spudulike

Probably worth clearing the hole in the small end if you can and then getting the diameter of that hole, the diameter of the gudgeon pin and the distance between the inner flats of the piston where the bush fits in to and get one made and then push it in to the small end hole with a bit of bearing lock fluid - you could possibly use heat and cold but go easy on heating the con rod too much. It may last well and worth it compared to the costs you mention.

If the top end bearing has failed, what part are we talking about?? The needle bearing or is there a bush and that has failed?? Not sure I quite understand!

Not sure on the bush, from the IPL I suspect there isnt one(small end bearing). I avoid taking these things apart but did once and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The flywheel key is on the flywheel so there isn't a separate part!

There have been loads of possible ways of clawing back the funding of the furlough scheme. A wealth tax on anyone with £500k of assets including the house (5% of wealth over 5 years), IHT changes, changes to capital gains tax and now hitting the self employed. It will become clear in March as to what his plans are!

Funny that, we saw 7 egrets in a field on our 7.5 mile walk today. Feeding in a flooded field, unusual as they are more a wetland bird and not seen round here much.

I just wanted to make it clear that porting a saw is best on a good well working saw. Porting will not fix a crap running engine with issues.....a SERVICE.....yes I repeat.....A SERVICE will!!!!! Just had a 357XP in, "down on power" wanted porting......wanted a new bloody crankshaft as the big end had 1.5 - 2mm of play in it.....completely shot!!!! Porting is not a silver bullet, it enhances a decent saw and doesn't bring the dead back to life!

I can see a smear of liquid gasket around the crankcase join. I am thinking that this may have had a new top end already and it is possible the seals weren't replaced causing another seize. If the top end is anything other than OEM Stihl, don't just fit a new piston, fit a Hyway top end if you can get hold of one - a bit more expensive but better than most and have just done that on a MS250 which is for sale now!! I would replace the seals and also check the impulse line and inlet boot for damage/splits. The trouble with the uninitiated doing this sort of work is that simple issues can be over looked or not seen as issues if found. If you check the rubber parts are OK, you may get away without a leak down test but it is worth doing if you can - block the inlet, exhaust, impulse and then use an adapter on the plug hole to pressurize and vacuum the engine to make sure it holds pressure and vacuum. These machines are not that easy to work on due to their clam type engine.....just saying!

He meant de-threading, stripping the thread or in engineering terms.....Oh F£$k it!!!!

The main issue with the 346 is the crankcase covers half the bearing and makes the stop when inserting the bearing. This makes inserting the seal a sod. You also need the taper boss that allows the seal to pass on to the centre race of the bearing without damaging it or dislodging the spring. Usually best to try to get the seal in under that alloy lip first so the seal is located well on that side and then get it at a slight angle and tap it in from the unexposed bearing (Bottom) side. Use plenty of grease to help it in. The factory tool tends to catch on the alloy and cock up insertion. A long reach socket does it for me every time but it still is a sod of a job on these machines and the cost of the seal is stupidly high!

It is a bastard, you do it with care because those seals are bloody expensive!! I don't like that tool, it is better for 560s, I prefer my trusty long reach flat ground socket and did I mention....care!!!

The plug shouldn't undo if done up tight, the HT cap should also help hold it in place. That and checking it during regular cleaning will help. BTW, leaving it loose to make the engine run better is a load of bollocks from a past age!! If you get an engine where the plug keeps coming loose, you could try a little thread lock on it but it really should not be needed but is better than the thread being taken out. Oh - one last thing, use a quality tap and not a £6 ebay one. The lead-in (pilot nose) taps are good and Vokel make some nice quality taps - cheap taps give cheap results and "cheerful" isn't included!

Prise the fuel line off, remove the wires as marked and draw the carb out. It may be a bit stuck in place and need a screw driver to shift it. The linkages will come off once the carb is half out.

Unless you are a brain surgeon or skilled gynecologist.....yes!

That is the switch that determines if the choke is open or shut. The solenoid is just above and behind it! The handle housing is left as is, the fuel line and wires need removal and then draw it out. Getting the choke and throttle rods back on and the carb fitted is the difficult bit unless you know the trick!!

Strange, my engine light came up and it diagnosed it down to a faulty exhaust sensor and even pointed out which one it was. I think I had to google the code but it was bang on. For under a tenner it was worth every penny in my instance!

To remove the solenoid, you need to remove the retaining clip held on with a small torx screw which may be interesting without a micro torx screwdriver kit - cheap enough off ebay and good for laptops and phones. I get a fair number of issues with blocked gauze strainers. You always need to remove it and inspect it with a magnifying glass - I had one catch me out years ago, looked fine but when I pulled it out - it had hardened scum in it. Pump diaphragms can end up with perforated flaps where they seal the holes beneath them - generally on well used machines but it does happen! The carb needs removing to do it. The upgraded solenoid kit is a good idea. These small spark plugs do get carboned up and can give issues so swap it out. The wiring loom under the top handle can stretch and break - best replace it. Symptoms are the kill switch stops working if the black wire or one of the yellow wires breaks. If the earth breaks, the saw gets loaded up with fuel and keeps dying. If the red wire breaks, the saw gets really lumpy and won't rev out well and expect the idle to die.

Sorry but highly unlikely. I have seen coils hitting flywheels de magnetize the composite (plastic and metal) flywheels stopping the saw working but yours looks better than most and is unlikely to have caused any damage. I would have looked at the wiring loom for the Mtronic, the solonoid, the spark plug and carb in general - pump diaphragm and gauze strainer! Much more likely.

Here is the correct part: - Flywheel - Genuine Stihl OEM No. 1145 400 1201 | L&S Engineers WWW.LSENGINEERS.CO.UK Flywheel. Genuine Stihl Part. OEM No. 1145 400 1201.

Sorry, it appears the Mtronic one with two magnets is the 1201 part number and the 1202 version is the single magnet with the ignition advance and at a guess reckon the original MS201t on release had a 1200 part code! I was thinking the later number would be the latest saw...doh. Anyway, you need part code ending 1201 for the Mtronic saw....sorry for the confusion. Both are different and will not fit the other type of machine. You need two magnets for your saw.

The flywheel in the above pic is the 1201 and is for the NON MTRONIC saw. Your saw needs the 1202 flywheel with TWO magnets and that should be on the underside of the original flywheel.

Nope, I believe that is the one you replaced the other one with. I am guessing you sheared the key on your original? Take both flywheels, look at their underside, they will have part codes on them. Your original flywheel will end in 1202 and I reckon your new one is 1201. Where did you get this from? Both flywheels are still available. Also, don't over-torque the flywheel nut as they can make a ping as the center support turret fractures!!! BAD!!!

I have just looked and it seems your car has an OBD2 (on board diagnostic port). You should be able to plug in a cheap (£5) OBD2 dongle and then read this with a Torque app on an android phone or am I missing something?? I have this one....bloody marvelous! Auto Scanner Bluetooth ELM 327 OBDII OBD2 Car Diagnostic Scanner For Android iOS WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Notice: 1. NOT for iOS ! NOT for vehicles. Bluetooth connection, no Batteries, Cables, or Switches. How to use: Plug the device in your car's port, start the car, enable...

Damn, that is some good cleaner you have there!!!😉

The second set of magnets are to generate the EMF for the AT unit BTW!

Sounds to me like he has the Mtronic version saw that uses two magnets on either side of the flywheel but has fitted the one of the earlier machine that uses one magnet - strangely I think the part code he gives is correct though and the earlier one ends 1201.