Hi from Ontario Canada - Stihl 500i Break Handle I

[Jim Kubisewky]

Has anyone else experienced the plastic Break Handle cracking at the stem across from the OEM exhaust port. I have and another person on Face Book showed a picture of the exact crack. Some commented that the heat from the exhaust is overheating the plastic and therefore weakening it. I also noticed that there are quite a few articles on U Tube explaining how to replace the handle. Haven't noticed the same for other models. Some suggested changing the OEM Muffler to an after market one such as West Coast Saw model.