TreeJunkie
ArboristSite Guru
I;ve heard about peope using fuel additives in their saws. At the same time i've heard this is'nt a great idea b/c it's hard on small engines.. Any input?
Fuel additives
- Thread starter TreeJunkie
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Current husqvarna 2-cycle oil mix has fuel additives in the oil, so the husky manufacturer wants you to use it.
We use fuel additives in all our small engines at the shop.
It is said that the current gas quailty is very poor, and starts to loose its full abilities after just 30 days.
By fuel additives im talking fuel stabilizer....................
We use fuel additives in all our small engines at the shop.
It is said that the current gas quailty is very poor, and starts to loose its full abilities after just 30 days.
By fuel additives im talking fuel stabilizer....................
I mixed a gallon of 104 octane to a gallon of 91 octane last week with husky oil. First time ever my saw smelled good while I was cutting. I worry some with todays pump gas smelling more like watered down gas.
SasquatchMan
ArboristSite Lurker
What's the effect of methyl alcohol in 2-stroke gas? A lot of the service stations now offer a winterized gas, or a "natural" alternative gas. Any difference in the cylinder?
sedanman
Just cut the piano!!
The owners manual for my Dolmar 7900 says "Gasoline containing alcohol should NOT be used in Dolmar engines" Well there aint no choice so I use Mobil MX2T at 32:1. Something has to be able to replace the lubricity lost by adding alcohol.
Oil does not mix with alcohol, alot of todays gas has some sort of blend such as alcohol, the lower the octane rating the worse it gets. I run as high a octane rating as I can find for all my two stroke engines, to try and avoid the alcohol in the gas.
Treat your saw to the higher octane fuels, and it will ad some life to the engine.
If you were to put some gasoline in a clear glass jar, and poor some alcohol in with the gas, you will see it does not mix with the gas, the alcohol will seperate to the bottom, just as water does. I am thinking the gas company puts some other sort of additives in the cheap gas/alcohol blend we buy at the pump so that it blends together, now if you are to use this in a two-stroke engine that requires a pre-mix gas/oil mix, not a very good situation for us chainsaw enthusiasts ....................
It wont be long and you'll see four stroke chainsaws at the dealer, they are already making four stroke weed eaters..........
No dought the quality of gas keeps going in a downward motion, while gas prices keep going up, I filled my tank up in the ole pickup truck just yesterday and paid 1.74 a gallon, and I here it will be up to over 2.00 a gallon by summer.
Treat your saw to the higher octane fuels, and it will ad some life to the engine.
If you were to put some gasoline in a clear glass jar, and poor some alcohol in with the gas, you will see it does not mix with the gas, the alcohol will seperate to the bottom, just as water does. I am thinking the gas company puts some other sort of additives in the cheap gas/alcohol blend we buy at the pump so that it blends together, now if you are to use this in a two-stroke engine that requires a pre-mix gas/oil mix, not a very good situation for us chainsaw enthusiasts ....................
It wont be long and you'll see four stroke chainsaws at the dealer, they are already making four stroke weed eaters..........
No dought the quality of gas keeps going in a downward motion, while gas prices keep going up, I filled my tank up in the ole pickup truck just yesterday and paid 1.74 a gallon, and I here it will be up to over 2.00 a gallon by summer.
" I;ve heard about peope using fuel additives in their saws. At the same time i've heard this is'nt a great idea b/c it's hard on small engines.. Any input?"
If you mean aftermarket additives (as opposed to the stuff the petro companies and the gov't put in the gas, over which we have little control) then be careful.
A few years ago I was trying to get rid of some nearly empty bottles of oil, additive and stright gas, so I decided to mix up a can of two cycle. For some reason, I poured the "fuel system cleaner/preservative/detergent" or whatever it was into the 2-cycle before mixing with the gas. My stupid little experiment was a good thing in the end, because I was able to notice in advance that the stuff turned to ammonia! I am no chemist, but maybe a reaction between the hydrogen, nitrogen, and detergent occurred. Anyway, I'm glad I found this before using the stuff, since the ammonia would have been a nightmare on cylinder plating materials, among other components.
Regarding ethanol/gas at the pump, I'm sure you are all noticing your fuel mileage getting much worse because of the stuff as well. And as for ethanol in the 2-cycles, if I were prone to believe in conspiracies, I would think they are simply trying to burn the things up as well as legislate them out of existence.
If you mean aftermarket additives (as opposed to the stuff the petro companies and the gov't put in the gas, over which we have little control) then be careful.
A few years ago I was trying to get rid of some nearly empty bottles of oil, additive and stright gas, so I decided to mix up a can of two cycle. For some reason, I poured the "fuel system cleaner/preservative/detergent" or whatever it was into the 2-cycle before mixing with the gas. My stupid little experiment was a good thing in the end, because I was able to notice in advance that the stuff turned to ammonia! I am no chemist, but maybe a reaction between the hydrogen, nitrogen, and detergent occurred. Anyway, I'm glad I found this before using the stuff, since the ammonia would have been a nightmare on cylinder plating materials, among other components.
Regarding ethanol/gas at the pump, I'm sure you are all noticing your fuel mileage getting much worse because of the stuff as well. And as for ethanol in the 2-cycles, if I were prone to believe in conspiracies, I would think they are simply trying to burn the things up as well as legislate them out of existence.
sedanman
Just cut the piano!!
.
Adding anything else besides StaBil to your 2 cycle mix is not a good idea as the chemicals may interfere with the 2 cycle oil or react with the oil additives. Read the labels carefully.
Most OPE small engine manufacturers have approved the use of the EPA mandated oxygenated gasolines containing up to 10% ethanol.
The oxygenated gasoline has 10% ethanol in all 3 octane levels - 87, 89 & 93.
Gasoline with higher octane levels does not burn with "more energy". The function of octane is to slow the burning rate of the gasoline during the combustion cycle to avoid pre-ignition or "knock". Engines with higher compression ratios or operating temperatures require more octane to avoid pre-ignition.
Echo, however, recommends the use of minimum 89 octane in all 2 cycle equipment due to the fact that premium gasoline, in the US, has an additive package to control engine deposits from the gas.
Most OPE small engine manufacturers have approved the use of the EPA mandated oxygenated gasolines containing up to 10% ethanol.
The oxygenated gasoline has 10% ethanol in all 3 octane levels - 87, 89 & 93.
Gasoline with higher octane levels does not burn with "more energy". The function of octane is to slow the burning rate of the gasoline during the combustion cycle to avoid pre-ignition or "knock". Engines with higher compression ratios or operating temperatures require more octane to avoid pre-ignition.
Echo, however, recommends the use of minimum 89 octane in all 2 cycle equipment due to the fact that premium gasoline, in the US, has an additive package to control engine deposits from the gas.
