XL Automatic Saw Not Oiling

[james64]

Ok guys, I could really use your help here. I have an XL Automatic saw with the engine pulse oil system that won't oil. I have pressurized the tank and it is holding pressure. I have resealed the crankcase and aside from a very slight leak around the reed mainifold, holds pressure. I stuck a piece of hose on the pulse port and spun the motor and I can feel a good pulse of air coming out of the hose. I install the Sintered brass tube and spun the motor and still feel a good pulse of air coming out the end of the tube but its when I put the duckbill on the end of the Sintered brass tube that I can't feel the pulse of air unless I stick the end of the hose in my mouth and I can feel a very very faint pulse of air. Now, according to Leon, it only is supposed to take 2-3lbs of pressure to push the oil out of the tank to the bar pad but I am using a Stihl brand bar oil and when I prime the oil system, the Stihl oil only starts to flow out to the bar pad when the pressure reaches about 7psi so I'm thinking the Stihl brand of oil is just too think for these saws. I have another guy on FB say he had the same problem with the Stihl brand oil and he had to switch to regular 10w-30 motor oil to get his saw to oil but that type of oil is not the right type of oil so my question is, what type of bar oils are you guys using with the XL Automatic with the engine pulse oil system.

I wanted to verify the results I had so I had another short block motor and I swapped out motors and spun the motor doing the same test I did with the first motor with exactly the same result as far as the air pulse goes so I don't think there is anything wrong with the motor(s). They are doing exactly what they were designed to do. I think the problem I'm having is with the bar oil I'm using. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

[blythkd]

Did you pull the oil line and strainer up out of the tank and check it?

[edju1958]

I've been using Tractor Supply winter grade yr.round on all my saws.Bob Johnson,who worked on saws for close to 50 yrs.told me yrs.ago to cut the oil with kerosene or fuel oil.He also said that before the advent of bar oil,all they ever used was what they had available whether it be 30 weight or otherwise.That's all my neighbor uses is 30 weight motor oil.There are guys who will jump up on their soap box & preach how one must use bar oil,but like I said previously,30 weight motor oil is all they had to use back in the day.I've gotten saws where they used old used motor oil.I thought that to be pretty cheap & foolish as you're only looking for trouble there.Try the 30 weight or 10-30 & see if & how it works.With a little XL you're not really getting into heavy duty cutting like you would with a SXL or a SXL-925.

[james64]

Nov 23, 2023 22:41:24 GMT -5 blythkd said:

Did you pull the oil line and strainer up out of the tank and check it?

yes I did. everything is new and clean. I even tried removing the flow restrictor from the pickup screen with the same result. I have watched a few videos on youtube about the different grades or bar oil. Winter Vs Summer weight and the Stihl bottle does not say what grade it is but it is very thick and wouldn't be a problem in a modern saw that has an actual oil pump but these vintage saws are different and are susceptible to the weight of the oil so I ordered some general purpose oil which is between the Winter and Summer weight and I will try that to see if it pumps it out to the bar pad.

[james64]

Nov 23, 2023 22:42:59 GMT -5 edju1958 said:

I've been using Tractor Supply winter grade yr.round on all my saws.Bob Johnson,who worked on saws for close to 50 yrs.told me yrs.ago to cut the oil with kerosene or fuel oil.He also said that before the advent of bar oil,all they ever used was what they had available whether it be 30 weight or otherwise.That's all my neighbor uses is 30 weight motor oil.There are guys who will jump up on their soap box & preach how one must use bar oil,but like I said previously,30 weight motor oil is all they had to use back in the day.I've gotten saws where they used old used motor oil.I thought that to be pretty cheap & foolish as you're only looking for trouble there.Try the 30 weight or 10-30 & see if & how it works.With a little XL you're not really getting into heavy duty cutting like you would with a SXL or a SXL-925.

I will surely keep that in mind.

[blythkd]

We used to cut 30wt bar oil with kerosene in cold weather at the shop. Nothing wrong with that, just thin it down enough to get it to flow. When we ran Homelite bar oil, it was 10wt so it would flow in the winter time but the boss got cheap on us and started buying Spectrum bar oil because it was cheaper, but it was 30wt and got pretty thick when the temp was below freezing.

As far as what brand we use, that's probably beside the point since about all we run here is 360's. They'll pump anything even in the middle of winter. We use whatever we can get locally which is an off brand from Napa or we used to run some Poulan oil from the farm and home store in the next town. They both work find but like I said, we just don't have oiler problems.

[edju1958]

The rate at which I cut the bar oil was take out a pint of oil from a gal.jug,then add a pint of kerosene & shake it up.I'd add back the original pint of bar oil as I used the mixed oil & kerosene & all was well.

       As for modern saws not having a problem - not true.I had to replace the PLASTIC gears in a Husky & a Stihl I have had a cracked gear.I get where the makers of bar oil are coming from - if the viscosity (lubricating ability) of the oil is heavy,then it'll not have the tendency to sling off the bar & chain so easily.IMO that'll only happen when one points a bar at something & revs the saw up.If the bar is buried in wood it'll retain the oil betterr.Just a bit of common sense.

[james64]

Back in 2010 I had a tornado go through my neighborhood and my house sustained minor damage but I lost 16 Oak and Walnut trees. At the time all I had for a saw was a Poulan Wild Thing which didn't run very well so I went down to my local Farm and Garden store and bought a Stihl MS310. I spent the next three months cutting up trees. I'd fill it up with gas and bar oil and go to town never giving any thought as to the science behind the operation of the chainsaw but you guys who used a chainsaw on a daily basis to do your job certainly does give me an appreciation for what you guys had to do to get the job done while keeping your saws running at their peak. I sure have learned alot about these vintage saws in recent months and still have so much to learn. I have ordered some General Purpose bar oil and I will see what I get with that but I have concluded that the Stihl brand oil I have now is far too thick for this saw to be able to pump.

[pioneer1200a]

I was having problems with Stihl Medium weight bar oil in my old saws, I switched to an "all season" oil that is a lighter, its nice for these cold Alberta winters