Replacing an Oil Pump in a Husqvarna/Poulan/Craftsman/Johnsered Chainsaw
Posted by Benjamin Close on October 29, 2010 under Country Living, Repairs | 
16 Comments to Read
Husqvana 136 Chainsaw
It was the middle of winter, the nights were cold and we needed some firewood for our little combustion heater. Out I went with my 2 times hand-me-down Husqvarna 136 chainsaw to cut some wood up. After only a minute of cutting the blade began to smoke. Despite the cold I thought “That ain’t right” and quickly stopped the saw to investigate.
I did the usual checks. I checked the saw had enough oil – it did. I checked the blade was sharp.. it wasn’t any more – though it was when I started only minutes before. I then checked that oil was getting to the bar and the chain. Ah, that’s the problem.
The chain was bone dry! I checked the bar. There was some dirt in the bar but not enough to prevent oil getting on to it. Finally I checked where the oil is meant to come out on the chainsaw – Nothing was coming out.
Old Oil Pump With Slice in top left
A little digging and I found that the oil pump cover had a slice in it. How it got there I’ve no idea. The fact it was there proved to be the problem. The oil pump cover performs two jobs. It creates a seal so suction can build up for the pump and acts as a dirt cover.
I began to pull the chainsaw apart to check the state of the oil pump. Pulling the saw apart started off quite easily. Off with the steel outer cover, remove the rubber insulator.. then I hit a road block. The oil pump was actually under the main drive socket/chainsaw clutch. It was held in by two screws that I had no chance of getting into. Hence the drive socket/clutch had to be removed.
The drive socket/clutch is actually a reverse thread screw type setup attached directly to the main crackshaft of the engine.
Every attempt I did to unscrew this piece simply turned the cylinder. I gave up for the night in frustration.
Google is a friend and I soon found the reason I couldn’t undo the part. In the official repair manual, a special ‘cylinder lock tool’‘ is required to brace the cylinder in position and a special ‘drive socket/clutch release tool’ is used to grip the clutch. These tools allow the clutch/drive socket to be unscrewed and hence the oil pump removed. A quick inquiry – $58 for both! No way was I going to pay that for tools I’d only use once. I was at a loss.
Luckily I eventually found the following forum post. In the post the person mentions using an old nylon rope as a cylinder lock – Ironically they mention the official tool often pokes a hole in the cylinder! Anyway back to the shed I went to give it a go. Nylon rope in cylinder, vice grips as release tool – It worked! The drive socket/clutch released and I was able to access the oil pump.
Oil pump with cover removed, stripped gear visible
Worm Gear That Drives The Oil Pump
With the oil pump removed it was clear the part needed replacing. The oil pump in the chainsaw is driven by a worm thread on the main drive shaft. This worm thread turns a plastic gear which causes a half cylindrical piece of metal to rotate. As it rotates it creates suction. This suction draws the oil from the oil tank, through an oil filter into the oil pump. The oil pump passes the oil from one side of the pump to the other and out via plastic channels to the bar/chain. In my case the plastic gear on the oil pump was stripped in one place. It looks like the slice on the pump cover allowed dirt to get in. The dirt jammed the plastic gear and the metal worm thread did a nice job of stripping the gear.
After downloading the parts list for the 136/141 from the Husqvarna website (Note: IPL = Illustrated Parts list) I was soon able to work out what part I needed – it was part 530014410 (apparently also the same as: 530029838, 530029834, 530029835, and 530029912, 545036801). A trip to the local chainsaw shop had the part listed at $32. A quick trip to eBay and I found the part for less than $10 delivered! (Thanks to user/ebay store Mowers4u)
The replacement oil pump
I ordered the part and waited for it to arrive.
A few weeks later (it was an international trip) the part arrived and after giving the chainsaw an extremely good clean using degreaser, petrol and a wirebrush; I set about putting the chainsaw back together. At each stage I checked that the pump was working. Turns out the model of pump I got (as stated in the eBay ad) was actually an enhancement to the original part with better dirt protection – looking at the part this modification was clearly visible.
