Stihl 021 leaking oil

[walterg]

During cleanup from Hurricane Matthew I used my MS170. It was just branches down and no trees fell. I was one of the lucky ones, because a lot of trees went down in my area during the storm.

I was going to grab my 021 just to give it a little workout, but it had a puddle of oil under it.
This saw has leaked oil sense new. On the second day that I owned the saw, it was sitting on the tailgate of my truck. I was clearing a ditch bank.
I left it on the tailgate when I moved the truck. It fell off and hit the road. One scuff but no other noticeable damage.
So I'm curious any 021 owners, does your saw leak oil?

Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[HarleyT]

Either a cracked tank housing, an oil line pulled loose/broke, or a cap leak.

 

[HarleyT]

The oil line/hardware is between the housing bottom and the black wrap handle.

 

[brandonstc6]

Running burnt motor oil instead of regular bar oil seems to make oil pumps start leaking. I have had several saws in that series with oil leaks unless you lay them on their side. Well many other old saws for that matter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[walterg]

Either a cracked tank housing, an oil line pulled loose/broke, or a cap leak.

Thanks Harley, I will check those. It oils fine when I use it so maybe the tank housing is cracked. I will check the cap, but I didn't notice a crack last time I used it.

Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[walterg]

Running burnt motor oil instead of regular bar oil seems to make oil pumps start leaking. I have had several saws in that series with oil leaks unless you lay them on their side. Well many other old saws for that matter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting. I've only ran Stihl oil in it. The leak only seems to start after it sits awhile. So it's kinda strange.
Either way I will tear it down and check everything.

Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[brandonstc6]

If I remember correctly, these is a check valve in those oil pumps that can go bad and make them leak. Someone on here will correct me if I'm wrong


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HarleyT]

No, no where for the oil to go, unless there is a crack, hole, or loose hose or fitting.

 

[HarleyT]

He is a pic of one.

 

[SteveSr]

To see what is going on you really need to cleanup the saw and see where the oil is coming from. The oil tank connection is hidden under the black front handlebar. You will need to remove it to see what is going on. As I recall a t-27 Torx is all that is required. Also pull the bar and chain off so that you can check for oil coming from that area. Set the saw on some newspaper and come back the next day to see where the leak is coming from. Stihl made several revisions to the tank housing and oil connection pipe likely to fix oil leak issues.

The pump is a rotary piston so there is never a straight shot through the pump hence no need for a check valve. However using thinner oil (like used motor oil) will allow oil a much easier path around clearances in the pump resulting in more tendencies to leak. The acid leak test is to let the saw temperature stabilize in a cool outdoor environment and then bring it inside to warm up. This will slightly pressurize the air in the oil tank due to the temperature change which should make it leak more/faster if it is going to leak... which it shouldn't.

 

[walterg]

Steve, thanks. I pulled the handle, drum, clutch, and worm gear so I could properly clean the saw.

I removed the bolt that holds the elbow on and pulled the oil line. The only thing I forgot to check, was if that bolt was tight.

The oil line seems fine and so does the o ring on the elbow. I put the elbow, o ring, and oil line back in and it hasn't leaked a drop of oil in the last 4 hours. I will let it sit a few days and see what happens.


Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[walterg]

No leaks, but I didn't trust it. I put the saw back together and started it and let it run until warm.
I put the saw away, by next morning it had started to leak again. It was coming from the oil line.

So I bought a new Stihl oil line. They had changed the design. So I got out my digital caliper and measured the shoulder of the old line. 10.43mm.

Pulled apart my 021 project saw and measured that line. The shoulder is also 10.43mm.

Measured the shoulder on the new line 11.05mm.

So if you have a saw in this series that leaks, buy the newer style line. Hopefully this fixes my leak issue.



Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[CR888]

If your saw Stihl leaks, replace the tank vent behind the guide bar plate. Its a $2 part and if the tank ain't venting pressure builds driving oil out. My guess is the vent is your issue.

 

[walterg]

Thanks, I will check that next if it leaks again.
Had a few minutes today and fired the saw up. Let it run until it was nice and warm, then put it away.
Five hours later not a single drop of oil leaked.
I will check it tomorrow, but hopefully it's fixed.

Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[banjobart]

The first 211's were nasty oil leakers, too.

 

[walterg]

The new style Stihl oil line fixed the problem. No more leaks.[emoji3]

Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[brandonstc6]

I have a MS250 with the same oil leak. I need an oil line and I have ordered some aftermarket ones online. I was going to try to fix my saw this weekend so I went to a small stihl dealer and they said they could order it for $2.50 plus shipping. I would rather get one that was in stock so I tried another dealer in town and they said that part wasn't available. Is there no hope for finding one in stock at another dealer?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brandonstc6]

The first dealer said the shipping would be $5-$7 depending how how large their next order was


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[walterg]

Very strange. The oil line fits all models from 021 thru MS250.They should of had the line in stock.

I actually bought mine from a dealer on ebay. Mine was $5.25 with free shipping.

I thought about buying a few of the aftermarket ones to keep on hand for repairs, but the aftermarket ones seems to be based on Stihl's earlier design. Not the updated version.





Sent from my LGLS770 using Tapatalk

 

[brandonstc6]

I found one at the 4th dealer I went to. It was $2.95


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk