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Service & Maintenance Question

    Kevin Martin
    How to lube the clutch needle bearings on a 395 XP chainsaw.escalated
    Service & Maintenance Question posted August 15, 2012 by Kevin Martin 
    2829 Views, 4 Comments
    Question:
    How to lube the clutch needle bearings on a 395 XP chainsaw.
    Details:

    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.

    Photo:
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    Answer

     

    • Karla

      Kevin, The grease gun in the picture is the same one that I have and is used for greasing the small hole in the bar at the nose of the bar for the sprocket tip. If you put the metal tip in the small about 3/32 hole and push with about 5 lbs of force on the back of the cartridge it should slide in and out and you only need to push 2-3 times until greases oozes out of the nose of the sprocket. If this does not work then you may have a defective grease cartridge.

      Now to the drive sprocket behind and under the clutch, I remove my bar and chain, and have a Husqvarna tool for both a piston stop, and clutch removal tool. I remove the clutch completely from the saw to get to the needle bearing, I use an EP-0 grease, however I believe a heavy bar oil would work about the same. Probably more Important than oiling, is cleaning and Inspect the needle bearing for wear, and for replacement. I have found a cracked needle bearing cage on one of them that I took apart which means the needle bearings are not working correctly, so I clean them, Inspect them, and lubricate them and then put it back together, I can do this procedure in less than 5 minutes but I have done it a few times, so its fairly easy. You do need to be careful putting the clutch drum back onto the shaft, and making sure that your oiler Worm is aligned correctly with the drum sprocket, or you may find that your oiler is not working after you get it back together.

      If your Not familiar with how to do this, you might find a Husqvarna Repair center that will show you how to replace and clean this bearing. Also this bearing is a key component to the Chain, Bar, and drive sprocket system, so its defintely worth periodically Inspecting or periodically replacing, they are very reasonably priced compared to the other components.

      I hope this Info helps.

       

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      • Kevin Martin

        Karl,

        Thanks for your insight.

        Regarding the grease gun, can you tell me what the purpose is of the middle piece in the picture I attached (cup shape with ears at 02:00, 06:00, 10:00)?  And you mention a grease "cartridge."  Is there supposed to be a disposable cartridge that goes into the gun, like a standard grease gun uses?  The grease that came with my saw is in a toothpaste type tube.

        I agree with you that a periodic full inspection of the needle bearing assembly and shaft should be done.  But the Owner's Manual doesn't mention doing that...I assume they expect me to pay a Service Center to do a "full service" periodically.  But between "full service" times, how am I supposed to add a little oil to the bearings as the Owner's Manual instructs?  And following up on your comment about an R&R of the clutch assembly, what is the proper torque for the clutch nut?  Sadly, the Owner's Manual doesn't provide torque values for any of the fasteners.

        Thanks,

        Kevin 

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    • Karla

      Kevin, In your picture the black plastic with metal tip is the grease gun. There is No cartridge to go inside of it. My grease gun came assembled with grease inside, and assembled. It looks like yours came in separate pieces, with a separate tube of grease. So it sounds like from your reply back to me that you have to assemble it, squeeze the tooth paste tube of grease into the back end of the grease gun, then take the smaller cap which can be inserted in different positions, and push that into the back of the grease gun that will become the plunger to push the grease out the tip, and finally put the large red cap on the end, which is just a cover, and a place to put the palm of your hand when pushing on the back of the grease gun. I hope this helps! Also mine is made by Oregon chain company, so If you go to Oregonchain.com, you may find additional Information on these grease guns, or find an "800" phone number where you can talk with a person to better explain the cartridge. Again, It should be fairly easy!

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    • Karla

      OOps, I forgot the torque value for you, The clutch is left handed threads so remember to loosen it, its opposite a regular bolt so it looks like your actually tightening it but your not, I believe there is an arrow on most clutches these days to indicate which way to turn it. To tighten it to about 14.75 Ft-Lbs is the proper torque but actually a funny thing about clutch torque is that as the engine runs it is actually making the clutch tighter, thats why the left hand threads, so even If you just snug down on the clutch by hand, when the engine runs it will tighten itself up, just something to think about. I hope this helps!

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