Echo Chain Saws

[kmitch]

Anyone else have an Echo chain saw? I have two, a 16" and a 14". Both require frequent tightening of the chain. Seems like I have to tighten the chain about twice before I have to add fuel. Is this common to all chain saws or is this specific to Echo? Is there a fix? Any speculation on what is happening? Adjustment slipping? Chain strech in use? I had the 16" in to be serviced at a shop I am confident in several months ago and asked the tech to check this out. They removed one link from the chain and said that should help. If it helped I can't tell.

Keith

[Tree Doc]

Keith,
I buy Echos for use by my tree crews. Specifically the small one like the 341 with the same sized bar you mentioned. A few of my climbers like them for small limbing operations.

Tell me about the chain tension adjustment. Is it a screw on the case or do you have the kind built into the bar? We had huge troubles with the kind built into the bars...they were garbage and we had to have the saws modified to accept the traditional older bars. As far as chain stretch, that shouldn't be happening. Are you using bar oil at the same rate or faster than fuel? You should be but if not then stretch could be a problem. What type and manufacture is the chain you're using? I'm gonna guess that your adjustment is affected. You want to make sure that when your chain is hot from use you don't want to tighten it to snugly while it is hot. It should run with a little slop otherwise when it cools it will contract and then it WILL stretch.

[patford]

http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-2drunks-singing.gif I use stihl and husq varna saws but all saws need chains tighteningnow and then . It&#39;s not the bar or the adjustment that&#39;s at fault. The chain is stretching and if you don&#39;t keep your saws realy sharp they will bind and stretch the chain. Often the cut will run off at a curve too.Keep her sharp.

[kmitch]

One saw is an Echo 305 and one is a 340. Both have the same chain tension adjustment. There is a screw that runs parallel to the bar that sets the chain tension. When the bar is removed all of the tensioning parts stay with the case. I use bar oil. The bar oil consumption seems to about match the fuel consumption, one tank of fuel and the bar oil reservoir is about empty. The chain on the 305 is the one that came with the saw. The chain on the 340 is an Oregon.

Any suggestions on sharpening the chains? I bought some stones for a Dremel tool but have not used them. Not real fond of having teh abrasive dust mixed with the bar oil.

One other question. When I put the saw away, I find that the bar oil all runs out. Makes a gooey mess in the case. Can this be cured?

Keith

[Tree Doc]

Your tensioner is the desirable type and shouldn&#39;t be the culprit. Lets talk proper tensioning....

Lets start with having the chain on the bar and sprocket but very loose, the side case on with nuts, tensioner pin engaged in hole on bar. Tighten the side case nut(s) to the point of which they&#39;re snug and then back them off a turn to allow for adjustment. Tighten the chain tension adjuster to the point at which the chain is riding on the bar snugly. Make sure that when you check tension that you hold the bar tip up, don&#39;t let it hang down on it&#39;s own weight (the bar tip will have some vertical movement as long as the side case nut(s) are loose). The chain should be checked mid-span on the bottom of the bar. It should be snug but still loose enough to be able to pull it down with out a lot of effort and only expose one half of the drive link which is the part that runs in the channel on the bar. It should snap back in place when released. While holding the bar tip up still, tighten the rear most side case nut (if equipped with two), then the forward case nut. Tighten them firmly but don&#39;t torque them too much. Now, start the saw a get the chain running on the bar for 15 seconds. SHUT OFF the saw and check tension again. If it loosened (which they tend to), re-adjust like above. It should only take a 1/4-1/2 turn on the screw but follow the same guidelines as above with the tightening sequence.

Following that procedure will eliminate any slop brought on by tension adjustment issues. If you still have the problem you should look elsewhere. Make sure the channel (groove) in the bar is clean all the way around. Use a pocket knife or credit card thick apparatus that will go all the way to th bottom of the channel to scrape out all the crud. Grunge accumulated will prevent the proper flow of bar oil in the channel and this will cause excessive heat build up in bar and chain and the chain can stretch and it will burn the rails on the bar too. Look for discoloration (rainbow) at the edge of the bar, this is a tell tale sign.

The absolute best method of sharpening is to use a special bench grinder like your dealer uses. It assures the compound angles are proper and that each tooth is ground to the same length. If they are not then you will experience "J" cutting or just poor cut performance. Depth gauges must be adjusted after so many sharpenings as well. You could have the sharpest tooth possible but if your depth guages are to long, it won&#39;t cut. You can dress the teeth with a proper sized round file every so often but never more than 2 or 3 passes. It will keep the chain performance up. Hand filing will never get you to factory sharp specs and I don&#39;t care if you&#39;re the best, meanest, gnarliest, logger in the world. You can&#39;t sharpen like a bench grinder without having a "stay-sharp" or some other issue. It would behoove you to have an inventory of 2 or 3 chains per saw so you don&#39;t spend all your time sharpening and tinkering. Dress the teeth when you take a break from cutting and by all means KEEP THE CHAIN OUT OF THE DIRT!!! They will run a long time with minimal touch up if you do that one thing.

If you have to use your Dremel, get a guide so you can lay it up on the bar and be certain of the angles. One false move with a file or especially a Dremel will change the geometry of the tooth and you&#39;ll have to bench grind it to get it back. Also....good Bar Oil! Not automotive oil. Good bar oil has a special vegetable based additive that keeps it from being thrown off the chain. Modern saw using modern, quality oils don&#39;t throw oil any more like the old days.

Any more problems? Ask away!

[kmitch]

Tree Doc,

Thanks for the info. Had not considered readjusting after an initial run. BTW, I still like your setup for your ATV trailer.

Keith