Gunked up saw

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
Administrator
Location
Retired in Minneapolis
When I was using my saws regularly I used canla oil. During that time I had no problems with the lubrication of the chain. When I put my saws in storage I dumped the gas, started them and let them idle to use up the last of the fuel. Then I dumped out all of the oil in the tank.

I just got out my Husky 335 to use for some trimming and I find that the oiler isn't working. The sawdust is really gunked onto the was too. In order to clean the saw I soaked the pieces in a bucket of water with car wash soap. This loosened the gunk a bit but I had to sit with scrapers, picks and an old toothbrush using gas to clean the gunk off. The saw is now clean but the oiler is still not working.

How do I get the breather out of the oil tank on the 335? It's recessed into the body right next to the tank cap.

How do I get the old oil out of the pump? It looks like I would have to take the whole saw apart. I did that once and then put all of the parts in a box and made the trip to my favorite saw shop with a sheepish look on my face. Jeff gloated :)

I was thinking of getting some Stoddard solvent, fuel oil or parts cleaner and fill the tank. Then let run it to try and get the solvent to go into the pump.

Any help would be appreciated.

Even with this setback from using veggie oil I am not going to stop using veggie oil. In the future I will take the time to keep my saws cleaner and empty the oil when they get stored. I sure hope that this is easily solved. I'm not looking forward to cleaning the other four saws...
 
Sorry to hear it. I was considering giving vegtable oil a try but have just reconsidered.

Dan
 
Don't reconsider, just be aware that you should empty the tank before storage. The saw hasn't been run for 20 months. When I was running it daily it performed flawlessly. I also had no problem keeping the gunk off with the use of compressed air. Now I realize that I need to be more attentive to keeping the saw clean.

The benefits of using veggie oil vrs. petro leans heavily to veggie as far as I'm concerned.
 
I've been using stihl's bio-plus oil, which gives me the benefits of biodegradability but presumably also includes measures to make the oil friendly to saws. Recently noticed bailey's now has veggie oil for cheaper, so I'll probably try that next time.

I don't really know if it would be viable to shelve a saw loaded with either oil for 20 mos., though.

Tom, am I hearing right that you just use grocery-store oil? Do you think it's a worthwhile alternative to the oils marketed as bar oil (assuming the cleanup measures you described)?

k
 
Keith,

From my experience when I was doing regular air blasting to keep the saws clean there wasn't a gunking problem. My casual approach to maintenance is the blame not the veggie oil as far as I'm concerned. When the time comes to use the saws more I will reconsider the cost difference between grocery store veggie and saw store veggie.

The saw has a tank of solvent soaking in it right now. In a couple of days I'll give it a go again.
 
Well Tom,I've never encountered solidified veggie oil.I have encountered solidified bar oil on some of those old gems I have refurbished.It was the consistancy of pine tar,ugh.
As a general rule,WD-40 will cut right through about any type oil,if your solvent doesn't work.When you get it cleared perhaps run a tank full of kerosine through it to flush it ,with the oiler set wide open.
For what it's worth,I have seen commercial kitchen equiptment,that has been in storage for several years do the same thing.The dried oil kind of turns to wax.Imagine that,and we eat that stuff.Then again,it would be more digestable for use than regular bar oil.
 
Hi Tom,

My guess is the vegi oil oxidized. It has a fairly short shelf life compared to normal oil unless you add anti oxidizing agents, which kind of defeats the purpose of using it in the first place. I think I would extend Al's idea a bit and when I was putting a vegi oil lubricated saw away I would add some regular bar oil that had been slightly diluted with kerosene or diesel. Once you get that in the pump it should stay liquid for a long time. I don't know if a small amount of kerosene/diesel would eat at the pump or not, but in small amounts I would think it should be safe.

Cary
 
Tom, if you're going to work on a Husky 338 you need this:

http://www.gardenresources.co.uk/content/garden_machinery/manuals/husqwm264hwen2003_1140143-26.pdf

It's a big file (2.37MB), and if you're on dial up, you may want to go walk the dog or something while it downloads. It is a PDF of how to do everything that can be done to a small husky saw, including pictures!

Unfortunately, the oil pump is deep in the bowels of the 338. Before you start taking it apart, here's a trick I've used on a husky with a clogged oiler (every one I've ever had). Warm up the saw, fish out the oil hose from the oil tank, pull off the filter. Find and attach the smallest nozzle you have to the air hose of your compressor. Then with the saw running (chain and bar off) hold the air nozzle to the end of the oil hose and apply pressure.
This can push the obstruction through and free things up. You are combining the pressure of the air, and the pumping of the oil pump, to try to get things flowing.
If you have a free hand, mess with the oil flow adjuster at the same time. It's best to have three or four hands to complete all these operations at once.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. While I was driving back from Guy "May-ores" in North Carolina I thought a lot about this mess. Now I have some good ideas to work through.

My saw is a 335 XPT but I bet it is enough like the ones in the file that I shouldn't have any problem.

It's so nice to be back on cable instead of the last five weeks on dial-up :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom