chainsaw question. bar/chain oiling.

vash · vash's Garage

i have an ECHO. it runs great and cuts fast and furious. i dont know if i just never noticed before, but it seems like most of the bar oil seeps out the bottom of the saw near the main sprocket. the bar flings very little oil.

i took it in and the guy turned up the oil dispersion with that little screw on the bottom. he told me to take it home and blast it with my air compressor. i cleaned the bar, the oil holes in the bar and the body of the saw. also gave the air cleaner a whoosh of air. compressor works great on cleaning. i used to wipe it with a rag like an idiot.

it runs and revs like a little devil. but so much oil seem wasted out the bottom. is it supposed to oil the bar, or the actual teeth of the chain?

rusnak · 02-01-2012, 04:05 PM

I have three Echos, from the little homeowner one to the pro models. They all rev like monsters, and they all fling oil from the chain. It does sound like you have a leak somewhere, or perhaps there is TOO much oil coming from it?

GWN7 · 02-01-2012, 04:06 PM

It oils the bar. The chain runs on the bar and needs the oil to lubercate or it will wear uneven.

What weight oil are you using? Too light of a weight oil and it will run out fast.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

The oil is pumped from a hole in the saw body into the round holes in the bar and then goes through a passage into the slot that the drive tangs of the chain run in. Your problem could be that the bar isn't sealing against the saw body because of dirt or something is warped, or the passage from the round hole to the slot in the bar is clogged. The bar on the right has a small hole that is used by some saws for the oil. Most saws have thin metal plates that fit on each side of the bar. These HAVE to be in place if you have a bar like this and a saw that pumps the oil into the larger holes.

vash · vash's Garage

im using stihl bar oil.

mine has a hole in the bar that leads to the groove. seems like it is seeping from where the bar mashes against the matching hole in the chain body.

Hugh R · 02-01-2012, 04:40 PM

Try using ECHO oil it may have a different viscosity

Rusty Heap · Rusty Heap's Garage

or buy a Stihl saw and be done with your worries................

Sorry, there is no substitute........vibration, and parts availability.

Signed, Dave owner of 4 stihls some 40 years old and stihl (sic!)running strong

Superman · 02-01-2012, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

or buy a Stihl saw and be done with your worries................

I was raised in a logging town. 80% of the pros use Stihl, and the other 20% use Husqvarna. The rest are toys. I don't mean to insult anyone. For the homeowner, perhaps other brands make more sense. I've spent the past several months making stack of firewood for my lady friend, who heats with wood exclusively. She has two sizes of Stihls, and my maintenance routine includes sharpening chains and filling the saws with oil and gas. They are as reliable as the Sun.

Superman · 02-01-2012, 05:18 PM

Also, I use non-ethanol-laced gasoline and I drain the fuel and run the engine out of gas if the machine is going to sit for a while.

I guess......getting back to your question Vash, if the bar/chain is not getting enough oil, they will wear out more quickly. Not a huge problem. And if the machine is leaking where it shouldn't, then the problem is really just oil expense, right? Also a small matter.

Bill Douglas · 02-01-2012, 05:22 PM

I'm a 20%-er. In fact I've just come in for a rest after doing a load of firewood with the Husqvarna 455 Rancher.

I like Husqvarnas because they are a lot quieter than a Stihl, and all my firewood is from places in town so I have to take noise into account.

Superman · 02-01-2012, 05:25 PM

I hear they vibrate less, too. But Stihls are so light.......

Bill Douglas · 05:43 PM

My chainsaws use a tank of chain oil per tank of gas. That's about normal so yours should do much the same. With the engine running full revs have the end of the whirling chain about 2" from a clean object and you should see it lightly spray painting it with loose oil. Also, with the motor stopped of course, lift the chain from the bar and it should look oily where it runs in the grove.

Bill Douglas · 02-01-2012, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superman

I hear they vibrate less, too. But Stihls are so light.......

The Stihl 260 has an amazing power to weight ratio. A real beast

vash · vash's Garage

never meant this to be a stihl vs husky vs echo thread..but

my echo destroyed, well out worked 2 stihls in the mountains cutting wood. i think i keep my gear sharper, but i was out cutting them by a noticable margin. or they were sandbagging.

out husky in the group burned a coil or something.. it never ran again.

my shop carries all three brands. the echo is the most economical of the bunch. perfect for my very occasional use. if i was working more..i would get a stihl. they seem lighter.

M.D. Holloway · 02-01-2012, 05:35 PM

Vash, PM me your shipping address and I will send you the best bar oil for your spinblade.

Bill Douglas · 02-01-2012, 05:42 PM

Here is my little pile of wood I got this morning, hehe, I'm quite proud of it.

Rusty Heap · Rusty Heap's Garage

I've used, not owned Husky saws.........Husq are awesome TORQUE, Stihls rock the RPM world..........

Stihl, the one and only, might as well tout a Craftsman or Harbor Freight thingy with a rotating chain bit.

Vibration is where many people don't have a clue........must be their numb fore-arms.......

If you live in a condo and say saw once every 3 years.............then Brand X may do you fine.........meanwhile the Main Dawg is a Stihl.

vash · vash's Garage

bill and rusty..i'll shut up about my hobby saw now...

WOW!! that is awesome.

GWN7 · 02-01-2012, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vash

im using stihl bar oil.

mine has a hole in the bar that leads to the groove. seems like it is seeping from where the bar mashes against the matching hole in the chain body.

There are summer and winter weights of oil (depending on what the outside temp is when your using the saw. I flip the bar every time I sharpen the chain. It evens out the wear. If it gets notable, a quick run against a grindstone straightens it out again.

pete3799 · pete3799's Garage

Take the bar off. Inspect the oil holes in the bar. Clean them out with a piece of wire.
Also get all the saw dust out of the groves that the chain runs in (wire again).
I'm not familiar with the Echo ( have a Husky and a Stihl ) but when reassembling the bar make sure the oil hole to the bar isn't blocked by the mounting hardware.