Hole in chainsaw oil tank

[CornishPete]

Got this chainsaw cheap as spares/repairs but it's actually in decent condition so planning on restoring it. Can get carb rebuild kit, hoses, and seals cheap as chips but it has a hole in the oil tank. Was wondering what might be the best way to fix it? Could possibly drill and tap then thread lock a bolt in or would 'liquid metal' like JB weld do the job? It's not particularly structural.

 

[Kram]

Unsure how that happened, casting defect and hit something/dropped?

First sand the area and get to clean metal with a burr. Looks like it may also have a crack?

Tapping for a grub screw and epoxy should be adequate. If theres a crack, drill the other end, cut a v groove and epoxy it. Give it a good clean first with solvent.
Theres no pressure in oil tank but the repair should ideally be fuel resistant as people often rinse a tank with petrol.

 

[Morrisman]

I had a JB weld type repair on a hole in my motorcycle’s crank case, it was on there the 20 years I had the bike and never leaked.

I’d say a real good clean with carb cleaner and you have great grip on that hole for some epoxy fixing goop.

 

[brightspark]

take the plug out clean it up and stick a bit of gaffer tape over the inside of it fill with jb weld job done

 

[Kram]

I’d say a real good clean with carb cleaner and you have great grip on that hole for some epoxy fixing goop.

The problem with harsh solvents, like thise in carb cleaner or acetone, is they will likely attack the rubber hose and plastic parts in the oiler system. On some saws thats easily removed before hand or replaced, but some I believe are a huge pain to replace the oiler hose.

In which case, a lot of milder solvent such as brake cleaner, would likely do a better job than a small quantity of carb cleaner.

 

[Migmac]

JB, watched a guy restore a vintage saw. Oil tank was holed, he slapped on JB weld.

 

[Pete.]

JB weld is oil proof when cured. just clan it up with acetone get it dry and then plug it with JB. Sand and paint if you like.

 

[Kram]

JB is just expensive american branded epoxy with metal fillers in it. Hard to find in shops. Is it better than any other epoxy with fillers? Probably not.

Poundland epoxy is adequate for this. I would likely add in some kevlar fibers which I have offcuts from rope splicing.

Which reminds me, filling my 020T tank yesterday I noticed the petrol tank has some kind of plastic liner/coating that has pulled away? I will get a photo later.

 

[CornishPete]

Got some JB weld from my local car parts place so will see how it goes!

 

[Norsk]

I have repaired a few of these. Seems to work best if you brush the metal bright and drill a few wee holes for the metal epoxy to fill into.