Couple of questions about my new saw

[wmonroe]

I just bought a new Stihl MS261 and was reading through the owners manual (I know, shocking) and saw they recommend mid grade, non ethanol gas. I didn't read the fuel part of my weed wackers (also a Stihl) owners manual and have been running regular gas with whatever mix of ethanol they use these days. I haven't had any issues with it but don't want to push my luck. There is only one place about 65 miles round trip where I think I can get non ethanol gas. So I said all that to ask this, is it really a big deal to use ethanol gas in my chainsaw and weed wacker?


My other question is I see a lot of references to people having "ported" saws. What does this mean?

Thanks

 

[DarkBlack]

Ethanol opinion question plus a ported saw question in 1 post. On the internet, that's like illegal bating:laughing:

 

[murphy1244]

Echo allows up to 15% ethanol 89 octane. I would have to travel over 40 miles one way to get non ethanol gas.

 

[s219]

You can run ethanol gas in a Stihl just fine. But be aware of how the fuel degrades over time, as it can cause big problems. Don't leave any fuel in the saw more than 4-6 weeks if it's not going to be used (empty the tank and run it dry). And don't keep ethanol fuel more than about 3-4 months unless it's stored under very stable conditions. You can use a stabilizer to help (and it's included in Stihl oil mix) but it won't do a thing to prevent moisture issues with ethanol gas, which is the real problem.

For a while, I passed a gas station with pure gasoline on my way to skiing, and I would periodically fill up a 5 gallon can and bring it home for my saws. But that place closed, so I have since been using ethanol gas for my saws. I only buy a gallon at a time and mix it up with oil. That way, it's not around for too long. I also store the fuel inside my conditioned workshop, which will help avoid moisture issues.

Porting means "hot rodding" in the saw world. There are a lot of different approaches. It would sure wake up your 261, but also nullify the warranty, so choose wisely!

 

[wmonroe]

Ethanol opinion question plus a ported saw question in 1 post. On the internet, that's like illegal bating:laughing:

I was wondering about both and instead of starting two separate threads I figured I get the most for my thread buck. "Illegal bating", I like that, now if only I could plan something like that...

 

[wmonroe]

You can run ethanol gas in a Stihl just fine. But be aware of how the fuel degrades over time, as it can cause big problems. Don't leave any fuel in the saw more than 4-6 weeks if it's not going to be used (empty the tank and run it dry). And don't keep ethanol fuel more than about 3-4 months unless it's stored under very stable conditions. You can use a stabilizer to help (and it's included in Stihl oil mix) but it won't do a thing to prevent moisture issues with ethanol gas, which is the real problem. For a while, I passed a gas station with pure gasoline on my way to skiing, and I would periodically fill up a 5 gallon can and bring it home for my saws. But that place closed, so I have since been using ethanol gas for my saws. I only buy a gallon at a time and mix it up with oil. That way, it's not around for too long. I also store the fuel inside my conditioned workshop, which will help avoid moisture issues. Porting means "hot rodding" in the saw world. There are a lot of different approaches. It would sure wake up your 261, but also nullify the warranty, so choose wisely!

I only mix a small amount of gas at once just for that reason so I will be ok. It is a shame how bad the quality of gas is now compared to how it was before ethanol. Oh well that is another thread.

It will be a little while before I hot rod the saw....but the hot rodding bug always seems to bite.

 

[Cpjlube]

During the seasons where I use my saws a lot, I use ethanol gasoline exclusively. When I put the saw away for a while, I empty the tank and pour in some of the premix non ethanol fuel you can buy at Lowes or HD. Works fine for my saws, trimmers and the blower. Makes me feel better without ethanol in the tanks.
'Round here you have to drive to a marina or use av gas to avoid ethanol. I'm not worried enough to do that.

Chuck

 

[Stick895]

Cool! I didn't know that and when I get all my stuff I'll be living right near an airport!

 

[Treemonkey1000]

S219 nailed it. I can drive down to the local Farm co-op and get non ethanol which isn't cheap. I just mix the mid or high grade ethanol stuff in low doses and keep the saws empty of fuel in between uses. Plus I am using a really good oil mix called Opti-2. I have around 10+ saws that I use for my tree work so I really try to take care of them

 

[ruffdog]

As ethanol fuel absorbs moisture out of the air, it then will separate out the premix oil into droplets. It then becomes harder to maintain the correct premix ratio. That is why it is important to use fresh fuel. The reason they recommend a higher octane fuel because when you add oil, it reduces the fuels octane.