motor oil

[archminer]

ok, so i was in the woods today. got a locust down in the road and was cutting my way out. (only place i could drop it. lol.) saw ran out of gas. while i filled the tank i checked the bar oil. nothing. looked around and i left my bar oil at the house. all i had was motorcraft 5w 20 (what my truck uses). so i filled the saw and went about my business. it was either that or run it dry, or walk 10 miles to get oil (yea right.lol)

i usually do run bar oil in my saws ( stihl ms 250 today) but i wonderd, do any of you run motor oil all the time? my uncle ran used motor oil since i can remembeR ( and still does). and when i run his saws, thats whats put in them.

so i wonder, is there any trouble running motor oil (new or used) in you saw? is there a REAL differnce? or is it just cause its called bar oil?

 

[KenJax Tree]

Its not gonna hurt it and it ok to use in a pinch but i wouldn't run it all the time. Motor oil is too thin and isn't tacky like bar oil and doesn't stick to the bar and chain like it should.

 

[Andyshine77]

Some older saws can't pump modern bar oil very well, in saws like that I use straight 30. The detergents in most motor oil, really isn't the best for the oil pumps and lines, but it would likely take a long time for it to become an issue. Used oil is a really bad idea. Bar oil is overall the best option, it's clean and has tack agents to keep the oil where it needs to be.

 

[zogger]

All i ran in the olden daze was 30 weight, both bar oil and for mix oil. It worked OK, but modern oils designed for the purpose are much much better.

 

[KenJax Tree]

All i ran in the olden daze was 30 weight, both bar oil and for mix oil. It worked OK, but modern oils designed for the purpose are much much better.

30 weight keeps the skeeters away.

 

[mitch95100]

30 weight keeps the skeeters away.

I just use the motor oil out of a John Deer 4455... just zip tie the throttle and set it in the middle of the lawn.

Sent from me to you using my fingers

 

[w8ye]

All the bar oil I have bought in the last 10 years has been re-cycled used oil.

 

[zogger]

All the bar oil I have bought in the last 10 years has been re-cycled used oil.

I have wondered about that before on bar oil, always seemed cheap compared to car oil, so recycled at a factory makes sense.

 

[zogger]

30 weight keeps the skeeters away.

Absolutely zero did I ever worry about toasting a top end. Never crossed my mind. I don't ever recall any of my cutting friends ever toasting a top end, just don't remember a single incident. I think the only way to toast a top end using 30 weight is to run the H screw all the way in, especially at the old precise measuring levels, glug glug glug, looks like enough.... Also learned to quickly adjust cutting so smoke clouds blew away from you whenever possible.

err...confession time..I only switched to "real" bar and mix oil in the early 2000s.

 

[zogger]

Forgot something, just for a hoot for the younger guys.

Oil back then came in round cans you punched a hole in with a screw driver or church key or a real metal spout that slid in and made its own hole nice and neat. Uptown man.

cheap gas was around 15 cent a gallon, good stuff about 20.

 

[KenJax Tree]

I remember the oil cans but not gas being $.15 but i'm only 36 so i remember it being under a $1.00

 

[zogger]

I remember the oil cans but not gas being $.15 but i'm only 36 so i remember it being under a $1.00

I got one tank once during a price war at 12.9..

pay was much better back then and your loot went farther buying stuff. To compare, minimum rage lowball entry level payscale would need to be around 20 bucks now.

anyway, the oil..never saw much diff with 30 weight on the bar, just you use it up faster. it lubes chain just fine. In the mix, rank. Works but man, rank. You need to shake it up good too, real good.

 

[Jeff Lary]

Back in the late 70's there was a saw shop in the area and he had a barrel of what he called" sticky stuff" it was a deep red. He would mix it with somthing? and sell it as bar oil. Maybe used motor oil I don't know I was 16 at the time. Anyone know what that was in the barrel ? He sold MaCulluch (sp ) he was and older French fella really knew those saws too. Jeff

 

[Adirondackstihl]

Used oil is a really bad idea.

+1

 

[lone wolf]

Forgot something, just for a hoot for the younger guys.

Oil back then came in round cans you punched a hole in with a screw driver or church key or a real metal spout that slid in and made its own hole nice and neat. Uptown man.

cheap gas was around 15 cent a gallon, good stuff about 20.

And I think the old Homelite used 8 oz per gal is that correct?

 

[Festus]

I never understood the question about engine oil vs. bar oil. Economy bar oils are like $8 a gallon. Most motor oils are double that, or even more. I think that pretty much answers the question. I think the "stringy" characteristics of bar oil is a good thing, but I don't believe lubing the bar and chain is all that complicated. I would never use waste oil in place of bar and chain oil, but there is a common belief that it's just dirty, terrible stuff. The fact is, a lot of people change their oil way too soon anyway. Today's motor oils are way better than they were 20 years ago, let alone 30-40 years ago. The additive package in modern oils absorb and neutralize a lot of bad stuff, and more importantly, the filter removes particles anywhere close to being big enough to cause any wear. As a mechanic, I can tell you that lubrication related engine failures are extremely rare. As long the oil level is kept up, and the oil is not contaminated with anti-freeze, or fuel, you just never see engine wear problems. Overheating issues are typically either the direct, or indirect culprit of major engine problems, even for some oil failures. Even when you keep the bar and chain out of the dirt, the dirt left in used engine oil would be negligible compared to all the dirt a chainsaw operates in. The chain would be worn out through sharpening, before you ever ruined it from using waste oil.

 

[Str8six]

I have to run the thinnest oil I can find in my 044. Thats my only gripe about that saw, the oil pump sucks! I usually use 50wt synthetic trans oil because its plentiful to me.

 

[zogger]

And I think the old Homelite used 8 oz per gal is that correct?

A bunch, ya.

 

[rarefish383]

Every time a bar oil question comes up, I post the same reply. I have several saws that my dad bought back in the 70's. They put in 20 plus years of commercial service before he retired. I've used them since for side work, firewood and milling, and don't remember ever having an oil related bar failure. Dad hounded the guys to "pump that oil" even after auto oilers came out. The only bar failures came when a climber dropped a saw and bent the bar. All we ever used was the cheapest on sale 10W30 at K mart. We tried used motor oil once and didn't have any trouble, but the stuff was dirty black. When the guys over ran the oil tank the crud got all over everything, and if you walked past someone cutting you would get speckled. Our rule was a tank of oil per tank of fuel and that's what I still go with, Joe.

 

[Woodchucker Ron]

Forgot something, just for a hoot for the younger guys.

Oil back then came in round cans you punched a hole in with a screw driver or church key or a real metal spout that slid in and made its own hole nice and neat. Uptown man.

cheap gas was around 15 cent a gallon, good stuff about 20.

Just got me thinking i still got some of metal spouts around somewhere. Thought someday i might find a use for them never have though. Any thoughts or what they could be used for?