Husqvarna 346xp bar oil leak

[Horrigan72]

I've had a bar oil leak for a while on this saw coming from the area of the oiler. If left sitting up right it would leak considerably on the ground until quite a bit of the tank was empty.




I pulled the clutch the other day to investigate further and found that the portion that inserts into the oil tank / case is quite loose and this was clearly the source of the leak. There's no damage to the opening at all or the tube. It appears it has just shrunk up a bit over the years. This saw is 21 years old. Has anyone else experienced this?




I pulled the tube, cleaned it up and case and put a bit of gasket maker around the mating surface of the tube. Put it in and let it set 24 hrs. I then put the saw back up right last night and going to go see if this corrected the issue. Other than replacing the tube, are there other options?

 

[Horrigan72]

I've had a bar oil leak for a while on this saw coming from the area of the oiler. If left sitting up right it would leak considerably on the ground until quite a bit of the tank was empty.




I pulled the clutch the other day to investigate further and found that the portion that inserts into the oil tank / case is quite loose and this was clearly the source of the leak. There's no damage to the opening at all or the tube. It appears it has just shrunk up a bit over the years. This saw is 21 years old. Has anyone else experienced this?




I pulled the tube, cleaned it up and case and put a bit of gasket maker around the mating surface of the tube. Put it in and let it set 24 hrs. I then put the saw back up right last night and going to go see if this corrected the issue. Other than replacing the tube, are there other options?

The repair did work at the xrank case

I've had a bar oil leak for a while on this saw coming from the area of the oiler. If left sitting up right it would leak considerably on the ground until quite a bit of the tank was empty.




I pulled the clutch the other day to investigate further and found that the portion that inserts into the oil tank / case is quite loose and this was clearly the source of the leak. There's no damage to the opening at all or the tube. It appears it has just shrunk up a bit over the years. This saw is 21 years old. Has anyone else experienced this?




I pulled the tube, cleaned it up and case and put a bit of gasket maker around the mating surface of the tube. Put it in and let it set 24 hrs. I then put the saw back up right last night and going to go see if this corrected the issue. Other than replacing the tube, are there other options?

The repair did work at the crank case. It then made it possible to see that the pick up tube where it interfaces with the the pump is leaking as well. Albeit a lot less than it was at the case. I Went ahead and purchased a new tube as it seamed I was heading down a rabbit hole trying to correct what a $24 part will certainly do.

Well I hope this helps someone. It does appear that the rubber that tube is made of shrank up over time. Common or not? I don't know.

 

[kbro83]

Interesting..... I have a 556AT with a slow oil leak that has just recently developed.

It has never leaked previously and when I mention to anyone it's always "all saw leak oil".... might have to look into this

 

[JoeMay]

Same topic but a different Husky saw. A 555 just a few months old. It belongs to a family member. He said it is leaking oil immediately after use and being put away. He talked to the dealer and was told “they all do that”. In so many words, I told him the same thing. Every saw I currently have or once had leak some B&C oil. His situation is different though. It’s a new, expensive saw that is under warranty. My advice to him was to take back to the dealership and have the techs look into the problem. However, they already did brush him off with the “they all do that” line. Persistence will hopefully pay off for him to get some action out of them. Has anyone with a new Husky 555 experienced a B&C oil leak problem?

 

[Aknutter]

I would contact Husqvarna corporate.
Send an email to customer service/support and let them know the dealers response towards the issue.

Same topic but a different Husky saw. A 555 just a few months old. It belongs to a family member. He said it is leaking oil immediately after use and being put away. He talked to the dealer and was told “they all do that”. In so many words, I told him the same thing. Every saw I currently have or once had leak some B&C oil. His situation is different though. It’s a new, expensive saw that is under warranty. My advice to him was to take back to the dealership and have the techs look into the problem. However, they already did brush him off with the “they all do that” line. Persistence will hopefully pay off for him to get some action out of them. Has anyone with a new Husky 555 experienced a B&C oil leak problem?

