MS362C-M oiler help

[Cider]

As some may remember from my other thread, I'm a newbie that just got a 362CM. I haven't used it very much yet, I'm maybe halfway through the second tank (all dry wood), and I'm concerned about the oiler.

As a noob I had a lot to get used to with that first tank (which way the chain brake works, how to remove minimal body parts, etc) and I didn't really pay too much attention to oil. I was a bit surprised when I refuelled and found the oil tank about half full. After a couple more cuts I noticed there was crud stuck to the chain teeth and it seemed dry.

I removed the bar and chain, cleaned everything I could find (there was certainly plenty of gunk to be found) and turned the oiler to max. I've run the saw while pointing at a clean surface to check for a stream of oil, and nothing. Not a drop. There is a hint of oil on the chain, but quite honestly at max oil on a 16" bar I would have thought I should be able to write my name with the spray. From searches I understand that the 362 is known to be a stingy oiler, but something seems wrong!

- How often should I expect to clear blocked oilways when cutting dry hardwood?
- Is 1/4 turn really all the oiler adjustment there is, or have I got a dodgy adjuster?
- Is Stihl bar oil really meant to resemble molasses?! Should I seek a more free-flowing bar oil?
- Can I safely use WD40 to help clean and flush the bar and chain?
- Can I safely run the saw with no bar, and if so what should I expect to see at the oiler output - a dribble, a jet?
- Should I run the saw longer to heat everything up before I look for bar spray? (I don't want to run it too much out of wood, it's still brand new and it may be getting no oil).

I'll have another go at giving it a good clean, blow the bar galleries out etc and if no improvement I'll seek further advice, but in the meantime I'd appreciate any thoughts!

 

[z71mike]

- How often should I expect to clear blocked oilways when cutting dry hardwood?
- Is 1/4 turn really all the oiler adjustment there is, or have I got a dodgy adjuster?
- Is Stihl bar oil really meant to resemble molasses?! Should I seek a more free-flowing bar oil?
- Can I safely use WD40 to help clean and flush the bar and chain?
- Can I safely run the saw with no bar, and if so what should I expect to see at the oiler output - a dribble, a jet?
- Should I run the saw longer to heat everything up before I look for bar spray? (I don't want to run it too much out of wood, it's still brand new and it may be getting no oil).

1 - once per tank
2 - most bar oil is exactly the same
3 - yes. not a problem
4 - yes it's safe. you should see a steady dribble. like drooling.
5 - don't run it out of wood

 

[z71mike]

Bottom line is deal with it, it's a Stihl haha. Or modify the oiler drive spur.

 

[Cider]

Thanks for that, I had another go this morning with some WD40 and a bit of wire and managed to flush a bit more gunk out of the bar. I ran it briefly with no b&c and got what can best be described as an 'ooze' from the oiler port, but I still couldn't get any spray off the bar by blipping the throttle.

I've got a fallen willow to clean up in the next day or so, so I'll try again when it's hot and running, but it's not looking hopeful for a good throw of oil. I might have to consider an upgrade, given that nearly all of my cutting will be dead redgum - especially if I ever plan to run a bigger bar.

 

[Cider]

Well, 'the next day or so' ended up being a couple of weeks, but I ran it again yesterday, with a brand new RM chain on a fully cleaned (spotless) saw and bar.

First job was that fallen willow branch. It was essentially green, the termites had just weekened the trunk such that it couldn't hold on through the wind the other night.

The saw cut through it like butter and I actually saw a small spatter of oil against a log end. All good so far.

There was probably only a 1/3 tank worth of work in the willow, so I headed over to a 12"~ish grey box limb that dropped a few weeks ago. It was noticeably slower to cut of course and by the time I diced it up (maybe 10 cuts, another 1/4 tank?) I noticed the bar was dry and hot, so I called it a day there and went back to the shed.

Once again, the oilways had got so clogged up with sawdust that they just weren't flowing. Now remember, this is after about a 1/4 tank of hard wood with a brand new chain, with the oiler cranked up to max, on a 16" bar! I realise that the grey box is tough, but isn't the saw supposed to be pretty tough too?!

Is the problem that I'm making too much dust? The air filter was pretty clean so I can't be making that much. Must I sharpen my chain 3-4 times per tank in dead hardwood, simply to stop the oiler clogging up?!

Is the problem the small chain dulling too fast? Should I go to a bigger bar simply to spread the work over more teeth (= sharper chain, = less dust, = less clogging)?

Would a more powerful oiler clog up just the same or would the greater flow help?

I know I'm only a beginner but something just doesn't seem right to me. The saw has ample power for the wood I'm cutting but the oiling sytem seems really fragile.

I'm wondering if its a faulty unit or whether it's a weak design and I'm just cutting the kind of wood (dead and hard) that's exposing it.

 

[z71mike]

Try a loop of RS chain and see if it's any different. Interested to hear.

 

[Bieber]

a near half full oil tank after a used fuel tank would be normal to the lowest oiler output setting.
turned to full output there should be rather 1/5 to 1/4 left in the oil tank...

