Dan91

Cheers spudulike, I didn't realise that's all that's involved. The crank does sit extremely close to the clutch side of the case but without using a feeler gauge I couldn't give a measurement. It's certainly not fouling. I wouldn't know what clearance it should have. Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

That's a fair comment, It's probably worth considering swapping once the warranty is expired but until then I'll continue on the plastic for peace of mind.

I guess the fellow has de stressed the bearings when he fitted the crank by tapping the end of each end of the crank?? Oh - and aligned it centrally in the crankcase void and not hard to one side? I'm unaware if any of the above process were carried out, at a guess I would say..... no. The last thing I want to do is spit the case again. Any idea where the best place to buy semi decent after marker Piston/cylinder kits? I'm looking at chainsawpartsonline. Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Ive had a similar issue with my 2015 MS362. Started to make a "tinny" rattle on idle. On taking the clutch apart noticed the bearing face on the inside of the clutch drum was actually breaking up In turn causing the roller bearing to pickup metal flakes. Being 2 months from new I was not best pleased considering I'm meticulous with weekly clean and lubrication. FR jones stood by it and exchanged the clutch drum and needle roller bearing free of charge as it was put down to a defective part. Have heard the 261's are partial to wearing needle cage bearings. For what the bearings cost and the ease of replacement (remember the oil pump drive engagement on clutch drum, aslong as your not heavy handed you can't mount the drum assembly without it being engaged anyhow) id treat it as a service item every 6-12 months on a heavily used saw. I've considered converting to the metal cage needle bearings but I was told the plastic is used due to better heat management..... if something else went wrong I'd potentially loose the warranty using aftermarket parts. Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Thanks people, have advised the owner to take the complete crankcase back to a Stihl dealer to get an authorised mechanics opinion. Personally think they will advise the old half is changed for a new. I don't even know if the saw is worth fixing if a new crankcase is required as parts etc will no doubt add up. The owner doesn't want to use a OEM Stihl barrel and piston anyhow so maybe It's worth taking the gamble to see how long it lasts? As mentioned previously I'm also concerned as to the crankshaft alignment in this "old vs new crankcase" there is a lot of drag when trying to rotate the crank by hand (flywheel side without flywheel attached, without any top end) can't imagine 1 new crank seal would cause that much resistance. Trouble with starting a project that someone else has given up on!! Note the saw has been ran with the new crankcase half and replacement piston but it then appeared to catastrophically seize up. On strip down I found the piston was on backwards and one of the rings had been fitted or crept around to the exhaust port. Love a head scratcher! Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

So there is only one alignment dowel? I'll have to loosen all the crankcase bolts and try to manually level the barrel mounting surface best I can without interfering with the crankshaft alignment. I may be making something out of nothing. I measured the height difference between the cases at 5 Thou. I'm concerned that once the barrel bolts are tight the cylinder could be tilted out of line to the crank/piston travel resulting in an increased load and wear on one side of the piston. Crank rotation has a bit more resistance than I'd like but that may be down to the new seal in the case. Worst case I'll have to get the owner to take the saw to a certified dealer to give their opinion. It's not my saw so I'm not going to take a chance then have someone blaming me if it dumps its guts after 10 hours. Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Hi guys and girls Quick question, I'm changing the piston and cylinder barrel on a friend ms361. On removing the cylinder I've noticed there is a discrepancy in heights between the 2 halves of the crankcases, ironically where the cylinder bolts down. The owner has fitted a new "clutch side" crankcase (genuine Stihl) as the clutch drum was ran to thin and proceeded to explode. Does anyone know whether the ms361 crank case halves are fitted with aligning dowels? Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk