MS361 Oiling

[T_Bone]

Ok guys I've got three tanks of fuel thru the MS361, 20" Rollermatic & RS .050 chain and am using 1/2 tank of Stihl bar oil to one tank of fuel, actualy about 7/8" of a tank as I haven't ran it dry. This is with oiler set on maximum flow.

This sound correct? Seams it's on the lite side to me.

I decided to use 45:1 with Stihl oil. The saw runs well for how I use it.

 

[belgian]

I used my MS 361 only very little so far. I did fill her up twice on fuel for one fill up on bar oil. So it seems that we have about the same setting.
I did not witness any dry running of the chain, so it looks OK to me. will come back on this issue in the future, if I've gained some more experience with it.

 

[woodshop]

Tbone, my 361 20" bar RS .05 chain, with oil turned to max flow uses same amount of oil as yours, and I have so far not had any problems with dry bar, even with bar buried in dry oak last week. It was not dripping with oil, but not dry and hot like when you run out of oil.
Dave

 

[brent denny]

I think if you reread his first post you will find he means his gas tank is 7/8 used up and his oil tank is half full/empty.

 

[Erik D. Schmid]

I have used my 361 extensively and it uses two tanks of fuel to one of bar oil. I run a 20" Rollomatic with a 3/8" RSO chain and have no problems with lack of oil.

 

[T_Bone]

Thanks guys, I wasn't running a dry bar but not wet either. It seams I was worried about nothing.

What kind of gas mix are you guys using?

As I said I decided on 45:1 and the saw runs well.

I did adjust L jet so I could cold start the saw on idle and not at WOT like Stihl suggests. This makes me pull three times with WOT and DCV until it pops, then idle and DCV for one too three pulls until it idle starts.

I'm only cutting in 55º to 65º temps so that could be why it cold starts so well. After warmed, it's one pull with DCV on idle.

 

[belgian]

T bone, as you will notice on previous threads, there are many opinions on gas mix ratio's. I use the 50:1 as recommended by Stihl, and have no problems at all.

 

[tony marks]

well i dont know if they have added to oil output ,with the 361..
but oiling was the draw back to my 036.. the only complaint ..
a real worker but if you got ito heavier cut than stihl made it for[pulp wood etc].. the oiler just couldnt keep up with the saw..that limitation which i assumed was due to epa considerations,put limitations on an saw that
was one of the best all purpose saws ive ever owened.. its why i let it go an kept the 962 olympyk..they say they 361 is better saw.. ill take site members wd for it..
if you chose to have it modified ,i always assumed u would have to tell the modifyer to try an up, that oiling some..for what i used it for anyway..

 

[Noah]

I've had oil problems

I had a 361 and the oiler was turned all the way up. I checked often to make sure that the oiler was clean so that was not the issue. Oftentimes at dusk I'd see sparks, almost to the degree of a sparkler comming out from under the bar in hardwood. Soft had occasional sparks. Pressure was just the weight of the saw when I was cutting vertically. If I stoped w/it in wood, turned it off and ran my dry fingers across the drivers, and underside of chain, my fingers were often bone dry. There was a recent thread on this subject, a good one at that. I'll try to link http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=18871

Mine seemed to use the same amount as yours. Roughly half a tank of oil for one tank of mix. I didn't mind the low consumption, just the sparks and hot bar. I was told by a distributor that a bar or chain that is too hot to touch is normal. None of my other saws ever got that hot, but maybe they are abnormal.

Glad to hear that you aren't having these problems.

Frank

How much gopher wood would a gopher go fer, if a gopher could go fer wood?
:Monkey:

 

[glens]

The occasional spark probably doesn't amount to any trouble in the long run and I believe the best indication of things getting too hot is that the chain loosens appreciably.  If the tension is maintained there's nothing to worry about.

Glen

 

[Noah]

T Bone,

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=18044&highlight=361+Problems

I don't know if you got to see this thread, but I had a problem with a 361 that I got and took back. Besides your low bar oil flow, it doesn't sound like you are haveing any issues with yours. That's good. I just think mine was a unit, or maybe there was a bad lot that wasn't right. I'm glad that I'm not wasting my time w/that one anymore, but am considering replacing it w/a new 361 from another source. Have you had any problems with it restarting with a hot engine? Mine was giving me intermittant problems. Also, did you have the one with the extra grip switch chain brake feature?
Thanks!

ps: Here's the site if the one above didn't link:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=18044&highlight=361+Problems

Frank
------------

 

[njforestfire]

tony marks, what year was that 036 you had? was it a pro model and what size bar did you run on it? I presume 3/8 chain too? Were there any other mods to that saw?

 

[Noah]

The occasional spark probably doesn't amount to any trouble in the long run and I believe the best indication of things getting too hot is that the chain loosens appreciably.  If the tension is maintained there's nothing to worry about.

Glen

Hi Glen,

The chain loosened a lot too. A lot more than any of my other saws. That's one reason why I was wondering if it was wearing appreciably more. Its hard to tell w/out another comparable saw doing the same work w/the same chain IMHO. Allthesame, maybe its getting plenty of oil, but if I get another and have the same output, I might take down the piston a little to get more flow. Any other suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks

 

[woodshop]

Noah,

You asked about hot start problems on the 361... I too have noticed it seems to flood easily when hot. What always works for me when that happens is, foot in saw, hold throttle wide open with one hand, pull fast and hard with other. After 10 or so pulls it spits once or twice before I get a short lived cloud of black exhaust after which all is fine. It has performed very predictably like this. It's the ONLY complaint I have with my 361, and I consider it a minor one as it doesn't't happen that often and is easily dealt with when it does.

Dave

 

[Erik D. Schmid]

Mike,

How does a person go about opening up the oiler? I thought that was kind of strange that it only used a half tank of oil to one of fuel.

 

[Erik D. Schmid]

I know how to increase the oil that way. I was curious if there was a way to increase it other than turning the screw all the way down.

 

[T_Bone]

...Have you had any problems with it restarting with a hot engine? Mine was giving me intermittant problems. Also, did you have the one with the extra grip switch chain brake feature?
Thanks!...

Hi Frank,

Na my saw starts on one pull with DCV when warm/hot.

You got me on the extra grip switch as I took a quick look in my manual and didn't see a thing about it.

Yep I caught yor other thread and made a reply.

I've only had to adjust the chain one time since new and that was about a 1/16 turn of the adj. screw. Much less than my Oregon chains and bars on my Mac Pro 610 in the same dirty wood I cut.

Stihl RS chains are very high grade comparred to the Oregon chains I was using as they stay sharp alot longer. Of course I was running the Oregon home owner grade chains so that probably has alot to do with it.