the muffler is held together buy the one screw that holds it secure to the engine. when you take it off the two pieces fall away from each other kind like the muffler on the homelite weedeaters. i would like to either find new gaskets or make my own because the originials were too far gone to put back on. when i was taking the engine apart they were coming apart. however aside from the bearings not being sealed ones i was happy with the condition of the engine and all the parts. my brother ran the engine before when it was still a chainsaw.