I have an 18" Poulan "Wild Thing" that I bought at a Home Improvement store about 5 years ago. It
is your basic occasional use chainsaw and it probably only has about 10 hours of use at the most.
My problem is that it is extremely hard to pullstart (it won't start at all now) like the compression won't let the engine turn. Being a first-time chainsaw owner, I thought they were all like this until my neighbor let me borrow his Husqvarna (a real chainsaw) and it pulls almost as easy as a gas weed trimmer. Unfortunately, mine has done this since it was new but I didn't know any different. The chain break seems to work since when i pull the handle back, the clutch spins freely and pushing the handle forward locks the clutch. I would really like to keep this saw since it fits my needs around the house but I don't want to spend more than it's worth to have repaired. Any ideas?

 

Well, the husqvarna may or may not be any better than your poulan. Some of them were poulans with orange paint jobs. The swedish ones are the real saws. If it is a real husqvarna, you can't really compare the two. The bigger better husqs have compression release and other features to aid starting. Poulans usually have a cheesy plastic spool that is too small in diameter to give a smooth pull. If it is as hard to pull as it was when new, I'd say it's normal. Have you put fresh gas in it? Does it prime up well? If so, prime it well, put the choke on, pull the throttle wide open (if you can, some models put the choke off when you touch the throttle), and pull it until you hear it try to start or 20-30 times at most. If it does nothing, you'll need to check for spark.

 

That was just a joke about the Husky. I don't know enough about the best brands of chainsaws to have a real opinion. Back to our topic: If I keep pulling HARD to start this I will snap the the pull cord. That I do know. Strangely enough, my neighbor had the same problem with her almost brand new lawnmower. It was really hard to pull and wouldn't start and it turned out to have a bad magneto. I know this is two different types of machines but I'm now thinking it might be what you said, ignition.

 

Check the spark plug. Is it wet/oily?

 

Take your plug out and pull it to see if you have a perfect freewheel. While you're doing that check for gasoline blowing out of the plug hole. If you have gas blow out, you may have too much fuel in the chamber. In a normal saw you wouldn't have a cord snapping off because of the compression alone.

Some possibilities are the excess fuel which hydro locks the piston or at least drives up the compression, a blocked exhaust port that prevents the exhaust from exiting and drives up the compression, or things like the clutch dragging, in which case the chain will turn while trying to start it. Or there could be something internal on the engine like a rod bearing or in the pull start itself.

First see if you have the free pull with the plug out. If that's good, think in terms of the gasoline in the combustion chamber or the blocked port.

 

I realize this dates back to about 2012 but I have the same problem. Ran great last month. Now, I can not pull it through without using excessive force. Pulls through fine without the spark plug. Cylinder blown dry, ign off, piston looks clean, it feels like it is firing way before top dead center, but the spark plug is disconnected. Is it binding somewhere, or what? It is not a hydraulic lock. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Possibly a sheared flywheel key?

 

Carboned up/obstructed exhaust port ?

 

Fuel possibly in the piston chamber. I had a small home light do this a while back, the carb for some reason filled then engine much like a 4-stroke engine. I would pull the spark plug and then pull it over, that will tell you if there is anything inside, if the piston is rubbing, if the flywheel is stuck, etc.

I will add to the poulan versus husqvarna or stihl discussion though. I live in Maine and harvest my own firewood from the forest, 15 cords a year. I have a pile of poulan chain saws and it is a regular joke that they are always "poo-lin all over the place". I have ran husqvarna and stihl for a very long time. I can say that I can put down my husqvarna gas and all for a year, then choose to pick it up one day when it is -20F outside and it will not hesitate to fire right up and cut wood.

I will even add that I had a poulan given to me recently and do not even intend to use it. If I were not interested in some of the msc parts from them they would have been given away or taken to the dump long ago.

 

Hello im new to this site so im not sure if im in the right place or doing this right to post things anyway.... I have a 2005 poulan wildthing model 2375 42cc, Ive had it since new (rebilt from princess auto) and has ran great for the past 10yrs and very relyable.. now for some reason after burning a tank of gas it doesn't want to start up after filling it again and I have to let it sit for awhile then it starts.. I have cleaned the carb, changed the gas tank filter, checked the muffler for blockage and checked the compression witch is at 105 lbs.... when it is running it runs great.. I have even ran it for awhile on the first tank and shut it off and start it again right away and starts up again on the first pull... any ideas??? I have always mixed the gas 40:1 and the spark plug is brown so its not to lean or reach..

 

Have you checked spark when it won't start?