# stihl 012 av not oiling chain



## stihl012av (Dec 31, 2009)

i have a stihl 012 av and the chain oiler isnt working. im sure its a simple system but i dont know anything about it. i have gotten it to oil the chain by cracking the bar oil fill cap. maybe a vent clogged? if so where is the vent located? any help with this would be appreciated. nate


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## nnyparts.com (Dec 28, 2009)

Hey Nate,

Usually the issue with the bar not oiling the chain is that a few specks of sawdust plug's or partially plugs the the oilier port. Simply using a air hose and blowing it back will sometimes do the trick. How old is the saw and how many hours use do you feel you have on it? I personally have had to replace a number of the tilers on our stihls...but they see a lot of use throughout the year


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## glenjudy (Aug 26, 2006)

I just fixed an 011AVT oiling problem. First, remove bar and thoroughly clean channel and oil holes. I use old shopvac and brush to clean area around oil exit hole behind bar.
Dump old oil, 1/2 fill oil tank with fuel mix, let sit for 10 minutes, shake and flush, did this a 2nd time. 3rd time I started saw and let mix be pumped out. Dump this and put 10w-30 oil in tank. start it up and oil was pumping. Dumped that and put in regular winter chain oil. Seems to be oiling fine.
Failing this, the saw has a diaphragm/plunger operating off crankcase pulses, that can be removed and cleaned.
hope this helps,
thanks,


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## stihl012av (Dec 31, 2009)

thanks for your tips guys, i will try your ideas and let you know


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## stihl012av (Dec 31, 2009)

im not really sure old the saw is but it doesnt see much use. it has been sitting in my dads shed for years. i borrowed it and realized the chain wasnt oiling and wanted to return it in working order


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

These oil pumps are run from engine impulse,make sure there is no rips or damage to any of the diaphragms or gaskets in the oil pump. also make sure the is no debris of blockage in the tank.this saw is atl east 15 to 20 years old.


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## nnyparts.com (Dec 28, 2009)

One of the issues I see from a number of shops is that they just replace the oilier instead of fixing/rebuilding it(most shop rates are around 60.00 hr so its actually cheaper for the customer to go this route) and never check to see if it rectified the issues completely . If it is a blockage...this will not fix the issue completely and you may get some oil, but not enough to cut wood all day. At this point you have nothing to loose and all to gain by tearing the old oilier out and using air to blow all the oilier ports out


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

It's been awhile since I have done any work on one of these models. If I remember correctly, there is a check valve that helps provide pressure to the oil tank, If this check valve sticks open, then it reduces the efficiency of the oil pump. If the oiler is working correctly, a little debris in the guide bar won't prevent lubrication to the chain.


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

nnyparts.com said:


> One of the issues I see from a number of shops is that they just replace the oilier instead of fixing/rebuilding it(most shop rates are around 60.00 hr so its actually cheaper for the customer to go this route) and never check to see if it rectified the issues completely . If it is a blockage...this will not fix the issue completely and you may get some oil, but not enough to cut wood all day. At this point you have nothing to loose and all to gain by tearing the old oilier out and using air to blow all the oilier ports out


Our shop rate is 6.99 a tenth of an hour or 69.90 an hour. I repair the problem not just replace parts, I dont want what ever it is Im working on to come back for other then tune ups. There are to many shops in my area that dont think of the customer and only the bottom line and I dont want that reputation. In the case of this unit I would do what ever I could to try and get the oiler to work before I would start installing new parts. But on the other side of that, it has come to a point based on cost and other factors. it may be more cost effective to replace say a carburetor then to put the labor into it trying to clean and rebuild . If you have a unit that sells for 130.00 and a carburetor goes 25.00 or 30.00 bucks and 10 minutes labor, then Im putting a new carb on it rather then 30 to 40 minutes for removal,sonic and manual cleaning and rebuild.


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## nnyparts.com (Dec 28, 2009)

I agree and I do think most shops do think of the customer in that figuring in the shop rates.... its cheaper for the customer to just put on a new part verses spending an hour rebuilding it. Example is like the carburetor...if it can be bought for 25.00 and 10 min to install, thats 32.00. Now buy a carb kit at 9.00 and spend an hour rebuilding...the costs jumps to $78.00. So most shops just put on a new carburetor thus saving the customer their hard earned monies.


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