Husky 345 Vac on the tank?

[Bone1099]

I was recently given a Husqvarna 345 saw from a friend who said the local farm supply quoted too much to repair it. so he replaced it. hence i have the saw. pulled on it for a while with no luck. it is firing nice and blue. looked in spark plug hole can still see crosshatch in cylinder and compression feels good. opened carb it looked great no trash but it was dry. the repair tag said "pulling vacuum on tank" i currently have the saw mostly disassembled just to clean it up and investigate. Tank vent looks like its made into the tank. Just wondering of any one else has encountered this with one of these relatively new husky saws. thanks for your time.

 

[KarlP]

Tank vent looks like its made into the tank.

What do you mean "made into the tank"?

While I haven't looked at a 345, Husqvarna tank vents usually look like white aquarium bubbler stone or a white smartie candy. Push the old one out, push the new one in. If you can't push the old one with a tool from the inside try to drill a small hole from the outside, insert a wood screw, pull out the old one, rinse out the tank extremely well, and push the new one into place.

If it doesn't look like I described, could you upload a pic?

 

[HittinSteel]

A pic would be nice. I'm not familiar with the 345 either, but just dealt with a 346 tank vent issue. Is there a line that goes from the carb bowl to the tank (would enter the tank right next to the fuel line)?

 

[Bone1099]

AHHH ok didnt realize the smartie was removable. It looks very clean and seems to function fine. although after further investigation i found the piston has some scoring on the intake side. can i replace the piston and just hone the cylinder maybe go oversize one size i guess i will check on piston sizes and pricing. WTF the lower crankcase is plastic??? blew my mind.

 

[KarlP]

AHHH ok didnt realize the smartie was removable. It looks very clean and seems to function fine.

They are cheap and easy to replace. If you're ordering parts anyway, I'd just get one.

although after further investigation i found the piston has some scoring on the intake side. can i replace the piston and just hone the cylinder maybe go oversize one size i guess i will check on piston sizes and pricing.

It is probably a chrome plated cylinder. If it is, I wouldn't hone and go oversize. Pull the piston and check out the cylinder. If it doesn't look too bad, there is lots of how-to type advice about cleaning up minor damage on the ArboristSite chainsaw forum. OEM piston and cylinder combo will be ~$200 and Chinese knockoffs will be ~$100 if you can find one that fits. An OEM piston will be ~$80.

WTF the lower crankcase is plastic??? blew my mind.

The 345 is a consumer saw. The 353 prosumer and 346 pro saws have a magnesium crank case.