DeWalt 20v Chainsaw Oil Leak Fix (It's NOT the "missing" O-Ring)!! 

Just did this! Used the black RTV. It was delivered today and i did it right away before putting oil in. Thanks for the guidance! To whoever is reading this, this job is easy if you pay attention and follow his guidance. Definitely worth it.

YES, IT WORKED!!!!! I can't thank you enough. While these shouldn't leak at all, it's a great little chainsaw and with having other dewalt tools, I wanted to try this so I didn't hate it so much. I've tried the silly extra O ring mod others "claim" fixes the leak, (not sure how, but ok), and yeah it kept leaking. Had a hunch that the molding parts were an issue but wasn't confident enough to take everything apart. Following this VERY WELL MADE tutorial made is soooo easy. Disassembly and reassembly is only time consuming, not hard. Anyways, I threw on some blue gasket maker on all the bits shown in the video, though I applied a bit more on the outside of those bits once I installed them back into the tank, just for good measure. Filled up the tank, waited overnight, checked today and not a single drop came out. So much for everyone saying "all chanisaws leak".... well this one shouldn't, it's just poor manufacturing. Now it doesn't leak at all. Good grief, what a mess this thing used to create. bottle of bar oil will last forever now, lol! Great video and thanks again!

subscribed. this is the most comprehensive and detailed fix ive ever used on youtube. One commentor said you can leave the brake spring assembly on, and he is right. I took the left hand threaded nut off the sprocket, pulled the brake pin, and left everything else in. Thanks for this video man. Truly is a massive help for the community.

It's good to see someone that knows how to correctly reinstall screws into plastic. Bravo my good man awesome vid.

I was hesitant to buy this saw at first because of the leaking oil complaints but luckily I found this video and decided to pull the trigger on the saw. I went ahead and followed this easy fix before I put any oil in it and haven't had any leak issues. lt s a nice, light duty saw that is extremely convenient when you don't feel like dragging the gas saw out. Great job on this video, I highly recommend anyone who buys this saw watch this video and go ahead and nip the oil leaking issues in the bud from the start.

Thank you for taking the time to make this video! I followed this step by step, put it all back together and it WORKED! 🙏👌

Thanks for taking the time to produce the video!

Thank you for the breakdown and fix. Great little saw. I've had mine sitting on paper towels on a mat.

I put very little oil in it, less than half, and store it laying on its side with oil cap up, and it does not leak at all. I would never try this. It would completely spoil the manufacturer’s warantee and I highly doubt I could follow these directions as accurately as necessary to make this new machine function again. Thanks for examining everything.

Just got mine in the other day. This is the first thing I did to it right after it came out of the box. Never going to be more oil free for creating a good seal on the tank and adapter was my thought process. Went with the Ultra Black. Looking forward to having this saw as my trim saw to supplement the main gas saw. Thanks for the vid.

Just did this last night. Worked like a charm! thanks! the oil leak was getting worse and worse as time went on. Loved the saw but have to carry it around in a bag because it would dump half a tank of oil in my car by the time i got to where i needed to be. No more leaking at all. Left it over night.

I was looking for a video of the breakdown/disassembly for this exact reason! I found this the perfect reference video and followed your instructions. So far the leak is resolved! Thanks for the content!

I just got thos saw last week... I'm excited to tey this fix out when i get the time! Thanks for sharing

Brilliant video many thanks! Followed it to the letter and no leaks. So simple to do with your help, many thanks! Sadly Dewalt still haven’t changed the tank design on the DCM565N here in the UK, but thanks to you we can adapt and overcome!

