after I got a better job got the central heat and air working slowly kept repairing the fixer upper house I bought. Wood became a secondary form of heat but I still burn anywhere from 3 to 5 cords a year. And that saw lasted me about 10 years and would of lasted more had I not leaned it to much. They are not complete trash as a lot of people have you to believe just too slow for me now that I have a real chainsaw. But I wouldn't have figured out how to properly tune a expensive chainsaw because I would have hated to loose one because I screwed it up. But the poulan was cheap enough I decided to fiddle with it and learned the hard way what not to do. Now I'm much better versed on all of my chainsaws even my expensive sthils and yes that poulan saved me money but it's also helped me make a little bit of money. I do sale the occasional load of wood or cut a tree down for someone. My 2nd poulan has hung right in there with my ms250 for about 6or 7 years now. The 250 is a few years older. But now I have better saws so the small saws see alot less time than they used too.

sure these saws are worth the effort anyday of the week, if not for use then for repurpose. For instance could be using parts for, a twin wildthing, additional saw on a processor, rebuild kit for sale type thing is wild!
i ran poulan until i did stop. Now like others I have a Husky lineup~wildthing still in the reserves, but been sleepin longtime now, wood 1/2 to be a dull chain to guarantee longer sleep in the event of emergency, wild thing may not be available for reliable cut before spending an hour maybe two with just you and wildthing and new file, check rakers for better performance, tell the young brothers same, R.I.P.~jed~wildthing

 

[MacAttack]

Just for the heck of it the other day I dusted off my 4218AVX freebie saw, been sitting about 6 months, started pretty easy and after a little tweaking the hi needle running strong.
Only issue is it seems like not enough slack in the throttle cable so it does funny things when you hold the saw certain ways. Is there any way to adjust it?

 

[GL0B0TREE]

Just for the heck of it the other day I dusted off my 4218AVX freebie saw, been sitting about 6 months, started pretty easy and after a little tweaking the hi needle running strong.
Only issue is it seems like not enough slack in the throttle cable so it does funny things when you hold the saw certain ways. Is there any way to adjust it?

comment thanks4 that willstartupupwith a Mini Mac 25 splanepleez why so...- (dangerous)?, Mini Mac 30 - (very dangerous), i like thatnicnice! Mcculloch Super Pro 40 (rear handle = safe) heavy man heavy duty tradezeeezpleeez>thanksfortakinggoodcareof these toolsmyman ripppin
Mini-Mac 35 (on the bench), good safeplace 4it Mini Mac 6 (x2) , Mcculloch Pro Mac 10-10 (might run), McCulloch Pro Mac 10-10 (parts saw), Mcculloch Pro 10-10S, Mcculloch Pro 10-10A, Mcculloch 3818 (needs fixing), Poulan Pro 4218, is this the one???partsmaywork Power Machinery Ltd 27O, HOMELITE SXL “Big Red” kickasssawrightheresix months to upgrade your arsenal list here so thought i would point that out4218AVXthe omission is expected&completelyfine with me considering the length of nap sumsawzget, take it up the tree and once its runnin, hang it from your landyard like normal, see if that wakesit up~up, lemme know awite? machefitiola

 

[Hickahollar]

Mac if that saw does funny things when you turn the saw on its side it might be something as simple as a broken fuel line. You turn it sideways and it starts starving for fuel because it's weight/fuel filter is broken and the line is floating on top of gas. But that being said there could be other things wrong with it as well.

 

[maowwg]

If that’s a model where the throttle cable mounts to plastic attachment points on the back of the air filter housing, I would start by pulling the air filter housing off and making sure the cable sleeve is seated properly. Also make sure it’s not pinching or bending any corners too tightly. That’s the easy fix.

If it is changing speed based on orientation of the saw without changing throttle pressure it may be a carb tuning issue (rich low end vs throttle too light). Another easy fix.

If it’s an air leak start with the plate on which the carb mounts Or the rubber tube for the second butterfly if it’s a strato saw.

 

[MacAttack]

If that’s a model where the throttle cable mounts to plastic attachment points on the back of the air filter housing, I would start by pulling the air filter housing off and making sure the cable sleeve is seated properly. Also make sure it’s not pinching or bending any corners too tightly. That’s the easy fix.

If it is changing speed based on orientation of the saw without changing throttle pressure it may be a carb tuning issue (rich low end vs throttle too light). Another easy fix.

If it’s an air leak start with the plate on which the carb mounts Or the rubber tube for the second butterfly if it’s a strato saw.

