Beware of "pro-mix 2-cycle"

[UncleTad]

Hi Guys,

I had a old Homelite Super XL which had seized. Fortunately I had a spare piston and cylinder for this saw. I was running "Pro-Mix 2-cycle" from Lowes since I had run out of my Stihl pre mix and needed to cut a cord of wood for my shop heater. This premix say's there is only one formula for all ratios, so I took their advice and mixed it like the bottle said, 2.6Oz per gallon of fuel.

The saw was old and I had put many hours on it cutting firewood so I figured it was just a fluke that it had seized. I put a new piston and cylinder into it and got it tuned again. Ran the same gas with 1.5 Oz more oil added into it (4.1Oz total), I also richened up the screws on the saw just to make sure. About an hour into cutting wood the saw seized again! I grabbed my Stihl MS440 and fired it up, it had Stihl pre-mix still in it, but once that ran out I ran the same mix as the Homelite saw and noticed it was running hotter than usual, with gas tank was building up alot of pressure. I shut it down of course and stopped using the "Pro-Mix" in it since i was not going to burn up my best saw.

Not sure if anyone else has ever seen this issue with this pre mix but I figured I should say something. I rebuild small engines for a living so it wasn't that big of a deal for me, but someone else would probably be furious after this incident. I should make them pay for the parts for the Super XL since you can't find them any more = )

Tad

[zzvyb6]

I've collected a couple of these saws. I bought my first one about 30 years or so. Still going good. I have 2 others that were garage sale finds ($10). The guy had the chains on backwards.

These are not high oil ratio motors as I recall, so I run the gas to oil ratio pretty low. The smoke doesn't bother me, the air quality in China is not affected and the mosquitoes don't get much of a chance to complain.

[UncleTad]

I've collected a couple of these saws. I bought my first one about 30 years or so. Still going good. I have 2 others that were garage sale finds ($10). The guy had the chains on backwards.

These are not high oil ratio motors as I recall, so I run the gas to oil ratio pretty low. The smoke doesn't bother me, the air quality in China is not affected and the mosquitoes don't get much of a chance to complain.

Lol! Guy brought an electric Poulan in to me the other day and said "man, this things is just not cutting good!". He too had the chain on backwards lol! I was trying not to laugh when I looked at it but boy was it hard to keep a straight face. Poor guy was running the saw to death and getting nowhere.........

Wish I could find another Super XL for parts, it sure was a good saw. My Stihl's and Husqvarna's are nice saws, but I used the Super XL for cutting dirty wood, stumps and such.

[crazyal]

Somewhere around I got either a XL-12 or super XL, can't remember which. I was using it as back up just in case I got my bar pinched. It needs a new chain so it's sitting in a corner somewhere, probably near the old stihl and partner.

[Diamondpilot]

I never believe in a one size fits all product. I have seen this type of oil but always passed on it. Glad I do now.

By the way, I run bar oil in my saws, not used motor oil...

Chris

[UncleTad]

I never believe in a one size fits all product. I have seen this type of oil but always passed on it. Glad I do now.

By the way, I run bar oil in my saws, not used motor oil...

Chris

Good plan I normally only use quality pre-mix in all my equipment, but in this case I was in a hurry on the way out of town to cut wood, the shop was 25 miles away. But now I know never to use this type of product, or at least this brand

Tad

[HiTechTed]

If it stated 40:1 = that entire bottle in a gallon of gas then that would make sense. I don't see how it could work for all ratios unless you adjust the amount of oil per gallon...

[Gary Fowler]

I used the pro-mix in my old Troybuilt leaf blower and never had a problem in 15 years. I finally thru it away rather than replace all the fuel hoses as it was leaking everywhere. Engine still ran and started on the first couple of pulls. The pro mix is not a one bottle for all mixes in that you do have to adjust the oil ratio depending on what ratio your motor requires. THere is a side panel that tells you how much to put per gallon for each ratio. Maybe the OP was using the wrong ratio, however if as he said he rebuilds small engines, he should know how to read the directions on the 2 cycle oil mix.

[shade tree welder]

... The guy had the chains on backwards.

Lol! Guy brought an electric Poulan in to me the other day and said "man, this things is just not cutting good!". He too had the chain on backwards lol! I was trying not to laugh when I looked at it but boy was it hard to keep a straight face. Poor guy was running the saw to death and getting nowhere.........

Wish I could find another Super XL for parts, it sure was a good saw. My Stihl's and Husqvarna's are nice saws, but I used the Super XL for cutting dirty wood, stumps and such.

I have yet to see anyone put a chain on a saw backwards but I have seen a few put bandsaw blades on backwards...

By the way, I run bar oil in my saws, not used motor oil...

I heard that used motor for bar lube works just fine...

[UncleTad]

I used the pro-mix in my old Troybuilt leaf blower and never had a problem in 15 years. I finally thru it away rather than replace all the fuel hoses as it was leaking everywhere. Engine still ran and started on the first couple of pulls. The pro mix is not a one bottle for all mixes in that you do have to adjust the oil ratio depending on what ratio your motor requires. THere is a side panel that tells you how much to put per gallon for each ratio. Maybe the OP was using the wrong ratio, however if as he said he rebuilds small engines, he should know how to read the directions on the 2 cycle oil mix.

Thanks Gary. This particular bottle of "Pro-Mix" Say's "Safely Replaces all mix ratios" 50:1 down to 16:1 uses the same mix.

Say's "Mix a 2.6 Oz chamber of oil to one gallon of gasoline" "Use this ratio for 50:1, 40:1, 32:1, and 16:1 ratios"

There is no chart on the side, nor are there any other instructions than the above mention. I included a picture of the bottle if you can read it. I would have preffered a chart with richer ratios than having a seized saw (twice)

Tad