Amazing video! I have the older DeWalt 40v, DCCS690 and it's been leaking for years and I just accepted it. I found this video, bought the black RTV and did this fix last week. The DCCS690 is essentially the same process with some small differences. Your video gave me the confidence to fix this myself. The hardest part was getting the years of debris cleared out as I've never given in a proper clean (in over 6 years ha). I also discovered I need a better air compressor... anyhow, THANKS for taking your time to share your expertise. It's been about a week and I now have zero oil leaks.,

Thanks for the great video. I was ready to chuck my leaking saw in the trash. you were exactly right on the filler neck to oil tank being the culprit

Just did this fix with the suggested sealant, really thank you

Thank you my good sir. I just bought mine and immediately tackled this. now just waiting for RTV to dry!

after 2 weeks of doing this fix, and keeping it totally full of oil and sitting... zero leaks. the only dribble i had is now from the oiler nipple with the thicker oring to seal inside the clamshell half for the chain oiler, all because i spun the chain by hand lol thanks again for showing the fix, now i love my lil dewalt limber.

I just stand mine up on the battery with the bar pointing upwards and let gravity prevent it leaking. Seems to work!

Ok, I did this hack on my brand new DeWalt 12" 20 volt saw. The only leak was at the oil cap. I installed an o ring on the recessed area of the cap. It has held bar oil for two days now and not leaked. Thanks for this video, it prevented a problem before it started!

This is great info! I have similar leak on mine I wasn’t able to get it all off I must’ve missed a screw, will try again.

Thank you so much! I will be fixing my chainsaw!!!

Thanks for this video tutorial! Was easy to follow. Turns out my saw's primary leak was most likely the small o-ring on the plastic fitting that slips into the casing (oil port for the chain). The o-ring was smashed off to the side and deformed. Got a new one at the local Ace. Fittings at the tank looked okay but I sealed em anyway using RTV. Took the gear case cover off as someone suggested and redistributed the grease. Appeared to be some sort of graphite grease and was heavy in some places and absent in others. I'm sticking with the original bar and chain until the chain wears out then will upgrade. Thanks again!

Thought mine was missing an o-ring untill I saw this. Thank you ill have to do this myself. Damn rhing leaks like a sieve

Thanks for the great fix. I complained to DeWalt, got the same, “empty the tank after use” B.S. After some back and forth discussion, they sent me a brand new one! Both are getting this fix.. sad that they come faulty from the factory. All my other DeWalt tools have been awesome but on this saw, they need to do better.

Thank you for the great video! I just bought the saw & this will be done before I oil or use it!

Thanks for sharing! Great job!

Thanks a lot for this video! Very thorough and best of all, it worked! Had a few rough spots - getting the whole safety bar apparatus back correctly in place was difficult for me but I finally got it back together. Now I feel like I have the chainsaw Dewalt should have made in the first place. Anyway, great job!

I got one a week a half ago and tore it down before it saw any oil. I went with the ultra black, resealed the vent, supply tube and the filler tube reassembled it and never got a drop 💧 of oil out of it. I know it's only a 10 1/2" cut but I was cutting 12" trees NO PROBLEM. Thanks again for the video it was very instrumental in tearing it down and reassembly 👌👍🤜🤛🤙

It's been a few months since I got a Dewalt 20 V chainsaw and I tore the saw down and fixed the leaks before they started leaking. Since then when I use the saw if I place the saw down on the ground (bottom down) there is a small puddle of oil under it after sitting for 10-15 minutes under the chain drive spocket area . I believe that it's due to the over aggressive oiling system because this thing goes through a lot of oil for the cutting that I do. I used to own and use a Sthil 044 with a 2' bar back when I was logging and that saw didn't use half as much oil. So when I store the saw I have it in position with the bar down, cover on at the 6 o' clock position and then there is no oil to clean up 🙂.

I admire you for tearing the saw down and fixing it properly! I just know myself enough that something would not go back together right and I’d be worse off 😂… Think I’ll just keep it in a case with shop towels.. I’m a beaten man!

Finally somebody who knows it not the “missing O ring”! I also had an RX8, I guess that’s why we are able to problem solve so well. I fixed mine by too but it developed the leak after use again. I will try the sealant this time and it should stay fixed I would assume. Seems like the adapter seal loosening with use and the sealant will prevent. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the great video!

