Bar oil consumption shoots up, what does it mean?

[Highbeam]

I've put at least 15 tanks of fuel through my MS290 now since I bought it 1.5 years ago. I love the saw. The first time I used it I needed to max out the bar oil adjustment screw to provide max oil to the bar. This is typical and resulted in about 2 fuel tanks per bar oil tank winter or summer. I always use poulan brand bar oil from wallys. I also top up both tanks when the fuel runs out so that I never run out of bar oil.

This last cord I cut took a couple of tanks of fuel and I noticed that the bar oil was almost empty at the same time the fuel tank was empty. I refilled both and kept sawing. Checked consumption again and the tanks were both at 50%. I adjusted the oiler to just under 75% and the rest of the day was back to the normal 2 fuel tanks per oil tank.

Is this a sign of impending doom? Do oilers fail this way? I have heard that the oil pump is often the weak part of the 290s but I figured it would stop pumping oil out.

 

[wendell]

Not sure what 290's are like but all of my saws run 75% oil to gas. Possibly a partially plugged filter?

 

[amateur cutter]

Did you possibly get winter weight oil? My 290 will not oil @ 1 to 1 no matter what I do, I'd be happy if I could get that much oil out of it. A C

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I wonder if the Poulan oil is the same weight? I know Poulan doesn't have an oil refinery so they're just putting it in jugs. And they may not even be doing that. I wouldn't sweat it.

Wendell - no filter in there to foul

 

[CTYank]

Manufacturers typically recommend SAE 30 oil for warm weather and SAE 10 or SAE 30 with up to 50% kerosene for cold weather. Some recommend multi-grade. My observation is that lube sold as "bar & chain oil" is tacky, as alleged, but haven't run tests vs ordinary motor oil.
To me, it boils down to 3 things: (1) b&c are sufficiently oiled in the cold, (2) oil doesn't run out before fuel, (3) clutch cover innards are minimally covered with goop of oil & chips. That's worked now for me, for 35+ years- only problem ever with b&c was an OEM Echo bar whose nose-sprocket bearing failed.

 

[nate379]

My 290 is set from factory on an 18" bar and I useabout 3/4 of a tank of bar oil to a tank of fuel. All my saws have been setup that way.

 

[HittinSteel]

Sounds like your oiling was lean to me to begin with and has now dialed in perfectly. I think the rule of thumb is a tank to a tank or little less than a tank of oil to a tank of gas. Might have had some debri blocking a passage to begin with. My friends 660 was an anemic oiler and he took it back to the shop and that is what they found. I think you're in good shape.

 

[SPED]

Any chance you had just started a new jug of oil when you noticed this? Maybe poulan buys from more than one refinery and you got a thinner jug of oil. My 290 runs right about 75% of a tank of oil to tank of gas with the flow turned up all the way. Probably about 10 tanks of gas on my saw so far.

 

[Danno77]

My 028 runs about a tank of gas with about 75% of a tank of oil. That sounds like what some others are saying. I'm running a 20" bar (on the big size for this saw), so I think that's a good number. better too much oil than too little.

Other than oil weight, I can't figure out why you'd be running more, though.

 

[smokinj]

Sounds Like a good oil pump....Roll with it!

 

[Highbeam]

You guys may be on to something, I did just open a new gallon jug of bar oil. Maybe the old was thick or the new was thin. I also did a pretty good cleaning of the saw with the compressed air. The good news is that the oilers seem to fail by not oiling instead of overoiling like I'm seeing. Right now the oiler on my 290 works the way it should have from the factory so I think I will roll with it. I suppose if there is anything that others can take from this it is that things change so don't be surprised if you need to adjust your oil pump in the field. I'm glad I had the little orange stihl screwdriver still.

 

[smokinj]

You guys may be on to something, I did just open a new gallon jug of bar oil. Maybe the old was thick or the new was thin. I also did a pretty good cleaning of the saw with the compressed air. The good news is that the oilers seem to fail by not oiling instead of overoiling like I'm seeing. Right now the oiler on my 290 works the way it should have from the factory so I think I will roll with it. I suppose if there is anything that others can take from this it is that things change so don't be surprised if you need to adjust your oil pump in the field. I'm glad I had the little orange stihl screwdriver still.

Sometimes you get to hot laping a saw and the oil in it just gets hotter therefore thinner and it pumps more...You May just be getting better between tanks....

 

[smokinj]

You guys may be on to something, I did just open a new gallon jug of bar oil. Maybe the old was thick or the new was thin. I also did a pretty good cleaning of the saw with the compressed air. The good news is that the oilers seem to fail by not oiling instead of overoiling like I'm seeing. Right now the oiler on my 290 works the way it should have from the factory so I think I will roll with it. I suppose if there is anything that others can take from this it is that things change so don't be surprised if you need to adjust your oil pump in the field. I'm glad I had the little orange stihl screwdriver still.

Sometimes you get to hot laping a saw and the oil in it just gets hotter therefore thinner and it pumps more...You May just be getting better between tanks and staying in the cuts loner and quicker to the next cut....

 

[Highbeam]

I was hot lapping. I cut and loaded a cord of rounds within two hours. Well, it felt like I was going fast. Using the dawgs to make some major chips. I was up against the power limitations of the saw for much of it, 20" bar buried except for about an inch on the back. I was really enjoying the sharp chains.

 

[smokinj]

I was hot lapping. I cut and loaded a cord of rounds within two hours. Well, it felt like I was going fast. Using the dawgs to make some major chips. I was up against the power limitations of the saw for much of it, 20" bar buried except for about an inch on the back. I was really enjoying the sharp chains.

Yep the oil was hotter in the saw there for thinner.....Thats hot lapping lol

 

[Highbeam]

Something very satisfying about being hot under your heavy pants except for that one cold spot where it feels like somebody is poking their finger into your leg. That spot is where the chips are being dicharged.

 

[smokinj]

Something very satisfying about being hot under your heavy pants except for that one cold spot where it feels like somebody is poking their finger into your leg. That spot is where the chips are being dicharged.

Unless it windy and you better have a set of goggles because every chip seems to find my eyeballs..lol