What is this thing called

The little dingus end thing that tensions the bar is missing. What's it called and how do I get a replacement? MS251 btw

My local Stihl dealer told me to take a hike on warranty coverage so I guess unless this gets shipped back to germany I'm gonna have to repair it myself.

 

I believe its called a chain adjuster or chain tensioner.

How old is the saw?

 

STIHL CHAIN TENSIONER SLIDE 1123-640-1900 019T 023 025 MS231 MS241 MS251 C —B22 | eBay

 

Not even a year old. I threw a chain and it broke that. For reference, I've thrown my M18 saw chain 5-10 times in the last 3 years and this has never happened.

I'm extremely annoyed at the entire Stihl brand right now.

 

I've thrown a chain, maybe two - three times in 35 years. All my fault. Not sure why you throw chains so much. Maybe you run them on the loose side? Unfortunately, throwing a chain can break things no matter the brand. It's not isolated to Stihl.

 

Did you remove the chain catch on the saw?

 

Nope

 

I have thrown a couple chains mainly a brand new chain that I didn’t stop to tighten

 

I mean, if I hand my M18 saw to someone to use and they throw a chain while limbing due to bad technique, it doesn't really reflect on me, or my saw. But anyway maybe I'm tensioning chains wrong.

The way I do it; set tension so that if I grab the chain with a thumb and forefinger and pull upwards, the drive links are juuuuuust barely above the bar in the spot I'm holding. If I go any tighter I hear unhappy noises. This is actually the first chain I've thrown in probably over a year, so I can't be too far off.

Any yeah all I'm saying is if my "homeowner grade" M18 saw can throw 5+ chains without breaking anything, it reflects REALLY poorly on Stihl that it can't handle the same scenario once.

And anyway it wouldn't really matter if my local Stihl dealer wasn't completely useless and I could just go in and get the part. Instead I get to drive 2+ hours round trip tomorrow to a different Stihl dealer.

 

I wonder why there isn't one on the saw. Interesting.

 

Where is the chain catch ? it looks like it is missing know I don’t know but if the chain catch is missing maybe that’s why the saw torn the pin off the adjuster

 

My understanding is the chain catch is on the chain cover.. The little hold at the top right is where it slots in.

 

Okay sounds good

 

That was my thinking as well.

 

Ahh. I had an ms231 years ago that had an integrated catch on the cover. Looks like you could add an aluminum one on the saw body. Your looks to have the same depression and bolt that holds the catch on my 241s.

 

Yeah the chain tensioner. I dont think warranty would cover that. Invest in a chain catcher too and install. I throw chains every now and then. Seems to happen when im cutting with the bar not vertical and will happen with a new chain as it stretches. Ill notice a droop on a new loop after using it the first time. Admittedly i dont often check tension while cutting which should be a normal good practice.
And yes your procedure for proper tension is correct TTBOMK

 

You want to see some voodoo? Start with a tight chain and a cold saw. Cut for a few minutes then put the saw down. You’ll see the chain is now loose. Don’t tighten. Let the saw cool off completely. It’s tight again! As the chain heats up, it stretches. I’ve overtightened chains in the past because I’ve snugged them up further once they’re warmed up, thinking they somehow got loose. This can stretch a chain and put too much tension on bearings.

 

I see if its loose when its cold on the next outing. Am familiar with that of course. I just notice it on new chains of course. I usually watch how fast the chain stops when i release the throttle and how easily its pulled when off and when i sharpen or swap out chains.

 

Chain tensioners take the brunt of the force if the bar nut(s) aren't tight enough as well... I ripped the tensioner out of my 362 once because I was not tightening the bar nuts enough. I had pulled studs out of plastic based saws and was not tightening enough for fear of pulling studs.
The 362 studs are in metal and very tough so it was not smart on my part to not tighten them more, but in a plastics based saw there is probably a fine line of "tight".

 

A practice I've adhered to long ago, after proper tension is set and bar nuts are tightened, I back off that tensioner 1/2-1 turn. Bar nuts should be holding bar in place and therefore keeping chain taught.

Agree! If studs aren't tight, you can break tensioner. It isn't meant to take the brunt of that force.