New MS362 overheating bar/chain. moderate use

[pyrowaves]

Hey everyone, new to the site and liking it.

I did some searching but I couldn't quite find any with a situation with a new saw like mine. I just got a MS362 a month or so ago. I haven't had much time to cut with it. I have about 4-6 tanks worth of fuel through it. I have been around saws, but never owned by own new saw only used and none of this caliber.

I was cutting with it this weekend and only after about 3/4 of a tank the bar/chain started overheating. Being that it is new I have been checking the chain tension and adjusting as needed and it was never too tight (always moved freely on the bar by hand). I have the oiler set to high and its been going through almost 1 tank of oil per tank of fuel. I can test it out and get spray off of the end so I know it is working. I'm using Stihl bar oil. I've heard maybe a lighter oil could help but I don't think it should be doing this so new and with a light use I've put it through.

As soon as I saw smoke I stopped cutting and notice it had even burned the wood and started to discolor(overheat) the bar in the groove area. I'm afraid it already did the damage and Don't want to cut with it anymore. I only had time to clean it up before it was to dark and I couldn't dive into it deep. Any ideas before I go back out to look at it again are appreciated.

I've used it for a lot longer than the 30 minutes of cutting I did this weekend with no problems. Why did it all of a sudden start on this tree? The saw is stock with a 20 inch bar and green(low kickback) chain. I have a different chain I bought with the saw in case I didn't like the green, but haven't put it on yet because I wanted to try this chain out.

 

[stihlrookie]

Welcome to AS, first of all.

Okay,now, has the chain been sharpened? I only ask because, and take no offense, it sounds by your description to be dull. Just a slight dip in the dirt can cause your chain to dull. What type of wood were you cutting when you noticed the smoke? Try swapping the new chain on and see what happens. You are getting plenty of oil, that is not the issue here.

 

[Itsme7]

Dull chain. Those green anti-kickback chains (safety chains) dull really quickly, and perform horribly. I'd recommend a semi chisel chain for all around use. Smoking and burning wood is a dull chain. If lack of lube was a issue, you'd see blueing of the bar, paint missing after not much use, and you can physically feel that the chain is dry.

 

[ConcordGarden]

Dull chain. Those green anti-kickback chains (safety chains) dull really quickly, and perform horribly. I'd recommend a semi chisel chain for all around use. Smoking and burning wood is a dull chain. If lack of lube was a issue, you'd see blueing of the bar, paint missing after not much use, and you can physically feel that the chain is dry.

He hit the nail on the head. You should be carrying a few extra chains on hand with you so you can sharpen or have them sharpened at your convenience.

 

[Cody@SPE]

Just remember, a dull chain can make for a bad day. We have countless customers who come into the shop with burned up saws because of a dull chain. For ordinary firewood cutting, I recommend a 20 in bar with Stihl full skip chain. But for limbing, full comp.

 

[Majorpayne]

Did you check bar oil? Is it oiling?

 

[B Harrison]

Yup, I agree with all of above, if you haven't sharpened the green chain after 3-4 tanks its dull. Swap them out and get back to us. Take a thin bit of metal and clean the bar out all the way around and blow clean with air before installing new chain. Look for tight spots and run your finger along the edge feeling for a bur.

If you sharpen your own chains go at it, if not, you might want to get another for a spare when you get a chance.

 

[T0RN4D0]

Obviously your oiler is working properly if you get oil spit and burn thru the whole tank of oil, so there are 2 options left.

First is a dull chain. Second is the chain on to tight, or (had this happen to me on the 046 once), the chain jumped out of the groove under cover the bottom side :msp_scared: Must have done it when being pinched. But it wasn't hard to notice because it didn't spin freely..

There is also the third option if it happened when your gas tank was almost empty, that is it wasn't sucking oil anymore. Can happen if oil is too thin.

 

[pyrowaves]

Thanks for all the quick responses!

Dull chain. Those green anti-kickback chains (safety chains) dull really quickly, and perform horribly. I'd recommend a semi chisel chain for all around use. Smoking and burning wood is a dull chain. If lack of lube was a issue, you'd see blueing of the bar, paint missing after not much use, and you can physically feel that the chain is dry.

There was some discoloration of the bar and paint starting to chip away after only about 20-30 minutes. Thats when I knew something wasn't right and stopped. I hope I caught it in time before the bar got messed up.

Yup, I agree with all of above, if you haven't sharpened the green chain after 3-4 tanks its dull. Swap them out and get back to us. Take a thin bit of metal and clean the bar out all the way around and blow clean with air before installing new chain. Look for tight spots and run your finger along the edge feeling for a bur.

If you sharpen your own chains go at it, if not, you might want to get another for a spare when you get a chance.

I didn't know that about the green chains. I had never used one and that is why I got the chisel if I ended up not liking it. I didn't think with the littel cutting I've done it would be that dull this fast. It does seem to cut ok until this happened. I haven't hit the dirt either. Unfortunately I haven't had a problem with the green until now. I will swap chains, clean the bar and re test it. I didn't think that it would be a dull chain because it was cutting just fine.

Obviously your oiler is working properly if you get oil spit and burn thru the whole tank of oil, so there are 2 options left.

First is a dull chain. Second is the chain on to tight, or (had this happen to me on the 046 once), the chain jumped out of the groove under cover the bottom side :msp_scared: Must have done it when being pinched. But it wasn't hard to notice because it didn't spin freely..

There is also the third option if it happened when your gas tank was almost empty, that is it wasn't sucking oil anymore. Can happen if oil is too thin.

