# Will 50:1 oil mix work for 40:1 Poulan Model p4018



## BigDaddyR (Dec 20, 2012)

Okay so call me lazy but I don't want to have to haul two fuel cans around and most of my cutting will be done with my 365XT but will be using the Poulan for limbing and smaller stuff. Don't want the 40:1 mix to go to waste either. Looking to not have to add to the stuff I have to haul to the woods either.

<Yes the 346XP or 550XP are part of the plan eventually but until then)>

Will the Poulan run the 50:1 okay or will it gum things up?


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## carym2a (Dec 20, 2012)

I would run both on 40:1 wont hurt anything, better rich then lean. If you go 50:1 in the poulan it will need to be retuned.


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## B Harrison (Dec 20, 2012)

BigDaddyR said:


> Okay so call me lazy but I don't want to have to haul two fuel cans around and most of my cutting will be done with my 365XT but will be using the Poulan for limbing and smaller stuff. Don't want the 40:1 mix to go to waste either. Looking to not have to add to the stuff I have to haul to the woods either.
> 
> <Yes the 346XP or 550XP are part of the plan eventually but until then)>
> 
> Will the Poulan run the 50:1 okay or will it gum things up?



Run 40:1 in both is a pretty good answer, 

what would 50:1 gum up or was that a figure of speech?


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## locofrog (Dec 20, 2012)

carym2a said:


> I would run both on 40:1 wont hurt anything, better rich then lean. If you go 50:1 in the poulan it will need to be retuned.



most of the service guys i've talked to say its fine to run 50:1 in everything as long as its a good synthetic oil. i use husqvarna xp or redmax synthetic. seems to do ok for my saws.

-loco


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## BigDaddyR (Dec 20, 2012)

B Harrison said:


> Run 40:1 in both is a pretty good answer,
> 
> what would 50:1 gum up or was that a figure of speech?





Wasn't sure if the saw was designed to run off of 40:1 if 50:1 would leave more particulate matter in the exhaust gasses and clog up engine.

sounds like I can run 50:1 but will have to switch to the synthetic Husqvarna oil and not the regular. Was what my dealer recommended for my 365 anyways when I bought it.


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## zogger (Dec 20, 2012)

I switched this summer from 50 to 40 to one (or so). Run it in everything just fine. 50 to one I was having issues when we hit the beastly hot spell this summer. Had a hunch, it was nagging me anyway, so mixed up a richer oil batch, issues went away..

Personally, I have zero proof of this, but I am thinking 50 to 1 is as much about emissions as anything else. Its probably the absolute minimum they can use with being able to actually sell saws and pass their epa tests or credits or however they get permission to sell a model.. Way back in the day we always ran richer in oil and you just didnt see all the toasted topends like you see today. I thought about this before and I know I never got one, and dont recall any friends who had one either, and that includes some pro cutting guys. I am sure it happened, but only from straight gas.


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## KenJax Tree (Dec 20, 2012)

BigDaddyR said:


> Wasn't sure if the saw was designed to run off of 40:1 if 50:1 would leave more particulate matter in the exhaust gasses and clog up engine.
> 
> sounds like I can run 50:1 but will have to switch to the synthetic Husqvarna oil and not the regular. Was what my dealer recommended for my 365 anyways when I bought it.



It wouldn't clog up anything 50:1 is less oil than 40:1


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## BIG JAKE (Dec 20, 2012)

Run it at the ratio it says to. I run all my saws at 40-1.


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## jus2fat (Dec 20, 2012)

Why not just run 45:1 and be Happy..??

J2F


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## KenJax Tree (Dec 20, 2012)

jus2fat said:


> Why not just run 45:1 and be Happy..??
> 
> J2F



Now that would just be too simple.


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## carym2a (Dec 20, 2012)

Does it really matter, the end of the world is less then 7hours away , see ya


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## Chris-PA (Dec 20, 2012)

The oil thread at the end of the world - I guess there had to be one!


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## KenJax Tree (Dec 20, 2012)

Not gonna happen its already 12:30pm Friday in Australia and no fireballs yet.


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## stihl023/5 (Dec 20, 2012)

Use 40:1 in all of them


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## s219 (Dec 21, 2012)

50:1 synthetic is better than 40:1 Dino if you look at the details. The rest comes down to habit and what makes you feel better.


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## thomas41 (Dec 21, 2012)

I got a new gas jug, measured out 115 ounces of gas and marked the jug. One bottle of 50:1 mix makes it real close to 45:1. Thats what I use in Husqvarna, stihl, homelite, and a new Poulan 4218 of my grandsons. It works for me. Check my math. 1 gallon is 128 ounces. 80 % of that is 103 ounces, or 40:1. I use 115 ounces, should be 45:1 or nearly so.


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## Sagetown (Dec 21, 2012)

BigDaddyR said:


> Okay so call me lazy but I don't want to have to haul two fuel cans around and most of my cutting will be done with my 365XT but will be using the Poulan for limbing and smaller stuff. Don't want the 40:1 mix to go to waste either. Looking to not have to add to the stuff I have to haul to the woods either.
> 
> <Yes the 346XP or 550XP are part of the plan eventually but until then)>
> 
> Will the Poulan run the 50:1 okay or will it gum things up?



Absolutely, it will run okay. After purchasing a new saw that requires 50:1mix, I began putting it in my Poulan's with caution, but it works great. Only noticed a difference when I changed gasoline to 91 Octane. They didn't like it as well as 89Octane.


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## rullywowr (Dec 21, 2012)

Not.
Another.
Oil.
Thread.


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## BrocLuno (Dec 21, 2012)

s219 said:


> 50:1 synthetic is better than 40:1 Dino if you look at the details. The rest comes down to habit and what makes you feel better.



Not necessarily so, *IF* any of your saws sit for more than a week or so. All synthetics have a much lower surface tension. Makes them great for getting into tight places, but also leads to drain-off over time. Then you have pretty bare bearings on start-up. Old Dino Oil has high surface tension (as oils go) and will cling to bearings for months.

The trick here is to use quality oil - either dino or syn. If saws sit, use a blend. Some dino will keep surfaces wet and the synthetics will resist heat baking.

I have been running two-strokes for about 50 years - racing and working. I run all mine at 40:1 with a blend I make myself. Nowdays it's Motul 710 and API-TC or EGD rated base oils with Poulan Synthetic (my wife bought out a supplier, so I have a lot of it). My motors don't quite, foul or carbon up. Some of them have 2000 hours w/o a ring service and still have good compression. What more could you want?


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## spacemule (Dec 21, 2012)

BrocLuno said:


> I run all mine at 40:1 with a blend I make myself.


Just when I thought people couldn't get any more out there. . .


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