What is the proper procedure for lubricating the needle bearing on the drive shaft of a 435 chainsaw? Just purchased one and the user manual says to keep the bearing lubricated every week. However, it does not give instructions on how to do it and, in fact, says to use either grease or oil which would require different applications. Thanks.
Thank you for contacting the AnswerARMY.
The lubrication of the needle bearing requires special tools and knowledge to perform. This is something that would need to be performed by your local authorized service center.
the lubrication of the needle bearing in the tip of the bar however is accessible to be lubricated by the consumer. This bearing also get oil from the chain, and is best greased at the end of the day.
Thanks for the reply, but not sure I fully understand.
The user manual pg 16 says:
Needle bearing lubrication
Both versions of sprockets have a needle bearing on the
drive shaft, which has to be greased regularly (once a
week). CAUTION! Use only high quality bearing grease or
engine oil.
Does this mean I have to bring the saw to a service center every week? Seems like the manual is referring to something that can and should be done regularly by the user, not by a professional mechanic. Thanks.
Wondering if there has been any success with finding the correct answer to this question. Obviously the answer is not that it needs to be professionally serviced weekly.
Old thread, but I was reading this last night, and was concerned about this dichotomy between weekly service and dealer visits. I just put back together my 288 XP Lite, and can say this for this model. That hole in the center of the crankshaft was plugged on mine, with an oil/sawdust paste. I flossed it (toothpick) and then looked for and saw a hole coming out the side of the crank about mid-needle bearing. The icing on the cake was blowing in the hole at the end and getting air out the side. Ta-da. That is ON THIS MODEL a viable lubrication point, as long as the sawdust paste isn't bad for the needle bearing. But it beats removing the clutch. And, lots of people don't worry about lubing that bearing anyway. If you think about it, it's like the pilot bearing in the center of the flywheel on a manual car. It's only engaging when you're in gear with the clutch in. In these saws, it's only engaged when the saw is idling and the chain isn't turning. So it sees very little action :(. So somewhere between once a week and 20 years is the range I've been reading. But the hole seems to be designed for lube.
Thank you for contacting the AnswerARMY.
The lubrication of the needle bearing requires special tools and knowledge to perform. This is something that would need to be performed by your local authorized service center.
the lubrication of the needle bearing in the tip of the bar however is accessible to be lubricated by the consumer. This bearing also get oil from the chain, and is best greased at the end of the day.