Brand new Stihl 460 - need a little help

[WineCountry]

I'm new to this forum but the first thing I want to say is how much I've appreciated the fact that this place exists. It's great for a novice, non-mechanical guy like me to be able to read the comments of a group of experienced wood cutters like yourselves.

I had a couple of huge Valley Oaks (trunks are about five to six foot in diameter at their thickest point) on my property fall apart on me this summer leaving me with about ten cords of firewood to cut and split. We live in the NorCal Wine Country and around here people charge an arm and a leg for a cord of good hard wood so I figured that this tree calamity could turn into a firewood windfall for me if I just played my cards right.

So, off I went to what passes for my shop and drug out my old Husqvarna 268 (a saw that I only put to use about once a year if that) I fired it up and went at the trees. It didn't take me long (only about five days of beating myself half to death with an under powered saw... lol) to see that it was only going to get me so far before I needed something bigger to get the whole job done.

After reading through several threads in this forum extolling the virtues of Stihl and fruitlessly cruising Craigslist for a good deal on a saw whose quality I could trust I finally threw in the towel and bought a spanking new 460 with a 36" bar from my local dealer.

I brought the saw home yesterday, fired it up and proceeded to cut through the fallen oaks with ease. In what seemed like no time at all I was finished with my first tank of gas. The saw was performing flawlessly. I refilled the gas tank with the proper oil/gas mix and topped off the chain oil reservoir with Stihl chain oil. I'd run through about two thirds of the tank of gas when the chain suddenly popped off. I was tired, it was late and the light was fading so I quit for the day.

But this morning when I went to put the chain back on I noticed that it felt awfully dry. I topped off the gas and I could see that while it was down about two thirds the oil was only down about a quarter. This led me to guess that the oil wasn't getting to the chain. I may be a non-mechanical novice type but I can tell dry from slippery - learned that a long time ago in the back seat of my dad's old Buick...

So, up I came to the house and out came the Stihl operators manual. Lo and behold on page 33 it tells me: "If the oil level in the tank does not go down, the reason may be a problem in the oil supply system. Check chain lubrication (ummm yeah, well I did that part already and it was dry) clean the oilways (here's where the novice non-mechanical part comes into play - the manual makes no mention of where the 'oilways' are or what they look like) contact your servicing dealer for assistance (I called him - he was gone for the day on a family emergency). The saw chain must always throw off a small amount of oil.

(then comes the dire warning) Never operate your saw without chain lubrication. If the chain runs dry, the whole cutting attachment will be irretrievably damaged within a very short time (uh oh!).

So, my question(s) for you guys are pretty simple: where are the oilways? Are they obvious? How come my brand new saw would quit oiling its chain so soon after I started using it? Yes, I know life is not fair but darn it all - I don't need this headache. What's 'a short time'? Given that the chain was very dry when I looked at it - does it automatically mean that I've screwed the proverbial pooch? I poured chain oil all over it before putting it back on the bar and I only ran it for less than ten more minutes before I decided that the chain still wasn't getting any oil and quit.

Any help would be appreciated (after you guys stop laughing at my stupidity and decide to take pity on me).

Rich

 

[Four Paws]

That whole novel to ask a simple question? At least you saved face and mentioned you tried to consult the dealer who sold it to you for some basic operation and maintenance training. AND, you read your owners manual...must have missed the part about adjusting the oil pump. Flip the saw upside down and look below the clutch cover - you'll find the adjustment screw there. Max it out!

 

[2000ssm6]

Don't beat yourself up about it. Try cleaning the bar first, clean out the oil passages near the back where the bar meets the saw, clean the groves of which the drive links ride in. If you will look the saw's oiler hole joins the bar's oiler hole when the bar is installed. That could have gunk in it, causing the bar to be dry. 36" is taxing the 460's oiler, make sure the oil adjustment is turned all the way up(see manual).

If the bar is clean and ok, take the bar off, start the saw and rev it a few times, not wide the **** open, just enough to see if oil is coming out of the oil hole. This will be obvious if it's oiling or not, if so it will spew oil out and run everywhere, if not, it will be dry where the bar mounts. Do you need a pic of the oiler?

If that is too much, take it back to the dealer.......

 

[Stihl051master]

When you have the bar off, you'll see a slot there where the oil comes through. It is most likely right above the chain tensioning screw. Make sure there's no sawdust or junk in there. Also, make sure the hole in the bar is clear of debris also. (These are the ones that the chain tension peg goes into - it'll be the opposite one that the peg is on).

Also, make sure your oiler is adjusted correctly. You should probably have it up all the way for the length of bar you're running.

 

[Bowtie]

Like Stihl051Master said, make sure your oiler is turned up all the way. 36" bar is a lot for a 460. It will handle it, but bar oiling needs the oiler turned up as much as possible.

 

[OilHead]

Next time your by your stihl dealer pick up a .025 raker gauge. On one end is the height gauge & on the other is the perfect tool for getting all the sawdust out of the grove & clearing the hole out. Sence you just purchased the saw it should have an additional oil o matic milled out area where the hole is sort of a pocket bath area make sure you dig out all the crud so it works properly. Keep your chain sharp or it will wear out the boot straps & bar .

