Craftsman chainsaw won’t start. If your chainsaw doesn’t start, you might have dirt in the carburetor, or you run out of gas.
It’s possible that you’re flooding the engine with too much fuel. Use the choke to start. Try emptying the fuel by pulling the rope a few times and see if that works!
This is assuming it was hot enough before going cold, though. If not, try twisting the throttle trigger back a bit and then pull-starting again.
Craftsman chainsaw won’t start
When the Craftsman chainsaw fails to start, one of two things might be the problem. The spark plug could be defective or it might be how it’s being used.
If a spark is being produced but the engine fails to fire up then you may want to check if fuel has been left inside of the chainsaw for long periods of time as that clogs up a carburetor fairly quickly.
Problem with Carburetor
The carburetor is clogged. If the engine doesn’t start, then the fuel supply might be obstructed by debris such as dirt. This could have happened for a number of reasons.
To remove the obstruction and make sure it does not occur again, try to clean out your carburetor with some cleaning solution for carburetors.
If this is ineffective, either replace or rebuild the carburetor completely until you have a smooth, running chainsaw again.
Ignition Coil issue
The ignition coil sends voltage to the spark plug while the engine is running. If the ignition coil is defective, the engine may not start.
For this reason, one of the first steps in troubleshooting a faulty engine involves inspecting and testing the spark plug because if it’s faulty, then your entire ignition system will be affected.
You must look for cracks and signs of carbon buildup on any part of your spark plug before replacing it.
Faulty Rewind Spring
Whenever the starter rope is pulled and released, the recoil spring recoils the starter rope onto a pulley.
The purpose of this mechanism is to create enough tension in the starter rope so that it can easily be unwound by pulling it as far as possible.
If, when using your chainsaw, you notice a problem with its tendency to play freely or not rewind without some encouragement, then chances are it’s due to either wear-and-tear (aging) of the recoil starter assembly or simply one of its components, more specifically.
Recoil Starter Problem
The recoil starter assembly engages the crankshaft to turn over the engine.
If the recoil starter assembly is defective, it may not engage the crankshaft properly, and the chainsaw won’t start.
Remove the starter assembly and inspect it to see if it is functioning properly. When you pull on the starter rope, tabbed projections extending from a pulley connected to a shaft should grab onto a rotor attached to the engine, causing it to turn.
When you release the rope after starting up your chainsaw, these tabs should retract back into themselves, and they should also retract any excess rope on their spool as part of a correctly functioning recoil starter assembly.
If this mechanism is not working correctly, replace it with a new one.
Starter Pulley issue
When the engine is started, the recoil start pulley takes up the starter rope. In the event of use, when it’s not being used, it pulls back from being extended until it is ready to go again.
If this pulley breaks or gets stuck, then it won’t pull back, and therefore, the engine will not start because it has to be retracted for this to happen.
If your recoil pulley gets broken, then replace it with a new one on top of replacing other parts that could have contributed to it breaking in the first place!
Problem with Spark Plug
If your chainsaw doesn’t start, this could be due to a faulty spark plug. To figure out if a new spark plugin is needed, remove the old spark plugin and inspect it.
If the porcelain insulator is cracked, an electrode has been burned away or damaged, or there is heavy carbon buildup at the electrode, replace the spark plug. Alternatively, if you haven’t gotten a new one in a few years, replace it.
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