What are ideal maintenance practices for preserving and maintaining a good working saw.

[purellbear37]

I am an experienced chainsaw operator.

I am inexperienced in maintenance practices. I am as good as an owners manual.

I have 4 saws; I inherited 2 of my grandfathers chainsaws; one is 30 years old and the other 20 and they have been my go to saws. So far they have continued to run solid without any major issues.

I am looking for advice for practices that are beyond our manufacturers owner's manual. Genral tips would be great. I have some specifics below.

- Long term storage? FYI I have not done this as much I use my saws regularly.
...- From various owner's manuals, I've read; empty the gas, keep it filled, remove spark plug and pour two stroke directly into the cylinder and pull rope, disconnect all hose's or electrical connections, and other misc. I would like clarification.

- When to change out a sprocket?

- How to clean carbon out of cylinder, piston, and muffler.

Thank you all.

 

[lone wolf]

Long term storage, fill with non Ethanol fuel with 2 stoke oil in it, run it to get into carb ,then put away The sprocket is replaced when it shows wear. Keep the chain sharp and the bar groove and oiler hole in the bar free of dirt. Blow the air filter off with air as needed. De carbon is rarely needed.

 

[purellbear37]

Thank you!

 

[heimannm]

Another alternative for long term storage or saws (any equipment that gets infrequent use) is canned fuel. It keeps for a long time .

The single most important rule is always have fresh fuel with the proper oil mix.

Second is keep your chain sharp and properly tensioned.

Third is to look you equipment over carefully after each use for any signs of damage, loose fasteners, broken/missing pieces, etc. A good cleaning before you put it away will reveal many lurking issues.

Mark

 

[J D]

What Loan Wolf says...
Replace the sprocket at the same time you replace a chain, you should go through several chains to a sprocket. If you put a new sprocket on a saw with a well used chain the old worn chain will cause the new sprocket to wear more rapidly.
If you need to decarbonise things you have tuning &/or oil issues.
You achieve nothing by disconnecting hoses or wires for storage.
Dress bar as necessary & occasionally remove clutch, clean & oil clutch bearing, clean & degrease clutch & drum (remove starter cover & use rope rather than a piston stop to avoid braking things).
Clean oil tank out with some diesel or kerosine & check pickup isn't clogged with fines.
Check & if necessary replace fuel filter

 

[HansFranz]

Another option for long-term storage: Dump all the fuel out of the tank (I dump it into the lawnmower or truck), then run the saw dry. When it stalls, keep trying to start it on choke to use up whatever fuel is in the carb.

I do this whenever I plan to put the saw away for more than a month.

I also use only non-ethanol gas in my 2mix.

Sharp chain is crucial not just to saw longevity but also user safety. Learn how to sharpen by hand with a file. It's easier than I realized and probably easier than you think if you've never done it.

When using the saw, if I've just finished a loooooong high-load cut, I will always let the saw idle for 30 seconds or so, to allow the fan to cool it off. I never immediately shut it down after a high-load, high-temperature run.

 

[LuDookie]

Store saw with a loose chain. Your main seals will thank you for it.

 

[Tomos770]

Aspen 4T (or any other canned fuel) + Jaso FD ester or synthetic 2T oil @40:1-32:1....since canned fuel is expensive.....use it as a last fill....prior you store/winterize your OPE equipement....

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Unpopular opinion I guess, but I'm on the store saws empty bandwagon. Fuel, even non-e fuel with stabilizer or 2t oil does eventually go bad. I've rebuilt enough carbs full of bad gas to prefer no gas in saws over leaving them filled. Just my opinion. My grandpa always did this and when I got his saws after he passed, even though they had sat for 18 or so years between when he stopped cutting wood and me getting them, they all ran perfectly after being gassed up. Didn't have to spray out carbs or anything. I guarantee you even if he had the best gas in them, they wouldn't be running after sitting 18 years with fuel in them.

If I'm not going to use the saws in the next 3 months, they get drained and run dry. I've had saws sit for years like this without any issues. Gas that doesn't exist can't go bad. Even if something happens to you and you can't run your saws for years, they won't gum up.