Eventually I finished putting the entire chainsaw back together and test it out – it worked! Oil now flowed nicely on to the chain again. A fine line of oil was now clearly visible when spinning the chain next to an object. So for the cost of a couple weeks worth of waiting, a couple hours of my time and less than $10, my trusty Husqvarna 136 Chainsaw was back in action and ready to finally cut that much needed firewood! (The backup stock was getting really low 🙂
One final side note to anyone wanting to replace the oil pump; the part I used is actually is able to be used by many chainsaw makes an models. Taking direct from the Mowers4U eBay Add:
“This is an oil pump assembly Poulan, Husqvarna, Jonsered, and Craftsman chainsaws. The oil pump is part number 545036801, which is the latest version and supercedes part numbers 530014410, 530029838, 530029834, 530029835, and 530029912. The pump fits a large number of models including Poulan and Poulan Pro 2200, 2500, 2600, 2750, 2775, 2900, 3050, PP255, PP295, PP310, PP315, PP4620, and Husqvarna models 36, 41, 136, 141, 137, and 142. This is a genuine Poulan part, not an aftermarket part”
Installing The New Oil Pump on The Husky
1 Oil Pump Fully Removed
2 New Oil Pump Installed
3 Washer Installed
4 Clutch Housing Installed
5 Clutch Installed
6 Tightening The Clutch Housing ("Special Tool Used" 🙂
7 Rubber Guard & Covers Installed - Pump Changed
Edit: A kind reader (Eino Yooper) contributed the following when replacing the pump of his Jonsered
From Benjamin Close: Many thanks Eino Yooper for the feedback and the photos!
“A thousand thank yous for the Chainsaw rope trick. My Jonserud was not oiling and I spent hours searching the internet before I found this wonderful posting. I could find no directions or an exploded diagram of my clutch assembly.
It took 8 ft of twine to fill the cylinder head of my 2045. I had to buy a vise grips, but it was well worth it. The Jonserud is a little different in the appearance of the clutch and that the oil pump is not enclosed withing a nylon enclosure. I found that there is a rubber oil channel. It was completely filled with greasy sawdust blocking the passage of oil. I cleaned it out and the oil flowed by hand rotation.
I’m sure the pump is about the same as the Husky, a small piston pump.
This didn’t come easy to me. I am mechanically challenged. There are about four parts on the engine shaft that need to come off after removal of the clutch. There is the clutch housing with integral sprocket, a bushing that rides inside the clutch housing, an inner bushing, a screw to hold a thin sheet metal plate down and the sheet metal plate. Pay close attention to their orientation. I did this about 2 in the morning and mixed them up. I ended up using the chainsaw rope trick three times before I got them together right.
While the machine is apart, this is a good time to clean and gap the plug as well as to clean filters and the inner guts of the saw.
The chain should turn as easily as before when the unit is completed. If not, the rope may need to be gently pushed into the cylinder head again for dis-assembly.
Test the chainsaw on some snow to see if a line of oil shows up. Point it at the snow and rev her a bit. Don’t spill gas and oil on yourself like I did. If you live in an area without snow, you are lucky.”
“I’ve had that oiling problem for months, brought it into a chainsaw person and he installed a new pump. Then the problem came back as an intermittent
problem. You’ll see the black rubber oil channel. It filled with oily sawdust and probably will again, but now I know how to fix it. My house will be warm. The propane bill collector will not trouble me this Winter. “
The Jonsered Chain Saw
Taking the Clutch Cover Off
Below the Clutch
Clutch Exposed
Pump Channel
New Tool
Sheet Metal
Plug and Rope
1.33Fathoms-in
Dirty Plug
Dirty Filter
Oil on the Snow
All Fixed For A Happy Result
John L said,
Thankyou for your very detailed and helpful article. Your information, together with the “rope trick” link enabled me to trouble shoot and repair the oil blockage on my Husqvarna 455 Rancher.
I had made the mistake of sawing a punked log for my neighbor and the resultant debris just gummed-up the saw’s guts. A cleaning of the gears and a reaming of the oil passages and the flow was restored.
Eino Yooper said,
Sahib: A thousand thank yous for the Chainsaw rope trick. My Jonserud was not oiling and I spent hours searching the internet before I found this wonderful posting. I could find no directions or an exploded diagram of my clutch assembly.
It took 8 ft of twine to fill the cylinder head of my 2045. I had to buy a vise grips, but it was well worth it. The Jonserud is a little different in the appearance of the clutch and that the oil pump is not enclosed withing a nylon enclosure. I found that there is a rubber oil channel. It was completely filled with greasy sawdust blocking the passage of oil. I cleaned it out and the oil flowed by hand rotation.
I’m sure the pump is about the same as the Husky, a small piston pump.
This didn’t come easy to me. I am mechanically challenged. There are about four parts on the engine shaft that need to come off after removal of the clutch. There is the clutch housing with integral sprocket, a bushing that rides inside the clutch housing, an inner bushing, a screw to hold a thin sheet metal plate down and the sheet metal plate. Pay close attention to their orientation. I did this about 2 in the morning and mixed them up. I ended up using the chainsaw rope trick three times before I got them together right.
