AVB, you missed the most important factor in there, has somebody else had a fiddle in there and what have they broken/stripped
Yes someone else may have mess with them but nearly everything I work on has been monkeyed with at one time or other. Its just something that I have come to expect after working on equipment for over 35 yrs. Besides a broke in Queensland once sent me pictures where he merge two different makes of cars into one so some there are very good at making things work.
Its like the Homelite 23AV chainsaw I repaired last week. The customer had attempted to repair it. He had taken the carburetor a part and damage all the gaskets. The carburetor and gasket were fine before this; actually looked new. The real problem was the loose carburetor to cylinder adapter which destroyed a gasket. I did need to make the gasket as it is no longer available and install a new K20WAT carburetor kit. It cost the customer about 50% of the cost to replace price but saw is like new and runs much better than anything in it class. Well worth the expense.
But I tell the customers here it is their call if they want something repaired once the costs exceeds 50% of replacement. The overall condition is something that should taken into account too. A ragged out unit isn't worth it but one that well keep can be.
