Chainsaw Repair
Husqvarna - Stihl - Poulan - Jonsered - Dolmar chainsaws and more => Poulan => Topic started by: forginhill on December 30, 2012, 06:13:44 pm
-
Hi from the Southwest, happy to have just found this forum. Bought my first chainsaw about 4 years ago, a 3516AVX. I used it hard every winter since we heat our house completely by wood stove. Mostly cutting mesquite logs average of 8 to 10 inches diameter. I used it to cut down a palm tree for my dad that was two foot in diameter. That was fun.....gunked the saw up something terrible. Never cleaned it or tuned it or anything the entire time I've used it, and it has always started up and worked like a charm (I realize that doesn't say a lot about me and my tool maintenance habits). Saturday at a friend's house I cut down a 15 inch pine tree with it and was cutting it into sections when the saw sort of froze up. It would still run, but the chain wouldn't turn. I did a little reading online and figured the clutch had gone bad. I took it off and the engine turns over smoothly, so I figure that was the problem. I found where they sell replacement clutches at repairclinic.com. Is that a good place to get parts?
Meanwhile, I need a saw right now and figured it would be good to have two, so I got the 5020AV at Lowe's. What a difference! The 3516 is a toy by comparison. I'm in love with this machine! Are there any recommendations for optimizing the saw, carburetor adjustment, whatever? I'll start reading through threads on this forum for tips.
Thanks!
-
Just helping on the 3516 right now. Poulan pro sales directly and has manuals for both. http://www.poulanpro.com/products/chain-saws/
Order parts right here http://www.ordertree.com/poulan/
PWE
530057907
CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
5.45
-
Congradulations on the 5020av. I do not own one but hear they are good saws. I believe they do come with safety chain on them and if you are an experienced cutter you could try some good non safety chisel chain on it. Also I do not know if you file your own chains or not but there is some good information here on doing that as well and keeping your saw cutting fast and good.
Looks like cut4fun has you pointed in a good place for your parts. Welcome to the forum.
-
Thanks for the link, cut4fun.
3000fps, I'll look into the safety chain issue. I didn't know there was such a thing. I do sharpen my chains myself. One problem I did have with the smaller saw was that after sharpening it for awhile the saw started cutting in a curve rather than straight. It may have been the bar, I don't know. Someone told me to flip the bar, but I didn't have a chance to try that yet.
-
It is not a bar problem. However, I turn my bar over with every new chain and file the edge of the bar flat. When it is cutting in a curve it's a sharpening problem. Either the angles are diferent on one side or teeth are shorter on one side.
Shep
-
Farmboy is correct it probably is the chain. If you get it sharper or if the teeth are longer on one side more than the other it will make it cut in a curve.
-
Thanks for the comments. I try my best to sharpen the chain evenly. Is this just something that comes with experience? If a saw is cutting in a curve, how do you guys go about identifying the uneven chain teeth and fixing them?
Here's the 3516 on a pile of mesquite:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uK6jN1owJpI/UOuJ3EdT0kI/AAAAAAAAan4/vQmGO6iCZg8/s800/P1090645-001.JPG)
And the 5020. We just got a dumptruck load of wood on Sunday afternoon. Fun!
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hl9MP7xFjd8/UOyk0VdokII/AAAAAAAAaoU/M82ky_yagiA/s800/P1100713-001.JPG)
-
Make a pass at sharpening the the cutters on the side that doesn't cut good.
-
I believe they do come with safety chain on them and if you are an experienced cutter you could try some good non safety chisel chain on it.
Your 5020 comes with Oregon's Vanguard chain. Not the best, but unlike some of the safety chains, there isn't a bumper between each cutter, which ideally would have to be cut down a little each time you sharpen, to achieve best performance.
On the Vanguard chain, the safety device is built into the depth guide on the cutter teeth. As you sharpen your saw, you should also file the depth guides to the right height also. This removes a step required of most other "safety chain". I like the cutters, they are a full chisel style, but the depth guide shape really limits the bite they can make.
Time to go sharpen mine. I need to kill some bamboo tomorrow morning.
-
forginhill
I would suggest that you either get someone, who truly know how to sharpen chain correctly, to show you proper technique and then critique your sharpening method; or pay someone to sharpen your chains correctly. You are going to need a number of sharp chains to cut your load of mesquite, as it appears to contain many roots which will be covered with fine dirt and the bark will be embedded with dirt carried by the wind.
I would also suggest that you continue to use the safety chain - the difference between safety chain and chain with no protection is not that great for the average user. There is no comparison between safety with the two types of chain. It is virtually impossible to be killed or even serious hurt with safety chain; while there is a good chance that non-safety chain can seriously damage or even kill an inexperienced / average user from kickback. If you had ever seen the photos of cutters serious injured or killed by kickback (including people with their head cut off); then you would not even consider using non-safety chain. Is a couple of seconds worth your life?
Your 3516 bar is covered in a very fine sawdust which indicates that your chain is very dull. If it was sharpened correctly and the depth gauges set; your cutting performance would improve dramatically and it would not cut in a curve. I imagine that you will find that it will cut a lot closer to your 5020, as there is only 8cc difference between their engines.
I really doubt that you need a new clutch on your 3516, clutches don't normally lock when they wear unless spring for shoes is broken, or you were cutting in very abrasive material (very fine dirt) which is just grinding your clutch components away. The clutch was probably just locked from long threadlike fibers from the palm tree that you cut. These can lock a clutch up so it can not turn, plus fill the gaps between your cylinder fins causing saw to overheat - this may also be part of the reason for poor performance as the engine may have scuffed from overheating. I would suggest that after cutting palm trees, that you always clean your cylinder fin gaps, under starter cover and under clutch cover.
Why don't you post a photo of your clutch drum and also your clutch driver & shoes before you spend money for parts that may not be necessary.