Chainsaw Leaking Bar Oil When Sitting – Updated Solutions 2024

Richard McMann

Knowledge Based

CHAINSAW LEAKING BAR OIL WHEN SITTINGHave you brought a chainsaw with enthusiasm but as soon as you start it, it leaks oil from the bar? Do not worry I am here to tell you the reason why it is happening and guide you regarding the solutions.

You know that there is always a reason behind something happening but not necessarily the alarming one. Same is the case with chainsaws.

A chainsaw leaking bar oil when sitting can be a huge problem and might not be an issue at all.

Though measures should be taken to stop the oil leakage from the chainsaw bar, the reason is not always a big issue. I will tell you what steps should be taken to avoid oil leakages.

Let’s have a look, without any further ado:

Chainsaw Leaking Bar Oil When Sitting in 2024

How Oil Circulates in Chainsaw? ‒ Lubrication, and Leakage

One of the essential ingredients of Chainsaw is oil. It is used for lubricating the chainsaw chain and saw bar. When the chainsaw is cutting, it experiences huge friction as it passes through the wood and cuts it.

Apart from lubricating oil, a chainsaw needs a special fuel that is a mixture of oil and gasoline. Both, the lubricating and fuel oil can leak. Thus, you also need to identify which oil is leaking.

Reasons for Bar Oil Leakage:

There could be multiple reasons for chainsaw bars to leak oil. Let me tell you each, one by one.

1. Ventilation issues:

Most 16-inch chainsaws have a one-way valve oil tank that works on a pressure system. What I mean by pressure system is that when oil is consumed from the tank, the air takes up its space.

In this way, pressure is maintained within the tank. What happens in some regions, in day time temperature is too high while at night the temperature is much lower. These fluctuations in temperature cause oil leakage.

Now you must be thinking about what to do with environmental temperature? Obviously, you cannot control it. However, you can store your chainsaw in a place that is less affected by the environmental temperature.

Another solution for this is that loosen the cape of the oil tank so that pressure is not generated. Do not forget to tighten the cap before using the chainsaw.

These little precautions can save your chainsaw from big damage. Also, let me remind you that ventilation issues are for a stored chainsaw, not the one that is in use.

2. Overfilled Oil Tank:

The other reason for leaking bar oil when sitting is the filling of oil in the tank more than normal. If you are storing a home chainsaw that is filled with oil in huge quantities, there are high chances of oil leakage.

The question must arise in your mind, why? It is again because of the temperature fluctuations. However, this time the patterns vary.

What happens is that the chainsaw removes excess oil and leakage is more than usual. Gradually, this oil reaches the surface and leaves huge oil marks on the surface.

The easy solution for this is to store your chainsaw empty. Like, remove the oil from the chainsaw so that there is no oil available for leakage.

For further info, check out the guide on fixing chainsaw oiler not working problems by Patrick!

3. New Chainsaw Leakage:

Most new chainsaw users get disappointed when they see their new chainsaw leaking oil. If you are also troubled by this issue, there is no need to worry as it is normal. Even it cannot be categorized as a leakage.

Let me tell you that there is nothing wrong. What happens is that when you run a chainsaw, oil is pumped from the tank to keep the bar and chain lubricated.

When you are cutting, some of the oil is absorbed by the wood. In case, you are using the chainsaw for checking before use or doing something that does not absorb the oil.

In this case, the oil remains on the chainsaw bar. Later, the droplets of the fine spray of oil are combined and it may seem like a leakage.

Then, your chainsaw leaves oil on the surface where it is sitting. Therefore, it cannot be counted as leakage. Because it is the normal throw-off from the pump for lubricating purposes.

Have a look at what the expert at Chickanic has to say about the issue along with its solution:

How to Differentiate Between Leakage and Normal Throw‒off?

Most of the time we are getting worried about things that are not problems at all. Therefore, one should know what is normal and what the problem is. I am going to tell you how to check if it’s leakage or not.

The easy way is to note the oil level in the tank. Then, check after some time if there are oil blots on the surface and oil level in the tank is also decreased. This is clear identification of leakage.

You must clean the chainsaw properly so that there is no oil drops already present on the chainsaw. It will make results more accurate.

Test for Checking Leakage:

There is another quick test that you can perform to check for leakage. Take a clean paper and place it below the gas chainsaw.

Start the chainsaw, if a fine spray of oil is visible on the paper then it is fine, it’s not the leakage. However, if the chainsaw leaves huge oil on the paper, it is leakage.

To fix this, check your oil adjustment knob. What happens, is sometimes the adjustment knob is not properly adjusted.

You will find plus and minus signs on the adjustment knob. If the knob is on a plus sign then it is the reason for the greater quantity of oil spills.

Move the knob towards minus. You are done. Hopefully, it would not let the excess oil flow now. In case of serious issues, you can see a repair shop.

Last Words: Chainsaw Leaking Bar Oil When Sitting

I hope this will help you as I have told you about the common reasons for chainsaw leaking bar oil. Also, I have provided you the tips for how you can overcome these issues.

For your guidance, you are now aware of how to identify leakage. Additionally, you can now better understand your chainsaw as you have got to know what is normal and where is the problem.

Richard McMann
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