Poulan Pole trimmer

[Foreverwood]

My Poulan pole trimmer has started acting up. At first it would only stay running in the choke position which it would over rev in. I then took the carb apart cleaned it put it back together and now it starts but i have another problem. Now when I prime it gas shoots in the carb instead of through the return line. Of course at first i thought that i must have reversed the line although its hard to do on mine since the sizes are different. I was obviously amazed. I then thought could i have destroyed some check valve soaking the carb, but my primer bulb is external and was obviously not soaked. I then traced the lines one by one to make sure. Gas line from bottom of carb to small line attached to filter in the tank, gas line at top connected to what is supposed to be the suction side of the primer. The suction side pushes out and sucks in. The side that squirts out still only squirts out. I'm guessing that a check valve should be in this purge bulb and miraculously has gone bad all of a sudden. Do you all agree? The saw will start now although it need revving up and the needle adjustment is either too much or too little within a quarter of a turn either way. Ive never had an adjustment problem like that. Help

 

[Lawnranger]

Honestly, if your pole trimmer is more than four years old you would probably be money ahead if you were to buy a new carburetor. There are check valves in most two stroke carburetors and they can be damaged by carburetor cleaners. The check valves are usually located below the purge bulb and they look like tiny metal washers, in a plastic spacer plate sometimes, and are very difficult to replace.

The fuel lines also go bad from ethanol in the fuel and should be replaced if they are getting hard or discolored. I work on two stroke engines all the time and see this problem every day. A new carburetor, new fuel lines, new spark plug, new fuel filter, new air filter, clean the fuel system out and you should be good to go.

The fact that fuel mix is now shooting in the carburetor when you prime the system shows that there is a leak somewhere in the carburetor. Again, you'd be money and time ahead by replacing the carburetor.

Just my :2cents:

 

[Foreverwood]

Honestly, if your pole trimmer is more than four years old you would probably be money ahead if you were to buy a new carburetor. There are check valves in most two stroke carburetors and they can be damaged by carburetor cleaners. The check valves are usually located below the purge bulb and they look like tiny metal washers, in a plastic spacer plate sometimes, and are very difficult to replace.

The fuel lines also go bad from ethanol in the fuel and should be replaced if they are getting hard or discolored. I work on two stroke engines all the time and see this problem every day. A new carburetor, new fuel lines, new spark plug, new fuel filter, new air filter, clean the fuel system out and you should be good to go.

The fact that fuel mix is now shooting in the carburetor when you prime the system shows that there is a leak somewhere in the carburetor. Again, you'd be money and time ahead by replacing the carburetor.

Just my :2cents:

Thank you Lawn ranger for your response. I am actually considering buying a new carb and replacing the line but I don't know how clearly I stated it in my thread but the primer is a remote one not an attached one, so it wasn't damaged from soaking. The remote primer seems to be shooting fuel in the wrong direction. I was asking to be certain and I'm pretty sure the remote primer should have a check valve built in, but was trying to be clear on it.

 

[ILENGINE]

I don't even repair those carbs any more. When the kit cost about $10, and the complete carb runs between $24-27 it is not worth spending the time on it. And the carb cleaners seem to stick the check valves in the carb about 75% of time, which makes the carb worthless at that point.

 

[Lawnranger]

Thank you Lawn ranger for your response. I am actually considering buying a new carb and replacing the line but I don't know how clearly I stated it in my thread but the primer is a remote one not an attached one, so it wasn't damaged from soaking. The remote primer seems to be shooting fuel in the wrong direction. I was asking to be certain and I'm pretty sure the remote primer should have a check valve built in, but was trying to be clear on it.

If the purge bulb is transferring fuel and not leaking there is no reason to replace it. Most of the time there is no check valve in the purge bulb itself but rather the check valves reside in the carburetor. Typically the purge bulb pushes fuel to the fuel tank and vacuum from the expanding purge bulb pulls fuel from the tank through the carburetor so a fresh supply of fuel is ready to be metered by the carburetor and for the quickest start. If your purge bulb is working in reverse, try switching the lines so the one in the tank with the filter attached goes to the carburetor pump side and the short one from the carburetor metering side goes to the vacuum side of the purge bulb and the pressure side of the purge bulb goes back to the tank.

 

[Foreverwood]

If the purge bulb is transferring fuel and not leaking there is no reason to replace it. Most of the time there is no check valve in the purge bulb itself but rather the check valves reside in the carburetor. Typically the purge bulb pushes fuel to the fuel tank and vacuum from the expanding purge bulb pulls fuel from the tank through the carburetor so a fresh supply of fuel is ready to be metered by the carburetor and for the quickest start. If your purge bulb is working in reverse, try switching the lines so the one in the tank with the filter attached goes to the carburetor pump side and the short one from the carburetor metering side goes to the vacuum side of the purge bulb and the pressure side of the purge bulb goes back to the tank.

That's just it I am familiar with what goes where it's just that it's not working in reverse, one side is shooting gas out and the other is doing both shooting gas out and suctioning when released. That's why I said it must have a check valve or else if all worked that way you couldn't purge well and thats what's happening with mine. Because when I push it the side that shoots out doesn't completely because some is escaping on the suction side and when its released the suction isn't full suction because there's some communication with the other side. When I check both the side that should shoot does and doesn't suction and the side that should suction does some but shoots as well. I did just find something on You Tube with e replacements and it shows them testing a remote primer where only one side suctions and only one side shoots. I've dealt with many of these purge bulbs and this has never happened. I may eventually change the carb, but I absolutely love learning new things with small engines, hence my research. I do thank you, there are a great number of super sharp people on these forums.