 

[kbro83]

Same topic but a different Husky saw. A 555 just a few months old. It belongs to a family member. He said it is leaking oil immediately after use and being put away. He talked to the dealer and was told “they all do that”. In so many words, I told him the same thing. Every saw I currently have or once had leak some B&C oil. His situation is different though. It’s a new, expensive saw that is under warranty. My advice to him was to take back to the dealership and have the techs look into the problem. However, they already did brush him off with the “they all do that” line. Persistence will hopefully pay off for him to get some action out of them. Has anyone with a new Husky 555 experienced a B&C oil leak problem?

Pretty sure 555 is same as 556. Specs in OM look nearly the same except guide-bar mount (small vs large), oil tank capacity (0.7/0.33 vs 0.74/0.35), weight (12.3/5/6 vs 12.8/5.8) and chain pitch (0.325 vs 3/8).

I bought my 556AT second hand from a pawn shop for a bargain price, kid thought the compliance plate date was the date of manufacture....

It was my first decent saw and I have cut up probably 3 dozen 8x6 trailer loads of wood with that saw. Including 4-5 trunks of trees that were 40" diameter - I had to cut half way through from each side and then cut it all up into smaller pieces small enough to fit a slow combustion heater.

I was amazed that it didnt leak anything at all to begin with..... It has only started to leak recently and given it's unknown history before I got it plus what I've put it through, I think it's probably earned the right to leak a little oil.

I keep meaning to pop it in to the local service agent to give it a go over....

But as for your family member - I'd be pushing it further. Especially if still under warranty. Only reason mine leaked any oil to begin with were if I were to start it up / rev it and then shut it down. As you'd expect with a freshly lubed chain/bar

 

[Captain Bruce]

I've had a bar oil leak for a while on this saw coming from the area of the oiler. If left sitting up right it would leak considerably on the ground until quite a bit of the tank was empty.




I pulled the clutch the other day to investigate further and found that the portion that inserts into the oil tank / case is quite loose and this was clearly the source of the leak. There's no damage to the opening at all or the tube. It appears it has just shrunk up a bit over the years. This saw is 21 years old. Has anyone else experienced this?




I pulled the tube, cleaned it up and case and put a bit of gasket maker around the mating surface of the tube. Put it in and let it set 24 hrs. I then put the saw back up right last night and going to go see if this corrected the issue. Other than replacing the tube, are there other options?

Had this learning experience with the 455-460 Ranchers. Found a super-seded pt. #, bought 5 hoses, and they all worked. 5 saws with bad oil hoses were repaired permanently. I realize we aren't model specific. Its the info. about part numbers I feel is worthy of sharing.



Hope this helps anybody working on these Husqvarna/Jonsered saws.

 

[JoeMay]

That’s a great video. Thank you. I’ll share it with my family member. I’m not sure if this will be the fix for his problem given that his saw is a very new. That said, a peek at the IPL for his new 555AT may be beneficial.

 

[Captain Bruce]

The repair did work at the xrank case

The repair did work at the crank case. It then made it possible to see that the pick up tube where it interfaces with the the pump is leaking as well. Albeit a lot less than it was at the case. I Went ahead and purchased a new tube as it seamed I was heading down a rabbit hole trying to correct what a $24 part will certainly do.

Well I hope this helps someone. It does appear that the rubber that tube is made of shrank up over time. Common or not? I don't know.

Welcome to the Club, and I am a 40-yr. small engine tech. These oil lines used by Husqvarna/Jonsered are something beyond poor QC. Many of the newer units face the same issue out of out-sourcing.
The units re-sold with the "R" melted into the chassis, will come with the newer oil hose.

Lesson learned is, don't put a band-aid on a problem. Replace the hose to begin with, given the dis=assembly. Make it a Great Summer!!

 

[JoeMay]

It would be very helpful to see a photo or two of that melted in R. One close up and one further out showing where to look. If that 555 has the R on it then it’s a different root cause. Thanks for this information. The family member is short fused. He said he is going to empty the tank after every use. He will reuse the emptied oil. He is using Husky’s oil so wasting it would get expensive.