7900 oiling gremlins

[bwalker]

My 7900 is down at the moment because the oiler is not working. The pumps outlet hose isnt attached to the pump. Instead it is held in place by the pressure of the pump being screwed down. THIS DESIGN SUCKS! Are you listening Dolmar?
I have had this problem before and I thought I had it licked by using some adhesive to glue the pump line, in effect gluing it to the pump. This held for several months...till the other day. So I take the thing apart and on the advice of Sawman used a plastic 3/16" windowasher fitting to connect the pump and hose mechanicly I also glued it again and placed a small washer under the hose to put more pressure on it. Took it out today to the wood pile and ran a few tanks through it. Low and behold it is leaking again after the 3rd tank. Now I am at a loss for what to do. Anyone have any ideas?
BTW I fragged one bar tip and and trashed a brand new bar because of this issue.

 

[dneiger]

7900

Ben,
As I told you on Tuesday the 19th I had the parts coming and would mail them to you as soon as I got them, they should be in here on Friday the 22nd. I don't see any reason for you to be bashing the Dolmar line, so far I have sold 25 to 30 saws out of my shop and have not had 1complaint about oiler leaks. I wish you could have been around when Stihl and Husqvarna were having real problems, [electronic ign, motor mounts, clutches, mufflers, oilers, carbs vibrating loose and frying cylinders } . All manufacturers have problems with new designs, however I think that the Dolmar line has been pretty trouble free with their product. I would never say completely free there are still some areas to address and I am sure they will take care of them.
I would hope that you take this reply in the way I intended it no one has all of the answers, I have read your post concerning Dozer Dan and all I can say is if you haven't done business with the man keep quiet, I respect your ideas on oil and have set down and started to look into some of the things that you and others have expounded on.
I hope the ABS can continue on as an interesting, informative site and we can only do that by respecting the other guys ideas
be it a manufacturer or an individual.
Dave

 

[rupedoggy]

Thank-you Dave for a thoughful post. Mike

 

[bwalker]

Dave I appreciate the Help in locating those parts. I however dont think they are going to fix this problem. I could be wrong as I have been before. But replacing a perfectly fine hose with another perfectly fine hose isnt going to fix the problem of the line have no attachment point on the pump. The only reason i am even trying it is becase it was reccomended to my by another Dolmar rep.

I don't see any reason for you to be bashing the Dolmar line

You kidding? First of all Iam not bashing, secondly this oiler is a hokie design pure and simple. The engineer that thought it was a bright idea to attach the pressure side of the oiler hose by no other means than the pressure of the oiler bolted on is a joke.

I do not know how Dozer Dan is germain to this discussion, but I will admit and its no secret that I question some of his stuff. With all of the lies and BS how could anyone in his right mind not.

we can only do that by respecting the other guys ideas be it a manufacturer or an individual.

Respect is earned and not given without merit. When someone is less than honest or when a mfg has a crappy design it should be brang up without reservation.
I really like this 7900, but the dealer support is non existant(thats about to change, hopefully) and this oiler design is clearly a turd. The older Dolmars where notorious oil leakers and Dolmar in order to save a few $ used the same pump. There is no excuse for this and if Dolmar truely backs there products there will be a recall. BTW I am not the only one(ask Andyshine77) with the problem and if more people had the problem I wouldnt feel any diferant..
At any rate I hope you are not taking this the wrong way as I really appreciate your help in locating the parts.

 

[bwalker]

Mike, people in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.

 

[lucky]

So Mike comliments Dave and that constitutes stone throwing?

Originally posted by bwalker
Mike, people in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.

You you've just thrown one as well. Ben, you must not live in a glass house yourself. From the outside and looking in, I thought Dave had some valid points. But I guess his age, wisdom and life experiences don't count for much. Oh wait, they do!
At the age of 26 myself, I think we can learn a bit from the previous generation whether it be Mike, Dan or Dave. There, I threw my rock too. Where does the stone throwing stop? Alright who's got the beer?

 

[bwalker]

I never cast a stone and neither did dave IMO. As for Mike...He got a ax to grind.

I thought Dave had some valid points.

Sure he did, but to say that this oiler design is a good one would be a major stretch. Pointing out a problem isnt bashing. No one got up in arms when someone brings up Husky or Stihl's shortcomings.

 

[Andyshine77]

I also glued it again and placed a small washer under the hose to put more pressure on it.

I did the same thing, I hope mine holds. The pump design is indeed crap, it can't support any resistance or pressure. Dolmar needs to recall the pumps and fix the problem.

 

[Saw Man]

This saw has been out for two + years w/o any major problem.
At this time....have heard of a only handful of oiler comments as compared to mountains of sales.

But even those handfuls are important to take care of.

Oil pump design is based from a design with almost 20 year history of oiling, oiling, oiling. No any problems blowing out gears, seals, or intermittent oil delivery.

Years ago, some leakage was ok by all makers because oil cost a heck of alot less back then...than today, and saws didn't have the chain speed & power of todays models.

When launched, one of the improvements the "Bubble Saws" had was increased oil savings, and a 'cleaner' saw thru less oil run off.

Have had success with the very, very few that came to me by using the fitting to either eliminated, or reduce oil run off. Defination of 'success' has been; user/dealer comments like, "no longer bleeds oil", "seems to have stopped".

