Craftsman 36cc carburetor part

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

psutuba83

New Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2023
Messages
4
Reaction score
2
Location
PA
I was recently gifted a used 36cc Craftsman chainsaw model 358.351610. It looks in pretty good shape, but there is a small black plastic lever attached to a small spring on the carb that was cracked. After running it a few times, the plastic lever fully cracked in half and fell off. The replacement part sites appear to only offer the whole carburetor. I could go that route, but I'd really like to just find a replacement for that lever if possible. Any thoughts on where to find such a part? The aftermarket carb in the attached image shows the part I'm talking about at the bottom of the pix.Screenshot 2023-12-12 185131.jpg
 
Thanks for the quick reply and the well informed options with links! I just saw a local ad selling a Stihl MS390 for under $200 and will check that out this weekend. Depending on how that goes, I may try rebuilding the carb on the Crafstman using the Zama body assembly airhead.
 
I started using the carb types with the metal linkage because it's quite common for the plastic arm to break off.
The ones with the metal arm sometimes requires removal of little bit of a plastic lip where the carb bolts to the engine so as the lever will clear. I think maybe it's when the trigger throttle is pulled for wide open throttle is when the linkage just slightly touches the plastic lip on the intake manifold. I just use a dremel tool and can do such while the carb is in place. If you do not have the carb adjust tool try to order a carb with the tool or go to Amazon and buy a complete carb tool kit for about $10.
Be careful because the splines in the tool will strip out easily.
Also most generally if you get the same type with the plastic lever and that carb does not run good, just swap the strato butterfly throat over onto your carb. Use a good fitting small phillips carb to remove the screws. The metal linkage and the plastic type ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE.
Pay attention to the little rubber boot on the strato intake. It must fit snug. If it's cracked or fits loose the engine will not full throttle correctly due to air bypassing the intake throat. Also the little paper gasket behind the carb on the engine side will sometimes just fall off when re-installing the carb and it must be orientated correctly.
Them carbs are dirt cheap but made in China and some will not run or adjust correctly due to the name CHINA MADE.
 
In the end, I missed out on that used Stihl chainsaw, so I had to fix up my Craftsman. I decided to order a Zama carb kit with the metal linkage arm from Amazon, removed the old one, installed the new one, and after a little tuning, it started right up! For those who find this thread in the future, a good video showing the process is at: . As noted in this thread, however, the cover did interfere with the metal linkage, but after a little whittling of the inside ribs on the plastic cover it fits fine.
Thanks all for your help and guidance!
 
Back
Top