2 cycle oil

[hench861]

i went into tractor supply today to buy 50-1 2cycle oil and they were out i asked someone about it and this is what the man told me,they sold out all 2 cycle oil and it was being replaced with a synthetic blend because of the gas companies going to 40 percent ethanol,the old oil will not stay in solution in the 40 percent gas and you will burn up your saws etc,has anyone else heard this and when will th gas go to 40 per cent ethanol

 

[Skyco]

Since most cars are rated for up to 10% ethanol I don't think we'll see 40% ethanol forced on us anytime soon....

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I know a former oil company exec that seemed very knowledgable of his product. He told me that the 2 cycle oil won't mix with the ethanol and that 2 strokers probably won't last as long as they used to. Maybe Dieselpower can shed some light?

 

[RalphVa]

I'd think all they'd need to do is to add some dissolving/emulsifying agent like is in dormant oil spray (which is a very light, narrow-cut diesel) to keep the stuff in solution.

Ralph

 

[dgl24087]

It's likely more of an EPA pollution issue that is driving the change to synthetics. I have only been able to find synthetic 2 cycle for about 3 years locally.

 

[Bird]

I have a gallon of gas mixed right now with the 2 cycle Stihl oil for my string trimmer and Mantis tiller, but the new 6 pack of 2 cycle oil I got from my Stihl dealer is synthetic. I didn't even think to ask why they only had synthetic but really just figured it was because it cost so much that they make more profit. And of course that may have nothing to do with it.

 

[Marcussen]

i went into tractor supply today to buy 50-1 2cycle oil and they were out i asked someone about it and this is what the man told me,they sold out all 2 cycle oil and it was being replaced with a synthetic blend because of the gas companies going to 40 percent ethanol,the old oil will not stay in solution in the 40 percent gas and you will burn up your saws etc,has anyone else heard this and when will th gas go to 40 per cent ethanol

In oklahoma a new law requires that all gas has to be labeled to indicate the percentage of ethanol in the gas (before it required labels if it had more than 10%), most stations have stickers indicating NO ALCOHOL as a selling point. Most people don't want ethanol because of the supposed lower MPG.

I know that even less than 10% will damage some 2 cycle motors, I had to get an Echo trimmer repaired due to ethanol eating fuel lines, (the warranty did not cover the repair)

 

[droy]

Fixing to buy another string trimmer, and remember seeing a four stroke model that has "just come out" according to the box store employee. As I walked away, I remember wondering if four strokes would have a niche in the string trimmer market, with the weight disadvantage. Not likely I thought, but never even considered the ethanol angle.

 

[DieselPower]

One of the ever increasing problems for the two stroke engine manufacturers is emissions. They have standards just like auto, truck, ag equipment and off road equipment manufacturers do. As the standards get harder and harder to meet I wouldn't be surprised if in the future if two stroke gas engines are all replaced with 4 stroke engines much like happened to two stroke diesels.

Ethanol has it's own problems. It does contain less power per gallon than pure gas does. It causes some really weird deposit problems in fuel systems. I saw a turbine impeller in a fuel blending pump once that looked like it had 3 inch's of deposits on it. I was told they have to clean the blending pumps 2 or 3 times a year of the deposits caused by the ethanol. The majority of this deposit problem shouldn't effect the end user due to the detergent additive package in most gas. Ethanol does tend to deteriorate older rubber compounds. Use of newer chemical resistant rubber compounds in fuel system components eliminates these problems.

One of the big advantages in my eyes is ethanol blended gas's ability to remove water/condensation from the fuel system. If your using a ethanol blend gas then you don't need to worry about using products like ISO HEAT in the winter to prevent fuel system freeze ups, it's already in there.

Now I have to say I have not heard of any problems with ethanol blended gas and 2 stroke oils. Not saying it can't happen, just that I haven't seen it personally. The problem can most likely be taken care of with reformulation of the 2 stroke oil blend. I wouldn't be surprised if the people that have this problem are using a older oil that hasn't been reformulated yet.

 

[Patches]

Another problem with ethanol is the storage of engines using it. The owners' manual for my 4 stroke Yamaha sno-mobile advises completely draining the fuel system if (gasohol) is used to prevent corrosion damage to internal engine components, including the fuel system, cylinder walls, crankshaft and apparently every other component made of a ferrous metal, due to ethanols' ability to (attract) water.The manual specifically states treating the fuel with a fuel stabilizer is not sufficient! I think corn should be kept on the cob, served with butter and salt
Didn't mean to hi-jack the oil thread, just some info related to the topic