Stihl saw leaks bar oil all over the place

climber8483 · 07-31-09, 12:51 AM

My 260 pro leaks bar oil all over the place. Leave it sitting in either the upright position or on its side and it's leaking oil. Seems to be oiling fine when its running. Any suggestions Dan? I haven't taken the plate off that covers the oiler yet, but I didn't see anything sticking out of the oiler or anything like that.

Thanks,

Brittain

fjdaveinoz · 07-31-09, 06:20 AM

not sure if is the same, but my 170 was leaking, it was the little black rubber tube that goes from oil tank to ... I cant think where had perished. anyway when the agent replaced it (5 min job) he got one out of a huge box of new rubber lines, he says its very very common and every stihl does it eventually. cost me about 10 bucks for the hose and him to replace it.

D'Animal · 08-01-09, 05:41 AM

The must have installed the original 017 oil line in the Australian product MS170's. The had a flashing on the rubber line were it mounted inside the tank. They had a few "O" ring issues as well. Again that was on 017's built back in 1998.

Either way, sorry about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjdaveinoz

not sure if is the same, but my 170 was leaking, it was the little black rubber tube that goes from oil tank to ... I cant think where had perished. anyway when the agent replaced it (5 min job) he got one out of a huge box of new rubber lines, he says its very very common and every stihl does it eventually. cost me about 10 bucks for the hose and him to replace it.

The 026 Pro is a complete different saw. Sort of like comparing and FJ 40 to a 100 series.

D'Animal · 08-01-09, 06:02 AM

A few things come to mind on the MS 260 Pro. Can you tell what are of the saw the oil is coming from? Is it under the saw or is it coming from under the side cover area?

Fill the saw with oil and set on a clean paper towel. The leak will appear on one side of the saw or the other.

If it appear on the starter side of the saw, you may have a chunk sawdust or debris stuck to the gasket on the oil cap. If it is the newest version of the MS 260 Pro with the tooless fuel and oil cap, the cap may not be indexed correctly not allowing it to seat properly or the "O" ring has a tear.

If it appear on the side cover or sprocket side of the saw. There is a aluminum plug about the diameter of a 9mm bullet between the bar studs, behind the metal guide bar plate. There is a hole in the middle of the plug. That is your oil tank vent. It is designed to allow air into the tank as the pump draws oil from the tank. If a small chunk of sawdust or debris is sucked into the vent, it will hold it open and and oil will flow out. If the leak is coming from this area, drain the oil tank, remove the oil tank cap, spray a cleaning agent into the hole and follow with a small amount of compressed air. The cleaning agent such as Brake Clean will remove any oil residue and the compressed air will dislodge the debris. Wear eye protection when you do this. If you spray something in the hole, it will want to come back at your eyes.

If that is not it, I can go deeper but that solves 99% of the oil leaks.

Dan

Quote:

Originally Posted by climber8483

My 260 pro leaks bar oil all over the place. Leave it sitting in either the upright position or on its side and it's leaking oil. Seems to be oiling fine when its running. Any suggestions Dan? I haven't taken the plate off that covers the oiler yet, but I didn't see anything sticking out of the oiler or anything like that.

Thanks,

Brittain

The oil tank vent is so sensitive that running winter blend (20w) bar and chain lube in the summer (>85 degrees) will allow the vent to leak.

climber8483 · 08-01-09, 12:27 PM

Ok, Thanks Dan. I thought it was the cap so I had alredy replaced it even though the first one seemed fine. I will check that plug.

bigndn · 11-02-09, 08:19 AM

Any updates? My Husky 365XP just started doing this and I haven't had time to tear into it.

Dan?

inthewall · 11-02-09, 10:46 AM

My 365 has done this for the last 5 years.

bigndn · 11-02-09, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inthewall

My 365 has done this for the last 5 years.

Mine just started.

And my 372 hasn't ever leaked.

nspctr1 · 11-02-09, 04:35 PM

Hell, I thought all chainsaw's leaked oil.

climber8483 · 11-03-09, 06:33 PM

That's all I needed to do to fix it. Runs great and no leaks.

Blozin · 02-23-12, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D'Animal

A few things come to mind on the MS 260 Pro. Can you tell what are of the saw the oil is coming from? Is it under the saw or is it coming from under the side cover area?

Fill the saw with oil and set on a clean paper towel. The leak will appear on one side of the saw or the other.

If it appear on the starter side of the saw, you may have a chunk sawdust or debris stuck to the gasket on the oil cap. If it is the newest version of the MS 260 Pro with the tooless fuel and oil cap, the cap may not be indexed correctly not allowing it to seat properly or the "O" ring has a tear.

If it appear on the side cover or sprocket side of the saw. There is a aluminum plug about the diameter of a 9mm bullet between the bar studs, behind the metal guide bar plate. There is a hole in the middle of the plug. That is your oil tank vent. It is designed to allow air into the tank as the pump draws oil from the tank. If a small chunk of sawdust or debris is sucked into the vent, it will hold it open and and oil will flow out. If the leak is coming from this area, drain the oil tank, remove the oil tank cap, spray a cleaning agent into the hole and follow with a small amount of compressed air. The cleaning agent such as Brake Clean will remove any oil residue and the compressed air will dislodge the debris. Wear eye protection when you do this. If you spray something in the hole, it will want to come back at your eyes.

If that is not it, I can go deeper but that solves 99% of the oil leaks.

Dan

The oil tank vent is so sensitive that running winter blend (20w) bar and chain lube in the summer (>85 degrees) will allow the vent to leak.

Good work, exactly the problem with my 039. Tapped the vent back out and blew back through it with air. Washed out the tank and Bob's your uncle.