Oil pump holes in drive case

[salmonjefe]

Hi all, 
New guy here, but I’m in the middle of rebuilding a Super XL Automatic, and have run into a problem. 

One of the bar studs has pulled out, so I’m replacing the drive case. I found a NOS case, but upon close examination there are two small holes where the oil pump fits. The old case has them, the new case does not. How do I open those up? The saw has a manual oiler as well.

See the attached photos to clarify. Serial number of the saw is AO 11530415.


Thanks for any help,
Jeff

[sweepleader]

That would be a manual oiler only case. I think you would have to drill several oil passages to make that work. Unless you are an accomplished machinist with a automatic oiler case to copy, I would say you would not be able to get it right. Of course if you had an auto oiler case to copy, you could just use that one.

UNLESS... Have those holes been blocked or never drilled? If they are blocked, you might drill the plugs and pull them out.

[salmonjefe]

Okay thanks, there do appear to be plugs, but getting them out is the issue. Also, the mating surface on the old case appears to be machined, I imagine to seal better against the oil pump. 

There are two other plugs to the rear of the case, I may be able to go through those to drill new holes. But that doesn’t solve the machined surface issue. See the attached photo to clarify, circled in yellow.

Or maybe I’ll try and find another case with the holes. 

Thanks,
Jeff

[sweepleader]

While you already have an investment in this case, I am gonna guess that the right case would be more cost effective in the long run. I would be inclined to ask for a refund, return, resell or toss this one. It is frustrating when this happens. Just think how much more fun this is than simply installing the correct parts... ROFLMAO or something. :{I

[xl130]

This really does suck! I went through something similar when trying to find an appropriate clutch side cover for a Super XL-130. I must have bought 4 or maybe 5 before I got one that worked. All those covers had the correct part number....but the -2 or -1 A etc makes a huge difference on these darn saws. It seems that Homelite made small changes to suit the year of the production.

Sorry for your luck. I feel your pain!

[5terrysupersaws]

May 12, 2020 19:45:38 GMT -5 salmonjefe said:

Hi all, 
New guy here, but I’m in the middle of rebuilding a Super XL Automatic, and have run into a problem. 

One of the bar studs has pulled out, so I’m replacing the drive case. I found a NOS case, but upon close examination there are two small holes where the oil pump fits. The old case has them, the new case does not. How do I open those up? The saw has a manual oiler as well.

See the attached photos to clarify. Serial number of the saw is AO 11530415.


Thanks for any help,
Jeff

Welcome to the House of Homelite.

SUPER XL-AO  SN:11530415 .. DOM: Wednesday, June 2nd, of 1971 .

How bad is the old drive-case where the bar stud insert has pulled out ?  Beyond repair ?

[salmonjefe]

May 13, 2020 17:00:39 GMT -5 5terrysupersaws said:

May 12, 2020 19:45:38 GMT -5 salmonjefe said:

SUPER XL-AO  SN:11530415 .. DOM: Wednesday, June 2nd, of 1971 .

How bad is the old drive-case where the bar stud insert has pulled out ?  Beyond repair ?

Thanks for that date, this was my dads saw, good memories of making lots of firewood.

The bar stud insert hole is fully stripped out, not sure how to go about repairing that. If there’s a way, I’d be inclined to try it.

thanks,
jeff

[5terrysupersaws]

May 13, 2020 17:45:36 GMT -5 salmonjefe said:

May 13, 2020 17:00:39 GMT -5 5terrysupersaws said:

How bad is the old drive-case where the bar stud insert has pulled out ?  Beyond repair ?

Thanks for that date, this was my dads saw, good memories of making lots of firewood.

The bar stud insert hole is fully stripped out, not sure how to go about repairing that. If there’s a way, I’d be inclined to try it.

thanks,
jeff

You're welcome !  Your dad's saw and it's memories make it priceless .

Perhaps an insert/heli-coil for the stud insert would be an option if there is enough material left in that area to tap
the hole and install a heli-coil .

[sparky]

Yep i would try to helicoil the original first.

[salmonjefe]

Okay, I’ll try the helicoil. And as the new part came with studs installed, I have those.

Is there a trick or special tool to remove the inserts?

[5terrysupersaws]

May 13, 2020 19:48:15 GMT -5 salmonjefe said:

Okay, I’ll try the helicoil. And as the new part came with studs installed, I have those.

Is there a trick or special tool to remove the inserts?

Are the bar studs in the original drive-case 3/8", and in the replacement 5/16" ?

There was a special tool for insert removal/installation . 1 on eBay for the 5/16" stud inserts ,
have a look , maybe you can make a facsimile with a piece of pipe .

[salmonjefe]

The bar studs are both 3/8”. But in the old case the inserts are 5/8” not 9/16”. Apparently my dad had replaced those studs once before. I think this also means that the helicoil may not work. I don’t own the helicoil tools, so I may see if the local saw shop can try. But I’m still looking for the right case.

[sweepleader]

The helicoil tools are available in a kit with inserts, tap, drill, and tang removal punch. The kits are not too bad for price, you might compare that to the price of a different case or the labor to pay someone else to do it. I am sure everyone here would like to see that saw back in shape, good luck.

[salmonjefe]

So I found the correct part! Now to reassemble the thing, wish me luck.

One more question, what’s the easiest way to reseat the main crank bearing back into the drive case? I’m thinking of heating the case and freezing the bearing/shaft. Any reason that’s a bad idea?

Thanks!

[sweepleader]

If you heat the case to about 250 deg F, the bearing at room temp should drop right in. Don't over do it, I have a toaster oven with a real thermometer in it to be certain the temp is right.

Be sure to hold the bearing in place with weights or whatever until the case cools, it may be difficult to move afterward. Some of them slide in without heat.

[salmonjefe]

Thanks for the info, I’ll be cautious.

And now another issue has arisen. Upon inspection of the connecting rod, I see that what I thought was a two part rod held together with the small bolts at the crank was in fact a solid part. It has the two small bolts, but the part has clearly cracked and broken. I see in the IPL that it calls for a two part attachment to the crank. Is this correct, did Homelite make them a solid part then changed their mind at some point?

New rods seem easy to obtain, so I’ll replace it for sure.

Thanks for all the help.

[salmonjefe]

So never mind, I guess this cracked rod is normal and how they’re intended to be used. Huh, learn something new every day!

[xl130]

Yes, the rods are two pieces that connects to the crankshaft. They are fractured at the factory and only go back together one way so be very aware of that if you dissembled and rebuild. Don’t forget this when attach the piston to the rod. You want the open end of the rings to face inside engine and not out towards the exhaust port.

The piston rides around the crankshaft on loose needle bearings so expect them to fall out into the crank case when you remove the piston rod cap from the crankshaft. No way to avoid it to my knowledge. They can become magnetized and stick to hard to find places. Check an IPL for needle count. Maybe 28....some are anyway.

[sweepleader]

Xl130 has it right about the rod and bearings. The later SXL's have 31 needles. Find them all before you button it up, you do not want one loose in the crankcase. Some grease in the rod and cap will hold them while you assemble the bolts. A bent piece of wire can help hold the cap in place until the bolts get in there.

[salmonjefe]

Thanks for all the tips, I’m gonna need them, and I found all 31. And thanks for the tip on replacing the piston, I would have missed that for sure!