Drilling out the bar's oil hole

[James Miller]

The modern Echos oil like crazy. I don't understand why husky and stihl are so stingy with there saws. The bars for my 7910 will be getting drilled as it's pretty light on oiling to.

 

[Robin Wood]

cant remember which stihl brochure but i vaguely recall, narrow oil hole passage increase oil velocity travel in bar groove by few hundred percentage compared to traditional bigger oil hole
from my experience narrow oil hole might increase oil velocity but it works in very high rpm ? when in the cut the rpm goes down it doesnt work as much ?
bigger oil hole means better oiling for me, my big saws will drip bar oil on the tip

 

[Canyon Angler]

The modern range of Saws from the Big 2 are positively pathetic on bar/chain oiling 2soze longer bars longer than the usual one the saw comes with & the oiling is almost non exsistant Burnt bars on some Stihl models is the rule rater than exception

+1

With my 361, the dealer replaced the oiler twice under warranty. Stihl doesn't oil any better. Sometimes I thin oil with kerosene.

 

[jr27236]

I see the kerosene thinning comments and never had to do anything like that myself mostly because i run a 20" bar the majority of the time. But why wouldn't you just run thinner winter grade oil in the warmer months? Wouldnt that help?

 

[Huskitoter]

Winter grade oil isn't sold everywhere. It's not needed in warmer climates.

I have the same question that Robin Wood mentioned. Could increasing the hole size lead to more oil being applied to one side of the chain instead of being pushed through to the side opposite the port? Is it applying more oil?

 

[Bwildered]

90%, I run a 24" Forester Platinum bar on my 461. With the oiler at max the chain seems to be dry all the time. This morning after cleaning up the saw I drilled out the hole, and it is still small compared to other Stihl bars, but a big improvement all the same. Running the saws tip against a clean surface, it was slinging oil like I expect. Finally!!!

why would you think the chain should appear to be wet with oil to be sufficiently oiling? if the saw is using near the full oil tank for a tank of fuel its sufficient, if the bar isn't getting enough oil the chain will start to smoke & stretch greatly, we cut some of the hardest timbers here & you can never see oil on the outside of the chain after cutting.

 

[user 122190]

, if the bar isn't getting enough oil the chain will start to smoke & stretch greatly, .

Be proactive. Don't wait for the chain to greatly stretch and smoke before getting sufficient oil flowing.

Oil is cheap.

 

[Robin Wood]

when in doubt drill it out
just kidding lol
i see small hole/big hole as velocity vs volume. so bigger hole should move more oil and in this case volume wins i guess

those who wish to enlarge their smaller oil hole or slanted ones might want to try drilling a 2nd bigger opening next to the existing one so you can have best of both worlds ?

 

[Beetlejuice]

Well now i have a spare HO pump to m9d or sell i suppose. I might try making the hole bigger in my bars too.
I need more cow bell!

Now just wait a minute here. Let's not just glance over this COW BELL comment. Let's put a little BOC on the jukebox, sling oil like the REAPER would want us to

 

[Pine Marten]

I'm not buying Stihl's velocity theory. A restricted orifice will decrease flow...think a smaller main jet, or the flow restriction nozzle on a faucet. Increasing the volume of oil pumped per rev of the pump will deliver more oil. Removing a restriction (tiny bar hole getting drilled larger) will boost flow as well. I'll have to measure the oil passage to see what diameter it is. That would be a good drill size to use on the bar.

I doubt it will result in a bar oiling too much, which would be indicated by the oil tank going empty before the gas tank. I'm tempted to blame European Eco activists/Gov types for whimpy oiling!!!

 

[user 122190]

Before this drilling I was using half the oil tank per tank of gas on the 461. And that was with the oiler set at max. My 290 at max about drips oil. The difference is clearly visible when cleaning, the 290 is caked with saturated oil and fine wood chips. While the 461 is about nearly clean behind sprocket cover. It is this observation that will cause me to drill larger or leave as is.

 

[Pine Marten]

I should have added.....that if it oils too much, it can be turned down by the adjuster.

 

[James Miller]

From my experience with my 490 feeding through a bigger hole oils better. The top bar is off a 2300 I use it to run 3/8lp. Bottom is the stock .325 bar. The stock bar oils very well but the 2300 bar oiling through the bar adjuster will smother the chain if you don't turn the oiler down.

 

[user 122190]

Yup! The Forester bar's oil holes are the size of a small finish nail. No where near the size of the above. Makes me think I got more drilling to do.

 

[scottr]

Yup! The Forester bar's oil holes are the size of a small finish nail. No where near the size of the above. Makes me think I got more drilling to do.

MR , reread post number five .

 

[user 122190]

MR , reread post number five .

The Forester bar is factory drilled at the angle. Honestly, I recognized that angled purpose, but in practice it seems to make little difference. Its oil hole gets no more or less clogged then the Stihl bars that are drilled straight into the face of the bar.

 

[Sagetown]

Long bars = short on oil. Soooo, I bored out a channel to the oil port. TaDaa . It works.

 

[Sagetown]

A quick test after opening up the port proves an abundance of bar and chain oil.

 

[jr27236]

What about all the effort made by Stihl with their oilmatic. Shouldn't they know what is working and the design features made to ensure proper lubrication. Is the EPA not making bar/chain manufactures limit the oil output. I find no issues when the saw is give proper maintenance by cleaning the rails and so.forth.
From Stihl website :
High-Quality Saw Chains Ready To Work

When you demand a lot from your chainsaw, having the right saw chain can make a big difference. STIHL saw chains are individually designed for all types of woodcutting and for most makes of chainsaw. Every saw chain manufactured by STIHL incorporates our exclusive, patented OILOMATIC[emoji768] lubricating feature. And every component is engineered to work together to maximize the use of bar oil.

STIHL OILOMATIC[emoji768] saw chains feature specially engineered grooves designed to channel oil to critical wear areas. This superior lubrication feature helps extend the chain’s life and reduce the tendency for stretching. Our saw chains are also pre-stretched before leaving the factory, eliminating excessive stretching during the break-in period."

 

[user 122190]

What about all the effort made by Stihl with their oilmatic. Shouldn't they know what is working and the design features made to ensure proper lubrication.

True!

Other bars not so. At least not the Forester bar I'm now drilling.