What is "normal" bar/chain temperature when running?

[fsfcks]

I'm new to chainsaws, and was surprised at the temperature of my bar/chain today. It was a brand new Dolmar 5100S with Oregon 16" 3/8" .050 Power Match Plus and matching Oregon 72V chain, using Motion Lotion Biodegradable Bar & Chain Oil.

The bar sprocket had been greased, and I checked that the bar oiler was working when I first started it, and also when I first noticed it getting hot. It was not clogged. At that point there was a slight metallic odor, and the bar and chain were too hot to hold for more than a few seconds. After that I turned the oiler to the high setting and that seemed to help. Also with a new chain it kept getting loose, so I kept retensioning it, so I don't think that was the issue. The chain was also sharp - the wood was chipping not dust.

Even with a tensioned chain and oiler on high the bar would still get pretty warm. It almost seemed like the heat was coming from the studs holding the bar against the engine. I was doing Timber Stand Improvement (TSI), which basically is girdling trees - cutting a ring around the trunk. This meant start the saw, girdle a tree or two, stop the saw, spray the cuts, find and move to the next marked tree and repeat.

Could the constant start/stop have something to do with this too? Or should I be looking elsewhere? I got home late tonight, so will clean/check the saw tomorrow night. But at first look the oil is working (lots of oil coating everything).

 

[buzz sawyer]

I'm new to chainsaws, and was surprised at the temperature of my bar/chain today. It was a brand new Dolmar 5100S with Oregon 16" 3/8" .050 Power Match Plus and matching Oregon 72V chain, using Motion Lotion Biodegradable Bar & Chain Oil.

The bar sprocket had been greased, and I checked that the bar oiler was working when I first started it, and also when I first noticed it getting hot. It was not clogged. At that point there was a slight metallic odor, and the bar and chain were too hot to hold for more than a few seconds. After that I turned the oiler to the high setting and that seemed to help. Also with a new chain it kept getting loose, so I kept retensioning it, so I don't think that was the issue. The chain was also sharp - the wood was chipping not dust.

Even with a tensioned chain and oiler on high the bar would still get pretty warm. It almost seemed like the heat was coming from the studs holding the bar against the engine. I was doing Timber Stand Improvement (TSI), which basically is girdling trees - cutting a ring around the trunk. This meant start the saw, girdle a tree or two, stop the saw, spray the cuts, find and move to the next marked tree and repeat.

Could the constant start/stop have something to do with this too? Or should I be looking elsewhere? I got home late tonight, so will clean/check the saw tomorrow night. But at first look the oil is working (lots of oil coating everything).

Sounds like you have good oil and enough of it. Doesn't sound like there should be a lot of heat from what you're doing. Any discoloration of the bar or chain? Is the oil hole in the bar and the rail slot clear?
How tight is the chain? It should just touch the bottom of the bar while holding up on the tip of the bar. You should be able to pull the chain around the bar (saw off,chain brake off) freely - wear gloves or push with a piece of wood.

 

[sILlogger]

as for greasing the bar tip...this is my take on that...either do it all the time and often..or don't do it at all..it seems as tho whenever you grease it the grease will get pushed to the outside and creates a type of barrier and won't let the bar oil in..therefor you are now running with little to no oil...the grease also collects dirt...

ive opted for no grease...this is just what i think..so take it for what it is worth

 

[dumbhunter]

hmmm, the only time ive seen this was if the chain was to tight, to much paint on the bar, kinda gums it up, or no oil.

one of the experts here should know more

 

[SawTroll]

All things considered, I suspect the chain is tightened too much.....

 

[fsfcks]

Some answers to the points that have been raised. The chain is not discolored, and there is only a minor (1/4") blue spot on the lower middle bar surface, also where the paint is removed. Clearly that part got too hot. I did spot the issue by smelling a hot metal type smell.

Initially at times the chain might not have been tight enough, as I caught it working loose a few times, obviously to be expected with a new chain. When I tighten it I can pull up the bar tip and the base of the chain will clear the bar bottom by no more than about 1/8" and the chain will turn freely by hand round the bar without undue force. The teeth are fully engaged in the bar slot.

As for greasing the bar sprocket I had no choice. It came that way from the dealer (or from Oregon?), so unless I can clean that out I'm going to have to keep greasing it. I'd have preferred the no-grease approach based on what I read in this forum.

Definitely turning the oiler to max has helped. I was wondering if the high rpms and biodegradable oil meant that more oil lubrication was required.

But what would your bar feel like after cutting for a while? Does it get warm or hot to touch? Does it get to the point where you cannot hold it comfortably in a grip? Part of my problem is not knowing what to expect.

 

[1953greg]

Some answers to the points that have been raised. The chain is not discolored, and there is only a minor (1/4") blue spot on the lower middle bar surface, also where the paint is removed. Clearly that part got too hot. I did spot the issue by smelling a hot metal type smell.

Initially at times the chain might not have been tight enough, as I caught it working loose a few times, obviously to be expected with a new chain. When I tighten it I can pull up the bar tip and the base of the chain will clear the bar bottom by no more than about 1/8" and the chain will turn freely by hand round the bar without undue force. The teeth are fully engaged in the bar slot.

As for greasing the bar sprocket I had no choice. It came that way from the dealer (or from Oregon?), so unless I can clean that out I'm going to have to keep greasing it. I'd have preferred the no-grease approach based on what I read in this forum.

Definitely turning the oiler to max has helped. I was wondering if the high rpms and biodegradable oil meant that more oil lubrication was required.