 

[COLD_IRON]

Next time your by your stihl dealer pick up a .025 raker gauge. On one end is the height gauge & on the other is the perfect tool for getting all the sawdust out of the grove & clearing the hole out. Sence you just purchased the saw it should have an additional oil o matic milled out area where the hole is sort of a pocket bath area make sure you dig out all the crud so it works properly. Keep your chain sharp or it will wear out the boot straps & bar .

+1

I clean my bar after each time I use the saw. You wouldn't believe how much stuff gets jammed in that thing. So far haven't had any problems oiling.

 

[Evanrude]

+1

I clean my bar after each time I use the saw. You wouldn't believe how much stuff gets jammed in that thing. So far haven't had any problems oiling.

Yup, so much crap in there. I use a butterknife (because I dont have one of those fancy depth guages/bar cleaner thinggys) and compressed air after I get home from cutting. Cleaning your saws when you're done for the day is a good habit to get into.

 

[COLD_IRON]

Yup, so much crap in there. I use a butterknife (because I dont have one of those fancy depth guages/bar cleaner thinggys) and compressed air after I get home from cutting. Cleaning your saws when you're done for the day is a good habit to get into.

I actually use a hook shaped tool that came with my dad's 015. The depth guage tool does work as well.

 

[Evanrude]

I was thinking of adding a pick type tool into my tool box that I carry to the woods if i ever need to clean out the oiler hole, but I do keep the butterknife in there.

 

[OilHead]

Yep that & the air filter its pretty much of a saramony after a hard day's run that & nursing some xxx. Think you know. & some Hi test on top

 

[WineCountry]

Thanks guys. I followed your advice and I do believe that it's working!

First I re-inspected the oil tank to see if it had used any oil at all when I ran it for the first time today. The chain oil had dropped enough to tell me that it had. Then I took off the bar - flipped the saw upside down and tried to get my too big screwdriver to go into that tiny hole. Grabbed the right sized screwdriver and managed to crank the adjustment to the max.

I cleaned out the only obvious hole that was anywhere near the where the bar mounts - put a clean sheet of white scratch paper on the ground and started the saw without the bar attached. Oil dripped out in a steady flow and splattered on the paper (I'm sixty years old and my eyes need all the extra help they can get - the paper made it obvious that oil was flowing). I then examined the bar for anything that resembled a hole in the same vicinity and found a really tiny angled hole that had to be it. Of course the only thing that I had that was small enough to get part way into that hole was the leather punch on my Swiss Army knife. I'm going to have to look around for a small piece of wire or get that gauge one of you recommended. Not 100% sure I got it all cleaned out but I went ahead with the rest of the test anyway.

I put the bar and chain back on the saw - adjusted it - and fired up the saw again holding it over the part of the paper with no visible oil on it. After a few mid to high revs I could see what appeared to be oil spatter on the paper. I'm assuming that a fine spatter is what I was supposed to look for once the chain was on?

If you guys think I should pull the bar again and really make totally sure the hole in the bar is cleaned out I will. Otherwise I will go with what I have.

Thanks a lot - I really do appreciate all your helpful suggestions.

 

[OilHead]

Pull it back off again you need to clean the groove on both sides of the bar from the tip all the way down to the heel. Dont be fooled that just because some junk came out that you got it all , it will take quite a few passes. Then flip the bar over so it reads upside down . Then next tim flip it back the other way & so on & so on.

 

[peter399]

36" is too long for a 460. Try a 24" or 28". What is it with long bars in the US ?

 

[Lakeside53]

lolol Maybe BIG TREES!

Most 460's sport 32 or 36 bars around here.

 

[2000ssm6]

36" is too long for a 460. Try a 24" or 28". What is it with long bars in the US ?

Nope, I keep a 25" on mine but it pulls a 32" skip just fine. Stihl has the torque to pull a long bar. Our trees are bigger than 10" also......

 

[motoroilmccall]

I keep a 25 on my 044, and I've run a 28 with it with full comp... 32 with skip.You just can't lean on it, but if you have to get through a big tree, you need the extra bar length, its not a matter of choice.

 

[stihl sawing]

You got advice from the best here, I just found this thread. I had to turn my oiler all the way up to get it to work right. That 36 inch bar will require a lot of it. Mine is only a 25 but it uses about a whole tank on every tank of gas. It may be running a little too much. Bar oil is a lot cheaper than a 25 or a 36 inch bar and chain.

 

[Tractorsaw1]

My take out box is an old ammo box. I toss in several bigger sized paper clips. Cleans out the bar oil hole & the bar rails. Box is big enough to toss in some files if a touch up is needed, scrench, small screw drivers for carb adjustment, tach, spare gloves, safety glasses, bar grease gun for the bars that need it. Old tooth brush to nock off some fines on the air filter if needed. Nice thing about the box is it is sturdy enough to stack wood on once the trailer is filled up & can stand up to the abuse. My dad always used one when I was a kid.:greenchainsaw:

 

[stihl sawing]

I use a painters 5 in 1 putty knife, The extended point really lets you get down in the grooves and clean the bar out.