Makita EA6100P Cracked Fuel Tank Plus

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Rein

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2021
Messages
53
Reaction score
20
Location
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Issue #1: I just got in a 2018 model 6100 with a no start complaint. Turns out the tank line had fallen right off the intake nipple. Anyone else ever see this? The line is like new so I can't really see a reason why it would have fallen off. It took a bit of finagaling but I got it back on again from inside the tank, fueled up and fired off first pull! Accelerates and runs perfectly!
Issue #2: After shutting down and draining out the fuel I noticed fuel seeping out of the tank seam right in the area of several cracks in the bottom of the handle where you'd put your foot for starting. D'oh! I already asked for the manuals/IPL a few minutes ago, so in the meantime thought I'd ask some questions about this. Has anyone else seen this - what appears to be a structural weakness in that area? I can only think of two solutions: replace that part of the saw or try cleaning inside and out with alcohol, Dremeling V-notches into all the cracks from the outside and filling with JBWeld and/or filling the entire inside of that rear section of the handle with JBWeld (thereby losing a small amount of fuel capacity). Is this part even available and for how much (I'll be doing my research shortly but wouldn't mind hearing from anyone who already knows) since Makita stopped manufacturing gas saws (from what I read elsewhere). I'm guessing there a few part-out saws in existence with this piece available.

Thanks for any information or opinions about the above questions as well as relative merit of repairing/labor versus replacement/labor/parts. I'm more inclined at this point to replace the tank assembly rather than attempt a dubious repair but I'm open to suggestions.

Oh, one further question - where is the serial number located? I looked high and low and can't find it anywhere. Probably right in front of me. Some of the tags partially blew off with my over-zealous pressure washing - my bad! ;-)
 
Turns out the tank line had fallen right off the intake nipple.
Yes I found the fuel line inside the tank and the opposite end from the fuel filter came off. It was not running well at the time and got thrown in frustration. Maybe that is why it came off. I bent an aluminum wire about 1/8 inch diameter in an U shape that fit the line and bent the wire so that I got it back on. It runs now but seems that to tune it so it runs good it does not start good. I think it was like 3 truns out on the high to run good and 2 turns to idle down and start about right.

That was about last year, I also have a Dolmar 351 and that fuel line also came off but this one was on the outside of the tank but far from the carb as possible. Never needed to adjust the carb on the 351. Could be due to hot weather where stored though they were not stored in the same place.

There is a risk reward trade off using the space at the bottom of the handle area for fuel storage.
 
I bought a damaged Shindaiwa 575, and the case below the hand grip got crushed by a tree because the previous owner's vision was obscured because he had his head up his butt.
I was planning to weld the split with magnesium rod, but before expending that much energy and money on the saw, I wanted to use the saw to see how well ran and whether it was worth making the repair.

I have had great success using crazy glue and baking soda, to fill cracks in fuel tanks on weedeaters, so I decided to repair the crack using this technique. It is working great, and the crazy glue has made a strong, durable repair. As a result, I am still using the saw and the tank is not leaking.
The technique is painless. Clean and sand the affected area. Wipe the repair area down with acetone or alcohol. Apply one layer of glue and then dust the wet area with baking soda. Sand the repair until the loose material is removed. Keep building the seam up until it is closed, sanding between applications until the seam is filled.
I use a piece of cardboard that is stiff enough to smooth out the powder, and this way, all I have to do to have a clean working edge, is trim off the edge when the tool becomes un-useable. Works like a charm, and better than any other fuel tank repair I have used.
There is a product that comes in a yellow tube, called Seal All, that used to be my go-to repair product. It has worked well for me since 1960, but I have replaced with the crazy glue, because it is much easier to use, and makes a better repair.
 
Back
Top