Can Chainsaws Overheat While Working?
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Any chainsaw would need a cooling break when faced with a job like this!
The simple answer to the question posed is yes, chainsaws can overheat while doing what they are designed to do – cutting wood!
This is true of both gas powered as well as battery powered and corded electric chainsaws.
Chainsaw Factors that Favor Overheating
The key factor to remember here is that, of necessity, the engines that power chainsaws are pretty small. They have to be in order for you to be able to pick up and use the chainsaw.
On the other hand, the chain on the chainsaw has to be driven at a high speed in order for the chain to cut through anything.
Then add in the resistance factors that are being encountered when the chainsaw cuts anything. These add to the heat being generated overall.
- The wood being cut exerts a resistance on the turning chain which is transferred to the motor driving the chain and
- Whenever the chain runs along the bar, there is friction between the bar and chain.
Finally, another heat encouraging factor is that all these engines are air cooled. So when the daily temperature is also high, as it is in summer, then the incoming air that is meant to cool the motor does not count for much!
In summary. A small engine with limited cooling capacity but working furiously is inevitably going to be prone to overheating!
Most Common Causes of Chainsaws Overheating
Blocked Air Filter/Air Vents
Gas powered chainsaws, like all gas powered engines, will have an air filter that prevents foreign material being sucked in and damaging the engine. However, the air filter can get blocked to the point where the cooling airflow into the engine is significantly reduced.
When that happens, the engine will overheat.
And given the amount of dust flying around wherever a chainsaw is operating, this is a very common cause of over heating.
Battery and electric corded chainsaws and mini chainsaws have air vents that allow hot air generated by the electrical motor to escape.
By design these are less likely to get blocked as the vents are part of the body design and are fairly numerous. However, never say never!
If enough of them got blocked ( a gloved hand maybe?) then the end result would be the same. An overheating engine.
Blocked Exhaust
Much like the air vents mentioned above, if a gas powered engine’s exhaust is blocked or partially blocked, then hot gasses that usually escape that way can’t!
It is not a common problem, but…..
Blunt Chain
A blunt chain means everything is working harder to get the job done. That translates into more heat being generated and therefore a greater chance of the engine over heating.
Not Enough Oil
- Usually, gas powered chainsaws are fitted with 2 stroke engines. These run on an oil/gas mixture. Its important to get the mix ratio correct as the oil has a lubricating function inside the engine.Too little oil means more friction which leads to increased heat and that’s a short step to an over heating engine.
- The bar and chain need to be kept oiled to help keep the chain sharp by decreasing friction. Not enough oil in this department and its the same effect as trying to cut with a blunt chain!
Being Over Ambitious!
If you try to cut through something that is much bigger than the chainsaw was designed to cut, then you are going to run into over heating problems.
This is probably more often seen with electrical saws, a particularly battery powered mini saws because many people who own and operate these are chainsaw novices and are unaware of the limitations of these tools.
Signs Your Chainsaw is Overheating.
The most obvious signs of your chainsaw over heating are:
- It will start to feel hot and generate a lot more heat than normal. You might feel this on your hands and arms as you work with the saw.
- Smoke! Hopefully in this case the old adage “where there is smoke, there is fire” doesn’t apply but if you start seeing/smelling smoke when operating your saw then stop immediately.NB for gas chainsaws you need to be able to differentiate between “normal” exhaust smoke that they will always expel and “abnormal” smoke.
- Chain continually gets stuck while cutting. Whenever this happens – blunt chain, log too big etc, you can be sure that the motor is going to start taking strain and start heating up. You will also often get a change in engine note as the engine struggles.
What to do When your Chainsaw Overheats
The obvious first move is to STOP using the chainsaw!
THEN establish the cause.
Most are easily fixed. Removing blockages, keeping the chain sharpened, and don’t try cut through something that is beyond the chainsaw’s abilities!
The one that might not be obvious is an incorrect gas mixture or even the incorrect gas altogether. That one might take a bit of working out but, with a bit of investigation and deduction, it should come to light fairly quickly.
NB! Many of the electric chainsaws (especially the mini chainsaws) will cut out automatically when the motor starts to overheat. This is normal and is a mechanism designed to prevent the motor being permanently damaged by over heating. Once the motor has cooled down, the saw will start up again as normal.
Gas powered chainsaws are a little different and you can overheat the engine to the point where it seizes. At that point it would probably be cheaper to buy a new one than try rebuild the engine!
So in general, the faster you notice the problem, the less the damage inflicted on the motor!
Conclusion
So yes, chainsaws can overheat. In fact, they are quite prone to over heating.
However, with a little bit of knowledge and preparation, this can easily be avoided.
Happy Chainsawing!!
PS. Click here for more on chainsaws.