Chainsaw Repairs

Most chain saws use a small pump of some type to bring oil to the chain. Some use the throttle, some use the crankshaft. Some have a separate manually operated pump. To know, will require knowing make and model, then consulting a manual.

As a guess, try looking at the drive sprocket for the chain. see if the oiling port is plugged. Poke it with a toothpick and retry. Good luck. If you need help, send M&M.

The tube does not connect to anything, it is a simple syphon for the oil pump. I would suggest you remove the chain and bar and clean the area around the the bar guide. Alos check your bar as the oil flows into it through a small opening.

the tube you see in the lube oil tank connects to the lube oil pump that delivers oil to the bar. To check if the pump is working take off the bar and chain - you will see a small slot on the machined boss onto which the chain bar bolts - this is where the oil comes out and delivers oil to the bar. Start and run the engine and see of oil is coming out of the hole you will find at one end of this slot. If there is no oil your pump is shot and you need to replace it. If oil is coming then check the hole in the bar that matches up with the slot - that it is not blocked. Clean out the groove in the saw bar with the back of a stanley knife, small flat blade screwdriver or similar or an air line if you have one and make sure the lube oil port in the bar is clear. By the way, if you are in the habit of using burst engine oil as many people do this will ruin the oil pump fairly quickly

"burst engine oil"

Please explain. Do you mean used motor oil? My uncle used 10W30 which might explain why his bars and chains didn't last long.

Summer or winter weight bar and chain oil, depending on outdoor temp., is the way to go. It contains special adhesives to make the oil stick to the bar and chain.

Regards

yes - burst oil is used engine oil. Almost any new oil will do and you can use canola oil too especially in winter. If bars and chain are not lasting then its probably not lubrication but poorly sharpened chains. I use a 50:50 mix of cheap engine oil and cheap cooking oil from the supermarket - its a fraction of the cost of engine oils. You can also pay (a lot) for chain oil with adhesive in it but for most applications its not necessary. Hydraulic oil is also OK and is what mechanical harvester heads use so don't let anyone tell you that you have to use 'proper' chain oil.

Great, thanks for the tip - I can keep safely working!

You seem to have two oil threads here. there are actually two types of Bar too, The cheap one the chain slides around the end of the bar. The more expensive one , often called a roller bar, has a wheel at the end on bearings which turns the chain through 180 degrees without much friction. Proper Bar lube oil has special additives to cool the blade, reduce the sliding friction and not clog up the ports when mixed with sawdust. For the cost i always use it as you don't use much and its still cheaper than regrinding your bar or replacing chains.

Fuel oil is different. Chainsaw 2 stroke oil is specially formulated. It has high temperature additives and additives to stop it burning PLUS Cooling additives which are absent from out board motor two stroke or 4 stroke engine oils.

You might not think the coolant is important but the exhaust port gets very hot and the aluminium pistons melt into the rings where they cross the port. You can check by taking the exhaust off and looking at the rings while pulling the engine over. Using four stroke oil can cost you heaps as a new cylinder and piston cost $500 + for most saws. Chainsaw two stroke can also be mixed at 50:1 instead of 25:1 people generally use with other oils so it isn't really that expensive

I worked for a tree care company back in the 80's. They had an older saw with a 5 foot bar on it and a handle on the tip of the bar for another worker to hold. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be used for simply helping to carry the saw or if it was used for extra leverage when cutting - I assume the former since a serious case of kickback wouldn't be pretty.

I was told by a tree service maintenance man that they always use a 50/50 mix of 15w 40 motor oil (new), same as used in their engines, and sae 90 gear oil. He claimed that the extreme pressure additives used in gear oil help keep chains from wearing. Has anyone ever heard that before?

Yes , but for regular use as a once in a while chainsaw user , regular chain oil is fine .

You will notice that it is thick and sticky and works for all applications except for tree service guys who use there saws all day long .

If you are using a regular, off the shelf chain saw there will be no bar oil pump . The oil is syphoned off from the tank to the bar by the rotational effect of the drive sprocket. As descibed by " guest " you need to clear obstructions from the outlet of the oil supply tube to the chain. I suggest you simply remove the plastic cover from the drive sprocket area and hose the bitch clean . If you can see the oil feed tube at this time , squeeze it out to remove the blockage . If this works for you , remember to store your saw with the chain lube tank empty or it will syphone oil out and you will have a puddle of oil under the saw .

Enjoy .

remember to store your saw with the chain lube tank empty or it will syphone oil out and you will have a puddle of oil under the saw .

REPLY

So that is what happened! I was given a saw and cleaned, then oiled it. Put it away but moved it today and discoverred a puddle of oil. Couldn't figure out why it leaked. My previous experience with saws were all pumpers, not siphon.

saws with an oil pump will do that too depending on the position of the piston at the time the saw stops. I don't know of any saw that oils the bar by siphoning - it just would not work. The first saws I used 40 years ago had a thumb operated pump but before long even the cheap ones had an auto pump on them.

I add the used oil from cars, truck and trctors to the chain oil .

CAUTION!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY REPAIRS WHILE YOUR CHAINSAW IS RUNNING!!!

Sorry... couldn't resist...

Last time I had that issue it was a clogged filter on the oiler tube, and yes it is supposed to be connected to something. See if there is a filter on it, if not then sawdust finds its way into your oiler pump and clogs it. Then you need to take the whole thing apart to clean the oiling system out.

After having worked for a tree service for a season I'd say that the most common problem, and least expensive to fix, is a clogged port. Check that first. If that isn't the problem I'd need to know more details about the saw and its maintainance record.

Used to heat with wood and used three chain saws at once one with a 24" bar to drop the tree and two of the lil toy saws with 11" bars for trimming the tree when it was on the ground. We would keep the two small saws so hot that the gas would boil in the tank. Take the bar off, you will find the oil ports clogged with all kinds of saw dust. Be a little carefull here because you want to put them back on the same way they came off! Make a few sketches the first ime you take it off to help remember how it goes back together. Oh yes you have to adjust the chain tension when you put it back. (Before all the self appointed experts chime in, yes boiling gas is dangerous, that is why I type with one hand now...)