358798471 Craftsman Trimmer - Overview

To start, remove the plastic carburetor grill. DO NOT remove the carburetor. The fuel line has to be sliced down to fit through the tank hole and get it in far enough up into the tank to grab with needle nose pliers.( need long needle nose pliers which I didn't have) I placed about six inches of the plastic tubing in the jaws of vice so that half of the tube was squeezed in the vice jaws. I then used a razor blade to shave off the exposed tube. I slipped the shaved end of the tube up through the tank hole far enough to grab with long tweezers and pulled it up to where I could grab it in the tank with needle nose pliers. I put light lube oil on the remaining tubing and pulled it through. It takes a steady firm pull to pull it in. Install the filter and pull the tube back down into the tank. I also used a small diameter drill bit and with my fingers slightly reamed the tube ends to ease the tube over the filter and carburetor nipples. To prime the engine, spray starting fluid into the carburetor and start. Repeat until the engine will run on fuel. It took me hours to figure this out, but will take less than an hour with this method.

Seven screw, three case cover, two air cleaner, two carb mounting, pulled carb, drained tank, pulled old fuel line, treaded new one in, wire to thread, thread to angle cut fuel line. Reassemble, test, sharpen chain, retest…not exactly a doityourselfer, graduate degree in mechanical/industrial engineering and former medium/heavy mechanical. Get fuel line on carb prior to reassembly, line may need some stretching with a tapered punch.

Ordered on/off switch. My switch had only one wire terminal. Replacement had two. I ran a wire from one to a screw as a ground. Switch worked fine.