Plug color issue.

Nailsbeats · Aug 20, 2008

I was talking to my dealer today and he said that you can't look at the plug color on these new saws for tuning. He tunes by ear, and knows his stuff. He tuned my 460 with the dual port muffler for me and it ran great, I checked the plug color and it looked lean (grayish white), that is why I asked him. When I richened it up it got a lot weaker in the cut and didn't want to start as well. The way he had it performed much better.

My dealer ports saws and everything himself so he knows what he's doing. What do you guys think about the plug color issue?

Wicked500R · Aug 20, 2008

Sounds like your guy knows his stuff. I would trust him... After all, he tuned the saw... in the engine blows... it's on him.... my .02

RED-85-Z51 · Aug 20, 2008

2 things you can count on...A TACH, and the PLUG.

You can read nearly any non-surface gap plug for tune. Powdery white, super light tan on a 2 stroke = WAY LEAN

Black, dark chocolate = Too rich.

Medium tanish is where I like to keep newer saws. The old Giants, I run em Dark tan to milk Chocolate.

A tach will tell you your engine speed, an honest to God reading of how fast your engine is running. Now, if you know your target speed where your motor is set to redline/lose efficiency, you can simply tune to that speed.

Tuning by ear and ignoring the plug color is risky...There is a fine line between power and engine life. You can run a touch lean and make great power, but slowly melt the engine down.

Personally, On ALL 2 strokes, I do at least one plug reading from WOT..even if it is a non-adjustable carb.

Lakeside53 · Aug 20, 2008

Gray'ish white? Fine...

Plug reading is wildly overated. I take a passing look at it when it comes out, but that's all... I tune by ear, and by tach now and then with the "difficult to hear" saws.

361 plugs are great for the plug readig crowd - one side will be white, the other black...

BTW... Stihl Max WOT is +/- 1000 rpm... so don't get too wound up with WOT either..

If you're really a "peak tune freak", then do timed cuts and then adjust a tad rich.

Nailsbeats · Aug 20, 2008

Lake, sounds like you are in the same camp as my dealer. I have seen some plugs being hard to read, like you say, that's why I am not sold on it being definitive. He said timed cuts was the way to tune right. I don't have a tach, but a good ear and am trying to learn how to tune by ear and cutting without the loss of too much capital, if it happens it happens, that's what they make parts for. Thanks guys.