Chainsaw Repair

Just wanted to add. The one BIG thing I have learned when dealing with Poulan saws, more so on the older ones. Is that NOTHING is for sure or set in stone.   I think at the factory, when they ran out of a certain part, they used parts that would normaly be used on another model, till their parts supply was back up. So you might find something on a saw, that normaly wouldn't be there.  Plus the fact, if your dealing with 20-30+ year old saws, lots of things could have been changed, altered, by previous owners in that length of time. A lot of parts will interchange between models. 

And, like a lot of car, truck, and tractor makers did. They would build the same model for 2-3 years, then change something slightly, even something as small as different color scheme or decals, slap a different number on them, and call them a new model. Then 2-3 years down the road, add a few more changes, and call it a new model.

Something I noticed about my 5200, is it uses what I would call the early style smooth front case. Where my 4200 uses the strenthened ribbed front on the case. Either one will work on either saw, one just a slight improvement. So when ya stretch that out over a number of years, like from the first 5200 to the last 8500. Basically the same saw, but lots of little changes or improvements in that time. Some things will interchange, some not. So when ya go back in that time frame, most parts will interchange, and ya might find something you never seen before. 

Gregg,