# What fuel to run in my saw



## cpncoop (Apr 22, 2010)

Hi everybody,

I have a couple of husqvarna 455 ranchers that I use for clearing home lots. The saws were bought new this summer, and as time has gone on, they have begun to bog down and idle oddly. I've been running 87 octane fuel at a 50:1 mix with 2-stroke oil. I had the carbuerators adjusted on both, and the repair man said that things were "out of whack" because the available gas around here contains ~10% ethanol which the saw doesn't run well on. My question is, if all gas around here contains 10% ethanol, what can I put in my saw to make it run better and not need constant tuning?


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## banshee67 (Apr 22, 2010)

ethanol is not the problem
every gas station around here has 10% ethanol, no way around it
i run 93 octane , usually from shell, i just like to stick with one brand in my truck/saws/4wheeler.
play with the carb settings, pull the plug see if its fouled, clean the air filter, etc.
one thing ethanol will do is separate from gas if left sitting for a while it becomes a mess, it starts to break down and turn into a strange thick mess. did you leave them sit all winter with gas in the carbs?
455 ranchers are nice saws, my friend has a couple of them, he cant sharpen chains for ####, but i imagine with a sharp chain they cut great :greenchainsaw:


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## TreePointer (Apr 22, 2010)

Check your manual. It should say to use a minimum 90 octane gasoline with your mix oil. 

Get the 93 octane gas in your area and use a good quality 2-cycle oil (full synthetic is best). Then tune your saw and use the same gas, 2-cycle oil, and mix ratio EVERY TIME. Make sure to shake your fuel mix before you fill your saw, and don't mix more than you can use in a month or two (don't let it sit for too long).


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## tater1337 (Apr 22, 2010)

see if your local airport has ethanol free mogas(not avgas) some small planes require ethanol free gas for their engines.

big stink in the airplane world about ethanol , they dont like it, drops the power on some engines below safe limits


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## bass_on_tap (Apr 22, 2010)

Try using one of the gasoline additive products specially formulated for ethanol fuels. I use Star Brite available at most automotive stores, Walmart and TSC.
http://www.starbrite.com/whatsnew/STAR%20BRITE%20ethanol%20p3072D2.pdf

Sta-bil make a marine stabilizer that is also good, colored blue, not red. Usually available everywhere.
I also use 92 octane fuel.


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## cpncoop (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll switch to 93 octane and drop in some stabilizer, along with a higher quality 2-stroke oil. Somebody had suggested trying racing fuel, which at 108 octane and 9 bucks a gallon seemed like overkill (plus it's leaded) .....


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## Saw Dust Smoken (Apr 22, 2010)

*gas*

Leaded is not bad like everyone is guided to believe. 
I'v used 87 for 10 years. And I still have original saw plus one new carb.
I do have a station that sell no alk\no ethanol fuel near by. Thats all I use with good oil mix.


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## TreePointer (Apr 22, 2010)

Remember not to double up on stabilizer. Many good 2-cycle oils already have stabilizer in them, so your fuel mix will last even longer.

I've never had a problem with my saws using local 93 octane and Stihl/Husqvarna 2-cycle oils.


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## banshee67 (Apr 22, 2010)

yea the leaded racing fuel will be a waste in a stock chainsaw, its one thing if youre running a high compression racing motor in a 4 wheeler or something,2 strokes like lead, but its not gona make a difference in your husky455 except your wallet will be a bit lighter. racing fuel is for when compression or timing dictates its need. the old myth of putting a higher octane fuel in a motor to make it run better or produce more power, is just that, a myth, same thing with those funny little bottles of octane booster. stick with 93 octane and good quality premix, i like the little stihl bottles that u just open up and dumb into a gallon of fuel, no measuring.


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## ozzy42 (Apr 22, 2010)

banshee67 said:


> yea the leaded racing fuel will be a waste in a stock chainsaw, its one thing if youre running a high compression racing motor in a 4 wheeler or something,2 strokes like lead, but its not gona make a difference in your husky455 except your wallet will be a bit lighter. racing fuel is for when compression or timing dictates its need. the old myth of putting a higher octane fuel in a motor to make it run better or produce more power, is just that, a myth, same thing with those funny little bottles of octane booster. stick with 93 octane and good quality premix, i like the little stihl bottles that u just open up and dumb into a gallon of fuel, no measuring.



