Ms361 replacement carburetor best option

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4lane

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I have a ms361 that dies when the on the throttle. If you grab it quick enough and get it up to max rpms it will run but will immediately quit if you don’t catch it. I’d like to replace the carb but the original HD-34a Walbro is MIA. What is the suitable alternative or does it matter and I should just get a $15 one off eBay?
 
With some work, any HD carb can work.

You’ll have to plumb a different impulse line, swap the choke lever and metering plate, and swap the boot out if you want better performance.

It’s a little bit of work, but it’s an option.

Why not try rebuilding yours? Plus, do some more diagnostics on the saw before canning the original carb, it could be another issue.
 
I’m in the process of triaging the fuel side of things since it’s cheap (I don’t have a pressure/vacuum gauge). It has an aftermarket carb on it - replacing it would remove any clogged port issues altogether. The replacements are plug and play so no replumbing needed. I guess I’m asking if these aftermarket carbs are fine or if I should hunt down an original Walbro and rebuild it.
 
I would suggest not buying an aftermarket carburetor. I bought one for a Stihl before and the engine ran way too rich and wouldn't reach full throttle, even with the mixture screws seated. I tried adjusting the metering lever a few times, but it still ran too rich until finally I adjusted it to be flush with the casting, like the original, but then the lever would not open the needle enough to run. The inlet needle seemed to have less travel and the metering lever had more play than on the original carburetor. Also, rebuilding an aftermarket carburetor would be difficult, the kit for the carburetor it replaces won't fit because the gaskets are different shapes, and I don't think the aftermarket manufacturer makes kits for them. I rebuilt the original carburetor and it ran fine.
 
Those aftermarket carbs are so cheap, why not give them a go. Reviews show them to be a good buy, whereas the poor reviews are few.

But, I'm with drf255. Try the rebuild route first, which is really inexpensive. You sound handy enough, so it might be fun to delve into the wizardry of a small carburetor.
 
Did you purchase the carb that I linked? I was going to get it, but it sold. Hopefully it was you, that was a killer deal.
 
Sometimes the aftermarket carbs are identical to what Stihl is installing today -- Zama, Walbro, etc. I have even run into aftermarket carbs that are improvements to the OEM carb. The OEM carb was equipped with plastic limiters that made it impossible to adjust the carb correctly so that the engine would run right.
 
I know some will say good things about aftermarket carbs, I initally used them and aftermarket (read chinese copies) parts. Now I don't use them in saws I rebuild and resell. Mostly they are bad copies that were stolen or illegally copied. Some parts it's just not worth it to mess up your saw's piston and cylinder over $20-30. Some appear identical, but have internal differences, some work well. I've had some that I ran out of adjustment and couldn't tune. Some ran right at first and came back running bad. Swapped carbs and it ran perfect. I just doubt for the price that the machining is the same or same quality, IE seconds that were rejected by OEM. I'm not going to risk it in one of my machines though.

Air filters are pretty bad too. 026 and ms260s are notorious for not working. They cannot get the choke/spring right when tightened down. I've had an 028 aftermarket carb do the same thing.

I also have built some huztl clones. 1x MS360, 1x ms440, 3x MS660, and have had problems with all. The ms360 had clutch explode with low runtime, the ms440 had a vibration, I changed crank, clutch, flywheel, Piston & Cylinder to OEM. I spent more money on a chinese crap saw than I would have picking up a used ms440 and rebuilding it. I had the cylinder hit the case on one and it wouldnt seal. Had to grind the jug and case. Another ms660 had a crank seal fail on the first tree. Siezed the crank. Replaced the crank and seals with more Chinese parts and crossed my fingers. It was for a friend that knew it was a clone saw, but expect more than half a tank out of it. All had really crappy squish measurements and had to have the cylinder base shaved.

I've learned the hard way on aftermarket parts, especially ones that move or flow fuel. Some are OK. It's hard to mess up paper gaskets, mufflers and plastic pieces(but sometimes they do). Some major saw builders use aftermarket crank seals, and I still occasionally do. All my saws have OEM for what it's worth.

If you are just wanting to get the saw running with minimal cost, then aftermarket is cheap. If you want any kind of longevity or have a great running saw, I strongly recommend OEM.

Sorry for the long rant. I know Stihl is very proud of their stuff and price some things accordingly, but used OEM is a great alternative. And if I post this on the Farmertec/Huztl build threads, I'll be shunned, lol.
 
I have a ms361 that dies when the on the throttle. If you grab it quick enough and get it up to max rpms it will run but will immediately quit if you don’t catch it. I’d like to replace the carb but the original HD-34a Walbro is MIA. What is the suitable alternative or does it matter and I should just get a $15 one off eBay?
Had you tried backing out the "L" mix screw a tiny amount start at 1/8turn out from where it is & see what happens if it's a cure you may have to reset "H" & idle stop
 
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