Have pics on new comPHEWter, or disc...somewhere of what I did somewhere, and will try of post them.

Dolmar has a one (1) year Pro-Commercial Warranty.
1 (one) year!
No other major pro player offers that.

Rest assured that if a '????uation' been developing, Dolmar will 'rectalfy' it.

What is needed is calm, cold clear facts only to properly research, and resolve any problems.

Had an '03 GMC 2500 HD Crew Cab w/Duramax-Allison built for me, with 4WD.
Had some problems with the 4WD module around 5,000 miles.
Dealer replaced it. Three weeks later...same problem. Dealer told me they had recently had a few more, and advised factory. Another module installed. Soon after, that one went. Dealer told me that factory had enough reports, had investigated the modules, and found defective ones in stock.
They didn't know which ones were bad, but were testing all before them sending out.
Finally got a good one in. Now, have over 55, 000 miles on it.
Free loaner vehicle each time, and all covered under warranty.
Really glad I didn't get rid of the truck.

Feel free to email, or PM me with any issues. If I can help, I'll pass on what I do, or don't know. No BS allowed.

Only major negative comments on Dolmar relate to speed;
They don't keep changing models to hide defects...but just keep on improving what they have.
They don't keep changing parts that don't retofit, which means less parts to stock.
They don't jump like rabbits when some potential problem peaks out from under the covers, but deliberately, calmly investigate and come do come up with a fix that does work.

No question in my mind based on past history....when something is happening,....it will be resolved ASAP.

 

[Grande Dog]

We've sold a good number of these units and haven't had any problems (knock on wood) with the oilers bleeding. I did find a Makita service bulletin that updated the the oil pressure line from a 038 245 060 to 038 245 110. I'm not sure if this is what Dave is getting for you but, it's worth a try. Just wondering, does this problem happen more when the weather is cold?

Grande Dog
Master Mechanic
Discount Arborist Equipment and Tree Care Supplies

 

[Andyshine77]

It was a warm day when my 7900 started to leak. The only thing I can think of that may be contributing to the problem, is the Oregon bar I'm using. The bar oil hole on the Oregon bars may be to restrictive, thus causing the line to build up to much pressure, and leak.

 

[bwalker]

Andy, Mine leaks with a windsor bar, which has two large holes. Have you fixed your yet? How?
So far I tried the window washer fitting and some petrol proof glue and that hasnt worked. The next thing I am going to try is to mill down the pumps mating surface wher it contacts the case. This will put pressure on the hose pump interface. If thta doesnt work I may entomb the hose are in epoxy.

 

[bwalker]

Here is a pic of the leaker. When the oiler is working properly this area has very little oil/chip build up. What happens is the oil leaks out of the interface between the the pump and the pressure side of the hose. The only thing holding these two pieces together is the force of the pump being tightened down.

 

[Andyshine77]

I put a washer behind the line to add presser to it. After cleaning the line and pump with alcohol, I used a bit of high adhesive silicone to help seal her up. I hope it holds up.

 

[Saw Man]

Ben, Sorry I had to end our phone converstation yesterday w/o the following:
1. You mentioned that you think you had about 50 hours or tankfuls thru it. About when did you notice the 'Valdez' leaking?
2. Please email me the S/N.
3. After my one 'Honey Do', and planning on heading to the range to sight in my new TC Firestorm...if all goes well, will pull apart a well used demo 7900 that leaked just a little, and new 7300 to examine components.

Buddy just came back from Idaho with a Muley. Expecting him to drop in, so maybe only the Honey Do will get done. Today.

 

[bwalker]

Jeff, I told you I had over 50 gallons of fuel run through it. It starting leaking after about 2 months of using it almost daily. I fixed it once with a petrol proof adhesive and it held for a few months of running it.

 

[Saw Man]

Grande Dog,
Please recheck the #'s posted.
Part # 038 245 060 is the pressure side off the pump to bar pad.
# 038 245 110 is the suction side to the pump. from crankcase.
Parts are different, and not interchangeable.

I hadn't looked up the #'s but had forwarded this situation to Dolmar Tech Manager who with his eagle eyes saw this.

He has forwared this to the factory for a look see.

Back to my 'honey do' ,and hopefully the range....if I can find my truck keys. Now lost both sets. I'll call On Star...again.

 

[TonyM]

My 7900 has similar oiling problems, and bar oil hole plugging problems (on a 20" Windsor Speed Tip). At work we use this adhesive called Black Max made by Loc-Tite. It is really wicked stuff, and I thought I'd try some on the oil hose/pump interface. Started to take apart the saw, and wasn't sure whether the clutch threads are LH or RH. I studied what little bit of threads I can see and they look like LH, but I'm not sure. Also, what are you guys using to get ahold of the clutch, and to hold the crank? I tried the rope in the plug hole bit, but I wasn't comfortable putting a lot of torque on the clutch, and so didn't get it loose. There's got to be an easier way.

 

[MacDaddy]

use a impact to take it off (left handed ) and when you put it back use a wrench and have a bar and chain on it when you start it rev it very little before you make a couple cuts or the clutch could come loose after a couple cuts it should be fine

 

[sedanman]

macman101a, I don't agree on the use of an impact to remove the clutch, may work fine for you but I have seen flywheel keys shear from the hammering. To install the clutch on a modernsaw with a chainbrake, just wrench it on rev the engine then hit the brake, instant tight clutch.