Bar oil leaked in storage

Mine has also leaked! Not sure where it came out but there was a sloppy mess underneath the saw and the cap was on properly. It's a 361 and I still love it btw...

Check to make sure the bar is tight. If the bar is loose some oil can leak by.

Clean o ring on flippy cap.

Pretty common occasionally on most every Stihl I've owned.
Never enough to worry about and not often enough to worry about.

I've gotten to the point I just store my saws caps up. Getting ready to fix the problem though. Buying a husqvarna.

Some saws simply never leak bar oil. Ferinstance: 35 cc Jenn Feng, Dolmar PS-6100, RedMax GZ4000. Not drop one.

Never was inclined to get involved with stihls.

1. It's extremely common for saws to have oil under them.
2. Almost always this is not a defect or malfunction.

Run a saw and you have oil under it from use. Put saw away without wiping it. Next time you pick up saw you see oil under it. Not a leak.

Fill oil reservoir in evening when cool. Pick up saw next day after temperature rises in your warm shed/garage/barn/truck. Oil expands with temperature, but reservoir does not. Where does oil go? Out oiler hole and under saw. Not a leak.

Fill oil reservoir after running engine. Ambient temperature oil is heated by warm saw. Oil expands with temperature, but reservoir does not. Where does oil go? Out oiler hole and under saw. Not a leak.

More expensive saws have an oiler gear that's engages ONLY when chain moves. In general, the inexpensive saws output oil any time saw is running. Because of this, these inexpensive saws will have a lot more oil under them when you pick them up next time because there's more oil splashed under the clutch cover from when you last ran it. This splashed oil settles under the saw over time. Not a leak.

I've never owned a saw that I used that didn't have at least some oil under it after sitting a while.

LLigetfa said:

OK, thanks for the input. First off the saw had cooled off before being put away into the plastic tote. The amount of oil that pooled under the saw was significant, not a small amount that may have collected on the bar or under the clutch cover. I fill the reservoir before I start the job, not after.

The saw does not show any sign of leaking while in use. No oil pools where it is set down.

For now I'm going to assume this is related to cold storage. While the flippy cap is convenient and easy to open/close, I think it may be a bit of hit & miss WRT the seal. I'm not too crazy about all the crevices where sawdust can get into. On my old saw, I could clean around the cap easily with a toothbrush before opening it.

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I acquired a ms250 that was doing it really bad when I got it. Pulled the o-ring, cleaned it, the tank surface and the cap surface thoroughly, and it stoped. No big deal. My ms460 leaks gas every now and then, that usually gets a new o-ring to correct it.

My Stihl case always has a bed of oil in it. I clean it from time to time but it comes back. I can't say it's anything more than what's on the bar running back into the case. It would be a real mess without the case.

I too have the same problem with my Stihl. Glad to have answer to this and know it's not just me

The stihl ms211 I used to have done the same thing. I replace the oil hose underneath the saw and that fixed it the first time. The second time I took the oil hose off and cleaned everything with brake clean. The. I put black silicone on and let it sit for a day. No more leak now

cityboy172 said:

I've gotten to the point I just store my saws caps up. Getting ready to fix the problem though. Buying a husqvarna.

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Good luck, my Husqvarna has leaked since the first time I filled it. Loses the whole tank in storage. Was just too busy to return it. I just try to time it so a lot is not left in there when I put it away. I also throw some wood shavings from the cutting under that part of the saw in the case to soak it up. Dump them out the next time and then replace with new chips.

sigepsb said:

Good luck, my Husqvarna has leaked since the first time I filled it. Loses the whole tank in storage. Was just too busy to return it. I just try to time it so a lot is not left in there when I put it away. I also throw some wood shavings from the cutting under that part of the saw in the case to soak it up. Dump them out the next time and then replace with new chips.

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We'll see. Got a 562xp coming. Not for any reasons related to this thread.

cityboy172 said:

We'll see. Got a 562xp coming. Not for any reasons related to this thread.

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That's a really nice saw on a whole different level- you'll probably be fine. Mine is a 455 Rancher from Lowe's; I suspect the big box store models are not made to the same quality as the dealer saws.

sigepsb said:

That's a really nice saw on a whole different level- you'll probably be fine. Mine is a 455 Rancher from Lowe's; I suspect the big box store models are not made to the same quality as the dealer saws.

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To clarify this issue, a 455 Rancher at BB store is the same 455 Rancher at a dealer. In general, professional line Husqvarna saws (and a few others) are simply not offered at BB stores. That is the difference.

cityboy172 said:

I've gotten to the point I just store my saws caps up. Getting ready to fix the problem though. Buying a husqvarna.

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My 460 does this, and I did the same- store it caps up. I have 3 other Stihls that don't seem to leak but a few drops, but the 460 spilled a bunch on my workbench.

sigepsb said:

I just try to time it so a lot is not left in there when I put it away. I also throw some wood shavings from the cutting under that part of the saw in the case to soak it up. Dump them out the next time and then replace with new chips.

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I just throw an old rag or paper towel in the case then throw it away when its time. Maybe if mine leaked bad I'd try that