Need some chainsaw guidance please

[N7HEVN]

Hi all.
Am new to the land maintenance / ownership, and need some guidance about what I'm experiencing with my two chainsaw's purchased (new).
I purchased two Echo chainsaw's from Home Depot.

20 inch, Timberwolf
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-20-in-59-8-cc-Gas-2-Stroke-Cycle-Chainsaw-CS-590-20AA/204221580

14 inch, CS-310
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-14-in-30-5-cc-Gas-2-Stroke-Cycle-Chainsaw-CS-310-14/100675457

I bought these Spring 2019, and have used them through last year, and now through the beginning of 2020. When I'm using them, the first cuts are good, cuts well, not too much struggling. But... When I get into about 5 minutes of use, they start smoking on the cut (at the wood), like the chain is getting way too hot.
Am keeping the chain(s) sharpened, actually at each daily use.
Am keeping bar oil in there, etc, and am a bit stumped (pun intended).
Am new to all this, and am confused...

Could it be that the turning sprocket area, is getting clogged up with wood pieces, and I need to get in there and clean more quickly / repeatedly as I'm cutting, so the bar oil is properly getting onto the chain?
Or is it that the factory chains are just not 'good', and I need to get an aftermarket chain?
Or, something else...?

Thanks for your input!

 

[BigG]

How much oil do you use? It could be you are making the chain too tight so the bar will heat up very quickly. Double check in the owners manual and it should show you how to tighten the chain correctly.

The oil and gas run out at about the same time on my 310.

 

[motionclone]

Are you sure youre sharpening the chain correctly and the chain isnt too tight? Are you cutting wood thats full of dirt? Are you diving the blade into the ground when you cut?

 

[Russell King]

Make sure the Oiler holes in the bar are not clogged, align with the hole in the saw...

Make sure oil is being pumped to the bar feed holes.

Make sure chain is installed in the correct direction.

If you hit anything with the chain (nails, stones, dirt) it dulls the chain rapidly.

Those are problems I can think of.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[michigander]

Have you had the chain sharpened at a service shop "gets the angles back if hit something"? , making big chips ? or powder ?

I have the timber wolf a new Oregon chain from amazon is just over $17.00 shipped

 

[dirtydeed]

Are you sure youre sharpening the chain correctly and the chain isnt too tight?

Ditto...

Stihl makes a very nice sharpening tool for approx $40. It's the stihl 2 in one sharpener. Just make sure its the correct gauge and pitch. amazon link...get the correct one.

https://www.amazon.com/STIHL-Easy-Chainsaw-Chain-Sharpener/dp/B00HY90LAE

Now, clean out all the gunk around the drive sprocket. Check your manual to see if you can turn up the amount of bar oil. Also, clean the bar and guides. On the bar there will be a small hole (just after the drive sprocket). Clean the holes out (there will be two of them...one on top of the bar and one on the bottom).

Ha, i see I was too late...others have you covered.

best of luck

Here's a video discussing where to look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfNO9zpGi0c

There is a chance that you already burn out the bar, check the rails to see if they look burned and are flattened at all. Happens a lot when stumping and pushing hard/low oil.

many youtube video that can probably guide you.

 

[bird dogger]

In addition to all of the above, it pays to clean the bar's groove (both top and bottom) every once in a while and whenever you have the chain off for the other maintenance. Use any thin piece of material that will fit the groove nicely. Fine particles find a home in the groove and mix with the oil which can turn into a mud like substance. Especially if the saw sits between uses for quite a while. I keep a piece of hack saw blade, a metal fingernail file, etc. in the saw box just for that purpose.

 

[Nicfin36]

To see if your saw is oiling properly, run it holding the tip away from something close, like a clean piece of wood. You will see the oil being splattered on the wood if it is oiling properly. If not, you have an oiling problem.

 

[skeets]

One other thing might be a real tight chain, you should be able to lift the chain from the bar just a bit so you can see the drive teeth remember the chain will get a bit longer when its hot,, and one other thing make sure the chain is on right, it aint hard to put it on backwards... ,,if your not paying attention. I dont know about your saw but my Husky has a roller nose that needs a shot of grease once in a while to keep the bearings working. And what kind of bar oil are you using ? Some oils do smoke a lot, and while I kow I will catch flack over it,,, I use ,used motor oil, on the bar, been doing that for over 40 years never had a bar issue,,, maybe I was lucky

 

[Tornado]

Everyone is touching on the most likely culprits for a smoking chain. If it is smoking then it is getting too hot. Cuases for that :

1. Not enough oil is making it on the chain. Could be a clog in the oiler system or something. pull the bar and chain off and clean everything good. Make sure oil is being used as it should. As others say put the tip of the saw near a piece of wood/ concrete/ paper or something and pull the trigger. you should see some oil being slung off the chain. It wont be a lot, but you should see in a few seconds some spatters forming.

2. Chain is not sharp so it is struggling to cut causing lots of friction and heat. One of the best ways to know if your chain is sharp is to look at the debri the saw is throwing out. With a sharp chain it should throw little wood chips out. If you are instead seeing tiny granules or even dust thrown, then the chain needs to be sharpened. Make sure you using the right size sharpener and the proper angles etc. Lots of youtube videos on this if you need help.

