My pull start on a Poulan 3314 Chain Saw (with

Nov 06, 2009

- I DID IT! I fixed my Poulan P3314 Chain Saw pull start. Unscrew screws and remove plastic black shroud on top. Unscrew screws and remove green pull start housing. On inside of housing, Remove center screw with allen wrench. Very carefully remove white plastic pull string pulley assembly; if not, spring will unwind (see below for restore). PROBLEM was grit got into spring (poor design) and stopped pulling. I used WD40 to oil up. Spring eyelet of spring coil that nears center post was too far away to work when reinstalled. I think was caused by pulling string forcefully when would not retract. Use needle nosed pliers to curl more inward eyelet towards center; make sure to hold down spring coil while doing this. TRICKY; Part of spring coil was hitting center post and preventing easy installation of white pulley assembly that must hit very bottom. I modded a paper clip with needle nose pliers, putting tiny right angle at one end; slide clip from outside of green housing through air vent towards center post and pull back coil leaning against post to clear for pulley. Make sure you line up one of two bottom notches with coil eyelet. As you are pulling coil with clip, slide pulley down to touch bottom. Twist out clip carefully as pulley is coming down. Reinstall center screw with allen wrench, tight. There should now be tension on pulley; test it, if not tighten in more. Now use VIDEO in above post to wind pulley tension properly. DONE!

OOPS!. in case spring comes out while doing this repair; I used a square foot piece of wood, 4 finishing nails and a hammer to re-tighten coil for re-installation into starter housing. make sure finishing nail is small enough to fit into spring coil eyelet. nail one nail through eyelet into center of wood block. Next, nail two more nails equidistant from first nail about an inch apart to form a triangle. Start winding around nails, pulling and winding. careful to hold down with fingers. You're done when coil is tight enough to fit inside it's proper place in housing. Use fourth nail to hold outside hook in place to hold coil from unraveling. Now, carefully remove the two center nails and finally the eyelet nail. Hold the coil while removing eyelet nail. Slide out from wood block and align outer coil hook with hook-let on inside of housing. Slowly release, while depressing coil so that it won't fly out on you, again. Again, POOR DESIGN by Poulan is to blame for you having to do this part. GOOD LUCK!