CRAFTSMAN (Poulan) Chain saw, Model# 358351063

Posted by Tony on October 4, 2009, 12:33 pm

I bought this thing 10-15 years ago and it's had moderate+ use. Before
I bought it, it was returned to Sears under warranty, repaired, and I
bought it for $50 clearance, under warranty, missing the manual.

Contrary to what I hear most people say, this thing always started and
ran great! Normally 2 or 3 pulls in temps from 20F to 99F.

OK, the 2 nuts to hold the bar on and the chain adjustment always gave
me a little trouble loosening up and the chain would loosen up. This
led me to tightening the 2 nuts more and more. Finally I pulled one of
the bolt heads partway through the plastic casing. A quick look seems
like it's one hell of a job to replace the case where the bolt pulled
through, plus I don't see that part listed on searspartsdirect.com

Any ideas what to do? I had pushed the bolt back into where it should
be but that area is cracked so I can't make the nut very tight without
the bolt coming out again. My one idea was to pull the bolt partway
through the broken case how it was. At that point I could clean it as
good as I can with carb cleaner, and/or maybe ether? After it's dry I'd
fill the cracks and voids with epoxy, then bush the bolt back to where
it belongs, adding more epoxy if there are any more voids.

And if I don't fix it, are the newer Poulan / Craftsman better or worse
that the old? It is basically the same as the bright green Poulan "Wild
Thing". I don't use it all the time, but when I do it often gets a
heavy workout. I don't think I need a heavier duty model. If the $50
one lasted this long

Posted by Steve Barker on October 4, 2009, 1:00 pm

Tony wrote:

> I bought this thing 10-15 years ago and it's had moderate+ use. Before
> I bought it, it was returned to Sears under warranty, repaired, and I
> bought it for $50 clearance, under warranty, missing the manual.
>
> Contrary to what I hear most people say, this thing always started and
> ran great! Normally 2 or 3 pulls in temps from 20F to 99F.
>
> OK, the 2 nuts to hold the bar on and the chain adjustment always gave
> me a little trouble loosening up and the chain would loosen up. This
> led me to tightening the 2 nuts more and more. Finally I pulled one of
> the bolt heads partway through the plastic casing. A quick look seems
> like it's one hell of a job to replace the case where the bolt pulled
> through, plus I don't see that part listed on searspartsdirect.com
>
> Any ideas what to do? I had pushed the bolt back into where it should
> be but that area is cracked so I can't make the nut very tight without
> the bolt coming out again. My one idea was to pull the bolt partway
> through the broken case how it was. At that point I could clean it as
> good as I can with carb cleaner, and/or maybe ether? After it's dry I'd
> fill the cracks and voids with epoxy, then bush the bolt back to where
> it belongs, adding more epoxy if there are any more voids.
>
> And if I don't fix it, are the newer Poulan / Craftsman better or worse
> that the old? It is basically the same as the bright green Poulan "Wild
> Thing". I don't use it all the time, but when I do it often gets a
> heavy workout. I don't think I need a heavier duty model. If the $50
> one lasted this long

if it's a chain saw you need, please see www.stihlusa.com there really
is no other.

Posted by Red on October 4, 2009, 5:05 pm

> if it's a chain saw you need, please see www.stihlusa.com=A0there really
> is no other.

Agree. The old Poulan 3400's were the last decent saw they made and
the new ones are crap. The Stihl saw is the best saw on the market.
I've had one for several years, use it pretty heavily, and have never
replaced anything except worn out chains.

Red

Posted by Bill on October 5, 2009, 11:39 am

> if it's a chain saw you need, please see www.stihlusa.com there really
> is no other.

I agree. Stihl is the best. That means it will start and run when you need
it.

As to Poulan, I had one and spent more hours fixing it than running it.
Piece of junk!

Posted by Frank on October 4, 2009, 1:51 pm

Tony wrote:

I have a Poulan Wild Thing and when it works, it's fine, but I had to
have oil pump replaced under warranty after about 5 hours use. It was a
PITA because repair shop was off in the boonies about 20 miles from here
and it took two round trips and a month.

My son bought one and with even less use, it's broken and he's returning
for a new one.

Next time my saw poops out, I'm buying something decent.

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