I never heard of a bad carb tune doing that, but it very well could be! You're saying if my lo speed is too rich they can do that?
I just had it apart to rebuild the carb, the boot and everything is like new (saw is basically new) but I'll check the throttle cable.
It seemed like I couldn't get rid of the low-end bog until I got the low set to 2 full turns on the needle. It is a strato-turd engine.

 

[heimannm]

Way out on the adjusting screws is typical for the strato saws.

Mark

 

[maowwg]

I can only speak to what I have experienced. Sometimes when I have turned out the low jet to prevent the saw from bogging, and reached a point where it pukes because it’s too rich. The solution, of course is to turn it back in, but one doesn’t always find a wide plateau where you have snappy throttle response, and great idle.

Occasionally you have to keep turning out the low jet past where it pukes, and opening the throttle to give it more air to reduce the relative richness of the mix while still providing sufficient fuel flow with the jet more open

For example a saw MAY puke at two turns out without snappy throttle response and the only way to get it to run at 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 is with more throttle. And at 2 1/2 it might have great throttle response.

Make sense?

 

[MacAttack]

I've found myself in a tuning conundrum before where I THOUGHT I had my idle and low speed needle adjusted well, when in actuality my low speed was too rich and I was getting to my idle speed with excess throttle at "idle".
Then I fixed the low speed mix, backed down the idle adjustment and had it tuned correctly.

 

[Hermio]

Well they are good for what they are. And yes back when I needed a chainsaw because I had no money or heat I bought the cheapest chainsaw I could afford pb4218 and yes it cut 8 cords of wood the first year. there after I got a better job got the central heat and air working slowly kept repairing the fixer upper house I bought. Wood became a secondary form of heat but I still burn anywhere from 3 to 5 cords a year. And that saw lasted me about 10 years and would of lasted more had I not leaned it to much. They are not complete trash as a lot of people have you to believe just too slow for me now that I have a real chainsaw. But I wouldn't have figured out how to properly tune a expensive chainsaw because I would have hated to loose one because I screwed it up. But the poulan was cheap enough I decided to fiddle with it and learned the hard way what not to do. Now I'm much better versed on all of my chainsaws even my expensive sthils and yes that poulan saved me money but it's also helped me make a little bit of money. I do sale the occasional load of wood or cut a tree down for someone. My 2nd poulan has hung right in there with my ms250 for about 6or 7 years now. The 250 is a few years older. But now I have better saws so the small saws see alot less time than they used too.

Would have, or would've, not would of.

 

[MacAttack]

comment thanks4 that willstartupupwith a Mini Mac 25 splanepleez why so...- (dangerous)?, Mini Mac 30 - (very dangerous), i like thatnicnice! Mcculloch Super Pro 40 (rear handle = safe) heavy man heavy duty tradezeeezpleeez>thanksfortakinggoodcareof these toolsmyman ripppin
Mini-Mac 35 (on the bench), good safeplace 4it Mini Mac 6 (x2) , Mcculloch Pro Mac 10-10 (might run), McCulloch Pro Mac 10-10 (parts saw), Mcculloch Pro 10-10S, Mcculloch Pro 10-10A, Mcculloch 3818 (needs fixing), Poulan Pro 4218, is this the one???partsmaywork Power Machinery Ltd 27O, HOMELITE SXL “Big Red” kickasssawrightheresix months to upgrade your arsenal list here so thought i would point that out4218AVXthe omission is expected&completelyfine with me considering the length of nap sumsawzget, take it up the tree and once its runnin, hang it from your landyard like normal, see if that wakesit up~up, lemme know awite? machefitiola

Thanks for the compliments! I have a pretty humble collextion I'd say. The 4218 is the same one from my signature. I like to chime in because I don't think even the newer Poulans are nearly as bad as the reputation they get. After all, they're a Husqvarna saw.

 

[Junk Saw Collector]

Thanks for the compliments! I have a pretty humble collextion I'd say. The 4218 is the same one from my signature. I like to chime in because I don't think even the newer Poulans are nearly as bad as the reputation they get. After all, they're a Husqvarna saw.

I think most people that crap on Poulan are missing the point of Poulan as a brand. They’re homeowner saws. They’re not intended to cut down 4 foot trees and go full throttle for 10 hours a day. For the people that aren’t pros and don’t heat their home with wood, Poulans aren’t bad saws. It also doesn’t help the brand that they’re extremely affordable, so people that don’t know what they’re doing buy them and burn them up. Your average homeowner doesn’t need a $2K saw with a 36” bar that weighs over 15 pounds to trim the trees around their property.

