Highbeam
Super Member
I would have just run the old premix. It would have been fine. Shake it up good first.
Small Batch of Fuel
- Thread starter mjarrels
- Start date
- Views: 5961
Nitro-Fish
Silver Member
Sounds like a fellow that want's to buy a new chainsaw, or at least a new piston (and clean up the cylinder if it's salvagable). Running two year old mix that has just been shaken up good first is what most dealers want to see, it's good for their business. Before the days of ethanol, that would probably get you by (as long as you didn't need all the power the saw was capable of with a fresh mix), but with today's (and last years) fuel, that would be a foolish thing to do; todays gas just doesn't do well when mixed and left sitting for very long. Do a web search on the hazards of running old fuel mix in OPE; I have way too much invested in my saws to ruin them with old fuel (and I've replaced too many P&C's from others' equipment to take that kind of chance with mine). One gallon of fuel and the cost of enough quality mix to have fresh fuel is well worth it even if you have to trhow it away next time you need to use the saw (unless you have less than $5.00 in your saw)!
I only mix up about a tankful at a time... I can't remember the last time I mixed more than a pint. I don't cut as much as I used to, so eyeballing it, maybe a little on the rich side, works for me. Been doing it for many years on my 028... and I always store it empty.
niemeyjt
Silver Member
I've been to my dealer for a new fuel line this morning (albeit for a brush cutter, not a chain saw, this time). Talking to the engineer at length (he was one of the old boys who takes a pride in his work and sharing knowledge) he reiterated what others have said above:
- with the advent of unleaded, lead compounds which helped the even burn was replaced with some methanol based additives which are highly volatile and the petrol does go off after two months or so.
- the resulting fuel after the added compounds have dispersed / broken down / evapourated becomes more acidic and this is what damages fuel lines (like mine)
- stale fuel gums up the new diaphragm type carbs - or damages the diaphragms (I presume these are the carbs on newer machines with only one adjuster screw instead of three)
- leaving fuel mix in a machine over winter was not advisable and that he had just replaced a brush cutter carb that morning which was left over winter and had gummed / perished at £100 ($150)
- if motor is to be left it should be drained of mix and then run until fuel in lines etc used as well before being put away.
- over winter, ever 2 months or so, fill up motor with fresh fuel mix, run for a few minutes, drain remaining fuel mix and run engine to use up any in system.
- use regular 91/95 RON unleaded - not the 98 RON premium (not sure what you guys in US have)
- use Husquvarna oil as their engines run faster than Stihl and their oil is a bit better (he sold both)
- stick extra fuel mix in the car (petrol only) to use it up - but only when car fuel tank is relatively full so the fuel mix is only a small proportion of the fuel in the tank - at £1.25 a litre ($7 a gallon) is is too expensive to waste.
J
- with the advent of unleaded, lead compounds which helped the even burn was replaced with some methanol based additives which are highly volatile and the petrol does go off after two months or so.
- the resulting fuel after the added compounds have dispersed / broken down / evapourated becomes more acidic and this is what damages fuel lines (like mine)
- stale fuel gums up the new diaphragm type carbs - or damages the diaphragms (I presume these are the carbs on newer machines with only one adjuster screw instead of three)
- leaving fuel mix in a machine over winter was not advisable and that he had just replaced a brush cutter carb that morning which was left over winter and had gummed / perished at £100 ($150)
- if motor is to be left it should be drained of mix and then run until fuel in lines etc used as well before being put away.
- over winter, ever 2 months or so, fill up motor with fresh fuel mix, run for a few minutes, drain remaining fuel mix and run engine to use up any in system.
- use regular 91/95 RON unleaded - not the 98 RON premium (not sure what you guys in US have)
- use Husquvarna oil as their engines run faster than Stihl and their oil is a bit better (he sold both)
- stick extra fuel mix in the car (petrol only) to use it up - but only when car fuel tank is relatively full so the fuel mix is only a small proportion of the fuel in the tank - at £1.25 a litre ($7 a gallon) is is too expensive to waste.
J
Gale Hawkins
Super Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
- Messages
- 8,268
- Location
- Murray, KY
- Tractor
- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
Depends on your eyeball I guess.I would just mix up a gallon and put the unused part in my old tractor. But, I won't suggest you do the same. Just saying that's how I make use of it. Some people don't like the idea in newer equipment.
Since we use 2-cycle oil in the gas of four strokes some for fuel pump lube and gas tank coating burning the 2-cycle stuff in the car works for us.
Recently I found something that looked like 10 year old 2-cycle mix that was very black looking so I used it to clean some greasy parts.
Nitro-Fish
Silver Member
If I have any old mix around, I use it to start a brush pile burning!
Gale Hawkins
Super Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
- Messages
- 8,268
- Location
- Murray, KY
- Tractor
- 1948 Allis Chambers Model B 1976 265 MF / 1983 JD 310B Backhoe / 1966 Ford 3000 Diesel / 1980 3600 Diesel
I guess if I had experience with Nitro using gas to start a fire would be safe too.
henrysMFGC2310TBL
Bronze Member
I mix a gallon at a time, whatever mix I have left I pour into my garden tractor when I do not need to cut wood.
newbury
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 14,142
- Location
- From Vt, in Va, retiring to MS
- Tractor
- Kubota's - B7610, M4700
First of all it ain't rocket science.
I started running 4 chainsaws last fall and have paid attention to a lot of
"mix talk".
NEVER use oil designed for watercooled engines (motorboat)
Always use high test gas, some peeps swear by aviation gas but that is hard to come by.
Mix ratio is not critical, most of the newer saws and oils say mix 50:1, a lot of saw users seem to like to richen it up to even 40:1 (especially when milling).
So I grab a 2 liter or 1 liter soda bottle and most of the small amounts of oil I've bought recently have a 25 and 50 ml (or cc) marking and I mix an appropriate amount for upcoming tasks in the next month. Then toss the rest in a car.
LOTS of equipment gets ruined by rotting fuel lines and carb parts, so burn up the fuel if your not going to run it for a month.
Now the OP want's to mix a pint (16oz), so put in 2 TEASPOONS (0.333 oz) of oil and it should be about right, 1 part oil and 48 parts gas. And use it all up.
I started running 4 chainsaws last fall and have paid attention to a lot of
"mix talk".
NEVER use oil designed for watercooled engines (motorboat)
Always use high test gas, some peeps swear by aviation gas but that is hard to come by.
Mix ratio is not critical, most of the newer saws and oils say mix 50:1, a lot of saw users seem to like to richen it up to even 40:1 (especially when milling).
So I grab a 2 liter or 1 liter soda bottle and most of the small amounts of oil I've bought recently have a 25 and 50 ml (or cc) marking and I mix an appropriate amount for upcoming tasks in the next month. Then toss the rest in a car.
LOTS of equipment gets ruined by rotting fuel lines and carb parts, so burn up the fuel if your not going to run it for a month.
Now the OP want's to mix a pint (16oz), so put in 2 TEASPOONS (0.333 oz) of oil and it should be about right, 1 part oil and 48 parts gas. And use it all up.
