The Forestry Forum

I have a relatively new MS170 that has a slow oil leak somewhere from the bar reservoir.  I can't seem to find where it is coming from as the bottom is a sticky mess.  Has anyone else run into this?

Welcome to the forum woodfirst .
Is the saw under warranty, can you take it back to the dealer?

First thing to check is the bar to make sure it isn't filled with sawdust that's preventing the oil from entering the hole in the bar and getting into the bar groove.

You will need to clean out the 'sticky mess' to solve the problem.
Once the bottom is cleaned out, if you look under the handlebar you should see a small tube connecting the oil tank to the oil pump.The oil leak occurs usually at the ends of the tube where it is connected.
If the saw is new, chances are that the debris buildup has dislodged the tube a little bit.
You will have to pull this tube out, clean both ends, and also where its connected on the saw.
A bit of liquid gasket applied to the ends will give an additional seal to prevent future leaks.
However, you will need to remove the handle to do all this.
If you dont know how, a shop should be able to do it for you.

There is a rubber plug beside the muffler and the chain guard. It is where they drilled the oil passage. Sometimes I have seen these missing. There is not a part # for this plug.  ???
M