Buddy gave me a craftsman chainsaw in pieces as a trade to use a tiller I had...

Fuel lines were rotted out, I replaced them and it still wouldnt start. It didnt even sound like it was trying to start, so I put a new ignition module on it and it still doesnt sound like its doing anything.

When its on the side fuel spills out of the carb and after I try to start it a bunch the muffler...

I havent messed with many 2 strokes so I dont really have a clue as to what direction to go in.

ETA: spark plug new, too?

Sounds like a carb rebuild (or new carb) and full gasket kit. Take engine apart and check the cylinder and piston for gouging.  It sounds like it was poorly taken care of.  What model is it?

YouTube here you come!

Start by checking to see if you've got spark rather than just throwing ignition parts at it.

If you've got spark, then you can pretty much bet on the carb being all gunked up since the fuel lines were rotted.  Really just need a thorough cleaning \ rebuild of the carb.  You can also probably just buy a new carb for less than $20.

16" 36cc

New spark plug, I pulled the plug and cranked it with the plug attached but out, didnt see any spark. carb looks brand new (i cant remember if he said he rebuilt it or got a new one)

Im thinking about just pulling some parts off it and junking the thing. Might not be worth trying to save. (was going to fix it and sell)

I already have a poulan 16" 3Xcc thats basically the same saw.

Check basics....fuel, spark, air.  Are you getting fuel? If so...too much fuel? Is the carb all gummed up? If so clean it. Are you getting spark?  Yes..good. No..find out why.  

It's just like any other motor......

What about the fuel line inside the tank?  It could be bad too, from the ethanol in the fuel.

Gotta have fuel, spark, and compression.

Take the plug out, hold it against the head, and crank it over. Do it in the shade or you might not be able to see it. If you are certain you don't have spark then you have to figure that out

If you do have spark, then put the plug back in. Make sure the tank is empty. Remove the air filter and spray a little carb cleaner in the intake. Crank it over and see if it fires. If it does, you have a carb problem. They are easy to rebuild but also cheap to buy a new one.

Also, 2 cycle engines carbon up the muffler. Pull the muffler off and clean the carbon off. If it has a mesh screen, that's the spark arrester. If you have difficulty cleaning it, just throw it away.

I have a Husqvarna 141 and I bought some kind of clone carb off of Amazon for it and it works great.  The factory carb required a special tool to adjust the settings but the clone used a small straight blade.  I watched YouTube to learn how to tune it.  I think some of the Craftsman saws are the same as the low end Huskys.

Modern cheap Huskys are the same a Poulan, which may be rebranded as Craftsman


The 200 series Huskys and I think one of the low 400 series is a Poulan.

Ok,I have a older Craftsman saw also,16".Also replaced all rotted lines.Wouldn't run.Watch youtube video about carb adjustment.For some reason it worked.This was a year or 2 ago,still works great.