chainsaw plastic fuel lines go bad?

[DMartin9N-2N]

Good morning! I have a craftsman chain saw, low hours, probably 5 years old, sitting in barn. I am no longer supposed to use a gas-powered chainsaw due to unshielded ignition being hazardous to my pacemaker. OK, is it likely that this thing has small plastic fuel lines inside the gas tank that may have gone bad? I would like to give the saw to a family member, but I don't want to pass along a hidden problem. Thanks for any knowledgable replies.

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I never had a Craftsman saw, but I have used several Homelite saws, and the line would rot after setting a while.

 

[old]

If it ever had gas used in it that had alcohol in the gas they could well go bad

 

[tomNE]

actually pretty common. good saw repair man should have the right parts on hand and be able to fix you right up.

 

[J Hamilton]

Yes, those fuel line will get hard, brittle,
crack and break. Some lines are different
sizes ID and OD they have to be the correct
size to fit snug into the fuel tank to draw
fuel to the carb. This would be the time to
also get a kit for the carb and clean it as
well as replace the primer bulb, if it were
me.

 

[showcrop]

One of my heart docs said no more chainsaw but the other said so long as I keep it two feet from the pacemaker it is no problem. I looked around a little more and found other references to the two foot law so that is what I have been doing. I cut down and bucked up one decent sized tree and a number of smaller ones last year.

 

[Tom in TN]

Dennis,

It's not just the fuel lines you can see. You probably have a filter inside the fuel tank that is attached to one of the lines that you can see. The
fuel line attached to the filter will crack too, inside of the tank. If the crack is low enough that it's still in the gasoline the saw might still
run, but if it's in a place that doesn't stay in the fuel, it'll suck air.

Good luck with the lines.

Tom in TN

 

[Gambles]

Ive got a cheapie Poulan saw, approximately five years
old. The primer button cracked and broke out over the
winter. The local mom-and-pop hardware store, that
actually sells Poulan, says they have the replacement fuel
lines. The replacement bulb I got off of Amazon. This will
be a weekend project, one of these weeks. Other than
that, its actually been a decent saw. I have only used
alcohol-free gasoline in it since it was new.

 

[Russ from MN]

Very common problem, especially if you have used gas with ethanol. But the tubing is readily available and
they're easy to change. In some cases you need a specific line from the dealer, but most are just generic
fuel line.

 

[dhermesc]

Chinese rubber shrinks in gas. Had to replace mine a few times. Go ahead and get a new fuel filter when you get the fuel lines.

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

Welcome to the world of ethanol gas.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

My Husqvarna blower's fuel lines softened and fell apart . It has a sticker on it saying that it was made in the USA so it's probably an international problem .

Just as an aside , if you need a quick fix . The lines are complex , two tubes , a supply and a return moulded into a grommet that seals onto the tank , to do it properly the whole lot needs replacing . But if you are stuck and really need the equipment you can drill out the grommet which is usually still ok and force new lines into it . As long as they are an air tight fit it works well enough .

 

[Gary Reif]

Yep, replaced mine on my Craftsman a year ago. It's a simple job. Got the tubing from the local repair
shop.

 

[Mark-Ia]

Cut the new tubing at a 45 degree angle for easier installation through the tank.

 

[DMartin9N-2N]

Good afternoon, showcrop and all. Good to know I can use the saw if kept 2 ft. from pacemaker. At the least, that would let me test run it. There is a small engine shop in town here where several creative souls work, I would expect them to be the type to get this thing running, so I can pass it along to a family member. Thanks for the many useful responses!!

Dennis M. in W. Tenn.

 

[Dusty MI]

I have a couple of 120 volt chain saws that I run with a generator when out of reach of 120 volt power. They are cheeper to buy new and operate nicely and are a lot quieter that a gas powered one.
Another thing a guy with a Pacemaker would probably not have a problem with one.

Dusty

 

[T.R.K.]

The other guys pretty much covered it. Some Craftsman saws seem to need new fuel lines about every two or three years.

When you change them out, you need to inspect the screen at the carburetor inlet. Any bits that break off the inside of that old line will
go there.

 

[Jo Bird]

Since it was sold by Sears you should be able to go to the web site below to get any part for your saw by model :
https://www.searspartsdirect.com/combo/0247-1234645/craftsman-chainsaw-parts

 

[Johnhof]

some chain saws use a type of plastic fuel line that cracks from fuel attacking them. I have had that on my cheap throwaway
saws. dealers sell a replacement line that cost a lot more but is permanent. just buy a couple feet, prepare the ends as
below and your good to go.

 

[John M]

Ya know whats funny, I have a 10 year old Poulan, thats had ethanol gas in it from day one. Never been apart except for a new blade
and chain. Ethanol, yes it damaged the...........oh wait, it hasnt yet.

 

[MJMJ]

People use ethanol as a scapegoat for all real and potential issues these days, because they don't know the real reason but they know that everyone will believe ethanol caused them. Plastic fuel lines were breaking down long before ethanol was around.

 

[pete 23]

My old weed eater fuel lines finally gave up a few years ago. Not having any fuel line that size
on hand I got to looking around. Well, I save lots of stuff and hanging in the basement was the
plastic line stomach feeding tube I had to feed the wife with some years back. Just the exact size
I needed. Put on a chunk and away we went.

It lasted about two days though, (no ethanol either) and the gas turned that plastic to mush. Got
the correct line that I believe is colored yellow . Still on there.

 

[n9lhm]

And the electric ones are a lot lighter and less tiring to use. Just my $.02. On the advice of several on this board, I spent the extra $$$ and bought a Makita electric. i love it so far. Buy one good one instead of a cheap one first. Buy once, cry once. Brian

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Here we go. Blame the ethanol for everything from neglected maintenance to male pattern baldness... Well, actually it might be a contributing factor to the latter...

Fuel lines go bad because of FUEL. I buy a lot of old saws that clearly haven't seen the light of day since long before ethanol was used in anything that didn't come in a brown bottle. Rubber lines turned to absolute goo. Plastic lines hard and brittle. Never seen a drop of liquor.

Plastic isn't the same as it used to be either. Gotta use more "environmentally friendly" materials and processes. It doesn't last as long, breaks down quicker when exposed to sunlight, etc..

To be safe I would replace the lines if it's not too much trouble.

 

[showcrop]

The yellow tubing seems to me to last very well.

 

[ss55]

I've learned it is easiest to simply replace the fuel lines at the same time I need to rebuild/replace the carburetor on any small engine. On two cycle engines the fuel lines tend to split pulling in air and the fuel mixture gets too lean. The carburetor diaphragms seem to be the first thing to go bad for me. Draining the fuel tank and then running the fuel system empty seems to reduce problems.

You could give the saw to the relative and agree to wait until the fuel system actually does go bad and then fix it for them once. Selling it might be a better alternative.