While the machine is apart, this is a good time to clean and gap the plug as well as to clean filters and the inner guts of the saw.
The chain should turn as easily as before when the unit is completed. If not, the rope may need to be gently pushed into the cylinder head again for dis-assembly. I took pictures like Sahib did, but don’t know how to post them. Great pictures, Sahib.
Test the chainsaw on some snow to see if a line of oil shows up. Point it at the snow and rev her a bit. Don’t spill gas and oil on yourself like I did. If you live in an area without snow, you are lucky.
I can’t say it enough – great posting!!!
Fred Torreano said,
Thanks for all of the tips but I use a 1/2″ air impact wrench to remove the clutch. Works great but now I have to disassemble the saw again after just having it apart for the clutch replacement.
james mccamy said,
having the same oiler problems with my husqvarna 455. took it apart using the rope trick and cleaned the rubber channel with compressed air. (side note on the rope trick: careful not to use a rope that might fray, i ended up getting the rope stuck because a strand came unraveled and stuck around the piston. fiddling with the starter rope and pulling the other rope eventually loosened it.)
so after cleaning the oil channel and everything else i’m still not getting oil to the chain. next step is take it apart again and take a closer look at the oil pump for damage.
Earl Sampson said,
This was great information. I purchased new oil pump on ebay for 14.99 (including shipping)and now chainsaw is like new. I used a screwdriver to hold the fan side and vice grips on the clutch part. Came right off. Thanks for your posting.
nick travis said,
Don’t do the screw driver thing to hold the flywheel. You will break, or bend your fins. Just take the spark plug out and stuff one end of a rope in the cylinder. Those little aluminium cooling fins bend and break easy. And your machine is pretty much worthless if you break a couple of those off.
David C. said,
Loving the whole layout. I’m very interested in the topic also, very very informative.
Tom R said,
I have had frequent oil pump issues on my 10 year old Husky 345. Love the saw but no bar oil = useless. I have come to treat oil pump gear replacement as an annual event, but last time it failed immediately. Will have to check on blockages so thanks to all for the tips. BTW: I have a slightly different method for clutch removal. I put a 1/2″ drive ratchet and appropriately sized socket on the flywheel side and then use a punch and hammer on the indents provided on the clutch. The ratchet can be positioned so that the motion loosening the clutch will push the ratchet handle into the floor and usually one or two taps loosens the clutch so it spins off by hand. May be a preferable solution to pushing a rope with potential contaminants into the engine.
Mike R said,
My many thanks. My Husqvarna 235 (baby saw I know), is only a year old, but it has been heavily worked clearing my yard. Recently ripped through a chain from over heating. Didn’t realize, as it’s only my first saw. I repaired the chain, and when I did that I noticed that the chain was really dry…..google, your site, thought I can do that! Last night, disassembled and cleaned the entire saw, including the oiler. Your detailed pictured approach made it easy to do. My neighbour is a professional arbourist, even came over and said, “You changing the oiler?” Huh, meant I was doing something at the right end!! Cleaned and inspected, no damage just clogged. Reassembled. Ready for testing (too late at night to run saw). Thanks a bunch.
Al said,
My husky xp445 is oiling ok but when i’m not using it oil leaks out. At first not much if I laid it on the side, but now a puddle, very messy (oil not cheap anymore either). Might the tank be cracked? thanks for any ideas! Al
Benjamin Close said,
The two most likely places for a leak are the O-Ring at the filler cap or the rubber seal between the oil pump and the holes where the oil reaches the bar. My guess is it would be the latter. A cracked tank is quite rare.
Jack Stackman said,
OK, the rope trick worked to get to the pump. That wwent well.
Now, how do I get the rope out. It stuck. Now it’s broke and worst frayed inside the cyclinder. Any ideas how to get out. Pull rope will not move piston. Afraid I’ll need to pull the head and screw it up even more.
Benjamin Close said,
Hmm, sounds like you got the rope wedged between the piston rings and the cylinder. Since I’m sure you’ve probably tried winding the cylinder backwards with no luck, best I can suggest is pull the head but you’ll need a new gasket if you do that. Good luck.
craftsman chainsaw chain brake assembly said,
The ignition module on my chainsaw ( Craftsman 358.350180 made
by Poulan Beard ) failed.
Poulan Pro PP5020AV Roundup said,
I’ve had a few issues on my Husky and tends to leak out when it’s not in use. Any ideas?
how to repair a craftsman chain saw on u-tube - Saw Tool said,
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