Greetings all.
I'm having some issues with my chainsaw. The starter cord won't pull smoothly anymore. i took off the casing and cleaned and oiled it up a bit, and its still a rough, jerky pull. So needless to say, the chainsaw won't even start up with out a proper pull. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Tell us the make and model. Then other owners will chime in.

 

Oh, that would help. sorry first time poster.

Poulan 2450 2.3 C.I. Super Clean...

 

Remove the spark plug. Is it wet? Does the saw crank fine without the plug?

 

It's a little damp from the cold this morning, but not soaking wet. Pulled the spark plug, and it still a rough pull..... very jerky.

 

There's a chance it's in the engine and not the pull starter. Take off the cowling that contains the pull start - should be the four screws. Then turn the engine over by turning the flywheel by hand with the plug out. If it doesn't turn over smoothly the problem is either in the cylinder/piston or the rod bearing. If you find out that's the case, for that saw, it's better to replace the saw rather than fix it.

 

Check the starter rope assembly to make sure the rope is not binding in the housing. Also, the spool bearings may be worn in the pull rope assembly.

 

Sounds like problems. Usually I find this to be caused by bad crankshaft bearings allowing the shaft to move side-to-side, causing the flywheel to hit the coil. Not worth fixing on these saws. Wouldn't hurt to check pull rope operation with it removed from the saw, but there are no bearings at the rope spool.