But what would your bar feel like after cutting for a while? Does it get warm or hot to touch? Does it get to the point where you cannot hold it comfortably in a grip? Part of my problem is not knowing what to expect.

Part of my problem is not knowing what to expect

unless it wil fry spit you are ok

 

[046]

if chain is getting hot... something is wrong!
warm is OK.. hot is not.

there's a laundry list of what could cause it.

adjustment too tight, lack of oil, bar groove too tight, wrong chain, tight link, etc.

make your chain adjustment when everything is cold. chain should rotate complete revolutions without too much effort. take out all slack possible and still rotate freely.

with saw running, chain rotating... point tip at clean wood... if oiling properly, a fine spray will show.

use gloves while handling chain!

 

[Gatsby174]

Maybe try a standard bar oil and see if it helps?
JC

 

[385XP]

I think it might be your bar oil. you dont have to grease you tip all tips are greased at the factory so after that its your choice. also is your chain sharp.

 

[Boogieman142]

i use the stihl bar oil in all 3 of my saws and the bars are cool enough to touch immediately after shutdown after running them for a few hours.

 

[JLROOT]

Somebody that is new to chainsaws does not write a post like that or buy that chainsaw.

 

[super3]

Somebody that is new to chainsaws does not write a post like that or buy that chainsaw.

They do if they hang around here very much !

 

[fsfcks]

Thanks for the comments. I know the oiler was working because I did the bar tip oil spray test. And before cleaning tonight the bar oil hole and guide rails were reasonably clean. It was a new bar and I think there was paint on the bar rail edges which has now been polished off by the chain.

Tonight I cleaned everything back to new. There did not appear to be much grease left in the sprocket. That is rather odd. I'll soak the tip to clean it out, and just try oil only.

It is too late now to try running the saw - I live in a subdivision! So I'll try tomorrow evening and see what happens. If that does not work I'll try standard bar oil.

PS: LOL JLROOT, thanks for the compliment. I am new, but am very mechanically minded and have read a lot, especially on this forum which is a fantastic source of knowledge and help (as just pointed out by super3). I needed a saw like this for the amount of use it is going to get this year. However I can see a larger saw in the future once I get use to this one.

 

[SawTroll]

.....

Definitely turning the oiler to max has helped. I was wondering if the high rpms and biodegradable oil meant that more oil lubrication was required. ....

Less is needed of the veg-oil, if it is the right kind, and more is put out. I mostly use Husky Veg-Oil.

I don't know how the brand you mentioned is.

 

[sILlogger]

As for greasing the bar sprocket I had no choice. It came that way from the dealer (or from Oregon?), so unless I can clean that out I'm going to have to keep greasing it. I'd have preferred the no-grease approach based on what I read in this forum.

ahh..the factory grease won't make that big of a deal..i always just put the bar on and run it...and when the tip blows out or starts wearing out i change them..i'd let the bar oil do the work from there on out

 

[fsfcks]

Very puzzling. Everything is now completely clean, and the bar sprocket should not have any grease left in it - it spins freely. I can adjust the oil from a very light spray to a flood, and change the chain tension from almost too loose to what I think of as correct, and yet I always get an almost too hot to touch chain, bar tip and bar tail (the end at the clutch) by reving the saw at max for only about minute. I need to buy some standard (non-veg) bar oil and compare that tomorrow night (too late again to run the saw more tonight), but I don't think that is the issue. Everything appears to be well coated in oil, although the oil does seem very thin.

It seems the heat source is the bar mounting area and clutch drum on the power head, and the heat is being conducted by the chain along the bar. The clutch drum and the surrounding metal plate through which the bar bolts are mounted, as well as the bar bolts, are too hot to touch and are definitely hotter than the bar tip. This seems to be conducted heat from the engine. That does not seem correct, but I know that 2-stroke engines do get very hot.

I've got a tachometer on order which should arrive sometime this week or early next week. I'm wondering if the saw is reving too high. Failing that I think I need to take a trip to the dealer and get their opinion as I'm out of ideas. The gas mix is definitely 40:1 as recommended by Dolmar. I used 1 gallon of gas, 3.2 oz oil (measured with a syringe). I also just rechecked the remaining oil in the 6.4oz bottle and there is 3.2 oz left.

PS: SawTroll - you were correct about needing less veggy oil. With a completely clean bar etc, the oiler on max flooded everything. Obviously when I was cutting there was a slight blockage since max then was only giving the correct amount of oil. However that is not why I'm having this problem.

 

[Gatsby174]

Remember, you don't want to run your saw WOT without a load! That's an easy way to burn up the p/c. I would go get a good stihl or husky bar oil and see if it helps, just my .02
JC

 

[fsfcks]

Gatsby...that might explain everything! I did not know that, but fortunately I've not done it much so there should be no damage since I always stopped when it got hot and let it cool down. I am now thinking that girdling is basically a no load (or at least minimal load) operation since only a small portion of the lower chain/bar is cutting the ring around and into the trunk. I need to do that with a partial and not full throttle. That makes perfect sense. Thanks!

On second thoughts...what do you mean by no load? I've never run it without bar and chain. However with a sharp chain, girdling basically applies little working load to the chain. Is that what you meant by "no load"?

 

[SawTroll]

how do you set your H jet

He was talking about WOT for a minute at a time, not a few seconds.........

.... I need to do that with a partial and not full throttle. That makes perfect sense. Thanks! ...

Another effective way to lean-zeize a saw, as they don't have a midrange jet......