Chainsaw Gas

[captaincrab55]

No... but from reading the Forums... I thought I was going to have all kinds of trouble with my "New" Stihl saw.

A little over two years ago... a large tree fell during a windstorm up in Olympia WA where I was staying. Being 800 miles from my tools and wanting a Stihl saw... I bought one and had the tree cut-up in no time...

Planned to do some more work on the weekend and then got the call that I was needed at the job... 800 miles away.

My new MS 250 C-BE saw sat the entire time in the basement with a tank full of now 2 year old gas... it started on the 4th pull and I spent the day clearing fallen trees and used the rest of the gas I had mixed 2 years before...

Maybe I was just lucky?

I used the Stihl oil the dealer had given me and the saw and fuel were stored in a cool, dry place... probably about 50 degrees year round.

ultrarunner, Your very Lucky to still have a working saw.... Your saw may still experience problems from that bad gas.....

 

[CWOSCSU]

Sims,

I agree. Have you had an experience with the Marine Stabil? Suppose to counteract the effects of the alcohol. Don't know of anyone who has used it, and was just curious.

Thanks, Mike.

 

[The Haymaker]

Keep the gas fresh and store in a temperature controlled space. Moisture causes trouble with the new brew, not just because it has ethanol. I run the ethanol brew in a two stroke bike, fourstrokes bikes, and chainsaw with no issues. My two and four stroke bikes had 6 month old gas in them and still started fine.

 

[ultrarunner]

ultrarunner, Your very Lucky to still have a working saw.... Your saw may still experience problems from that bad gas.....

Agreed... I was expecting the worst... it was nice to be pleasantly surprised... doesn't happen all that often.

 

[tjc1989]

Get the avgas and thank your lucky stars you have the option. It's the best fuel we can get, and the lack of ethanol is a real bonus.

Chilly

I agree. If I could get AVGAS 100LL , in a convenient fashion at $4.00 and under a gallon, I would run it in most of my smaller stuff in a heartbeat. I would run it in my motorcycle, but its not really cost effective, for it.

I run premium in my chainsaws, and weed eaters. And occasionally regular when I am out of my premium stash. Main thing is don't try to store auto gas for long periods.

 

[NIXON]

I agree. If I could get AVGAS 100LL , in a convenient fashion at $4.00 and under a gallon, I would run it in most of my smaller stuff in a heartbeat. I would run it in my motorcycle, but its not really cost effective, for it.

I run premium in my chainsaws, and weed eaters. And occasionally regular when I am out of my premium stash. Main thing is don't try to store auto gas for long periods.

Just a question here . a s You don't mind running different octane ratings , do You have to retuned ,or adjust Your carb for different fuels ?

 

[The Haymaker]

Just a question here . a s You don't mind running different octane ratings , do You have to retuned ,or adjust Your carb for different fuels ?

Most engines aren't bothered much by different octanes when it comes to jetting. In actuality, you only need to run a high enough octane to stop pinging. A good example is my offroad bike. Running high test in it actually DROPS mpg because the stock compression engine does not burn it as efficiently.

 

[tjc1989]

Just a question here . a s You don't mind running different octane ratings , do You have to retuned ,or adjust Your carb for different fuels ?

Good question. For me personally, it depends on the piece of equipment. For my 4 cycle stuff, such as my pressure washer, roto tiller, lawnmower, etc, -- No. But 2 cycle stuff, such as chainsaws and weedeaters, yes. I find that the slightest change in oil to gas ratio, age of gas, and octane of gas make a 2 cycle behave in minute differences. And I usually have to compensate a little by adjusting the carb, especially on the high RPM side. In my opinion, just the nature of the beast with 2 cycle equipment. I just accept it and go on.

I guess a word of caution, though. If I could get my hands on Avgas 100LL , I would probably run it with just about 5 % more oil to the mix to compensate and counteract any heating issues, especially with chainsaws, as they have to run wide open and harder than most other 2 cycle stuff I may have.

 

[dodge man]

This has been discussed a lot in regards to avgas in older cars. It is my understanding the avgas is a little different than other gas. The problem is I can't remeber why. It might have something to do with vapor pressures?

 

[NIXON]

Most engines aren't bothered much by different octanes when it comes to jetting. In actuality, you only need to run a high enough octane to stop pinging. A good example is my offroad bike. Running high test in it actually DROPS mpg because the stock compression engine does not burn it as efficiently.

Your comments were interesting ,and for the most part correct . I do, however ,find that My saws are sensitive to fuel quality , octane ,and oil mix . So , I try to keep everything as consistent as possible . In fact My 044 seems to be the most sensitive . I've heard it doing the frying egg sound on cheap gas once ( claimed 89 octane ) . I now stick with Shell and BP premium .