I run my chains on the loose side anyway so I don't have an issue with needing to loosen the chain up for storage.

As far as regular maintenance. IMO the most important thing to keeping a saw in the best shape is keeping your chains sharp. The better the chain cuts, the less heat in the saw, the less pressure on the engine and the less you lean on it in general. All of which help the saw last longer. Touch up the chain after every other tank of fuel. Every tank if you're cutting in dirty wood. A little break between tanks is a good idea anyway. Plus, you'll make up the time you spend sharpening by each cut being faster.

The other thing is fresh fuel. I always use e-free fuel but I still don't let it sit in the can any longer than 6 months. If it's been that long I dump what's left in the truck and get fresh stuff. I only mix 2 gallons or so at a time though, so I usually go through that fairly quickly. Unless I know I'll be cutting on a big job...then I'll mix more.

Other than that, it's little stuff. Keep the air filter clean (I tap mine out every other fuel up), keep the bar channel and oil holes clear of debris, check and change out your sprocket every once in a while...keep the saw clean, blow out dust and chips so the saw can cool effectively. Just normal stuff. Not hard to keep a saw in good running condition if you keep up with maintenance. Don't let it pile up for a year, then it becomes a pain to deal with. Especially if you have a bunch of saws.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Another vote for run it dry. I don't run my saw or brush cutter much anymore and I always run them dry before I put them away. They always start fine when I get them out again.

 

[LuDookie]

Unpopular opinion I guess, but I'm on the store saws empty bandwagon. Fuel, even non-e fuel with stabilizer or 2t oil does eventually go bad. I've rebuilt enough carbs full of bad gas to prefer no gas in saws over leaving them filled. Just my opinion. My grandpa always did this and when I got his saws after he passed, even though they had sat for 18 or so years between when he stopped cutting wood and me getting them, they all ran perfectly after being gassed up. Didn't have to spray out carbs or anything. I guarantee you even if he had the best gas in them, they wouldn't be running after sitting 18 years with fuel in them.

If I'm not going to use the saws in the next 3 months, they get drained and run dry. I've had saws sit for years like this without any issues. Gas that doesn't exist can't go bad. Even if something happens to you and you can't run your saws for years, they won't gum up.

I run my chains on the loose side anyway so I don't have an issue with needing to loosen the chain up for storage.

As far as regular maintenance. IMO the most important thing to keeping a saw in the best shape is keeping your chains sharp. The better the chain cuts, the less heat in the saw, the less pressure on the engine and the less you lean on it in general. All of which help the saw last longer. Touch up the chain after every other tank of fuel. Every tank if you're cutting in dirty wood. A little break between tanks is a good idea anyway. Plus, you'll make up the time you spend sharpening by each cut being faster.

The other thing is fresh fuel. I always use e-free fuel but I still don't let it sit in the can any longer than 6 months. If it's been that long I dump what's left in the truck and get fresh stuff. I only mix 2 gallons or so at a time though, so I usually go through that fairly quickly. Unless I know I'll be cutting on a big job...then I'll mix more.

Other than that, it's little stuff. Keep the air filter clean (I tap mine out every other fuel up), keep the bar channel and oil holes clear of debris, check and change out your sprocket every once in a while...keep the saw clean, blow out dust and chips so the saw can cool effectively. Just normal stuff. Not hard to keep a saw in good running condition if you keep up with maintenance. Don't let it pile up for a year, then it becomes a pain to deal with. Especially if you have a bunch of saws.

