Diagnosing oiling problems with the craftsman electric chainsaw

[Tyberius]

I have a craftsman electric chainsaw and have used it to cut about 2 cords of wood.

In that time I have not refilled the oiler, nor has the oil amount reduced in any significant amount. So, I figure something must be wrong. So I'll take it apart to see what's going on.

With the adjuster removed

With the bar removed

Dog removed.

Removing case screws from opposite side.

Inside

View of the oiling side

Close up of the oil line

Bit of wood in the vent. Removed that.

Removing a circlip to view the cam and access the oil pump.

Gear

Oil pump

Removed some of the goop from around here. And pumped the plunger by hand. Struck oil.

So the pump is ok. Let's look at the cam. Lobes look ok.

I chose the Lucas grease for reassembly. Just put it on the bearing surface.

Fired it up and cut a cord of wood and the oil level went down about a fourth. So that's better.

I'll pop it open this weekend and look at the grease level around the pump. Does anyone know if that needs to be packed full like it was?

 

[thebeekeeper1]

This won't be what you want to hear, but a plastic chainsaw and "cut two cords of wood" don't go together. That saw is meant to trim a few branches on a very infrequent basis. I don't mean to be harsh but you really need to get a real chainsaw.

 

[Tyberius]

This won't be what you want to hear, but a plastic chainsaw and "cut two cords of wood" don't go together. That saw is meant to trim a few branches on a very infrequent basis. I don't mean to be harsh but you really need to get a real chainsaw.

Thanks for the kind concern. It makes three cords so far. Maybe that math works out better?

Anyway, what kind of chainsaw do you sell?

 

[jakemac]

My grandfather has used electric saws to cut all his firewood for decades, including an 8 cord run of log length a number of years ago. He's burned through 3 or 4 since the 80's.

It all depends on whether you choose to deal with a fussy 2-stroke motor vs dragging a e-cord around your yard. I used a 14" Eager Beaver for years until I lost it in a flood and the guy that was rebuilding it died (I didn't have the heart to hassle a widow over a $30 chainsaw to get it back). Now I use a 16" Husqvarna.

If electric works for you, then there's nothing wrong with it. Whatever gets the job done .............

 

[woody 73]

Try thinning the bar oil just a tad and see if that has any effect; when I say just a tad keep in mind that oil should be very tacky and sticky in order to do it's job. Anyway see if it flows any better.

Just by chance what kind of oil are you using? Best to buy bar oil at any local big box place.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Thanks for the kind concern. It makes three cords so far. Maybe that math works out better?

Anyway, what kind of chainsaw do you sell?

LOLZ.

I don't think he's selling saws. Just telling the truth.

Read the owners manual. Most electrics require you to push the oiler button or oil cap before each cut. That feeds oil to the chain. It's not a true gravity feed system or it would all run out during non-use. It oil fed with pressure by push button. Find the button. Feed oil to the chain each cut. Voila'.
Some say Automatic oiler, but again, the oil has to be fed some way, and even a low amount of build up sawdust can muck that sytem up quick.
Clean and check and see the oil system working before re-assembly and then go forward.
These saws are mega simple. Really.
Sears on the other hand, not so smart some time.



No oil means chain has shorter life. Bar and saw should be OK.


I loaned a Remington electric CS to a friend whose 25 y.o. daughter turned it into a heap of smoldering nothing in 15 minutes.
Burned that mother up.
Yes. I said daughter. 'Nuff said.

Now it sits in parts in an oil dril pan in my basement. BTW-LMK if you need parts. They all use the same.

Her mom bought me a new Pulan electic and it's fine for light duty work. Same as the other.

Major stuff= break out the rip cord loud gas saw.

Oiling is always an issue with those things. Push cap and cut. Push cap and cut.
Again, light duty.

Glad to see you're getting your moneys worth.


EDIT:

And BTW , I use straight 40w Castrol in my electric CS. Not cheap but I run it in other goodies.
Never had a problem but you DO have to clean the wood pulp/dust out of the feed area where it meets the cahin every so often. The pulp loves to soak that stuff up.

