ECHO CS 355T leaking bar oil out the breather when not in use

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caesarleigh

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I didn't want to start a thread but couldn't find any w/this issue. I took my 355T hiking to do trail maintenance & was carrying it bar pointed up in my Dakine builder pack for approximately 8 hours. I placed the saw in a plastic bag to keep my expensive pack from getting oily from the bar. Every time I stopped to make a xmas tree size cut I noticed the inside of the plastic bag getting more oily. Once home I removed the recoil starter to find the inside of the fan area wet w/oil including the breather hole. I cleaned it up, filled the oil tank full & placed the saw in its holder on the front of my dirt bike, bar pointed down. Left it like that for a couple days & no more ooze from anywhere. As far as I can reason when packed bar up the breather hole is below the filler cap & was able to flow backwards & ooze out.

Normally I pack my 355T, bar pointing down, on the front of my dirt bike. It lives in this position in its holder unless I am running it. Today I noticed a puddle of oil on my trailer deck & the saw oozed oil out the breather again. It has been in that position for at least three weeks since it was ran last. Oil tank was maybe 2/3rds full when parked, looked nearly that full still despite the leak. A little goes a long way.

Anyone experience this? Anyone have any ideas? Constructive criticisms or insults? I am hopeful this is a one off or easily fixed. I have a shiny new 2511T for next season & it uses the same breather in the same location. I hope this isn't an issue w/the design not agreeing w/my storage/transport methods.



Pointless past experience story time & potential fight starter: At the beginning of the nineties a friend asked me to store his mid eighties big Husky falling saw in my shed for the winter. No I don't remember the model but it was big, ugly & heavy.... like my first ex. Had a 24 inch bar though, the Husky, not my ex. I thoughtlessly placed it on the bare plywood floor bottom down like it would sit idling on the log landing. A couple of months later I go in my shed for some long forgotten reason and find a very large bar oil puddle under the Husky. A whole tank full puddle, on my once perfect bare plywood floor. Swearing commenced... and continued. I did a search on here & found several leaking bar oil threads for Husky saws marking their territory. It still doesn't make me feel better. My condolences to Husky owners everywhere.
 
I may be in the minority here, but as far as Im concerned, chainsaws are going to leak bar oil. Some leak faster than others, but eventually they all leak if you use them. Its the nature of the beast. I never worried about it or gave it ANY thought until I started coming around places like this but it still hasn't made me start chasing leaks on a tool I use every day.
 
I may be in the minority here, but as far as Im concerned, chainsaws are going to leak bar oil. Some leak faster than others, but eventually they all leak if you use them. Its the nature of the beast. I never worried about it or gave it ANY thought until I started coming around places like this but it still hasn't made me start chasing leaks on a tool I use every day.

I agree,

They are going to leak a tiny bit regardless. My 562 sits on my back seat truck floor on a folded up towel. Truck always smells like bar oil. Towel always has a small oil spot on it. But there is nothing wrong with the saw.


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My Echo 330T leaks bar oil real bad. Not sure where it comes from but I store it on its bar side, caps up. I'll check to see if it's the breather or cap that's leaking..
 
Take the bar off and leave it off. Wipe everything down good with somthing that will remove the bar oil like acetone or something ( don’t wipe plastic) It should be easy to see were it is leaking from.


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My Echo 330T leaks bar oil real bad. Not sure where it comes from but I store it on its bar side, caps up. I'll check to see if it's the breather or cap that's leaking..

Looks like your 330 uses the same tank vents in the same locations as the 355. Remove your pull start housing assembly to see your vent hole for the oil tank. Mine was nice and oily inside/behind the housing. Makes a nice mess in the cooling holes/mesh of the starter housing too.
 
Not previously mentioned but did you try loosening oil cap after using it? The oil tank can build up pressure and loosening cap(obviously you retighten it) releases that pressure. Might not stop leak but should reduce it.


Saw was cold when I cleaned it all up yesterday & refilled the tank. Pressure should be atmospheric only. I left it since yesterday & sure enough it is pumping oil out the breather hole today. I have cleaned it up again & am leaving it sit w/caps up to see if it will continue to ooze. In theory, once a liquid is primed & moving it should flow until it can't. Maybe a few psi through the breather into the tank w/cap off to clear the prime?
 
Off the topic but I was wondering if you could tell me if the 355 has a catalytic converter in the muffler??
On the topic, my 562xp sits is a plywood shelf in my garage with a full tank of oil all the time with no oil leaks. But I run Echo bar and chain oil from Menards if that makes any difference.
 
Off the topic but I was wondering if you could tell me if the 355 has a catalytic converter in the muffler??
On the topic, my 562xp sits is a plywood shelf in my garage with a full tank of oil all the time with no oil leaks. But I run Echo bar and chain oil from Menards if that makes any difference.

I was led to believe the 355 muffler is an empty shell by the few muffler mods I have seen. See pics here: https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/echo-cs-355t-muff-mod-qs.301968/

For all my saws so far (4) I run no name summer weight bar oil from my local auto parts place, spared no expense.
 
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