Thank you. I don't own this saw (yet) but I will do this if I ever get one.

Great info, well done!

thank you, you made it much easier .

I wrapped some white plumbing tape around the screw-in cap. It worked.

Great instructional video. I'd like to give it five thumbs up instead of one.

Yep it works never had leak with mine did this as soon as I got it

Realy informativ and good job 💪

very comprehensive repair.

Thanks for the video it was very helpful. I also found that the O-ring at the end of the oil feed to the bar was too small. The white plastic piece that pushes into the case for the oil feed was so loose it just fell out. This means when the oil is being pumped a lot of it goes straight into the casing. A bigger O-ring provided a nice snug fit and no more oil coming out the case bottom after use.

Open the gearbox while you have the saw apart. The gears inside are bone dry. There is a little dab of grease tucked in the corner where it will not touch the gears. I greased them myself. Without lube they'll wear out quickly. Good video. It helped me re-assemble the chain break. Oh...no leaks now. Thanks

Excellent excellent video I just fixed my saw

Great Video, I was able follow it easily. My saw now leaks less, but does still leak around the filler cap. The factory O ring is present and looks fine. The cap itself has a broken wing on the bottom, so it only engages 1 of the locking lugs. Have a new cap on order, so hopefully that fixes it. Extremely disappointed that the saw leaks so badly. Neither of my Stihls leak much, and certainly not from around the fill cap.

LMAO... If I pulled it apart like that it would never go back together. Great video and now I am dreading doing mine but I guess I will need to in order to fix it. Thanks for the video Excellent job.

That’s great! I’ll just keep an absorbent mat in the bottom of my chainsaw box. That little saw rocks for what it is!

Great video. I'll try it with mine as well.

I just finished this process and it took way longer than it should have, probably because I am cautious and take time to clean and examine everything. Here are some things I found. I don't see how these tanks could NOT leak. There is such a gap where the tank seam is at the filling port hole. I treated the other openings with Hylomar as well. I took everything apart, blew all the crud out with an air compressor and de-greased with GUNK and cleaned the tank and tubes with water after de-greasing. I left nothing to chance concerning whether or not I am going to get a good seal this time around. Absolutely the most aggravating thing about this entire process was getting that brake spring back in place and under compression. OMG, I about lost it a few times....and I take things apart for a living. I did take the cover off the transmission and move a bit of that grease on to the gears. I took a lot of photos and had all my parts laid out on a clean work surface with a disposable white 36" x 32" pad on top to absorb oil etc. In my particular saw, it has leaked from day 1 and I've owned it for 4 to 5 years now. Hopefully this gives me some relief from that nightmare. I purchased a DeWalt 28" plastic toolbox to keep it in and lined the bottom with towels. Another thing I noticed was that the little port that attaches on the outside of the tank to two prongs, also has an "O" ring on it. Mine was mashed flat and not doing anything to make a seal. I replaced from a new box of "O" rings I just bought. There are 2 flexible tube in there. One is before the pump, going into the tank. The other one is after the pump and mating to the port feeding oil to the chain. The tube on the tank side was getting a bit stretched so I trimmed a 1/4 inch of the stretched tubing off for a tighter fit. Since my saw has some age, I assume this will happen to all these eventually. Maybe some auto grade rubber line can be used if I ever have to go back in there for any reason. One thing I did do was remove that 2nd "O" ring on the fill port that many said solved the problem. The downside to adding that 2nd ring was that it add more material into the cap seal/opening interface. What it has done is start to warp the two hooks on the fill plug itself. I'm going to buy an extra one from Amazon now that my plug is deformed. I will update when I know if this solves my leaking issues.

Thanks for the video. Got my saw 3 weeks ago, filled the bar oil and within 12 hours the whole tank of oil leaked out around the front handle under the tank. Did your fix with RTV silicon which solved the issue. Now we need a way to regulate the oiler, I've never seen a saw puke so much oil from the oil system. I can hold the saw over a log and turn it black from the bar oil spray off the bar not to mention the oil slick running out the chain cover.