I don’t really have a strong opinion on this, and I’m kind of on the fence about it. The only saw that I can get away with not running it more than 3 months is my biggest saw, and I usually run it dry, because what you say does make sense to me, and I’ve never had to work on a saw after running it dry, so there’s that. On the other hand I’ve had the occasion of canned fuel sitting in some saws over a year and they were fine too, but most of my saws are stored in a climate controlled environment. One thing I can’t help but wonder though, is when you run one dry, is it really dry? I feel like a very small amount of gas will go bad before a lot will. Even so, I’ll probably continue to run them dry if I don’t know when they’ll come back out. Either way, leaving any amount of today’s pump gas in a saw long term is a mistake.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

I don’t really have a strong opinion on this, and I’m kind of on the fence about it. The only saw that I can get away with not running it more than 3 months is my biggest saw, and I usually run it dry, because what you say does make sense to me, and I’ve never had to work on a saw after running it dry, so there’s that. On the other hand I’ve had the occasion of canned fuel sitting in some saws over a year and they were fine too, but most of my saws are stored in a climate controlled environment. One thing I can’t help but wonder though, is when you run one dry, is it really dry? I feel like a very small amount of gas will go bad before a lot will. Even so, I’ll probably continue to run them dry if I don’t know when they’ll come back out. Either way, leaving any amount of today’s pump gas in a saw long term is a mistake.

Canned fuel will last a very long time. No doubt about that. I just don't want to pay the crazy price for canned gas just to store my saws with...when dumping the tank and running it dry is free.

If I had a saw that I felt needed to be fueled and ready to go 100% of the time for emergencies or whatever, I would keep canned gas in it.

 

[LuDookie]

Canned fuel will last a very long time. No doubt about that. I just don't want to pay the crazy price for canned gas just to store my saws with...when dumping the tank and running it dry is free.

If I had a saw that I felt needed to be fueled and ready to go 100% of the time for emergencies or whatever, I would keep canned gas in it.

I’ll start a job at the end of this month that will have me cutting trees until Christmas. During that time I’ll run pump gas, but I will flush and store them eventually with Trufuel. I would never rest easy storing a saw after running it dry with gas from any pump, even the e free pump.

 

[turmlos]

I deal with mostly secondhand older saws (40-50 years old), and just about all of them had carbon buildup in the exhaust port. Usually the mufflers aren't too bad. It may be worth taking the time to pop off the mufflers on your grandfather's saws and having a look. Oil technology has advanced considerably, even in the last 20-30 years. It's too bad they messed with our cheap gas.

 

[2broke2ride]

I will add something that hasn't been addressed yet. This doesn't have to be done super often but in my opinion should be done once a season or so depending on how much you cut. Remove the recoil, clutch cover. And muffler and clean the "saw cake" out of everything. Pay close attention to the cooling fins. If it's not bad, a little compressed air will do but if you are someone who tends to overflow the gas and bar oil the stuff gets pretty caked up. I've pulled recoils off of swas where the only thing you could see was the flywheel and the plug wire poking out. here is an example. Stuff was 1/2 inch thick in places. Outside of the saw looked clean.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

You have a point there.. I have a scrub brush dedicated to getting the crud out of the clutch cover side, but don't think I've ever pulled the recoil side off. I'd have to look and see which screws to remove. That's how familiar I am with the recoil side. LOL

 

[LuDookie]

Compressed air is my favorite cleaning method. A couple seconds a day will keep those flywheel covers clear.

 

[LuDookie]

I will add something that hasn't been addressed yet. This doesn't have to be done super often but in my opinion should be done once a season or so depending on how much you cut. Remove the recoil, clutch cover. And muffler and clean the "saw cake" out of everything. Pay close attention to the cooling fins. If it's not bad, a little compressed air will do but if you are someone who tends to overflow the gas and bar oil the stuff gets pretty caked up. I've pulled recoils off of swas where the only thing you could see was the flywheel and the plug wire poking out. here is an example. Stuff was 1/2 inch thick in places. Outside of the saw looked clean.

Access to that flywheel cover is pretty restricted. Fortunately most saws nowadays are pretty open.

 

[gggGary]

Compressed air is my favorite cleaning method. A couple seconds a day will keep those flywheel covers clear.

Spray all over with mineral spirits in a spritzer bottle THEN compressed air, when I come home from cutting.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Keep the air filter, fins and fuel filter clean, the carburetor well tuned and a sharp chain. Grease the clutch drum bearing occasionally and leave everything else well alone. The more you clean the more damage you cause. A layer of oil is good.