Poulan Micro XXV Oiler Woes

[Rich Purdum]

I run Stihl synthetic @ 40:1 with E-free gas in all my saws.

Living in California I didn't even realize e-free gas still existed! According to pure-gas.org there are a handful of stations in CA, unfortunately none in my neck of the woods. I even checked Nevada and there is nothing closer. I did see or hear that you could run something less than the 16:1 specified in the Poulan owner's manual with the modern oils.

I purchased this XXV in the late 70's when I lived in the SF bay area and used it only occasionally. Since moving to Foresthill a few years ago I've got a lot more need for something small and light. IIRC my biggest problem with it was starting. I read somewhere that running premium helped and since following that guidance the starting problem has pretty much gone away.

edit: Corrected 50:1 ratio to 16:1.

 

[Toyboy]

Add some SeaFoam to your mix and that'll help keep the fuel system clean.

 

[Rich Purdum]

With the clutch and chain installed, I could not get any real appearance of oil in the chain after running the saw for 2 minutes. When I pulled the bar off, the side that was against the oiler discharge tube was wet, both around the upper hole and the lower one. It seems the oil is not accumulating so the chain can pick it up. After studying the situation, it seems to me that when mounted the bar should block the recess where the tube emerges from the crankcase (as appears in the upper right area in the photo at the beginning of this thread) and cause the oil to accumulate there and then flow into the hole in the bar. Instead, the oil is just flowing down between the bar and the oil chamber. In looking at the photo, I notice the areas of missing paint. I'm guessing these gaps are the culprit which is preventing a good seal and allowing the oil to escape. Could someone take a look and give me an opinion if this line of reasoning makes sense and if so how much of the paint should be removed.

 

[amfell]

I have known these saws loose oil tank pressure from a warped cover plate over the oil filter / valve especially if it has the chaincatcher peg on it
and if there is poor sealing on the o ring on the filler cap that can cause trouble

the missing paint around the oil outlet slot shouldn't make much difference

 

[Rich Purdum]

I've added two photos to illustrate my theory. In order for the oil to enter the hole in the bar where the chain can pick it up, it has to fill the recess outlined in red. The bar needs to make good contact with the flange mating surfaces shown by the yellow arrows. The shadow cast by the paint shows it is not just a thin coat. The picture of the bar shows its appearance when removed from the saw. The oil has smeared on the bar surface above and below the center slot. This is gravity at work. When the oil flows out it will naturally flow down and (in my theory) out the left side of the recess and completely avoid where is is supposed to wind up.

 

[Toyboy]

Just a thought: I believe you said you replaced the oilier line. If you did, is it a compression tight fit in the hole?

 

[Rich Purdum]

If you did, is it a compression tight fit in the hole?

Yes, very tight. It was a bear to get it to feed through pushing from the outside until I could reach it from the pump opening. Next time I might try chilling the tube to make it stiffer. It was like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube. The ID fit with the nipple on the pump was also snug. When I was pressurizing the oil chamber from the crankcase hole during testing, the oil was flowing properly out of the tube.

 

[Toyboy]

Ok, just a long shot.
Lube the line next time, helps a lot

 

[Rich Purdum]

Going to scrape off the paint so I have a clean surface I can clamp the bar to...not much down side to that..and we'll see what happens tomorrow. Will report results when available. Problem with lubing the tube is it becomes even more slippery.

 

[amfell]

as well as your oiling issue your clutch needs a bit of attention the gap showing in the blue box on your photo should be a lot less
basically your clutch has a buildup of very fine sawdust inbetween the central hub and the clutch shoes it wont allow the saw to idle without turning the chain
to cure it remove clutch hold central hub horizontal in vice with show above vice jaw using small flat screwdrivers lever clutch spring from outer groove until shoe can be lifted off remove packed sawdust from internal slot reassemble spring over shoe repeat for other shoe

 

[Rich Purdum]

Well, I removed the paint from the mounting surfaces where where the bar attaches to the case and ran a short test. Now, when I remove the bar the only place oil appears on its surface is by the discharge tube area. The chain was dry when I started and I didn't push things hard during the test, so I'm not sure I'm getting adequate oil volume but at least the oil is being delivered to the correct location.

In one photo below, you can see the discharge tube through the hole in the bar. The actual tube opening is below the lower edge of the bar hole so the only way oil can get into the bar is if the recess around the tube fills up. The picture was taken with the chain tension backed off quite a bit so the tube would be visible. With operational tension the bar is well to the right of the tube and you can't really see it.

In the other photo, you can see the cleaned up mating surfaces. You will also note the the "tank vent pin" recessed area is not fully covered by the bar. I can't tell if this is to allow air into the oil tank or excess pressure to escape. After running the saw and with the bar removed and saw on its side, you can see the pin allowing oil/pressure to escape. I imagine this is the source of the post operation oil dribble folks have mentioned. One solution is to set the saw on it's left side and allow time for pressure to release. The other of course is to crack the filler cap.

I've got a couple of smaller dead trees to deal with which I will do on Monday. We'll see how the oil situation works out.

 

[Rich Purdum]

View attachment 521851

as well as your oiling issue your clutch needs a bit of attention the gap showing in the blue box on your photo should be a lot less
basically your clutch has a buildup of very fine sawdust inbetween the central hub and the clutch shoes it wont allow the saw to idle without turning the chain
to cure it remove clutch hold central hub horizontal in vice with show above vice jaw using small flat screwdrivers lever clutch spring from outer groove until shoe can be lifted off remove packed sawdust from internal slot reassemble spring over shoe repeat for other shoe

Thanks for the heads up on the clutch. As of now the saw idles just fine so I'll hold off on more work until the problem shows up.

 

[Rich Purdum]

It seems the oiler is now working reasonably well but I was unable to run the saw flat out as it kept stalling at full throttle and until I can do that I can't declare victory. I'm going to run some Sea Foam through it but the carb probably needs some work. I'll start a new thread on that topic.

 

[Toyboy]

Try adjusting the H jet, it may be too lean

 

[Rich Purdum]

Try adjusting the H jet,

That was going to be my first thing to try...thanks for the confirmation. I have also ordered the kit to replace the gasket/diaphragm as well as the air filter and the filter on the oiler pump. I'm really fearful about getting too far into "modern" carburetors, although I used to clean and adjust the SU's on my MG and Jag motors.

 

[Rich Purdum]

I finished the carb work and installed a new Oregon bar and chain. I am still not getting oil spraying off the tip of the bar as the Oregon product sheet suggests I should see. I am getting oil feeding into the pickup hole in the bar. I guess I need to consider adding some kerosene or diesel to thin out the bar oil. Everything else about both the saw and the oiler are about as good as I can get it. Is it possible this oiler will never produce that amount of output cause the spraying?

 

[Toyboy]

As long as it's oiling the chain you should be good.

 

[MJ Jeffries]

I'm about to embark on an oiler repair as well and watched the YouTube clip on this saw. He mentioned that the filler cap needs to seal properly as well to keep pressure in the system. Did that get checked?

 

[canadian175]

If you need another tank, you're more than welcome to this one. Just pm me your address and I'll get it out to you.

Hay friend do you have any check valves?im having problems with the oiling system on the micro i have.the checkvalve that screws in the crankcase is plugged solid. And tbe 1 in the tank wont push oil up to the bar. I can blow air through both ends.worked on 2 days no success.i pay and pay s&h.

 

[hotshot]

That thread is over 5 years old…but post your part number over in the Poulan sticky thread section.

A guy that makes new XXV Micro replacement oiler valves frequents that thread, Mr. Todd Loosli. He may still have some left.