Hi, I fortunately watched your video before buying... I almost turned away from Dewalt but I have a lot of Dewalt 5ah batteries, so I kept coming back to this one since my friend has 4 other brands of electric and they all leak... SO I hade the pleasur of doing mine with you and this video on brand spankin newone, no oily gunk or oily wood residue... Thnaks a lot, apart from re inserting the huge black spring, it all was easy and I hope to see this chainsaw clean enough to carry around without bagging it...

I will just deal with the tiny leak, this little saw is a damn animal, capable of any size job even cutting a notch to fit the saw in lol, the real key is keeping that chain super sharp

Nice. Looking at getting one but heard about the oil leaking ... Good to know there's a fix👌.. although you would think this should be covered by the warranty 🤷 come on dewalt

just did mine, i could see the imperfections on the square oring that is between the adapter and the molded tank. smoothed the tank lip gently with razor blade, rtv both sides of square oring and reinstalled. i also found the oring to the oiler nipple was not even making contact with the case half so i swapped it for one that seated snug and sealed. no mo reeky reek.

Great tear down reference video. The internals look very similar to the 1st Gen 16” flexvolt chainsaw. Probably not surprising. Both my 12” and 16” leak while stored. The additional o ring solution did not work for me either. Thanks for sharing perhaps I give this a try in the future. Cheers from 🇨🇦

Great video, but I doubt that I will bother. For as much as I use the saw, it just isn't worth it. And I really wasn't surprised that it leaked; every chain saw I have ever used has leaked. Btw, I like your camera.

Great video. I took the two back I bought and got a Makita. Sure I’m capable to do the fix but why should I need to? I even called Dewalt and they told me it’s normal and I should drain the oil out after use ! No plan for a redesign as it was designed that way!

I REFUSE to fix others massive design mistakes. I went to the local hardware store and purchased an electric STIHL MSA 70 C-B .. it DOES NOT LEAK.

I just used this breakdown, not for the leaks, but just to understand the breakdown process and reassembly of the parts. I wasn’t getting any chain oil to the chain (I bought this from someone who used it once and put it on the shelf). The tube running from the oil pump to the bar was all plugged up with a gummy substance (like old linseed oil) and I needed to take the spring out of it and clean it and the tube with a thin wire and some light solvent and then soapy water. Did the whole thing in a couple of hours and have a new chainsaw for very cheap…

“Seth Rogen goes exploring in power tools” 😆jk Thanks for taking the plunge 👍

You need to send your video to DeWalt. If you don't, I will. I just ordered one of those saws and every review said they leaked oil. But they said every brand leaked oil so I ordered it anyway. I hate to take apart a brand new saw to fix this problem but I may have to if DeWalt has not fixed the problem already. Thanks for the video!!!! I saved it so I can put everything back together after the tear down. Have a good one.

Mine has leaked like crazy from day 1. The fact this is normal is beyond me.

I have one that I want to use but I can't get the cap to the oil reservoir to open. It won't turn to the unlock position and I am worried that I will put a little too much muscle into it and end up breaking the cap.

Does anyone know why the DewaltR&D team doesn't know about this? It's strange that we are having to improve on the design ourselves. Brilliant video buddy.

Should have recall on this!

Thanks for the great detailed video ... I just bought this Dewalt chainsaw from my local hardware store on clearance; read the reviews about the oil leak problem, thought I prevent than fix. Could you use alternative sealants? I am from Australia and the Hylomar non setting blue sealant is difficult to source ... I have some Permatex FORM-A-GASKE NO.2 SEALANT - do you think that would work also? Many thanks - Ethan

So it's safe to say it's the bar oil tank reservoir .... It looks to me if the manufacturer didn't put the seem right down the middle where the vent and plug are.. it would never leak...correct?... I Wonder if they make a After market or a original tank that does not have the seem in the middle of the ports.?... Thank you for the video

Quick question , could the brake spring assembly be left in place if the sprocket drum were removed first ? Thanks , a very good instructional you've done here .

brand new saw, yet to use or add oil. Given hand tremors & decreasing vision, any options to ship my product to accomplish this service, for a fee? Perhaps you, Pepper Moon? Perhaps Dewalt dealer? I would appreciate any options. Txs.

tempting to leave the awkward safety switch off but ya never know who else might use the saw

I've owned two Husqvarna chainsaws. I love them, but both would leak bar oil if left sitting for a while. I put them in a plastic cement mixer pan from Home depot. Done.