 

[Captain Bruce]

Well said. I agree with everything except number 14. I can afford to buy whatever saws I want, but I don’t heat my house with fire wood, nor am I a logger. Chainsaws are a hobby to me and I like working on them. Why not get cheap junk that people are tossing out and fix it for next to nothing? I’m also getting into porting them, just for fun. I have no need for a 500i or an MS880, so I don’t need to spend that big money to have fun.

I agree. I fix up cast offs too. Difference is, than I sell them locally. A Stihl, Husqvarna/Jonsered/Red Max, ECHO is out the door with a profit in a week.

You must have a mountain of Poulans......they are complete bottom of the barrell turds.....

 

[Junk Saw Collector]

I agree. I fix up cast offs too. Difference is, than I sell them locally. A Stihl, Husqvarna/Jonsered/Red Max, ECHO is out the door with a profit in a week.

You must have a mountain of Poulans......they are complete bottom of the barrell turds.....

Lol! I have a few of them. I agree that the big names sell easily. I’m not selling mine, so I don’t care what they’re worth to anybody else. My chainsaws aren’t for profit. I make plenty of money with my 9 to 5. I just like working on them and improving them. It’s a hobby.

 

[Rein]

With modern Poulans, all of the Poulan Pros are strato engines with chrome bores, all the other ones with green bodies are not strato (single throat carb) and have chrome plated pistons and bare aluminum bores.
The fuel caps that swell and get too tight are the ones that are damaged by alcohol in the fuel. Just have to leave them in the sunlight for a day or two.

Is it UV that shrinks them or just radiant heat? If it's just a dry heat I can leave them on my boiler where I dry other things all the time.

 

[Rein]

Was the Wild Thing a strato port engine like the PP4218AVX? Or just a regular piston port engine?
I'm convinced my 4218 is such a royal b**ch to tune because of the strato charge design. I simply cannot get that thing to idle consistently. It also gained a lot of power when I richened the hi speed mixture, the damn thing was so lean from the factory it had no power.

I've found on any 2-stroke, if tuning is inconsistent (from one session to the next or even in the same session sometimes), then it's usually an air leak. I pressure/vacuum test pretty much every engine I work on now because I can put a lot of time into one, get it all back together and think it's done, only to find out I need to tear it down again to replace seals or deal with other leaks like cracked impulse lines, cracked intake boots, warped or cracked intakes/adapters, gaskets that looked OK but turned out to be bad, loose cylinder screws, failed base gasket or sealant, non-sealing compression release, failed oil pump cover gasket, etc.

Wow, I just realized in the past 20 months or so since I started doing this I've encountered a lot of leaks! ;-) Little by little as I work on different machines I'm adding to my collection of blockoff rubbers. I started making full ones with holes for the screws - takes longer to install and remove but sealing is a lot more positive and easy to confirm versus the wedge-shaped ones where you sometimes can't easily see if it's in enough to cover a port completely.

 

[Old2stroke]

Is it UV that shrinks them or just radiant heat? If it's just a dry heat I can leave them on my boiler where I dry other things all the time.

I don't think it is UV, leaving them in the freezer seems to do the same thing, just takes longer. Newer models must have a different plastic as they don't seem to be affected.

 

[Old2stroke]

I've found on any 2-stroke, if tuning is inconsistent (from one session to the next or even in the same session sometimes), then it's usually an air leak. I pressure/vacuum test pretty much every engine I work on now because I can put a lot of time into one, get it all back together and think it's done, only to find out I need to tear it down again to replace seals or deal with other leaks like cracked impulse lines, cracked intake boots, warped or cracked intakes/adapters, gaskets that looked OK but turned out to be bad, loose cylinder screws, failed base gasket or sealant, non-sealing compression release, failed oil pump cover gasket, etc.

Wow, I just realized in the past 20 months or so since I started doing this I've encountered a lot of leaks! ;-) Little by little as I work on different machines I'm adding to my collection of blockoff rubbers. I started making full ones with holes for the screws - takes longer to install and remove but sealing is a lot more positive and easy to confirm versus the wedge-shaped ones where you sometimes can't easily see if it's in enough to cover a port completely.

Yeah, lots of things to get hard and dry out and cause leaks, however, I work on a LOT of the new age box store Poulans and I rarely find any faulty crankcase seals, mainly because the saws I see don't live long enough to wear them out. Early death due to lean factory settings and no-nothing buyers.