How does your Dolmar/Makita oil?

[Streblerm]

My HD 6401/7900 conversion doesn't oil worth a crap. When I got it it oiled everything but the bar due to leaking oil lines. I replaced the lines which solved the leaking issue but very little oil is getting to the bar. The limiter screw looked OK http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/168711.htm but I modified it anyway http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/156738.htm with no change in oiling It is using some oil but I can't detect any on the drivers when I pull the chain out of the bar groove. The chain is getting hot and I am detecting wear to the chain/bar after a few tanks as well as some bluing of the bar. I can also see very little "sling off" from the tip of the bar. Yes, the chain is sharp. There is very little difference between my new-ish Carlton bar and the bar that came with the saw so I don't believe it has to do with the bar. If I run the saw with no bar I do get oil at the bar mount but it is kind of hard to judge volume that way.

My thought process is leading me to believe that being run with the leaking oil lines by the POs caused wear in the oil pump leading to sub-par oil delivery. Before I spring for a new oil pump I just thought I'd check with some other 6400 owners. Is this stingy oiling common to these saws or do I have an oil pump problem? Thanks in advance.

 

[excess650]

Try running it without the chain and see if oil pushes up out of the bar slot. My smaller Dolmar/Makitas (401 and 540) oil generously.

 

[ancy]

Is your bar lining up right??

 

[Kemper]

I've never had any trouble with my 6400 oiling, or any of my Dolmars.

 

[Streblerm]

Try running it without the chain and see if oil pushes up out of the bar slot. My smaller Dolmar/Makitas (401 and 540) oil generously.

I have done this and oil does come out of the slot but I'm not sure how to judge if it is enough

Is your bar lining up right??

I considered it might be an issue with the German made Carlton bar so I swapped it out for the bar that came with the saw with little to no change. If I remove the bar I can see the outline of oil on the bar slot lined up with the oil hole on the bar.'

With the oiler turned all the way up I am using less than half a tank of oil per tank of gas. That just doesnt seem like enough.

 

[KenJax Tree]

Hold the saw over a piece of wood or something and hold it at WOT for a few seconds if you see a spray of oil its good enough.

 

[dolmarfan]

I use a dolmar and a sthil bar on my dolmar 5000 and there is no problem.

 

[Streblerm]

Hold the saw over a piece of wood or something and hold it at WOT for a few seconds if you see a spray of oil its good enough.

I don't get the nice fine line. It is more like a blob every once in a while.

 

[Streblerm]

I'm wondering if it might not be an issue with the vent valve. It should let air in, but not out correct? I haven't inspected it yet. Has anyone ever had cause to replace one? They aren't very expensive.

 

[atlarge54]

Keep us posted on how things turn out. I've had issues with getting the oil on the chain before, even with upgraded oil lines. Is it leaking between the case and the thin steel plate?

 

[SierraWoodsman]

Mine is stingy also.

I find my Makita DCS 6401 is "Stingy" with oil even with the adjustment turned all the way up.
It's plenty for the 20" bar i have on it, but wouldn't feel good about putting a 28" on it.
This is why I think I'm going to pass for now on turning it into a 7900, or bigger 84cc jug. No real point
in having the power to pull longer bars if you can't keep them oiled suffeciently. Other
than this issue she's a Great saw.

 

[Hulsty]

My stock 6401 oils plenty, oiler is turned down around half, after a full tank of fuel there is a tiny amount of oil left. If I turn the oil all the way up it empties the tank in about half a tank of fuel or a little over.

 

[howellhandmade]

I find my Makita DCS 6401 is "Stingy" with oil even with the adjustment turned all the way up.
It's plenty for the 20" bar i have on it, but wouldn't feel good about putting a 28" on it.
This is why I think I'm going to pass for now on turning it into a 7900, or bigger 84cc jug. No real point
in having the power to pull longer bars if you can't keep them oiled suffeciently. Other
than this issue she's a Great saw.

My experience exactly. The oiler has has kept me from going all 7900 on it, but I still like it a lot as it is.

 

[howellhandmade]

My stock 6401 oils plenty, oiler is turned down around half, after a full tank of fuel there is a tiny amount of oil left. If I turn the oil all the way up it empties the tank in about half a tank of fuel or a little over.

Maybe there were enough complaints about the 6400 that they made a modification.

 

[Andyshine77]

Sounds like you have an issue. If you have concerns about the vent, use an air hose and blow through the vent. Also try cleaning the oil pickup line in the tank, they can get filled with wood dust. If that doesn't fix the problem, you may need to replace the white plastic adjustment screw. The screw has a knob on the end that regulates the vertical movement of the pomp piston, over time they wear down, it's an easy cheap fix.

I run a 32" bar on my 7900 without any problems. Remember modern saws don't oil like older saws, you're never going to see oil sling off the end of the bar, just a fine mist. Not to put Stihl saws down, but if you think the 7900 oiler is bad, give a 660 a try. The stock oilers are useless on the 660 IMHO.

 

[Streblerm]

I'm going to check out the tank vent but I am pretty sure the oiler will get replaced too. I've been looking and the 6400 oil pump has been superceded with the 7900 pump. After replacing the lines I no longer have any leaks but definitely not enough oil even for a 20" bar. Basically I have smoked a new Carlton bar in only a few tanks of gas. Some oil is getting to the bar but it uses less than half a tank of oil per tank of gas. The lines and strainer are clean as well.

I have too much invested in this saw to stop now.

 

[Storm56]

I have 4 Dolmar/Makita saws. None of them have had oiler problems although I do not use bars over 24 inches. A tank of oil to a tank of gas is pretty much the standard.

 

[MCW]

As Andy has said 32" bars are about max for the 6400-7900's and I've owned 3 of them.
One of my 7900's did start losing oil flow over time and 1000's of trees and a very simple trick fixed it (thanks to Wayne or gmax on AS).
All I did was tip the oil out and replace it with mineral turps and ran the saw for a bit without a bar. The crap that came out was nearly black and after a while clean turps started flowing. Haven't had an issue since
This may not work in your case but is certainly worth a shot.

 

[waynewhitacre]

What brand bar oil & what temp. at time of use?

 

[MCW]

What brand bar oil & what temp. at time of use?

Even with winter weight bar oil in 115°f the 7900's are marginal on a 32" bar.