This is something that DeWalt needs to fix when they build it. I just bought one two weeks ago and they still have this issue.

What about lightly filing off the parting line irregularities? I love hylomar and my 16” dewalt seeps oil just like this

I bought a toolbox long enough to store my chainsaw in, with a spare bar & chain, 2 extra batteries, & quart of bar oil. I've had mine for a couple yaers now, and keep it in the box with the fill plug down, and haven't had it leak yet. *sgrugs*

hint for the lazy. you can just squeeze the oil back into the bottle after work)

great video and it's widely appreciated, but what a waste of time for fixing a problem that simply shouldn't exist from a reputable manufacturer like dewalt. Unreal that someone should have to waste hours to put dabs of sealant on plastic to stop leaks. 😐

All chainsaws leak oil now in the manual you need to remove oil when not in use I have latest 500mm bar 54v version that's there answer to the problem

I have this saw, but have not had a leakage issue. This video may be of use if mine does leak. Great little saw. One suggestion: if you're going to fast forward through steps, I suggest doing a voice-over instead of sounding like Alvin.

Wonder if you can use a heat gun to melt the parting line together?

A lot of these 40V chainsaws leak bar oil. I have a Worx 40V that amazingly does not.

The leaking is starting to annoy me so it's about time to crack into it! If i take apart the gearbox, any suggestions for the grease to put on those gears?

there should be something like Fix-A-Flat that you can add to seal it without taking it apart.

You could easily charge people 50 bucks a saw + return shipping if you wanted to do this as a service. I think you would have a bunch of work sent your way.

Did I miss the part about the fix for the cap leak? I saw the rtv on the other little bits

I am going to try this on my milwaukee saw. They both look like the same design really.

No I'm not taking it all apart. Scary

If I have to work that hard to fix something that costs over 300 just for the tool. I can’t imagine the others green tools!

Right away you looked past the first leakage point. The gasket between the oil gallery of the saw and the bar!!!

In the manual, it says you’re supposed to empty the bar oil tank every time you’re finished using it I think that would be much easier than taking that all apart and try to fix the leaks

I just bought the saw. I wonder if this should be done before I even do use it. I wonder if dewalt finally fixed this problem would you know?

A little more care at the factory and this would not be a problem.

Did your over hauling work

I just lay mine over on its side, but it has leaked oil sitting upright since new.

Ive got the pole saw and its doing the same thing. You would think that Dewalt could make a better tank...

Takes courage to tear into a brand new saw like that. I'm guessing the bulk of the oil is coming from the feeder, just like every other chainsaw I've ever owned.

I have the complete opposite problem. My chain and bar oil is clogged. Will not come out.

Hi I’ve watched you video a few times and I’m attempting to do this fix, nearly have it opened up, all the screws are out , wouldn’t open went back to your video to see what I did wrong, it was the nut on the sprocket, but when I try to turn it, the sprocket keeps moving and I’m not strong enough to hold it, I tried using the drill( thinking a sudden quick turn would loosen it but no, so I’m not sure what to do now, my son is not available to help today so I thought I would try here, I’m a 69 year old woman that just doesn’t have finger strength lol Any help would be appreciated😊

Have you used the saw? Is it still not leaking oil?

I guess I have been lucky, mine has never leaked

Real men don’t worry abut a little oil leak! If you want a dry cut use a HAND SAW! DRAIN THE TANK AFTER USE LIKE IT SAYS!