blocked chainsaw bar oiler hole

[SimonFisher]

I use a Stihl MS-260 chainsaw with Rollomatic E bars (13", 16", and 18" length) and Oregon 22LPX full chisel chain loops (bought as boxed loops rather than being made-up by the supplier off a reel of chain). I've been using the saw for around six years.

I had a problem about a year ago where the sprocket in the nose-end of a 16" bar seized while working. I recently had the same happen with an 18" bar. In both cases, I found the oiler hole at the engine-end of the bar was blocked. The first time this happened could well be down to me failing to check it properly when I put the bar and chain on. In this most recent case however, the bar and chain were new and had been in use for maybe 10 minutes actual cutting when it happened. I'd just finished a cut, released the throttle and applied the chain brake. When I released the brake to start the next cut, the chain wouldn't move. I tested the oiler function running the engine without a bar fitted and by fitting a bar without chain - it seemed to be working OK. Have I just been unlucky? Could I have had a faulty bar? Comparing how easily the nose-end sprocket turned when that bar was fitted with the one I've just got as a replacement ... the new one does seem to turn more freely. I did manage to get it going again by using a flat-bladed screwdriver to separate the two sides of the bar a little around the nose-sprocket, but it seized again after another 5-10 minutes cutting.

On a related subject to checking the oiler ... when I did my training, we where taught to check that the oiler was working properly by looking for surplus oil being flung off the nose-end of the bar (splattering onto a suitable piece of wood for example). I rarely see that now - though that may be down to a new batch of oil I started using about a year ago which might well be formulated to be thrown off the chain less so than that I used to use. Should I always be able to get oil being thrown off the nose-end or will some oil just not do that?

[SimonFisher]

The ultimate test of whether its getting sufficient oil is if its cutting well and the volume is going down at a usual rate from the oil tank

This was the first time I'd used it since it was serviced. Cut and oil-usage are normal. I read the manual just before writing my post to check I hadn't missed anything. Thanks anyway.

[davetb]

Hi,
My understanding was the bar sprocket is lubricated separately by yourself with red lithium grease on an intermittent basis along with the chain sprocket bearings within the saw.
The chain oil lubricates the chain on the bar and nothing else.
I may have to get the manual out again........

[Toby Allen]

Adding red grease is only on certain bars, may be worth checking. I don't think rollmatic bars need greasing , still worth checking.

Likewise I'd check your chain and bar are compatable, Do you buy it from a lawnmower shop or forestry / arb shop ?

Is the oiler set on high or low ?

How tight do you run the chain ?

What are you cutting ?

Looking for oil flung off the chain is a bit hit and miss, try looking at the chain to see how much oil is on it. Good quality oil should stick to the chain and not fling too much off.

[SimonFisher]

I'd check your chain and bar are compatable, Do you buy it from a lawnmower shop or forestry / arb shop ?

Other than the Stihl chain that came with the saw when I first bought it, I've always used Oregon 22LPX which I purchase from FR Jones (http://www.frjonesandson.co.uk/).

Is the oiler set on high or low ? How tight do you run the chain ? What are you cutting ?

There is no oiler adjustment on the Stihl MS-260.

With regard to chain tightness, I don't think I'm running it too tight or too loose. Was your question just a general 'something to check', or are the problems I experienced more likely if the chain is too tight or too slack?

In this case, I was cutting oak - some of the smaller pieces from a large specimen that came down during a storm during the winter of 2011/2012. My own level of ability and knowledge weren't up to making it safe, and my chainsaw was way too small for the main trunk - but I knew a man with an MS-880 and 48" bar who sorted most of it out about 12 months ago and it's been lying since. I've been cross-cutting some of the limbs which pretty much took the whole of an 18" bar in a single cut.

[Toby Allen]

There's an oil adjuster on the bottom of the 260 and 261.

I have known people run chains so tight the bar opens like a banana , also if you are cutting lots of brash you can get stuff jammed down the end.

I've had problems in the past by lawn mower salesmen giving bad advice or selling the wrong parts for chainsaws, fr jones should see you right.

I think you may have been a bit unlucky, or doing something crazy ....

[SimonFisher]

There's an oil adjuster on the bottom of the 260 and 261.

Thank you. My mistake for stating the opposite. I've just found the relevant details in the manual which I'd so far managed to miss. It suggests a change in the oil flow rate might be appropriate using a different bar length, for certain types of wood or cutting techniques. As I've gone from a 13" bar to 16" and now 18", I'd best turn it up a bit. What types of wood and different cutting techniques would necessitate more oil?

If you are cutting lots of brash you can get stuff jammed down the end.

And that might explain problem I had a year ago - I was doing a lot of brash pile reducing when it happened.

[Toby Allen]

We tend to leave the oiler on full most of the time. Saves on bars and sprockets.

18" is a bit long for a 260. Smaller bars give a bit more power, just use the appropriate cuts for bigger wood.

I think the 'different techniques' for adjusting the oiler may refer to hammering through seasoned oak with a small saw with an oversized bar

[SimonFisher]

We tend to leave the oiler on full most of the time. Saves on bars and sprockets.
18" is a bit long for a 260. Smaller bars give a bit more power, just use the appropriate cuts for bigger wood.
I think the 'different techniques' for adjusting the oiler may refer to hammering through seasoned oak with a small saw with an oversized bar

I started with a 13" bar when I bought the MS-260 and for most stuff I do, that's still a good size. I upped to a 16" bar to cut a seat into a large fallen beech which we decided to leave where it fell but then left it (the 16" bar) on permanently. The 18" bar was a recent purchase to more easily tackle a fallen oak and I did go gently as I suspected I was asking more of the saw than I have previously. Before it seized it was cutting beautifully!

Not knowing the oiler flow rate could be increased was I hope the main cause of my problems. I'll increase it to maximum ... maybe I'll once again be able to see the oil being flung from the chain at the tip of the bar like the manual says.