I have my 353 torn down for a good cleaning. I bought it with low compression/scored piston-cylinder. I've cleaned up the cylinder, have a new Meteor piston, new intake boot, partisian with metal clamp and new Carb. I plan on running a compression test this weekend, but pass or fail, I'd like to go ahead and replace the crank seals while I have it torn down this far. Do I have to split the case or can I pry them out and re-install? Thanks in advance Jeff
I replaced bearing seals in my 394 without splitting. Used a drywall screw to pull/pry them out. Removing the flywheel is the bigger pita.
No need to split the case. I've got a seal puller but I'm missing one of the sets of jaws so I sometimes have to improvise. I use an awl (no drilling!) to pierce the metal part of the seal in two or three places, and use a drywall or similar screw to get purchase on it. Be careful not to drive the screw in so far that it threatens to damage the bearing underneath.
Thanks Wood Wolverine & Jon . So I don't have to split the case. I took the flywheel off the same way I always do with my McCullochs. Put a screwdriver between the housing and the flywheel, apply some pressure. With the flywheel nut backed off to the end of the crank, give it a smack with a brass hammer and presto!
Rained today, so I pressure tested the 353. I thought my handheld Mityvac would apply psi, Nope.... Just vacuum. so I broke out the big Mityvac that'll do both. Plenty of bubbles from the Clutch side seal. Here's a pic of my homemade barbed connection. There's supposed to be a tank vent in the handle beside where the fuel line comes out. Maybe that's why it dribbles gas when it's laid over. Hmmm... Here's a pic of the big Mityvac.
Not bad. I put the spark plug in a vice, chipped out the porcelain, took it to the hardware store to match the size up. Applied JB weld to the treads of the brass coupling and pushed it into the plug body. JB weld is some good stuff.
I think I saw it here or on the A/S site. I'd never tried to chip out all of the porcelain out of a spark plug. It's not too bad, just wear a good set of goggles as the porcelain really sends out lots of splinters.
Well, the correct seal came in yesterday. I put the 353 back together, pressure tested again, no bubbles then put it back together along with a few new parts, one of them being a new Zama carb. Adjusted the carb, one turn out on the L & H screws and the saw started right up. Whenever I tried to go past 1/2 throttle the saw would bog down and die. After much adjusting on the new carb with no luck, I installed the old carb and she runs like a charm. Maybe I bought the wrong carb for it. Tested it out in some 16' diameter 5 yr old hedgeapple. It did pretty well pulling a 18' .325 chain with 8 pin rim.
