Chainsaw Advice/Help.

[HisTreeNut]

A friend of mine is moving to Georgia and he gave me a Poulan 2375 chainsaw that he no longer needs.
It needs a new bar and a new fuel line. I am semi-mechanical but there is a reason why I cook for a living. Not my strongest suit.
1) I was going to get an Oregon bar & chain for it. It is what he used and he said they are great. Yes/no?
2) Are there any Do's or Don'ts that I should keep in mind when replacing the bar or is it a fairly straightforward thing to do?
3) Are fuel lines hard to replace? I was going to get a kit and make sure as many of the parts are as new as can be.
4) Same question...any do's or don'ts?
I know it is a light duty saw but seems to be a pretty decent saw from a few reviews I have read.
Never having used a chainsaw much, would it be a good 1st saw? Likewise. I should be able to find a manual on-line for it?
Thanks for all the help & advice. As always, it is most appreciated.

 

[Jon1270]

Oregon bars and chains are fine. You'll need to make sure they will fit the saw and work with each other, because there are lots of different bar types for various brands and sizes of saws. There are also many types of chain available.

I haven't worked on a Wild Thing myself so I can't say how difficult it is to replace the fuel line. A quick search tells me that it's just a length of tubing, cut to length. Look at the routing of the original hose before you pull it off. The hose will have to be pushed through the wall of the gas tank somewhere, and it will be a tight fit to prevent it from leaking. Cut the end of the hose at a long angle so that it's pointed, to make it easier to start through that hole. Cut it square after pulling it into place, before plugging it onto the carb/primer bulb/fuel filter.

Before you order any parts, I'd ask your friend why he says the fuel line needs to be replaced. If he knows for a fact that the fuel hose, bar and chain are all it needs, then fine, but sometimes a saw will stop working and someone will make wild, meaningless guesses about what's wrong, without ever investigating, e.g. 'it probably needs a fuel line / tune-up / spark plug / infarculator.' This is a very inexpensive saw to begin with. It's not worth sinking much money or time into it, so if there's any doubt about what's wrong with it then it might be worth just getting a new or functioning used saw instead.

 

[claydogg84]

Jon gave you good advice. Here's mine - Buy a real saw and don't put a dime into the "wild thing".

 

[Jags]

Jon gave you good advice. Here's mine - Buy a real saw and don't put a dime into the "wild thing".

Okay - you got the first laugh of the day out of me.

For short bucks it would be worth it to make the wild thing run - if nothing else it can be a back up saw or become a limber. For sure I would not be sticking much into it. It came from the factory as a low dollar homeowner saw. That doesn't mean it won't work, but it just is what it is.

 

[kevin j]

I would fix it
1. Think of it as a cheap way to get an education on how to fix minor things on a saw. If something goes wrong you're not out much.
2. For a couple dollars with the fuel line tubing if that's what it is you can get the engine running first.
3. For sure get the engine running and try it using the original bar and chain before putting any significant money into it.
4. Try cleaning the carburetor getting up to run messing around in general and if it doesn't work you throw the whole thing in the bin
5. Open up the muffler a little bit.
6. If it does run well maybe by Baileys bar and chain. Considerably less cost than Oregon at your local store Drop down to a 14 inch bar instead of an 18 you would be much happier
7. To me their worst flaw is hard starting when hot. Second-worst flaw is big vibration. There is no anti-vibe on that's all

I would've loved to have anything like that when I first started cutting firewood. That said, as above posters said definitely don't put too much money into it But it could be a real good start learning a new skill

 

[dougand3]

It's a fine first saw to learn on. First thing to do is an easy compression test - hold pull handle and let go of saw. Does it drop fast (bad) or go lug-lug-lug (good). Also, good to pull the muffler and move piston up/down with started handle. If P or R look scored (vertical lines/gouges), then it will need new P & R and it may not be worth rebuilding. Bottom line is see if engine provides adequate compression before spending money on other parts.

Oregon chains & bars. Input Poulan 2375.
http://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/lookups/selguide.aspx?BusId=OCS&SellReg=USA&LangId=ENG
Pay attn to your saw....does it have a slotted bolt in the bar cover or main body to adjust chain? Or does it have a slotted disk in the bar to adjust chain (Intenz bar)?

 

[Oldman47]

When you go to replace that bar read the numbers off of it. You care about the gauge and the pitch so that you can get a match for the drive sprocket and any chains you may have.

 

[HisTreeNut]

Thanks for all the help and advice. The guy that gave it to me is very mechanical, methodical, and takes very good care of his tools. It was his "everyday saw" but he has a better one that he prefers now. He knew I was looking for one and as I am a novice with chainsaws, he figured It would be a good starter saw for me to learn on & use.
As for the bar, it is two or three years old. It has seen better days. He said their is a small leak on the fuel line and I would probably be better off just replacing that as well. I will keep you posted on my "rebuild."
So...any of you do push lawnmowers?

 

[DodgyNomad]

Hope it goes smoothly for you. If it was me, I'd do the fuel line first and get it running before I committed the money on a bar and chain, just in case there's more that you run into while repairing it.

Those are not very well made saws, so there could be other issues once you get into it. Keep in mind you'll have about 50 bucks into the bar and chain, but it's very easy to replace, and will take you under 10 minutes to do it.

I often see deals pop up on ebay for re-man poulans that are perfect and as new for under a 100. You might get away cheap with the fuel line and bar chain fix. Don't get in any deeper than that is my suggestion, as it's not worth it.

 

[jebatty]

A new bar? My Husky bar is about 10 years old, hundreds of cords of wood, plus many logs for sawing. I don't think I know how to wear out a bar.

 

[DodgyNomad]

A new bar? My Husky bar is about 10 years old, hundreds of cords of wood, plus many logs for sawing. I don't think I know how to wear out a bar.

Maybe it was damaged in a felling. Either way, here's a HOMELITE 14" 42 CC new on eBay with a 2 year warranty for $99 for reference. The Poulan you're referencing is a 40cc, so similar saw. http://www.ebay.com/itm/391158801405

Again, just for reference. If you can't get the Poulan running decent with just a tune up and fuel line change, I'd likely abandon buying the new bar and chain investment. Heck, get the Poulan running and you can probably sell the powerhead on CL for $40, and for another 50 you can buy a BRAND NEW saw.

I've had a lot of experience working on and running these cheap saws, including the wild things, and they are meant to be disposable.

 

[HisTreeNut]

It's a fine first saw to learn on. First thing to do is an easy compression test - hold pull handle and let go of saw. Does it drop fast (bad) or go lug-lug-lug (good). Also, good to pull the muffler and move piston up/down with started handle. If P or R look scored (vertical lines/gouges), then it will need new P & R and it may not be worth rebuilding. Bottom line is see if engine provides adequate compression before spending money on other parts.

It goes lug-lug-lug & I got some fuel line from Lowe's. Watched a couple of videos on changing fuel lines. Tomorrow, I will start with the fuel line and I will be taking pictures along the way. Not so much to post, but to make sure I put it back together correctly.

 

[dougand3]

Here is the fuel line routing for most 42cc Poulans.
Tiny .08" line has fuel pickup on it inside tank. The other end goes on carb fuel supply line which is normally on clutch side.
Medium 3/32" line goes from long/fat purge bulb connector to tank hole near clutch. Short/thin purge connector goes to carb tube on flywheel side.

 

[wildlingabovethebridge]

I bought my PP 3416 new 2 years ago and honestly, with over 10 cord behind it, for the price I have nothing bad to say about it. The only caveats I have to that are:

1. After it broke in I had to get the Carb adjusted, $15 at the husky shop, NBD
2. I have taken pretty good care of it... rarely left outside, always let it warm up and cool down, always ran Husqvarna oil. Keep that chain sharp.
3. I took off the 16in it came with and put a 14in bar and chain on it, totally worth it, much better performance.
4. No matter how dependable, doing a lot of firewood with a saw this small is backbreaking work.
5. Since I got my 460 Rancher it has been demoted to backup/light yard work/limbing duty.

So I have put a little money into mine, but as it is still a fully functional piece of equipment I call it a win. But like the others said, if just getting it functional get even remotely near the purchace price, just get a new one.