whats wrong with this chain?

Are you SURE you are getting oil? Is it spitting off the end of the bar?

Hard to tell
Do you see oil of the tip when running & are using oil?
Rakers been filed to length? (look high in the pic)
Cleaned the oil tank lately? Oil hole & channel in the bar clean?
PS: may want to put the chain on the other direction or sharpen the other side of the teeth
(unless the saw is up-side-down in the pic)

bogydave said:

Hard to tell
Do you see oil of the tip when running & are using oil?
Rakers been filed to length? (look high in the pic)
Cleaned the oil tank lately? Oil hole & channel in the bar clean?
PS: may want to put the chain on the other direction or sharpen the other side of the teeth
(unless the saw is up-side-down in the pic)

Click to expand...

I think it's on backwards also

That would sure explain it, but how can you guys tell? Looks like just the left side of the saw to me...well, it did, until you made me question that. Now I can't tell!

Looks like burned on sap. I often see that with ash.

gizmos said:

Is there anyway to prevent the burning?

Click to expand...

No. It's just friction heat and nothing to worry about.

gizmos said:

It could happen, hahaha
I went out and checked. The saw is on the right hand side of the pictures. The chain is going the right direction.
I didn't notice the chain looking like this until I was done cutting. But, I didn't take the cover off and clean the oiler out after the last time I was cutting which was a couple days ago.
You think the oiler could have gotten made up and stopped my oil flow?
What else would cause a chain to look like this?
thanks

Click to expand...

When you rev the saw up, you should see some oil spit off the end of the bar (on a high oil setting- mine has 3 settings). I had this happen early in my cutting career. The oil port on the bar was plugged up. Also, look on the powerhead to see that the oil channel is open there too. It can get caught up with sawdust.

inevitabLEE said:

Looks like burned on sap. I often see that with ash.

Click to expand...

I agree. My chain looks much like that when I cut pine or white fir. There is also some burned sap on the edge of the bar. A bit of WD-40 (kerosene) will clean it right up.

Even if you don't see oil sling off the nose of the bar, if you lift the chain out of the slot in the bar, you should see oil on the drive links. You should be able to hear a change in sound if it stops oiling and the chain would feel tighter. Lack of oil won't make the chain dull. If it feels dull, it is dull.

LEE is right about tree juice. It can look ugly like that but it usually looks worse if the chain gets hot. Dull chain or lack of oil will make it hot.

My bar and chain looks just like yours. I was out cutting late yesterday in the extreme cold, I could tell that the bar wasnt gettin enough oil. The bar oil was really thick. I use Stihl bar oil. The sprocket nose on my bar was also not rolling freely at times. The cold weather has a lot to do with it. I gotta figure a way to thin out the bar oil a bit when cutting in extreme cold....

Joey said:

My bar and chain looks just like yours. I was out cutting late yesterday in the extreme cold, I could tell that the bar wasnt gettin enough oil. The bar oil was really thick. I use Stihl bar oil. The sprocket nose on my bar was also not rolling freely at times. The cold weather has a lot to do with it. I gotta figure a way to thin out the bar oil a bit when cutting in extreme cold....

Click to expand...

Pour a couple oz's of diesel in a gal.

Fifelaker said:

Joey said:

My bar and chain looks just like yours. I was out cutting late yesterday in the extreme cold, I could tell that the bar wasnt gettin enough oil. The bar oil was really thick. I use Stihl bar oil. The sprocket nose on my bar was also not rolling freely at times. The cold weather has a lot to do with it. I gotta figure a way to thin out the bar oil a bit when cutting in extreme cold....

Click to expand...

Pour a couple oz's of diesel in a gal.

Click to expand...

Somewhere on here I read about some of you using canola oil in extreme winter conditions.
Or at least I thought.

Found it https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/fort/15941/

OK could've looked a couple threads lower too!! Sorry not much coffee yet. :red:

gizmos said:

I just sharpened my chain and then ran my saw for five or six cuts. The chain is looking real dirty and dull. What happened? It all most looks like the chain was not getting enough oil. Any thoughts? The oiler is always turned all the way open.
Ill attach some pics. Thanks for looking.

Click to expand...

When is the last time you cleaned out the groove in the bar? I use this depth gauge tool and the air compressor when cleaning the groove in the bar out.

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/acc_filing.html#depth

zap

Looks like burn on oil or sap like Lee said. Its good to clean your chains every few shapenings. W-40 links can get pretty bad over time as well.

inevitabLEE said:

Looks like burned on sap. I often see that with ash.

Click to expand...

+1

Sharpen the chain and go cut wood.

looks totally normal too me. Some woods will do that and the next log might clean it right up.

Fifelaker said:

Joey said:

My bar and chain looks just like yours. I was out cutting late yesterday in the extreme cold, I could tell that the bar wasnt gettin enough oil. The bar oil was really thick. I use Stihl bar oil. The sprocket nose on my bar was also not rolling freely at times. The cold weather has a lot to do with it. I gotta figure a way to thin out the bar oil a bit when cutting in extreme cold....

Click to expand...

Pour a couple oz's of diesel in a gal.

Click to expand...

Some saw mfgs recommend up to 50/50 mix of oil & kero/diesel when it gets down around 20 F or below. Some recommend multi-grade.

Couple oz/gal of diesel won't help.

gizmos said:

Thanks for all the replys and suggestions. I was worried I was burning the chain. I always sharpen it and keep it out of the dirt, so I wasnt sure what was going on. I'm off tomorrow so I will have time to clean it up and check if the bar is getting enough oil. I've been using sithl oil, and it's been cold. I might try and thin the oil and see if that helps. Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Right on with thinner oil when it very cold out I use thinner oil usually the cheapest stuff I can find at the auto store. Bar and chain oil is made to stick to the bar better than auto oil does however bar and chain oil gets very thick in the extreme cold. 30 weight auto oil is a little thinner and works well in the extreme cold even though it throws a little oil of the end of my bar.


Good luck
Pete

Stihl sells cold weather bar oil. It comes in a blue bottle and is thinner than the regular oil. It works well for cold but as well when warm.