Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

That was alot of help and some great ideas! As for the endplay, there is a shim at the end of the crank to take up the endplay, was yours still there? Without it the crank will resonate sideways and hammer the crap out of the bearings!

For those of you using this engine, according to the Stihl dealer, parts for these engines are getting very hard to get hold of as Stihl has stopped making them. I managed to get new crank bearings and seals but the gaskets are no longer available! I didn't dare ask about pistons, rings, etc.

Rich