Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

    The chainsaw is not oiling the bar.  No oil out of the oil outlet gromet.

    The oil gromet (14) is clear.  The oil tank filter and line (15 & 26) up to the outlet gromet are clean/clear. 

    Just above the screw in oiler resevoir cap is a brass filter element.  Behind it is a duckbill.  I think the problem may be there.  Either the brass element (12) is pugged or the duck bill (13) is not working.  

   The plug goes into a hole which runs to a 1/2 inch or so tube molded into the inside of the case.  I am not sure how the duckbill fits in. Either it goes through the outside hole followed by the brass filter or put in from the inside over the short pipe.  When I look in with a mirror I can just see something white up in the hole which may be the duckbill.  If it is then it must have been installed from the outside. 

   I assume the pressure for the tank comes throught the duckbill but not sure how pressure gets there.  It might be the filter allows air in which might be sourced from the flywheel fins.  It might also be sourced by a hole near the filter and air routed from somplace throgh the case to the filter.  ??  Not sure.

    The questions are:

1. How does air get to the duckbill.

2. How does the brass element come out?

    I used a bent coathanger to try pushing out the brass element from the inside but realized there was something squishey in there and probably the duckbill. 

17 - outlet gromet

19 - Oil intake tube.  The filter goes on the bottom end (not the brass element filter). 

16 - Called a oil pump kit.  It's just a plastic part with a tube on each side of the standoff.  One is for the oil tube, the other accepts the outlet gromet.

15 - Oil outlet tube (same as 19 above)

14 - Oil outlet gromet.

26 - Oil intake filter (not the brass element filter).

12 - Brass element filter.

13 - Duckbill.

I'm just guessing here, but I'd check the brass filter and duckbill by trying to blow oil through them with a short piece of oil-filled hose about the same OD as the element. If that works, then the plastic pump would be my most likely suspect - it looks from the diagram as if it rides on the crank and that provides the pumping action. I hate plastic parts in wear areas.

Bill_H>>>I'm just guessing here, but I'd check the brass filter and duckbill by trying to blow oil through them with a short piece of oil-filled hose about the same OD as the element.

 

I tried that yesterday with the air compressor.  I did not feel any air through the duckbill.  I gave it another shot this morning with the air gun but had a dental mirror inside the oiler chamber looking at the duckbill.  There was a flow.   Given there isn’t anything over or connected to the filter I think it’s to let air in when a vacuum builds up in the oiler case.   There was flow but it was with high pressure air so I’m not sure if it would work with a lower pressure vacuum inside the oiler. ??

 

Supposing it works as you mentioned that leaves the pump.  I found in the manual where it says the pump is a positive displacement gear pump.  Given the view of the thing I’m not sure where the gears would be or how it work.  Maybe the worm (18) is the "gear" and moves the pump up and down.  ??  Maybe the up and down action sucks oil up through the oil pipe.  I’ll have to take it apart further and check how the pump works.

"Given there isn’t anything over or connected to the filter I think it’s to let air in when a vacuum builds up in the oiler case.' Oops, I thought it was for oil, my bad, I was thinking it was like one of those old sintered brass fuel filters Chevy used in the 60's. What you said makes sense. I bet it's the pump.

 

   On taking it apart the sprocket needle bearings fell out which was a drag as I wanted to use it.  It’s a caged bearing so the inner part must have worn away.  I did not go further fearing something else might be wrong in there, got the needles back in and put it together.

 

After firing it up I noticed some light dimpling on a puddle by the end of the chain bar.  I rev’ed it up by a snowblower and it laid a very thin layer of oil on the side of the blower.  The oiler seems to be working. 

 

The problem was my not knowing much about chainsaws.  I thought the oil was for cutting and not oiling the chain groove.  The oil groove does not need much oil and the usage from what I’ve read is something like a tank of oil should last through a tank of gas or two.  That’s not so much oil.  I expected to be able to feel the chain and find a bunch of oil on it.  I’ve got a few chainsaws which get very little use and thought they all have oiler problems.  I’ll have to check them.  They are probably fine.

At first I thought the filter was for oil also.  It's not readily apparent from an exploded view that nothing runs over to that filter.  A line could have been in another drawing or a channel drilled into case parts.  I looked all over for a line on the parts and even thought a line might be missing before I realized it was an air inlet.  The filter and duckbill sense given the vacuum and chainsaws used in many positions.  It's not like the vent on a snowblower carb which will never see a high angle.  The drawing was also messed up.  It called out two filters and duckbills but only had one each shown in the drawings.  I found the second on the machine going to the gas tank.  

Nice fix :) Back when I purchased my first chainsaw the dealer took me out back where he ran it as a final check. While it was running he pointed it at the ground and revved it, then pointed out the droplets on the ground that flew off the end of the chain. He told me to always do that when I started it up to check the oiler. I do it now without thinking, it's just become a habit, good for peace of mind. I've always used the red Craftsman brand chain oil, it shows up nicely.

One tank of oil for every tank of gas,    That's the way it was always told to me,  (to keep people from running a half a tank of gas on a unoiled bar and chain)

Be sure to grease the bar tip sprocket if it has one.  If you're into the machine, clean and grease the bearing on the clutch (reverse thread to get it off)

Friiy