Bar oil in newer Stihl saws

[JJay03]

My new 201tc was not oiling good at all with the orange bottle stihl bar oil. I found out that you should use something thinner like the stihl sythplus in the newer saw. This is not my video but I had the same issue as the 201t in the vid.

 

[Marshy]

What a gimmick.
"Only difference use it's thinner". He didn't mention it probably cost 50% more lol.

 

[JJay03]

What a gimmick.

So are you denying that newer saws do not oil as much? My 020t was fine with the same stihl orange bottle bar oil but in my 201tc it was way too thick. No mine did not lock up as bad as in the vid but it did a few times and it just did not sound smooth at all. Either its the EPA or stihl trying to get you to use a more pricey oil who knows.

 

[Marshy]

What does your user manual say about bar oil?
What I'm saying is I saw no significant change in performance. I believe if the guy lifted a little in the first cuts the saw wood not have stalled. If he pressed a little harder in the second round with the fancy oil it would have stalled. Inconclusive at best IMO.

 

[JJay03]

Here is what the manual says.

 

[JJay03]

Mine would not sling the oil either with the pump turned all the way up with the orange bottle oil. Oil was warm as well as it was stored indoors at 70+ degrees.

 

[Marshy]

Maybe he should run the test with BioPlus and see how it performs since that's what's recommended.
I'm not convinced based on his demo.

 

[JJay03]

I think the bio is even more expensive then the synthplus. I hear the bio gums everything up as well. I get that the test can be flawed though.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I think the bio is even more expensive then the synthplus. I hear the bio gums everything up as well. I get that the test can be flawed though.

I think straight canola oil is what gums up the works. I've been using bioplus for years in my small saws. For big saws bucking big wood I don't care, but for little saws spitting oil all over while in limbing and thinning, I much prefer the bio oil. I've never had a problem with anything getting gummy. An added plus is that it flows a lot better in the winter, which is when I do most of my cutting.

It's about $20/gallon. Not cheap, but I'd much rather be breathing that when limbing than the dino oil.

 

[JJay03]

Thanks. I will compared the price of the bio to the synthplus.

 

[Conquistador3]

My Stihl dealership filled all the saws I bought from them with an oil labelled "Bio Plus", which I think is vegetable based. The saws drank it like fresh water, so I think that's what you should you use if you like your saw to drip oil like in the days of yore.

But I run all my Stihl saws on regular cheap Oregon bar oil and I've never had any problem. The MS362C-M is set like it came from the dealership and uses anything between two thirds and three quarters of a tank of bar oil for every tank of premix, which is what I would expect from most pro-grade saws. The MS231 has no adjustable oiler and goes through two and half tanks of premix for every tank of bar oil: this is what I would expect from any clamshell with a non-adjustable oiler. I am still breaking in the MS193T so data on that will have to wait.

Bio Plus is crazy expensive: here is €14.50 (RRP including VAT) for a three liter bin. You can get five liters of Echo's fanciest bar oil for the same money. So I'll stick to what i use right now, thank you very much.

 

[JJay03]

My 361 is ok on the orange bottle oil but even with the oiler all the way up it doesnt compare to the older saws.

 

[Finnrpm]

........... This dude stalls it even with the synthplus oil around 5 min. from the start of the vid. And claiming that " all new stihl saws model number ending 1 or 2 need to use synthplus bar oil, cause it's way thinner" is total bs. Could it be that synthplus is not actually the solution, but the problem is the orange bottle oil.......?
If stihl as a manufacturer would demand saw owners to use these special brand bar oils, they would have to specify what viscosity bar oils should have.
RV

 

[JJay03]

Yeah I found out you cant even get the synthplus in the US. I bought the platinum and will see how that does.


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[Brian72]

I only have one Stihl saw so I'm not an expert. It's a 661. It does seem to be more stingy than my other brands.

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[Deleted member 117362]

Used motor oil comes out fast. Have seen it used several times.

 

[L34]

Used motor oil comes out fast. Have seen it used several times.

Used motor oil contains microscopic metals,not good for oil pumps.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Used motor oil contains microscopic metals,not good for oil pumps.

Helps open the pump up.

 

[Conquistador3]

My 361 is ok on the orange bottle oil but even with the oiler all the way up it doesnt compare to the older saws.

You have to understand modern saws really use less bar oil than their predecessors. Dolmar and Stihl even put this fact in their sales brochures.
I think this was done as an insurance policy against any attempt to make vegetable-based bar oils mandatory: that stuff is rabidly expensive, even more so after rapeseed started to be used to cut diesel fuel. I don't need to tell you how important runnign costs are to any commercial venture.
While this may be disappointing to grizzled old hands accustomed to see bar oil everywhere, manufacturers aren't stupid: their modern saws lube their bars and chains as well if not better than they used, and with less oil to boot. That's called progress.

 

[wyk]

I think straight canola oil is what gums up the works. I've been using bioplus for years in my small saws. For big saws bucking big wood I don't care, but for little saws spitting oil all over while in limbing and thinning, I much prefer the bio oil. I've never had a problem with anything getting gummy. An added plus is that it flows a lot better in the winter, which is when I do most of my cutting.

It's about $20/gallon. Not cheap, but I'd much rather be breathing that when limbing than the dino oil.

I've been using canola/rapeseed oil solely in all my saws for the last 6 years professionally. Not bio-oil, or any branded oil - pure straight rapeseed like you would use for cooking. Most of the saws were ported. Not a single problem. Bars last fine. At one point, we had a ported 281XP sitting full of canola oil for over 9 months, and it started and oiled perfectly fine afterwards. I think the only time you'll run in to canola issues is when you let it sit full of saw dust in sub freezing temperatures for extended lengths. If you maintain your equipment well, canola works just fine. I pay about $2/gallon for it. Oftentimes less when it's on sale.