Correct Oil for Chain & Bar?

[Cluttermagnet]

Now please don't snicker. Well, try not to, anyway. I have a little Homelite 16in chainsaw. Near brand new, has been used a half dozen times or so (tanks of gas). Some day I'll get a real saw. I used the correct 'chain, bar, and sprocket' oil in it, some McCullough I think it was. Then I ran out of that oil. Picked up some 2 cycle oil for the gas but forgot to get the chain oil. So here's the question- can I get away with running it with a garden variety, multi-vis, automobile engine oil for one session, or am I going to gum up the works and ruin things? I'd like to do a little cutting later today, before I get a chance to go by the hardware store.

 

[savageactor7]

Some of us will use motor oil in a pinch...so yeah go for it. Engine oil doesn't have that tacky, clingy additive that bar oil has.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Thanks! I figured it would be 'OK'. I won't run it that way for long. Will get the right oil ASAP.

 

[Highbeam]

You might consume the thinner oil more quickly. I've done it too. I like the stringy, even cheaper than car oil, bar oil from poulan sold at wallys.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Hmmm- I guess you must mean Wally World? I'll look into that. Thanks! I got another gallon of bar oil later in the day, I'm good for a while.

 

[TMonter]

I've been using the Home Depot power care stuff now for about 4 years. You can get it on sale for about 4-5 bucks a gallon and it works well.

 

[N/A N/A]

I used the Lowes cheep stuff as well in my Husky with no issues...So you guys are saying that its ok to also use it in my new stihl without having to sell an arm for the stihl brand???

 

[Gooserider]

Given that bar oil is a total-loss lubricant - it basically just goes around the bar a couple times with the chain and gets slung off, I feel that ANY oil labeled as "Bar and chain oil" is probably OK. Don't spend a bunch of money on the fancy stuff.

There have been some folks that use vegetable oil - as in the stuff you'd put on a salad, and report that it runs well. I have my doubts, but... There are definitely vegetable based bar oils (claimed to have antibacterial agents and other additives) out there which are allegedly better for the environment...

I would not want to use standard motor oil on a regular basis, I'd be more inclined to go with a gear oil in a pinch, just cause it should stay on the bar longer.

DON'T use old crankcase oil! It will void your warrantee, and is likely to cause increased wear, shortened life, etc. on the bar, chain, and internal saw parts like the oil pump - not to mention the harm it may do to the environment...

Gooserider

 

[Ken45]

Back in the 70's, all I used was motor oil for my Homelite. It worked.

Of course, today I think I'm a bit more sophisticated ;-) I read the boards here and arboristsite.com, LOL. Besides, with the price of a quart of oil, buying chain oil makes sense.

I do try to avoid the summer weight oils in winter when they are more like grease. Dumb folks at local Stihl dealer (Radio Shack store!) don't even handle winter weight oil <sigh>. The Wally/Poulon oil was very thick at 20 degrees.

Ken

 

[Gooserider]

Don't know if the oil thickening up in the winter is that much of a problem - haven't done much winter cutting as I don't like the cold, but I'd think the saw would warm up the oil tank pretty quickly....

However if it is really a problem, I believe what I've heard suggested is to cut the bar oil with a splash of diesel...

Gooserider

 

[savageactor7]

^It has to be cold cold for summer weight bar oil to gel up so it fails...but it can happen.

Goose the winter imo is the best time to harvest...the vegetation is down, trees are dormant, no bugs, you can travel over frozen ground that is otherwise inaccessible...just to name a few things. Biggest plus is that what you can do in the winter means less wood work in the more pleasant months...and we don't get many good days in CNY, the cloud graveyard.

 

[Gooserider]

I prefer early spring before the vegetation has had a chance to come up, or possibly in the fall... In the winter there may be no vegetation, but everything is covered with snow, which makes it hard to get to stuff, and keeps you from being able to see what you are doing when cutting...

Gooserider

 

[Ken45]

Don’t know if the oil thickening up in the winter is that much of a problem

What I had would barely pour out of the jug, litterly "molasses in January". I doubt that the engine would warm it up very quickly.

Ken

 

[Outdoorsman]

I never use summer oil in the winter, the winter weight oil does a much better job of lubing the chain, well worth the effort to have the right oil.

Perhaps I'm just picky, but I also use only pure synthetic 2 cycle oil as well mixed with 90 octane or higher gas for my fuel mix.

Considering what we pay for a new pro grade saw I consider the couple extra dollars spent, as well spent.

 

[woodconvert]

So you guys are saying that its ok to also use it in my new stihl without having to sell an arm for the stihl brand???

I use the cheapo Poulan stuff from Wally's in my 046...and have done so for years without any problems. The price of the Stihl gallons was offensive but it also stained whatever I was wearing...blue/purple if I recall. If I tried to sneak out and cut for a few in my "ok" street clothes it wrecked em'. >:-(

 

[Gooserider]

Just as a note - this is only the bar and chain oil where we are saying to use the cheap stuff! For engine pre-mix, stick with a good name brand pre-mix oil that has all the latest relevant "alphabet soup" approvals on it - My Echo catalog says it should be listed with "ISO-LEGD" and "JASO M345/FD" approvals, preferably with a fuel stabilizer as part of the blend. (I will leave the synthetic vs. dino base wars for another time) It doesn't have to be the same brand as your equipment, but I'd trust a product with either a "high end name brand" (i.e. Stihl, Husky, Dolmar, Echo, etc.) or a major oil company brand more than I would some sort of generic / store brand product - it might be the same stuff, but how can you tell?

I'd also mix my premix using a "name brand" premium fuel. I've seen multiple reports saying ethanol can be a problem in small engines, especially two-strokes like chainsaws, etc. and supposedly the premium grades have less ethanol in them, and are generally more stable. For the few gallons a year that most of us would be using, I don't think it makes sense to be cheap on the gas.

Gooserider

 

[Beanscoot]

Not using old motor oil in chainsaw? What's the world coming to.

I've switched to used gear oil (90 weight). Seems to work fine, and it's free.

 

[stanleyjohn]

Ive used 10w30 oil when i didnt have any chain&bar;oil on hand!seemed to work ok.