so here we are 2 months later and i finally got around to fixing the crack. i did the jb thing with some fiberglass for reinforcement. i filled it with fuel last night and it wasn't leaking but i will see if it held overnight. the most difficult part of the job was putting the saw back together. i ran into another problem last night when i tried to start it...i pulled the cord a couple of times and then it was stuck and i couldn't pull it anymore. its like the piston is stuck. i will try again (if its still not leaking fuel)this morning.