Charlie Lenz
I know this has nothing to do with your motor problem, but the way it sounds I have the same saw as well ( cream colored ). I had a 3/4 blade in it and forgot to release the tension on it when I last used it in the fall. When spring rolled around I went to use it and it made a loud knocking noise. The axle assembly was hitting the spokes in the wheel. Moral of the story, detention your blade at the end of the day. When I bought the new axle assembly I noticed that it had been beefed up.