Chainsaw Repair

Husqvarna - Stihl - Poulan - Jonsered - Dolmar chainsaws and more => Poulan => Topic started by: ChipsAhoy on January 17, 2016, 09:43:35 pm

Title: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: ChipsAhoy on January 17, 2016, 09:43:35 pm
I was give one of these this weekend with the statement "it's broke" you can have it.  Curiosity got the best of me today and I started checking it out. I started with the usual suspects, spark, fuel lines, quick look in cyl, so far so good. Pulled the cover off the bar and lo and behold the shaft the sprocket rides on is broken off where the clutch threads end.  He was right....it's broke.  I would have to replace the crank to fix it. Not worth messing with.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: 3000 FPS on January 17, 2016, 10:05:40 pm
Well sometimes you can find something cheap on ebay that is used but will still work.   That would not be a first for me.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: Chris-PA on January 17, 2016, 11:10:48 pm
Yup - keep and eye out on eBay and you can surely find a crank cheap.  There are a bazillion of these out there and very few have failed cranks, so those should be one of the more common things left when they are parted out. 
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: ChipsAhoy on January 18, 2016, 07:42:05 am
Thanks, I've checked some of those out. I also noticed that complete saws were pretty cheap and a re-manufactured saw going for around $80. This saw is not that common (I've never seen another) in my neck of the woods, and I think trying to flip it will be a chore. My fear is putting more into it then it's worth.  If I fix this, what else will I need to fix  One thing leads to another and eventually your past the point of no return....literally.   I just don't want to go there.

Now if this was a Stihl or Husky I'd have a different viewpoint on the repairs. Those two are the major players up here in N Wisc. and fairly easy to flip.

Poulan gets a bad rap here as being a cheap WalMart saw, even though they make pretty decent homeowner saws.

Has anyone else seen this kind of damage? Is this a weak spot in design of clutch/sprocket drive?
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: dannyupsolate on January 18, 2016, 09:52:05 am
not that common a problem. If saw is strato it,s likely any of strato engines will fit it. Other than 50 cc engine.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: Chris-PA on January 18, 2016, 10:11:25 am
I gotta believe someone went full gorilla on that as I've not seen any broken before.  Perhaps they didn't realize the clutch was reverse threaded?
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: 3000 FPS on January 18, 2016, 11:13:45 am
I have 3 of those Poulans and have modified a couple of them.   There is no weak spot with the cranks and they have pretty good antivibration and run very good with the correct modifications.   If your just a flipper then part it out.   I myself would rather have the Poulan 4218 for 40 to 50 dollars instead of a Stihl for 240 dollars.   
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: Cut4fun on January 18, 2016, 01:02:42 pm
I seen a pic of a 025 250 yesterday where the crank broke on the flywheel side.  Right at inner part of fly.  That was a first for me on fly side.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: ChipsAhoy on January 18, 2016, 05:37:35 pm
I gotta believe someone went full gorilla on that as I've not seen any broken before.  Perhaps they didn't realize the clutch was reverse threaded?

It didn't break because of trying to remove the clutch. The extension of the shaft past the clutch is where the sprocket/clutch housing goes, and in held on by cir-clip. That's where it broke. It would be easier to understand if I'd had posted a pix. My neighbor wanted it so it's gone now.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: 3000 FPS on January 18, 2016, 06:34:43 pm
Then it sounds like someone might have tapped it with a hammer.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: Chris-PA on January 18, 2016, 07:50:39 pm
My neighbor wanted it so it's gone now.
Well, there's always more!
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: ChipsAhoy on January 18, 2016, 09:23:10 pm
Then it sounds like someone might have tapped it with a hammer.
My thoughts also, but it just didn't look right for that. The mating pieces looked somewhat smeared/rubbed together but again, I can't picture that scenario either. I guess we'll never know until it happens again to someone that will let us know.


Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: 3000 FPS on January 18, 2016, 09:23:35 pm
My neighbor wanted it so it's gone now.
Well, there's always more!

I don't know I get the feeling that Poulans were not his thing and that is not either good or bad, just personal preference.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: ChipsAhoy on January 18, 2016, 09:32:29 pm
It had a fairly new 18" Oregon Intenz bar & chain on it. I had no use for the bar but kept the chain.
Title: Re: Poulan Pro 4218 AV
Post by: 3000 FPS on January 18, 2016, 10:16:01 pm
It had a fairly new 18" Oregon Intenz bar & chain on it. I had no use for the bar but kept the chain.

Hey not a total loss.