Carl, sorry to hear that, but it does make me feel better that I'm not the only one who got caught up in the Echo repair cost vortex
. The only good news is I can use the CS-440 b&c on some of my other saws, and I might get my money back selling it as a parts saw, or
maybe see a small profit parting it out.
The extent of the damage to the CS-440 didn't surprise me, the surprises came when I tried to track down a good used P&C, or a parts saw with a good P&C. I tried several local Echo dealers, none would even discuss selling me used parts. I tried eBay with no luck; I had no luck here here on AS. Then I found out that Echo only sells the complete engine (note--someone here on AS posted that the P & C could be purchased without buying the entire engine, but that was not what I read and heard). To add to the frustration...apparently the CS-520 P&C is a direct bolt-on, but those are equally difficult to find used and even more expensive new.
I apologize for the hijack.