Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Poulan Pro chain saw, clutch assembly, poulan pro 295

Question
Howard, I have a Poulan Pro 295 chain saw bought in 2005.  Recently while cutting wood the chain slowed and a humming noise started from the clutch area and smoke coming out of that area.  Chain quit moving and I let the saw cool and restarted it and it cut for about a minute and the same thing happened with more smoke.  Does this sound like a bad clutch assembly?  If so is this something that can be repaired economically?

Answer
Hi Jim,

The checks that I would recommend here include any blockage of the assembly having to do with the chain and or gears which control the chain.

What you describe might be a blockage of the operation of the chain.  

There is a lot of debris that comes off the wood when you are doing serious wood-cutting.

I am not sure what troubleshooting steps you've done so far, but I would take the cover off the main assembly and make sure the settings are correct and that there is not a lot of debris blocking the clean operation of the chain-saw.

I hope this helps,

Howard