We heat with wood up here and use a chainsaw almost every weekend for extended periods. At this time we have some six chainsaws. Currently we have a Jonsered and a Homelite that have lost bar oil function and are not being used. We have two Poulan 2150's and neither will start, so they are not being used. We are down to two Husqvarna 41's which are operating quite well so far.
It seems that the bar oiler function of most saws is a weak point in the engineering/design...in fact, it isn't very good at all. However, you should carefully clean your bar [use something to clean out all round the bar groove] and verify that the chain-bar [teeth] fit tightly in the bar groove...if not you should change both. Clean out the oil escape point at the bar foot at the saw and, if you can [safely], run the saw with fresh oil to see if oil is actually pumping out [you must do this with the bar and chain removed]...if not you have a plugged delivery system or the oiler pump is worn out and must be replaced.
Wayne Rathwell, December 2007