BTDT x 100.

 

[Tyberius]

Most electrics require you to push the oiler button or oil cap before each cut. That feeds oil to the chain. It's not a true gravity feed system or it would all run out during non-use. It oil fed with pressure by push button. Find the button. Feed oil to the chain each cut. Voila'.
Some say Automatic oiler, but again, the oil has to be fed some way, and even a low amount of build up sawdust can muck that sytem up quick.

This one has a pump. The cam operates the pump. The pump appears to work ok. Plus 1 on the cleaning as it looked like sawdust was in the breather.

Just by chance what kind of oil are you using?

Power Care. Bought it at Home Depot

I figure thinning the oil might be a good idea for electrics as there is less heat to thin it during use.

ETA:

I had several two stokes including chainsaws, and will try my best to never buy one again.

 

[jjjrmx5]

So every time that cam hits the spring loaded screw with the plunger at the other end it pumps oil to the chain? If not, I;m not sure how the cam is pushing oil to the chain?

Hmmm.

I looked online for a pdf manual and found none.

Those clear tubes will deteriorate over time due to the oil keep in mind.

Sears and thier "build a better mousetrap." Ugh.

Keep the oil feed to the chain itself clean and check after each use.
I use Castrol or Mobil1 bearing grease for the sealed interior bits.

It's why electrics are so fussy. But everyone sells them as so simple.
Well...simple enuff to lop off a finger.

LOLZ.

 

[Silver Heels]

I'm just amazed the saw held up for 3 full cords, let alone a bar that has not been getting oil. My Stihl bar was wore out (would no longer cut straight even with new chain) after about 4 cords and it the oiler was giving everything a healthy dose of lube the whole time

 

[Tyberius]

So every time that cam hits the spring loaded screw with the plunger at the other end it pumps oil to the chain?

Yup. I was able to actuate it with my finger while I had it apart.

 

[Tyberius]

I'm just amazed the saw held up for 3 full cords, let alone a bar that has not been getting oil.

Well, call it less than three. I can go walk it off, but they were not stacked deep but instead were all faced along the fence. Fence is 12" high and about 3/4 up that. Definitely more than 8' long.

Usually about two pickup trucks loaded with trunks though.

 

[Tyberius]

I looked online for a pdf manual and found none.

Here it is http://i.sears.com/s/d/pdf/mp-tc/spinpdf/spin_prod_965828312

 

[firebox40dash5]

I'm lost why comments to get a real saw result in some disdain for 2 strokes... getting a real saw doesn't have to mean gas power. But it should probably have enough metal parts to require more than your fingers to count. Sorry, but Craftsman and power tools have been a piss poor match for many years, and from your pics that doesn't look like an exception. How much was that saw? I'm guessing about as much as a quality bar & chain, if not less... you get what you pay for. I know Makita and Stihl at least make quality 120v saws, and probably others I don't know about because I'm not in the market for one... my 2 stroke Stihl fires up easily every time

 

[Tyberius]

I'm lost why comments to get a real saw result in some disdain for 2 strokes... getting a real saw doesn't have to mean gas power. But it should probably have enough metal parts to require more than your fingers to count. Sorry, but Craftsman and power tools have been a piss poor match for many years, and from your pics that doesn't look like an exception. How much was that saw? I'm guessing about as much as a quality bar & chain, if not less... you get what you pay for. I know Makita and Stihl at least make quality 120v saws, and probably others I don't know about because I'm not in the market for one... my 2 stroke Stihl fires up easily every time

It seemed to me that the posters that were disparaging my choice in saw were doing so on the basis of its power source.

I didn't realize that I had bought a piss poor saw. I thought that I was buying the absolute best saw on the market. I am shocked, shocked, I tell you that I have been deceived. I thought for sure I had stumbled upon some pricing error when I picked it up, as it was cheaper than other saws. I'll be sure to take all my extra money and buy a Makita or Stihl to replace this one. My god you have saved me, saved me from my poor choice in saws! Thank you ever so greatly!

