old chainsaw revival...

my neighbor was going to throw out an old craftsman chainsaw. he says it's 20 years old, but it looks only a few years old. it's apparently been sitting for awhile. the gas is now a thick liquid. what can i do, if anything, to bring it back to life? is it worth it to take to someone or work on it myself. i have virtually noe experience on small engines, but i'm handy. where would i start? obviously rebuild the carb, but after that?

mitch.

 

Mitch,

The first thing to do is remove the muffler and check the cylinder for scoring. If you have a problem there, toss it back in the junk. There is no point in going through the expense and the effort of a carb rebuild and fuel line replacement if the cylinder is trashed(and a lot of them are)

I cant speak for all shops, but I check all cylinders I can when they come in. I do it for free, but I am seriously considering charging an inspection fee, as some places do. You would be surprised at the percentage of "free" or "garbage rescued" chainsaws and trimmers have trashed cylinders. I don't think 50% would be to high a figure.

You might also find that parts for a lot of the older stuff are obsolete or NLA. 'lint.

 

Definitely agree there.

Also, post the model # of the saw. That will reveal the source code of who made it for Sears. That will tell you where to get the needed parts at a bit cheaper than going to Sears directly.

It is likely a Poulan made machine if I had to guess.

 

i looked for a model number but coulnd't find it. i would have posted it. could it be somewhere other than on the outside o the unit, like inside the muffler cover maybe? i'll take a look and possibly take a few pictures...

 

If all checks out in the cylinder, drain the tank and wash it with spray carb cleaner. I have seen people put chain oil in the gas tank, fuel in the oil tank, and when it quits, they toss it. Sounds like that may be the case here.