A tight chain is what I thought at first but when it happened I checked and it may have actually been a little on the loose side. Not too loose, but definitely not tight. Everything is pointing to a dull chain except the fact it was cutting ok when cold.

Thanks again for all the help. I'm going to spend the next week or so exploring the site. Unfortunately I have a week and a half before I can get out to the farm to test this out. I will definitely post back with what I find as well as some pictures when I can get to it. Thanks again! and if there is any more input I'll be around now that I know about this forum.

 

[sasquach]

This saw wouldn't happen to be a C-Q model is it? with the hand brake?

 

[s219]

What bar length are you running?

 

[s219]

Dull chain. Those green anti-kickback chains (safety chains) dull really quickly, and perform horribly. I'd recommend a semi chisel chain for all around use. Smoking and burning wood is a dull chain. If lack of lube was a issue, you'd see blueing of the bar, paint missing after not much use, and you can physically feel that the chain is dry.

I agree with the theory about having a dull chain, but there is zero reason why a green chain would dull quicker than a yellow chain. The cutters are identical (you can get full-chisel or semi-chisel in green or yellow). The only difference is the hump on the rakers, and that only comes into play when the chain turns around the nose. It will affect plunge/bore cuts but not general performance.

The more general issue is semi-chisel versus full-chisel. Full has better cutting performance, but dulls easily and generally needs sharpening several times a day if cutting dirty wood. Semi is much more robust and is a better choice as a work chain in dirty conditions.

 

[Trailtrimmer]

Is there oil actually flinging off the tip of the bar when you free rev it? If yes, then the chain is quite dull as others have stated. Toss that other loop on and try it again.

 

[s219]

Is there oil actually flinging off the tip of the bar when you free rev it? If yes, then the chain is quite dull as others have stated. Toss that other loop on and try it again.

Unfortunately, on a 362 running a longer bar you'll never see that -- at the most it will be a mist of oil at the tip, maybe some drops. Even with a 20" bar you'll just see some light drops.

 

[Trailtrimmer]

Unfortunately, on a 362 running a longer bar you'll never see that -- at the most it will be a mist of oil at the tip, maybe some drops. Even with a 20" bar you'll just see some light drops.

You should still be able to put the tip near a block of wood, piece of paper, etc and see if anything flings off and sticks even if it's too small to see with the naked eye.

 

[SawTroll]

Dull chain. Those green anti-kickback chains (safety chains) dull really quickly, and perform horribly. I'd recommend a semi chisel chain for all around use. Smoking and burning wood is a dull chain. If lack of lube was a issue, you'd see blueing of the bar, paint missing after not much use, and you can physically feel that the chain is dry.

Your post is quite a bit of, see below.

I agree with the theory about having a dull chain, but there is zero reason why a green chain would dull quicker than a yellow chain. The cutters are identical (you can get full-chisel or semi-chisel in green or yellow). The only difference is the hump on the rakers, and that only comes into play when the chain turns around the nose. It will affect plunge/bore cuts but not general performance.

The more general issue is semi-chisel versus full-chisel. Full has better cutting performance, but dulls easily and generally needs sharpening several times a day if cutting dirty wood. Semi is much more robust and is a better choice as a work chain in dirty conditions.

:agree2: Exactly, if the chain is dull, it is because of lack of maintenace (sharpening), not because it is "green" chain.

Well, that "hump" is of course not on the raker, rather besides it.....

 

[nmurph]

I agree with the theory about having a dull chain, but there is zero reason why a green chain would dull quicker than a yellow chain. The cutters are identical (you can get full-chisel or semi-chisel in green or yellow). The only difference is the hump on the rakers, and that only comes into play when the chain turns around the nose. It will affect plunge/bore cuts but not general performance.

The more general issue is semi-chisel versus full-chisel. Full has better cutting performance, but dulls easily and generally needs sharpening several times a day if cutting dirty wood. Semi is much more robust and is a better choice as a work chain in dirty conditions.

Your post is quite a bit of, see below.



:agree2: Exactly, if the chain is dull, it is because of lack of maintenace (sharpening), not because it is "green" chain.

Well, that "hump" is of course not on the raker, rather besides it.....

Yep...thanks for saving me the typing...

 

[sasquach]

sorry for the delay, just my two cents but the hand brake on the ms362c-q only comes off all the way when its fully depressed, like into the handle. Which it does not when held comfortably. So what happens is you wind up dragging the chain brake all the time ( just like leaving the E brake on your truck on). The thing will heat up like a coal stove and eventually the clutch drum will split and you'll wind up replacing the drum, drum bearing, sprocket, clutch, oiler drive spring and sometimes the oiler itself if it grenades hard enough. Had two saws do it like 4 times each( i a mechanic for a large arbor care company). Kept blaming it on a dull chain untill I ran one myself for the weekend and noticed how awkward he hand brake is. could be wrong, just my observation

 

[sawsalottawood]

Hate to ask

but is your chain on the right direction? it only works in one direction.

If you work in a crew double check. sometimes they magically get reversed by your co workers while you're on lunch.

MY 362 has been dawgs deep into about 100 cords. My bar and chain get very hot sometimes. If the logs are piles neat i can really get into them and the saw goes at WOT for the whole tank of gas. The friction builds up alot of heat that doesnt dissipate. It gets worse and worse as you chain dulls. If you run longer bars you will heat the chain and it will stretch then throw. Its pretty lame compared to using a sharp chain of good quality. Try a couple different brands and styles to see if there is one you like better than the others. You might notice big differences between brands and types. You have a real nice saw so spend $40 on some chain to get it dialed in.

best regards,

SAWS