Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - chain on saw will not stop spinning

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tim9433
05-26-07, 03:15 PM
I occasionally help an elderly man with his lawn care. The other day I was going to cut some branches with his chain saw. But when I went to use it, the chain wouldn't stop unless I cut off the saw. It is a gas powered Poulan chain saw. It starts up just fine, and it does pick up speed when I pull the trigger. Its just that the chain wont stop while its on. The man asked me to fix the problem, but I cant figure it out. Is it much of a problem? Any suggestions?

repair_guy
05-26-07, 03:34 PM
one or two clutch springs are broken.
nap
05-26-07, 04:30 PM
repair_guys suggestion is probably spot on but I can think of a couple other possibilities:

1. the idle is simply set too high so the clutch never drops below the speed required to release

2. if the saw has set for a considerable time, the clutch drum may have rusted enough to constantly rub the clutch shoes ( or other similar situation that does not allow the clutch to totally disengage such as the shoes do not retract due to a similar situation)


so, as long as the idle isn't the cause, the next step would be to remove the clutch and inspect it.