McCulloch3.4 Eager Beaver or Timber Bear - No Oil To Chain

[etbrown4]

No doubt the passage from the oil tank is plugged.
I've put a lot of air pressure on the tank but can't get any oil to exit.

I am sure the oil is supposed to exit right near the chain or sprocket, but I have not been able to identify the exact spot for further attention.

If anybody has a pic of the exit point for the oil that would be a big help!

These saws are well known for plugged oiler lines, so any tips would be appreciated!

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Another reason for them not to oil is the bar gets stopped up with crud. Make sure the oil passage in the bar is clean before messing with the oil pump. If still no oil, drain the tank and rinse it out with gasoline and put 20 or 30w motor oil in the tank. Run it with the bar off it and see if there's oil coming out the hole..it should be near the bar studs where it comes out. See if the manual oiler works also.

 

[horseskidder]

I tried to get those pics tonight, but that clutch is JAMMED tight on there....still working at it, but need to make a tool. I'm right with the post above. and it is right by the bar studs, problem is the inner guard plate is huge on that model mac, so you gotta pull the clutch to get at it. Here's to hoping it's just a plugged up oil port in the bar.....you might be amazed how much gunk comes out of there and the groove the chain rides in.

 

[etbrown4]

I pulled the little pump apart.

It is making pressure internally when you press it when it's pulled out and on the bench, but re-installed no oil is coming out!

There is a thin metal plate covering a large area back behind the clutch and more, so there is no chance of viewing the oil exit point without pulling the clutch. U'd be surprised it the hole is behind the two bar studs, but that also is covered by that large thin plate. It could be there, but it's not readily visible.

Either way, there is no oil flowing anywhere.

I turned on the clutch nut some, but after 20 years, she's way tight! Not sure what you might use to keep the crank from turning anyway.:rolleyes2:

Despite the great suggestions, I'm as stuck as I can be.

 

[horseskidder]

yeah, that's the inner guard plate i was talking about. My clutch nut is the same way, should be opposite thread as the flywheel nut, I'm assuming. I've broken thosehuts loose before by either holding the flywheel nut and turning or making a wrench to fit the clutch innards themselves, which is what I'm about to do. That oil out put hose should exit in between th bar studs and a little bit lower if it's like all my other saws. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow.

 

[etbrown4]

thanks horseskidder.

I have not been able to use this otherwise excellent saw for a year for this pesky issue.

It's way too good to throw away.

Due to a storm last week I have a bunch of trees to get up!

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Have you tried rinsing out the tank yet? That may help clear out your oil holes as quick as anything, just regular gas. I would do that before ever taking anything apart. Worked for me on several occasions. The clutch turns clockwise to loosen it. You could try the rope trick to hold the crankshaft while you turn the clutch. Just take out the sparkplug and insert a rope in the hole, preferably a rope that just barely fits in the hole, it keeps the crank from turning.
It also seems to me that the saws that have that sticky bar oil in them are most likely to have dirt, sawdust buildup. I think I'll quit using it and just use motor oil or at least mix the two.

 

[etbrown4]

The plot becomes more complicated.

I was fishing around in the oil tank and I've cause the pick up tube to become detached.

The fill hole is less that 3/4" and access is very limited, It's dark in there too!

How in the world to you re-attach a tube inside a place where you have no visibility?

Is the tank removable on this McCulloch?

I did study the bar a little further. and it's not like a Stihl. There is no obvious exit point for the oil near the studs like there is on a Stihl.

Thanks for any tips

 

[a. palmer jr.]

The plot becomes more complicated.

I was fishing around in the oil tank and I've cause the pick up tube to become detached.

The fill hole is less that 3/4" and access is very limited, It's dark in there too!

How in the world to you re-attach a tube inside a place where you have no visibility?

Is the tank removable on this McCulloch?

I did study the bar a little further. and it's not like a Stihl. There is no obvious exit point for the oil near the studs like there is on a Stihl.

Thanks for any tips

I believe the oil hole is the hole opposite the adjuster hole, it doubles as an adjuster when you flip the bar over.

 

[etbrown4]

I have the original McCullock 20" bar, and it seems to be identical on both sides!

I don't see anything remotely like a spot for am orifice, as you see on the Stihl.

Any ideas on re-attaching the oil line inside the tank? Is the Timber Bear oil tank easily removable?

 

[Chris-PA]

OK, it should be a D176 mount bar, reversible with symmetrical adjuster holes. The one without the adjuster in it serves as the oil outlet I believe. At the outer edge of each adjuster hole is a slot to the chain groove.