Good post .
A lot of people think high octane translates into high perfomance.
Not so .
High compression ,timing translate to higher performance.
High octane simply allows you to do both.

Rep sent your way.


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## fishercat (Apr 23, 2010)

*i use 93 octane Mobil*

and Stihl Ultra oil. I never have any problems with my saws.


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## oldstihl (May 4, 2010)

banshee67 said:


> yea the leaded racing fuel will be a waste in a stock chainsaw, its one thing if youre running a high compression racing motor in a 4 wheeler or something,2 strokes like lead, but its not gona make a difference in your husky455 except your wallet will be a bit lighter. racing fuel is for when compression or timing dictates its need. the old myth of putting a higher octane fuel in a motor to make it run better or produce more power, is just that, a myth, same thing with those funny little bottles of octane booster. stick with 93 octane and good quality premix, i like the little stihl bottles that u just open up and dumb into a gallon of fuel, no measuring.





ozzy42 said:


> Good post .
> A lot of people think high octane translates into high perfomance.
> Not so .
> High compression ,timing translate to higher performance.
> ...



Would you guys see any issue running 100 octane leaded (Aviation Gas) all the time? I ended up with a barrel of this stuff last year that I'd like to burn up. It's a years worth of left over fuel from a the fuel sumps at the local airport. It's been filtered, they just don't allow it to go into the aircraft. It's tough to pass up free gas, even if I can't burn it in my car. I know that the higher octane will burn cooler without any compression ratio change. I also know that leaded gas will leave lead deposits over time. I guess what I'm really wondering is if it will cause any permanent damage?


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## millbilly (May 18, 2010)

wow never thought about running 93 octane been cuttin 35 years with 87 octane. I even eyeball the mixin oil never burnt a saw up. After readin this post im gonna try some hightest gas and measure the mix and see if it makes any difference. I have noticed while flushing stumps that the exhaust burns my eyes more when they change from winter to summer gas


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## D&B Mack (May 18, 2010)

bass_on_tap said:


> I use Star Brite available at most automotive stores, Walmart and TSC.
> http://www.starbrite.com/whatsnew/STAR%20BRITE%20ethanol%20p3072D2.pdf
> 
> 
> I also use 92 octane fuel.



:agree2: This is my mix exactly.

Also, as a general rule, try to stick with fuel from mainline suppliers (i.e. BP, Sunoco, Mobil, etc.) And stay away from convenience/grocery store gas, they tend to have more junk in their tanks. Actually, my local saw shop has samples from gas stations all over the area and the differences of contaminants in their tanks.


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## ozzy42 (May 18, 2010)

oldstihl said:


> Would you guys see any issue running 100 octane leaded (Aviation Gas) all the time? I ended up with a barrel of this stuff last year that I'd like to burn up. It's a years worth of left over fuel from a the fuel sumps at the local airport. It's been filtered, they just don't allow it to go into the aircraft. It's tough to pass up free gas, even if I can't burn it in my car. I know that the higher octane will burn cooler without any compression ratio change. I also know that leaded gas will leave lead deposits over time. I guess what I'm really wondering is if it will cause any permanent damage?



I Am not a chemist ,but I would run it in my saws.
If you're worried abouit deposits ,maybe run it like in every 2nd or 3rd tank.


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## tree md (May 18, 2010)

93 octane with Stihl synthetic oil here. X2 on shaking your gas can every time before fueling your saws. I have been out of work for about a month due to medical issues and the old gas was bogging my saws when I went back to work this week; X2 on using gas that is no more than a month old.

There was a big stink here a couple of years ago about stations selling gas with ethanol so now nearly every gas station has a big sign that reads 100% gas sold here; No ethanol.


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## D&B Mack (May 19, 2010)

samohajo said:


> -I like how you made her an off duty firefighter, at first as I was reading this I was like "why the hell would she be helping" that was very clever of you! Also when she asked that man for help.



???????????????

:bang:


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