 

[supermightydude]

Plus 1 on the cleaning as it looked like sawdust was in the breather.

I, too, encountered the problem with oil not getting to the chain. I did the same thing you did and took the chainsaw apart (very easy to do) to figure out where the problem might lie.

Once I cleared that little black vent (shown in picture #8) on the top of the oil tank, and moved the gear wheel by hand, oil flowed without issue.

Put the saw back together, and every few cuts (I was chopping up a huge willow that had fallen in my yard) used the blade of a small putty knife to make sure that vent was not clogged. I have not had a problem since!

 

[beamrider]

I had the same problem with my Worx electric, and someone suggested canola oil. I ran a 50/50 mix of canola and regular bar oil, and the problem went away.

 

[SawtoothJL]

Have You checked the bar to make sure the oiler holes aren't plugged up?

 

[64merc]

This whole thing reminds me that I need to find out why my electric chainsaw doens't ever use up the oil either. Not to mention the chain was bone dry last time I used it. I've only used it a few times, and I don't think the oil pump ever worked. I'll check the vent hole for sure. Thanks

 

[rlitman]

I had the same problem with my Worx electric, and someone suggested canola oil. I ran a 50/50 mix of canola and regular bar oil, and the problem went away.

That's not a terrible idea. There are other threads on the topic, and the consensus is that the electric saws do not oil with with regular chainsaw bar oil. They need something thinner.

You could thin the oil with ND-30 oil, or just use straight ND-30 oil for the bar. Some people even choose to use 10 weight oil in the winter.

Canola is thinner than regular bar oil, and will thin it nicely. An added benefit is that mineral oil is harmful to plants while canola is not. The downside to canola is that it can go rancid. As it oxidizes, it can thicken to a varnish that can clog your oil pump and gum up your saw (just like other biodegradable bar oils). If you run through oil a lot, use it. If you expect the oil to sit in your saw for years, using anything but mineral oil is asking for trouble.

 

[rlitman]

This whole thing reminds me that I need to find out why my electric chainsaw doens't ever use up the oil either. Not to mention the chain was bone dry last time I used it. I've only used it a few times, and I don't think the oil pump ever worked. I'll check the vent hole for sure. Thanks

I don't own an electric, so for me, I get two tanks of gas to one tank of oil (though I refill the oil each time I gas up). It's easy with a gas saw to know when you are or are not oiling enough. With electric, it is easy to forget (not that I'm knocking electric).

 

[Tyberius]

I definitely think it was the lack of heat with the electric that keeps the oil from flowing as expected with a gas powered saw.

I haven't had a chance to cut anything since my last test, and that was only with a non-clogged breather hole.

I'll be cutting a small branch once the rest of the leaves fall, but I've more firewood than I can split for this winter.

 

[rlitman]

I don't know about that. My "chainsaw" is a Stihl pole saw. The 12" bar and gearbox is at a minimum, several feet away from the engine. There's less of a heat source in there than you get in an electric saw, and mine oils just fine with regular bar oil.

 

[kctyphoon]

Just to throw this in the mix, I have 3 electric chainsaws at work. A Milwaukee, a Husqvarna, and a Makita.
The Milwaukee, which is probably the best electric chainsaw ever made, is probably about 14 years old and has spent its life cutting up telephone poles. It's never had anything break on it except the cord.
The Husqvarna is probably 2 years old and the brake handle is starting to crack since it's all plastic, but also does a very good job cutting.
The Makita I just got, and haven't used it enough other to say if it's better than the others, has some kind of stupid electronic overload protection that shuts the saw off at the slightest bit of hard cutting. It's extremely annoying the few times I've used it, and I've yet to determine if its defective cause it seems way too sensitive.

Anyway, my point is that as long as the chains are kept sharp, you add oil, and let the blade do the cutting instead of trying to force the saw through the wood, there is nothing wrong with using an electric saw. Yes it's not a gas Stihl, which I also have, but you don't need that to cut up firewood. And all 3 oil just fine