3. You have the chain too tight on the bar. This will also wear out your chain faster. It should not feel like a rubber band on the bar. You want it to just be tight enough that the teeth on the underside ofthe chain stay in the grooves. When you pull the trigger on the saw and then let go, if the chain stops suddenly when you let off the trigger due to the tension, then you have the chain too tight.

 

[rokhunter]

Once you get the smoking chain issue figured out (I too believe your chains are too tight or the oiler is plugged) I bet you're really going to like those Echo machines. I've got a blower/vacuum I bought years ago and have long said that if it blew/sucked any better I'd expect to be getting billed at an hourly rate [emoji1787]. They really are a good little machine.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[RCW]

I believe everyone has good advice.

Since it's both saws acting up, I'm inclined to believe chain tension, the chains are really dull, not properly sharpened, or combination or some/all.

It's hard to tell from the picture of the larger saw, but it almost looks like a grease port on the sprocket tip?? Something to check.

Doubting both oilers would plug, but it could happen....

Not being critical at all; it does take some practice and there's no better way to learn than by doing!

Not familiar with the saws, so I followed your links. The larger saw does have an adjustable oiler, which is good. Guessing is adjusted by turning a screw-type fitting with the multi-tool that came with the saw.

 

[Ping]

As others have mentioned, check chain tension, oiler operation, clean the bar groove and lube the sprocket nose. Not being critical, I see you said you sharpen the chains periodically. Have you filed the depth gauges on the chains to proper height after sharpening? Hope this helps.
Regards.

 

[Bmyers]

Your chainsaw may need some of these

 

[boz1989]

What bar oil are you using? There are different weight oil, summer and winter. They also have an all season oil.

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

 

[Tughill Tom]

Most likely a dull chains. You'll need to get EVERY cutting tooth at the same angle degree. What ever it is for those chains.

My Stihls are 10Deg or 30Deg depending on which of them I'm touching up with the files.

Sharp chains are way safer then a dull one so keep that in mind!

Good Luck.

 

[SidecarFlip]

One other thing might be a real tight chain, you should be able to lift the chain from the bar just a bit so you can see the drive teeth remember the chain will get a bit longer when its hot,, and one other thing make sure the chain is on right, it aint hard to put it on backwards... ,,if your not paying attention. I dont know about your saw but my Husky has a roller nose that needs a shot of grease once in a while to keep the bearings working. And what kind of bar oil are you using ? Some oils do smoke a lot, and while I kow I will catch flack over it,,, I use ,used motor oil, on the bar, been doing that for over 40 years never had a bar issue,,, maybe I was lucky

You got to do something with it besides pour it on the dirt road to keep the dust down.....

I use my drain oil for accelerant to get my brush piles going. Only Stihl bar oil in the saws....

 

[N7HEVN]

Thanks all, for the quick replies and good information. Sorry about my delayed response, been a bit busy.
I think the references about the oil-holes getting clogged up, is the problem. As mentioned in my first post, each saw cuts good at first, and then starts to give-out and overheat.
What procedure do y'all pursue, when out working in the woods / scrub, and the area under the plastic cover of the sprocket gets all gunked up...?
It's such a pain in the but to take that cover off, and scrap all the gunk out with a flat head screwdriver, when you're standing out in the sun on a 90 degree+ day...

 

[Tornado]

Thanks all, for the quick replies and good information. Sorry about my delayed response, been a bit busy.
I think the references about the oil-holes getting clogged up, is the problem. As mentioned in my first post, each saw cuts good at first, and then starts to give-out and overheat.
What procedure do y'all pursue, when out working in the woods / scrub, and the area under the plastic cover of the sprocket gets all gunked up...?
It's such a pain in the but to take that cover off, and scrap all the gunk out with a flat head screwdriver, when you're standing out in the sun on a 90 degree+ day...

While chainsaws will get some of this gunk, it shouldnt be accumulating this fast. If you are getting just tons of gunk then you really need to look at the oiling system of the saw. Lots of this matted gunk is often caused by lots of oil - inefficient oil. If you've got clogging issues then you may have oil just kinda going in places that is not helpful, causing more gunk. I can use my stihl all day long, go through a couple tanks of gas and never have an issue with gunk.If I take the sprocket cover off there will be some - but it will be mostly a thin layer tightly packed to the plastics. Cutting pine trees is more messy than most hardwoods due to the resin. My old husqvarna saw used to generate more gunk than my stihl saw - the husqvarna would use more oil, and that was why. It had much more oil sling coming off the chain that my stihl does. My stihl is very conservative/efficient with oil. The splatter test shows very little slinging off the blade. I actually wish the oil flow was just a tad higher on my stihl, but not as much as my husqy used to be.

One thing you can do, and I do it sometimes, is to throttle up the saw and bang it down on a log or other hard surface. This will knock loose some of the gunk.

 

[WFM]

I have smoked a few bars by having tightened the chain to tight after sharpening it. The chain needs to hang 'slightly' when the bar is tight.
Ive never heard of winter/summer bar and chain oil. Mine is just thick.