360 not oiling

[my69dz]

I just picked up another 360 and noticed it's not oiling..then noticed the screw was missing from the front of the saw? Could this cause it not to oil?..I pulled the line blew threw it it was clear..

[blythkd]

What screw are you referring to that's missing?

The most common issues are usually a dirty pickup screen, which it sounds like you've already checked, and the plastic fitting where the oil line attaches near the oiler. Sometimes that plastic fitting cracks and causes an air leak.

If none of that fixes it, we'll go from there.

[my69dz]

This is my first post to your group..I don.t know how to post a picture..but it's a screw right next to the bar..my other 360 s have a screw this one was missing.

[blythkd]

I just wondered if you were referring to a screw right in the front of the oiler. It's a common misconception that there should be a screw in that hole when in fact there should be nothing there unless you have an adjustable oiler, which was only on early 360's. Most don't have it.

Got to thinking after my first post, when you said you blew the oil line out, I was assuming you removed the pickup strainer and blew through the rubber line. Was there a metal strainer in the line? If not, the whole system is probably full of debris.

[1969camaro]

Yes there was a screen on the end of the line...as far as the screw.i have 3 360,s.and two have a screw.and my new one does not.

[blythkd]

Not a very good photo but are you talking about a screw in the threaded hole in the piece back in the rounded pocket just below the center of this picture?

360 oiler by Brent Houk, on Flickr

[69camaro]

Yes .two of my 360,s has a screw in there

The new one don t? I was going to try and flush a little gas threw there..I have never had a saw that didn.t oil so I am a little lost with this one?

[Homelite Homer]

A common misconception is that there should be a screw in that hole when in fact there should be nothing there unless you have an adjustable oiler, which was only on the early 360's. Most don't have it.

This is a common problem with that platform 350/360 etc. If the saw was run out of oil and then sat or just sat for a long period of time it may take a little finesse to get'er going again.  You can try this method which has worked for me several times. Assuming there is oil in the tank take her out, starter up and hold it wide open until the oiler starts working. If that doesn't work then you more than likely have and issue with the pump itself and it will need servicing.  Hope this helps !! 


Darryl  

[69dz302]

Someone told run regular gas threw it for a minute or two? Might have some goo stuck in there? If that don t work I'll fill her up with bar oil and run WOT for a bit...and if not how involved is fixing the oil pump..like I said besides plugs and filters I never really had to work on any of my saws..

[blythkd]

And don't worry about that screw. It's irrelevant to the oiler working or not. If you have an adjustable oiler saw, there would be a screw in that hole fastening a small bent sheet metal piece onto the oiler. That sheet metal piece has a slot in the front of it where you insert a flat screwdriver and turn to adjust the oiler flow. If it's a non-adjustable oiler, nothing goes there, you just insert a screw into the hole and grab it with pliers and pull to remove the oiler from the case.

You can flush the tank out if you like but it likely won't help get it oiling. If there's sawdust or other debris in the tank, it's never a bad thing to get it out but the strainer on the end of oil pickup line keeps debris from getting in the system and plugging things up. Usually the only way debris gets into the system is if the strainer was removed or fell out of the oil line. Then you have to disassemble everything and blow it all out.

If you continue to have trouble after checking the items that have been mentioned, next we'll need to know if you have a adjustable or non-adjustable oiler. Most 360's are non-adjustable. Just give a shout back and we'll continue to work through it.

[69dz302]

Thank you..I'll try the few things we talked about. And get back to you...

[69dz302]

Fooled with the 360 today...flushed with a little gas ran it for a minute..then drained and filled with fresh bar oil..still nothing..ran at WOT with the bar off not even a drip came out....sucks this saw runs like new...

[blythkd]

You can check the lines next as it's not that hard but in my experience, they're usually ok. Oil doesn't seem to be that hard on them but 360's are getting pretty old now. There are 2 lines connected to a bulkhead fitting located behind the upper handlebar bracket.

Next, I usually remove the pump and make sure everything is clear and not plugged up. To get the pump out, remove the side cover, bar and chain and locate the pump retention screw just above the bar studs, and a little behind them. Non-adjustable oiler saws have a screw with a 1/4" hex head. Remove it and screw it into the front of the pump where you noticed a screw missing. Pull the pump straight out with pliers on that screw head. If it's adjustable oiler, the screw is a follower screw that takes about a 1/2" wrench, give or take, then you'll have to find an 8-32 screw to thread into the front of the pump to pull it. Blow through the pickup line to make sure it's blowing air into the oiler housing. Then blow through the hole in the case where oil comes out and goes into the bar. Make sure air is blowing into the oiler housing from there too. Then flush out the oiler housing if there's any debris in it and reassemble. Usually never anything wrong with the pump itself.

If still nothing, it's time to split the saw and check for that plastic fitting that I mentioned earlier. When you split the saw you have to remove the rubber oil line from this fitting that's right above the oiler. Some fittings are metal but at some point, Homelite switched to a metal/plastic fitting and the plastic part cracks where it presses onto the metal part. If the plastic fitting is cracked, it won't primer. If you get to the point of having to split the saw and haven't done it before, we can help with that too. It's seems a bit daunting but it's really not that bad once you know all the stuff that has to come loose.

Edit: If you do pull the pump, if it's the adjustable type, be careful reinstalling the follower pin that holds the pump in place.  If the slot in the pump is not perfectly aligned with the hole where the follower goes, you'll collapse the pin when you screw it in tight and then your pump won't work until you fix or replace the follower.  

[69dz302]

Thank you..I ll tackle this and see what I find.hopefully it's not a big deal ..

[69dz302]

Broke the 360 down and put a used oil pump in from a parts saw.. changed the intake boot and the inpulse line.. saw is oiling now maybe too much.is that the way these old 360 were

[blythkd]

Yeah a 360 puts out plenty of oil. If it's a non-adjustable oiler, there's not really much you can do about it.

[69dz302]

If I leave it running on the ground.it.ll leave a puddle in no time...it's got plenty of oil now I guess..thank you for all your help...

[blythkd]

Yip, if you're going to leave one idling very long, it's best to just shut it off. That gear pump will just keep shelling out the oil even at idle.

Glad you got it going, they're a great saw for their size, they just take a little tlc with the rubber parts now and then.