Was the chain always properly tensioned? When I cut ash with the chain to loose it's filling up the
bar fine dust and preventing from properly oiled...

If it's still not right for you dump the oil and see the strainer/filter in the tank to check the condition

 

[AKDoug]

When you saw "oilways" do you mean the grooves in the bar? If they are packing with dust, your chain is dull.

 

[Cider]

Try a loop of RS chain and see if it's any different. Interested to hear.

What do you think the RS might do? Bigger chips? I heard that for tough woods the RM is a better option, but I'm happy to buy an RS chain if there's a case for it.

a near half full oil tank after a used fuel tank would be normal to the lowest oiler output setting.

I reckon that's what I'm seeing on the maximum setting, but then it may not be flowing at all for some of that time. Maybe I should burn a whole tank cutting willow cookies and measure the oil it uses then?

Was the chain always properly tensioned? When I cut ash with the chain to loose it's filling up the bar fine dust and preventing from properly oiled...

That's possible, I'm a noob and these are new chains. The dealer told me to tighten them so that they could be moved along the bar by hand only with some force. I haven't checked the tension between cuts, only before and after cutting. Obviously it has been looser after cutting.

When you saw "oilways" do you mean the grooves in the bar? If they are packing with dust, your chain is dull.

Yep, there's a thick oily sawdust paste in the bar grooves, in the input hole in the side of the bar, usually a little lump of it in the end of the oiler output groove behind the bar (although the oil leading up to this point is clean) as well as some good lumps of it inside the bar cover plate.

The chain was brand new, it cut less than half a tank of green willow before doing the grey box. Any dulling of the chain and production of enough dust to block the oiler presumably happened in about 10 cuts in <12" grey box.

 

[z71mike]

What do you think the RS might do? Bigger chips? I heard that for tough woods the RM is a better option, but I'm happy to buy an RS chain if there's a case for it.

I know Rapid Super is advertised as more aggressive. Not sure of the actual mechanical difference, though I know we should hear an answer from someone soon.

 

[ttyR2]

"with some force" is very subjective. I tighten chains until the straps just touch the bar, with everything cold. It shouldn't take much force to spin the chain.

 

[Cider]

"with some force" is very subjective. I tighten chains until the straps just touch the bar, with everything cold. It shouldn't take much force to spin the chain.

The dealer demonstrated his method to me, basically I can only describe it as the chain moves but not too easily. There was quite a bit of drag.

 

[z71mike]

I like to put enough drag on it that you need a glove to safely move the chain.

 

[Bieber]

I know Rapid Super is advertised as more aggressive. Not sure of the actual mechanical difference, though I know we should hear an answer from someone soon.

Yes, RS or full chisel cuts a little more aggressive and faster, but is more prone to get dull when cutting wood that has a little dirt or sand on its surface. The RM or semi chisel is slower in comparison but is able to withstand these "tortures" better. Technical differences are the angles of the actual cutting edge and full chisel is square in profile whereas semi chisel is rounded in profile (from side flange to top of the cutter).

 

[Bieber]

I like to put enough drag on it that you need a glove to safely move the chain.

Cider you'll be good with z71mike's description!

 

[Bieber]

You said the 362 isn't used much at this point so I guess the bar is also in mint condition?

 

[Cider]

Mike's description of correct chain tension matches what the dealer showed me and what I've been doing, so I'm happy that the chains have been at the correct tension - at least before cutting, and I've never run more than a tank before removing / cleaning / refitting the bar and chain.

The bar is in mint condition, I guess - there is a slight texture visible along the straights that has been polished smooth on the curves, but I assume this is normal?

I was able to get an oil spatter at max with a clean saw when I was on the willow, so I know the oiler is working, but somehow in the harder wood the chain is packing so much sawdust into the oil channel of the bar that it's forcing its way back into the oiler output of the machine.

A mate popped round today who's been cutting firewood commercially for a while, he confirmed that the chain is still sharp so we can rule out excess dust caused by a dull chain. The condition of the air filter would seem to support this too. He did comment that the rakers were very high - I haven't touched them, of course, this is just how it came out of the packet and I haven't sharpened this chain yet. But maybe the high rakers are leading to small chips. We went and looked at the chips from the willow (large) and the box (much smaller), and there might be something to this. So the next plan is to file down the rakers on one of the chains, and try it again in some dry redgum to see if that stops the problem.

 

[mdavlee]

Open the hole in the bar will help some. If I remember right there's an HO oiler option for the 362.

 

[VinceGU05]

Aussie hard woods are like blotting paper. That along these new saws that hardly pump any oil compared to the old bangers ,you have yr problem.
Try the new synthetic bar oil. It heaps runnier. That might help.

 

[Cider]

I'd rather not modify anything just yet - for now, it appears that the saw is borderline unfit for purpose so it may still find itself back on the dealer's counter! If the dealer (or you lot) can convince me that my circumstances are so unusual that modifications are required, then so be it. But really, I bought what I was led to believe was perhaps the best tool on the market for what I need to do.

Chains are a bit different, I'm happy to experiment with different types and if it's just a matter of getting a different chain or filing those rakers down on the RM that's no biggie.