Husqvarna 340 intake manifold clamp replacement

[flatsfisher]

good afternoon. on another thread I mentioned that I had a Husky 340 that I bought new 20 years ago or so. one of the members read that and was kind enough to copy me with the recall info. well, I guess it wasn't a recall but more of a bulletin. so today I went to fix this problem and kind of came to a bump in the road.

there is a hard plastic manifold that has a snap type of clamp molded into it that apparently does not clamp tightly enough to keep dirt out. it clamps over the rubber carb boot where it goes onto the cylinder inlet. the problem I'm having is that the hard plastic manifold slots into the plastic clamshell halves on both sides. I don't see how I can get it off without unbolting and pulling the cylinder up. is there a trick to this? and yes, I searched and read what little there was here and on goggle. I think on some other models affected it is easier to do.

what I circled in this photo is all one piece of hard plastic.

 

[dave ensign]

You answered your question. Pull the cylinder.

 

[flatsfisher]

great, lol. no wonder they didn't do a recall, it would have cost them a fortune.

 

[J D]

You may be able to trim it in place & then wrap the clamp around it... will take longer than pulling the jug though.
If you pull the jug you will need an appropriate sealant to put it back together with (not rtv/ silicone) & then a pressure/ vac test is a must as those seals can be funny about re-sealing

 

[flatsfisher]

You may be able to trim it in place & then wrap the clamp around it... will take longer than pulling the jug though.
If you pull the jug you will need an appropriate sealant to put it back together with (not rtv/ silicone) & then a pressure/ vac test is a must as those seals can be funny about re-sealing

I have a tube of Permatex moto seal I use for dirt bikes. assume that would work. I may try the trim and clamp though. thanks.

 

[flatsfisher]

finally got back to this just now. surprised at how easy this was to disassemble. haven't ever done a clamshell before. well except for the MAC Super Pro which is quite a bit different. also surprised that a plastic crankcase can take the abuse of internal combustion.

 

[flatsfisher]

looks like I should have removed the clutch so I could have taken the crank out for cleaning everything. probably a ***** to remove it now.

anyone know what the whitish OEM sealant is? almost looks like a foam.

 

[SteveSr]

I have a tube of Permatex moto seal I use for dirt bikes. assume that would work. I may try the trim and clamp though. thanks.

I wouldn't use Motoseal as it is not rated for gap filling. You want a high temp silicone like Dirko HT or similar.

 

[flatsfisher]

I wouldn't use Motoseal as it is not rated for gap filling. You want a high temp silicone like Dirko HT or similar.

I actually googled this subject today and came to the same conclusion. going to the mower shop tomorrow to get a tube of Dirko HT red.
thanks!

 

[flatsfisher]

for anyone else that may end up doing this mod, when I trimmed the plastic clamps off the old intake manifold, I didn't like what was left. new kit came in the mail today. obviously new kit is on the right.

 

[flatsfisher]

finished this thing today. at least this saw got an in-depth cleaning and service. what was interesting to me is that the design of this cylinder has a big bell on the end. you can't hold the rings tight to insert the piston because you can't reach up in there while pushing the cylinder down over the piston. what they did was design the cylinder with a chamfer at the bottom and you jiggle the piston and push, and the chamfer closes the rings. kind of messy with the Dirko HT while doing it though.

 

[dave ensign]

use a cable tie!

 

[flatsfisher]

hmmm. I wasn't smart enough to think of that. thanks!