Poulan saqw ( Wild Thang) carb adjustment

[FarmboyBill]

I have an older one. I see the 2 studs for adjusting, but I dont know which does what, or what to adjust them with. They neither have a notch for a screwdriver, or a head of any kind. How does somebody adjust them? Thanks

[HermitJohn]

You might try a small nut driver filled with steel wool. Should get good enough grip. Or you can do what I did to couple cheap poulans friend bought. Just strip off plastic carp until you can get hold of the screws with needle nose pliers. Problem is anymore EPA emissions requires carb be set so lean it wouldnt run worth a darn, no power and stalls any chance it gets. Get mixture screw opened a bit and they run perfectly fine. Alternatively if there is big enough head on the screws get dremel out with cut off blade and cut your own groove so you can use straight blade screw driver next time.

In other words its same thing they did in 70s to automotive carbs, where you had to dig/drill out stupid plug to get to the mixture screw. Now modern lawn mowers have no adjustment at all, you want to change mixture you need to remove the bowl and measure and drill out the jet.

EDIT: Once you remove air cleaner assembly and the plastic crap manufacturer put on to prevent carb adjustments, you can see which scew is for engine idle and which is mixture. The end of idle screw just cams against throttle lever, screw doesnt go into carb body. The other is the mixture. To adjust mix, rev saw, hold trigger and turn screw until it sounds good with good rpm, to adjust idle let saw idle and back off until saw chain stops moving. On a saw that has been running properly, highly unlikely screws backed off, more likely you have an air leak or carb needs a rebuild. Usually you only have to set carb after you rebuild it. Usually problem with carb is diaphram wears out gets pin hole though can get gunked if you leave gas in saw without using stabilizer. Also check fuel filter in tank and fuel lines can lose integrity and either leak or collapse.

Its shame cheapo saws get sold that wont run properly out of the box. They arent worth hiring somebody that knows what they are doing and it would be illegal for him to change settings if you did. So unless you can make the slight modifications yourself you are screwed. At least you arent required to get a yearly government emissions inspection on small engine equipment. But believe or not another friends big Husky saw had manual with it that indicated this saw in some markets had a catalytic converter. Yep chainsaw with a catalytic converter. See electronic fuel injection on lawnmowers next.

[pheasantplucker]

I had one of those saws...Never again. I took great care of it and probably only used it maybe 2o hours total (over the course of time, enough for the warranty to expire)...then it died. No amount of tinkering by me or a good friend who knows tons about gas engines...I'll never buy another Poulan again

[Cabin Fever]

It is my understanding that the only way to fix a Poulan saw is with a sledge hammer. Smash the "wild thang" up with the sledge hammer and get yourself a real saw (jonsered, stihl or husky).

[7.62mmFMJ]

I have a Wild Thing that just keeps on trucking. I keep trying to destroy it so that I don't feel unclean. Back in the 80s I bought my Dad a Poulan chain saw at the PX. He used that thing for 20 years.

Now Poulan is owned by Husqvarna. Craftsman saws are also made by Husqvarna.

[Oldcountryboy]

Did you mean poulan saw or poulan sqaw?

I use to own a poulan saw but it became very independable. If you meant sqaw, I've never had a poulan sqaw but I am married to a Cherokee Sqaw. She's..... somewhat dependable!

[FarmboyBill]

yaall tell me the history, temperment, and reliability fo the saw, and nona one o ya can tell me how to adjust it???????????????????????????????????????????

[VERN in IL]

poulan is better than no saw, if you can get it started and keep it running!

Poulan is at the bottom, but you got it, fix it or trade it.

Can you post a picture of the adjusting scews?

[7.62mmFMJ]

I was looking at the same problem and noticed the plastic caps on the adjustment screws. You should see them on the left side. I did not get so far as to take them off for further examination. It runs g'nuff.

[HermitJohn]

Its a shame what Poulan and Homelite have become. They made some really decent saws back in the day. McCulloch also. McCulloch went bankrupt with their cheaped out Mexican saws and some Chinese company bought the name so you still see some light duty consumer saws with McCulloch name but nothing in common with the older McCullochs.

Anyway WildThang and other consumer saws, first of all dont have big enough engine to be firewood saws, they are basically light duty trimming saws with too long of a bar for size of engine. Second they use chrome plated cylinders so not really repairable. But if you get them adjusted and take care of them they will last several years. Just get a 12 inch to 14inch bar, these saws cant handle anything bigger and just give frustration if you try. In case nobody realizes, Stihl makes simular light duty line of saws in addition to their pro saws, apparently its very profitable to make light duty underpowerd carp aimed at yuppies.


One nice thing nobody is hankering to steal a Poulan or a Homelite unless they are just taking anything not nailed down for scrap. Stihls and Huskys you have to hire somebody with a shotgun to sit and watch them. Think if I had a good Stihl or Husky, I'd paint it yellow and slap a Poulan or McCulloch label on the side.

[HermitJohn]

Originally Posted by FarmBoyBill

yaall tell me the history, temperment, and reliability fo the saw, and nona one o ya can tell me how to adjust it???????????????????????????????????????????

Please reread my first post. You need to remove the air filter, then remove the plastic EPA shield or shields that is/are intended to prevent you from adjusting your own saw. There is no magic wrench for the screws (THEY ARE MADE TO PREVENT USER ADJUSTMENTS THAT AFFECT EMISSIONS) unless Poulan sells one through its dealers, you need to use needle nose pliers and if you cant figure out how to remove air filter or cant be bothered to do so, then no saw is going to work for you as the air filter needs to be cleaned regularly even on top end saws.

One all the stuff is removed, you can use your very own eyeballs to detect which screw is which. The mixture screw screws into the carburetor body. The idle screw just cams against the throttle linkage on side of the carburetor. Now go back to my first post and learn how to make the actual adjustments. Geesh.

Sorry I cant give a minute blow by blow instructions but I dont own a Wild Thang, just occasionally work bit on friends Poulans without the fancy paint job. Different year Wild Thangs may use different carbs anyway. If you need extremely detailed instructions perhaps you can order an official shop manual for your saw from pOULAN, course it may cost more than the saw did.

[foxtrapper]

To adjust them you have to remove the cover there that is preventing you from adjusting them. Usually the cover pries straight up. However, many of the carburetors have a necked screw that snaps when you pry the cover up.

[-TWO-]

Once you figure out how to access the adjustment screws. The one on the left will be the high speed, the one on the right is the low speed. First, with the saw not running, reset each screw to its initial setting. To do this, turn each screw clockwise until they just stops turning. (Gently, if you over tighten the screws, you'll damage the seats & your saw will never run right again.) Next, turn each screw counter clockwise 1 1/4 turn. Now, with the bar & chain on, start the saw (It will run rough, but that's all right) & set it on a firm, flat surface. With the throttle wide open, slowly turn the high speed screw clockwise then counter clockwise untill you find the sweet spot (Neutral mix, engine running at maximum RPM's). Now, with throttle off, repeat the same procedure with the low speed screw (you might have to feather the throttle a bit to keep the saw running) until the RPM's are just high enough that the saw will idle without the chain turning. Go back to the high speed screw again with the throttle wide open, find the sweet spot again & back it off (counter clockwise) 1/8 of a turn. Run the saw untill its fully warmed up, then fine tune it, if needed.

[Cabin Fever]

This should help you with your Poulan Model #4018WT:

Owner's Manual

Parts Diagram

And here's info on the carb (ZAMA W26) in your saw:

ZAMA Technical Guide

And lastly, some info on the "tamper resistant carb mixture screws on for you saw:
ZAMA service tips