Loose Sloppy Chain is needed on this saw.

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Nov 27, 2008
186
Upstate South Carolina
I have several saws and my standby number 3 backup saw is a Stihl 028 that I have had for several months. I was given this saw by my son's father in law because it was dead and had not run in at least 12 years. Anyway, after some repair it turned out to be a good running saw with lots of compression. The problem I'm having is the chain gets tight when it gets hot and it'll lock up and stall the saw. I have to start with a loose sloppy chain and it still gets as tight as a banjo string. I would have thought a hot chain would get loose, like my other saws. The chain oiler is working fine and that is not the problem. I guess I could try a new Stihl chain and see how that works. My other good Stihl saws don't do that. So what is happening? David.
 
Sounds like it could be a number of things. For starters, are the rails in your bar cleaned out on a regular basis? That said, is the oiler hole in your bar (where the oil exits the saw and enters the bar) cleaned out on a regular basis? It could possibly be your oiler is not working, if that chain is getting hot that usually means a lack of lubrication. If those things check out, you may be having a problem where your bar cover bolts over the bar. I have noticed (on aging saws and bars) that the peeling paint and also sawdust, sap and dirt accumulate in that area, and no matter how tight you make the bar bolts the bar will still move under load. Check out the area behind the protective shields in the bar mount area on the saw and the cover, also look for damaged paint and/or sap and sawdust caked on the bar. I always use a sharp scraper to clean off both sides of my bar in the mounting area to make sure it is a clean mating surface.
 
If the chain is cold and tightened normally, does it still spin freely? This sounds like it may be a sprocket wear issue but that usually affects the chain regardless of temperature.
 
Like MM said:
Check the drive sprocket or rim.
When the drive sprocket gets worn or grooved , they cause the chain to skip on the drive sprocket & sometimes jam 1/2 way between the teeth causing the chain to get tight.
 
Also check the groove in your bar. If the previous owner got it pinched a bit, it can take a bit of run time for it to start to heat the chain. Inspect it for any part that may appear to get "narrow". Other than that the suggestions above are all spot on.
 
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