To reattach the pickup line (it was probably broken anyway), remove the tank. Remove the clutch cover, starter and tank-side cover. Remove the bar, the bottom plate and the muffler. The tank bolts to the bottom end of the engine with 4 bolts. That's what I remember anyway, I might have missed some part or another.

Clean it and re-install it with Permatex Ultra Black or equivalent. It's not really that hard to do.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I have the original McCullock 20" bar, and it seems to be identical on both sides!

I don't see anything remotely like a spot for am orifice, as you see on the Stihl.

Any ideas on re-attaching the oil line inside the tank? Is the Timber Bear oil tank easily removable?

That bar has two holes in it. One is the oiler and the other is to adjust the tightness of the chain. Flip the bar over and the other hole is used for the adjustment and oiler.

 

[etbrown4]

Man, this is approaching a teardown!

Sure enough you remove the oil pump, the bottom cover, the handle, the starter, the muffler and some other misc hardware.

Now I've done all that, the _ _ _ thin metal coverplate which runs behind the clutch and out past the two bar studs, is in the way because it keeps the oil tank from being removed, unless I can find a way to work around it.

It would appear that the next big trick is to get the clutch off, and unless there is another idea, I suppose I'll do as somebody suggested, stuff some rope inside the cylinder through the plug hole, so that the piston will stop against it, thus allowing the clutch nut to be removed.

Anybody know if these old McCulloch's use a right hand or left hand thread at the clutch?

I'm guessing the dude who was going to pull his clutch off to tell us what he sees, might have encountered some trouble and may be taking longer than expected! Either way, I do appreciate the effort!

 

[Chris-PA]

I honestly can't remember how I got the clutch off, but I know I did. Pretty sure I took the nut off with an impact driver, probably with rope in the cylinder 'cause that's what I usually do.

 

[horseskidder]

I'm almost sure it threads off clockwise, the end of the nut that's exposed looks like reverse threads. But, yes, you're right....I'm having problems. I had a long day at work today, so I should have time tomorrow to give it a better try. The rope idea is the same one I got today from our local snowmobile wizard. Hopefully, I'll have better news tomorrow after I file the nut back flat again

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Can't you take the pump off and look down into the tank. Seems like a lot of trouble dismantling the saw if it isn't necessary..

 

[etbrown4]

Well it's all apart, and I really had to go that way. The suction tube in the oil tank was stiff or brittle. I had just gently probed in the tank, and the next second the tube and the strainer fell to the bottom. The filler hole is so small that once this happens, you HAVE NO CHOICE but to tear the thing apart as mentioned before! The knuckleheads at McCulloch designed it so that the neither the tube nor the strainer is user serviceable! Pitiful design. As it turns out the strainer was clean. Al they had to do was to give you a cap large enough for your fingers, and I could have saved a few hours.

Now I have to eat a little crow. Once it's apart you can test the pump and observe the operation where you can really see what is going on. The pump draws oil quickly from a container. You can feel it build some back pressure yet NOTHING comes out of the outlet port which feeds the chain. (Everyone but me was right on that port location)

I've run a wire through the inlet port and can see that wire where it enters just beneath the pump. I ran another wire from the outlet by the chain back to the pump and can see that wire directly beneath the pump. I have completely disassembled and cleaned every part of the pump.

My only remaining thought is that one or both of the diaphragms may need replacing, though they look fine. I'd be happy to put on a new pump if I can find one.

Isn't it amazing how much time you can spend on such a small problem? I'd lay most of the blame on McCulloch, because the design is just so incredibly poor. They make it so hard to access these parts and so hard to troubleshoot. Possibly that might be part of why they are no longer around!

It's a great saw with low time, even after 20 years, but I still have this pesky little problem.

No telling if I can get these parts. We shall see.

Besides an 'old style' Eager Beaver, and an 'old style' Timber Bear, it seems that they may have called this saw a Pro Mac with displacements of up to 3.7 ci.

Thanks for all the great tips!!!:msp_smile:

 

[horseskidder]

great to hear you got the thing apart. i have an old number of a guy who had quite a few mac parts, might have what you need. I'll pm you.

 

[etbrown4]

There are a couple of guys selling new pumps on ebay for $35. yikes

Before I take that plunge, I'll see if I can buy an entire parts saw for $35. Anybody know of any?

Thanks for the phone number Kevin. I called the guy and they say they don;t have any Mac parts now.

I'll let you know when it's back together, though that could be a while.

 

[Chris-PA]

I dunno, the saw is worthless with no oil pump. A used one will be hit or miss, as they do fail. If the rest of the saw is good then for $35 you can have a useful, working saw. Probably would be hard to find the equivalent for less, and even if you do you'll still want to fix this one anyway, as no one who's CAD afflicted could stand to have a saw that almost works....