A new chainsaw

[airdrop]

outboard oil has preservative in it to keep gas from going stale so it will not gum up engines over the winter , TC-W3 package .

[olfart]

If it's made for an air cooled engine, it will be fine in a water cooled engine. Other way around may not work so well, or so I've read.

[redman2006]

my other 2 stroke oil shows all types of motors on it including chainsaw and outboard boat. Is it really different?

[RD]

I only run no ethanol 91 octane fuel in my mower and all my mix machines.


RD

[olfart]

Crown white gas for camp stoves , no additives , then add boat rated 2 stroke oil , or buy airplane gas 100 octane 5 year shelf life then add oil .

Uh, I wouldn't recommend boat rated 2 stroke oil for an air cooled engine. Different stuff that requires water to cool the engine properly. It may damage an air cooled engine.

[airdrop]

Crown white gas for camp stoves , no additives , then add boat rated 2 stroke oil , or buy airplane gas 100 octane 5 year shelf life then add oil .

[0utlaw]

Old racing saying... "Rich kills power, lean kills parts"

[kickstand]

On the subject of chainsaws, does anyone use the premixed fuel? I bought a gallon because my local gas stations quit carrying ethanol free fuel. Damned expensive, and it may be my imagination, but it seems not to have the same power as gasoline. I will buy a gallon or two for emergency use and keep it on the shelf as it has a long shelf life if unopened, but certainly not for regular use after this is gone.

I can now answer this, and in my typical style, I'm going to over-explain it.

Up until yesterday, I had been buying the Stihl MotoMix premixed at 50:1. I really hated paying $30 a gallon, but wanted to avoid starting issues due to ethanol, and there were no stations anywhere near that had Ethanol Free fuel. I never did any other brand of premix.

I recently found out that there is now one station that carries Ethanol Free fuel. It's only available in the 91 Octane Premium fuel, currently at $3 (well, $2.999) per gallon. At first I grumbled a bit about it being only available in the most expensive rating, but then realized that it was still 1/10th the cost of the premix, so to fill my five gallon fuel can was $15. To get the same amount of premix would have been $150. This 5 gallon jug will also be used in my lawn tractor and generator, so I won't be adding 2-stroke oil to it. I did add Stabil to it.

I then added a bottle of 2-stroke oil (3.2 oz, making it 40:1) to my one gallon fuel jug and filled it from the five gallon jug. A good shake, and I filled my chainsaw. I will say that there was still some 50:1 premix in the tank.

The first thing that I noticed was starting effort. All of this is happening first thing in the morning, so the saw was cold. Normally with premix, it would take 6 to 8 pulls of the cord before it would burp, and then another 2 to 4 pulls to get it running. Today it burped on the 2nd pull, and started on the third pull. This may have been a coincidence.

With the premix, as I have stated before, this little 32cc saw was a bit underpowered. I had to be pretty careful when cutting branches, because it was fairly easy for a 2 to 3 inch diameter branch to pinch the chain, and it often wouldn't have the power to cut it's way out. If I allowed it to get pinched, I'd often have to use a pole or something to prop up the limb in order to remove the saw. Getting an extra bar is on my "to-do" list, so I can unbolt a pinched bar, install the new bar and chain, and be able to cut the pinched one out. With all of that said, I was out trimming a tree this morning, and I cut a bit deeper than I planned to into a 4-5 inch branch, which caused a pinch. The difference is, with me-mix, it now had the power to cut through the pinch without a problem, and kept on going.

It's actually powerful enough that would even say that it's not noticeably underpowered anymore.

TL/DR: Small saw has noticably more power when using 40:1 fuel mixture that I mixed, vs using 50:1 premix.

[AussieDarren]

Had a little Husqvarna 40cc 18" bar that i got for my 18th birthday, couple of new chains and a bar replacement was running great up until it was stolen recently. Nearly 30 years of service including heavy use when i was doing landscaping/tree work. Also run a larger 60cc model with a 24" bar for larger work, that i have had for about 15years.

[kickstand]

No, you lost it in 24 hours, it took you a week to realize it was lost.

Hmm...where is it? Where's that other thing that I misplaced (notice: misplaced, not lost)? Aha, there it is!

[redman2006]

No, you lost it in 24 hours, it took you a week to realize it was lost.

[RD]

I mix my own using 91 high octane gas, never have i purchased a premix. I use my mix in all my two cycle tools. FYI, never use fuel with ethanol in it, it just ruins those tools if fuel sits in it for a period of time.


RD

[kickstand]

Didn't know that some oilers were adjustable. Will look into that, thanks!

Edit:. It wasn't in 24 hours...it was about a week....ass

[redman2006]

I just thought of something, does your stihl have an adjustable oiler like their bigger saws? If so, can you tighten it down when you store it? You would just have to make sure to reopen it before next use. Of course I am saying this to the guy that lost his brand new sharpener in less than 24 hours...

[redman2006]

It may have a different oiler style than my bigger stihl, but this 461 does not leak. My little husqvarna 51 likes to dribble oil everywhere. I keep an old cookie sheet under it to keep it from making a massive mess.

My big saw loves fuel. It goes through a good bit, and I use it a lot since my little 51 is just about worn out. Those cans would add up in a hurry.