CRACKING NEWS! Removing Gunk and Grime from a 181 Reveals Cracks In Case

[Baconaman]

So I got this 181 the other day from a guy that said his neighbor had a strong but dirty saw that he wanted to sell. It apparently lived full time in a toolbox in the back of this guys work truck and was only used to clear the road when a tree had fallen blocking the road. He was an equipment mechanic for a logging outfit. The serial tag was gone and "Stuckys Saw Shop" was engraved in it's place. It was filthy. Being near the beginning of my journey of becoming a chainsaw expert tech and general guru, it did not occur to me that if I was to come across a saw that was extremely dirty and oily, that it might be leaking oil from somewhere. I believed that it was a result of years of never cleaning the saw. It fired right up and had plenty of power so I figured all was well. Last night as I was scraping off what in some places was close to a quarter inch of oily dust, I uncovered a crack/s in the crankcase. I talked to the guy that knew the guy that had the saw and he suggested drilling holes at each end of the crack and using JB Weld on it. I don't have a problem doing that but I have to believe, even though I am in my earliest of days of my self directed saw curriculum and am not even close to an expert as of yet, that this case is beyond the JB Weld fix. Pictured below I will insert 3 pictures of the crack/s. I do not know which end is the beginning or the end but I will begin with the crack on the front of the case and work backwards.

This first picture shows how the crack goes from the upper front center edge of the right half of the case and runs behind the muffler bracket.



The second picture show the crack continuing on its journey moving downward and joining a bigger crack that rounds the corner ending at the bar stud.




The third picture shows where the crack picks up where it left off and continues on the other side of the front stud.



Does this look like a job for JB Weld? My guess is no. So I am going to put aside this saw for now until I acquire another 181 Crankcase right half. Maybe there are others out there with more experience that may have a fix that I am unaware of. I am assuming I should keep watching ebay for the part and post a want ad in the want to buy section of the forum, which I have done and can be found at https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...81-crankcase-right-half-urgently-need.317317/

So from this group I am asking for advice whether to,and if so how to go about fixing it, or the best way to find the part, and if I find the part, I will then inquire about all the things of tool recommendations and techniques for case splitting, bearing installing, crank installing etc, etc, etc.

Thanks for your consideration

 

[HarleyT]

I am guessing that they were running a bad sprocket that led to this.....

 

[HarleyT]

There are a couple of old crankcases on E-bay.

 

[John Stryker]

I have a 181se with exactly the same crack. I guessed someone likely got the bar stuck and tried too hard to pull it loose. For a mickey mouse fix You could clean the crack with brake cleaner and try to jb weld or seal with something like silicone, but the case will never have the strength it should have to support a long bar. On mine the crack is growing the more I use it and the stud keeps trying to fall back into the oil tank when removing the bar.
Good luck with yours.

 

[Justsaws]

Time for a different case.

 

[HarleyT]

Normally that damage is from someone running a bad sprocket, and getting desperate about his chain constantly getting loose. They overtorque the bar nuts and pull the studs through the case.

The brand new bar adjuster is another clue supporting this.........

 

[dogfather]

there was a production change early in the 181 history to address that issue. the crank case was reinforced internally. bulletin 83.041-26 effective beginning serial number 83-018304

 

[Baconaman]

There are a couple of old crankcases on E-bay.

I saw those, if they were the ones in Bend Oregon, which is my state but not nearby. One was super hashed and the other seems kind of expensive but I'm no expert on pricing. Part of setting this 181 aside for now is not wanting to spend more money on it when I have other saws that just need minor stuff. Waiting for one part to come in the mail and my other 181 will be back on line. One of the antivibe came off the part that the screw is attached to. I ordered the Husqvarna tool for that size but are there any clever ways to get it out without the tool?

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Before you shitcan it, try welding it. At least I would.

 

[Baconaman]

Before you shitcan it, try welding it. At least I would.

I'm actually newer to welding than chainsaws. A buddy gave me a Lincoln wire feed argon blend box last year and I have less than a half hour using it and have never used one before that. What kind of welder would you use on the case and is there something you need to know about welding magnesium?

Thanks

Eric

 

[tug]

You can grab the antivibe base with some needle noose pliers. The base has notches in it that the antivibe tool sets into. Not sure where your at in oregon, there is a guy in Myrtle creek that welds saws. I don't know what he charges, but it seems like if a guy know how to weld its 50 bucks for him to turn on the welder

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I'd weld with TIG.

Might be able to braze it with torch as well?

 

[Baconaman]

I'd weld with TIG.

Might be able to braze it with torch as well?

Yes, well I don't have a TIG welder. I'm pretty sure that friend of mine that gave me the Lincoln replaced it with a TIG welder because he wanted to start doing more aluminum. I'll contact him and see if he thinks he can do it. I did have somebody respond to my post in the wanted section and he said he should have what I need and will check his pile and let me know tomorrow. If that works out then I will probably go that route anyway - depends on price. What do you think a fair price is for half a case? Or if he doesn't want to split up the case, for a whole case? In reading a bunch of old threads, it looks as like it may not be a job for an inexperienced welder. I offered it up to one guy as another practice piece and he responded with "If it was a super rare part I'd certainly consider fixing it but since it's a pretty common item and the crack is in a high stress area known for failure on this particular saw, IMHO you'd be better off replacing it." Another experienced welder replied with "I wouldn't bother with that, too much damage. 181 cases are easy enough to get." You were in one of the threads and mentioned having a TIG welder so maybe it would be good practice for you? I pay shipping both ways and buy a case of beer or something? You could video the process and link it here somewhere. Just brainstorming here.

 

[burnses]

couple issues welding that note that I do tig weld but not much al..but those cracks are oil contaminated big time so need a lot of heat and wave set up to have a lot of duration in "cleaning " mode .....but to do it right should disassemble the cases and ya would want to spot face the bar register in a milling machine to clean it up.....prob couldn't weld to the case seam with out killing the case gasket or blowing right through the case and oh yah...its mostly magnesium not al.....

good luck