I have a love/hate relationship with this little saw. It doesn't owe me anything, as it probably has 20 cords under its belt, but it has been somewhat less than reliable.
I know, what do I want for $179.95 ?
Ethanol was blamed for my carb problems. First time fixed under warranty, second time I paid for a new carb. When it runs right it is great. I can run it all day and not get tired. I love the light weight, and with the 12" polesaw bar and chain filed real sharp, it cuts plenty fast.
Anyhow, the latest trouble is lack of bar oil. The other day,I was on a firewood trip, and had clean bars,chains,filters,and everything ready to go,including winter grade stihl bar oil. I started with the little 170 and after a min or two, the chain got tight, and very hot. I was not into screwing with it, so I grabbed the 290, and got to work.
Later, when I took the bar off to check it, it was ok, and the oil channels did not have any crud, or chips in them. I fired it up without the bar to be sure oil was flowing. It was. So, I put the bar back on and tried to paint some oil stripes on a chunk of plywood. It took quite a while at rather high rpm to get it to start "painting". But it did oil. I cut with it for a bit, and it seemed ok, but only used about a quarter tank of oil to one tank of fuel.
So... today I take it out and run it again. Same routine. Takes a long time to get enough bar oil to mark a line on something, and only uses a quarter tank or so per tank of fuel.
What do I do next? I'm not shy of tearing into this thing, but it seems so delicate, I'd like to know I'm doing the right thing before I dive in.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I know, what do I want for $179.95 ?
Ethanol was blamed for my carb problems. First time fixed under warranty, second time I paid for a new carb. When it runs right it is great. I can run it all day and not get tired. I love the light weight, and with the 12" polesaw bar and chain filed real sharp, it cuts plenty fast.
Anyhow, the latest trouble is lack of bar oil. The other day,I was on a firewood trip, and had clean bars,chains,filters,and everything ready to go,including winter grade stihl bar oil. I started with the little 170 and after a min or two, the chain got tight, and very hot. I was not into screwing with it, so I grabbed the 290, and got to work.
Later, when I took the bar off to check it, it was ok, and the oil channels did not have any crud, or chips in them. I fired it up without the bar to be sure oil was flowing. It was. So, I put the bar back on and tried to paint some oil stripes on a chunk of plywood. It took quite a while at rather high rpm to get it to start "painting". But it did oil. I cut with it for a bit, and it seemed ok, but only used about a quarter tank of oil to one tank of fuel.
So... today I take it out and run it again. Same routine. Takes a long time to get enough bar oil to mark a line on something, and only uses a quarter tank or so per tank of fuel.
What do I do next? I'm not shy of tearing into this thing, but it seems so delicate, I'd like to know I'm doing the right thing before I dive in.
Thanks in advance for any help.