Kevin Martin

I just purchased a new 395 XP saw.  In doing the initial setup, the Owner's Manual talks about greasing the bar tip (sprocket tip style bar) and the clutch needle bearings.

I understand about bar tip lubrication, so we can skip that one.

However, the clutch needle bearings aren't so obvious.  The manual shows a picture of some sort of lubricator, but no details about how it is used.  The manual also doesn't specify how much oil/grease should be added each week (30-40 hours of use).

My kit came with something that I suspect is the lubricator (aka grease gun) in that it sort of resembles the diagrams in the manual.  A picture is attached.  Is this the "grease gun" or "oiler" to be used for lubricating the needle bearings?  It has a solid barrel, so it can't be squeezed.  It has no plunger action.  And the piece that fits into the barrel (center item in picture) is too loose a fit to be a plunger even if you pushed it down with your finger; it would just squeeze all of the grease around its sides instead of through the nozzle.

Reading a number of the questions posted about lubricating the needle bearings on various models, some responses say to drip oil into the hole in the center of the shaft the clutch rides on, some say to dribble oil into the bottom of the clutch bell (behind the springs/shoes), and some say that the needed lubrication should be done by a Service Center as it requires special tools and knowledge.  So...what is the real answer for a 395 XP?

As an aside, my  saw came with an Owner's Manual for the 385/390 saws, not the 395.  This has been reported before.  I downloaded a 395 manual from Husqvarna's web site.