Two-Cycle Engine Oil Voodoo

[bwalker]

Our logging company has used Saber exclusively for 3 years at 100:1, and it seems fine" I'd be a lot happier about 100:1.

A logger would get run out the woods for using it around here. With the rash of Husky 385 bearing failures many guys are catching on to using 32:1 ratios, not the other way around.

 

[rupedoggy]

Milling is the hardest work a chain saw can do. Mix at 32:1. Don't lean out the saw carburetor setting and keep those fins and saw body clean. The buildup acts like insulation and does not allow the heat to get out. Speaking of heat getting out, your muffler mod should help there also. Mike

 

[Lakeside53]

Milling is the hardest work a chain saw can do. Mix at 32:1. Don't lean out the saw carburetor setting and keep those fins and saw body clean. The buildup acts like insulation and does not allow the heat to get out. Speaking of heat getting out, your muffler mod should help there also. Mike

yes, and for milling in addition to a lower mix ratio, tune it really rich... My 066 nearly chokes when I let off the throttle suddenly, but it will never lean seize... It's set to about 10,550 wot... and it smokes, but a recent inspection showed a perfect piston/cylinder after 20 hours of milling over three days. Not a lot of buildup although everything was a bit oily! Fine with me though...

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Fall: My dad's 066 burns up a jug and piston. He's just getting over major surgery so I figured maybe after a few oxycodones he forgot to put oil in the mix. But I checked all the gas containers at his place they're mixed and similar in hue to a properly mixed sample of gas I prepared.

This week: I've got the saw back up and running - but I don't want anyone using it until I know why it burned itself up. So far I've made the following maintenance changes:

1. 93 octane gas. My dad was using 87 octane, and the manual of course calls for 89. He doesn't read manuals, but that's another topic for another day.

2. Muff mod. I opened that muff up real nice - I struck a good balance so it's not too loud. My father's got neighbors so he can't be running it at full volume.

3. Two-cycle oil. Here's where I'm stumped. I read on some forums that using two-stroke oil rated at TCW-3/API TC (Citgo Supergard Marine Plus, for example) is sure to destroy a chain saw. Something about marine two-cycle oil not being formulated to withstand the higher temperatures of a chain saw. Except it says right on the bottle that it's good for chain saws, and both the SAE and API sites claim that TCW-3 or TC rated oil is good for chain saws.

Of course Stihl says, "use our own oil at 50:1, or a competitors at 25:1". To me such a claim sounds like thinly veiled marketing tripe with a twist of teutonic arrogance. Does Stihl really have a secret plant, buried under hundreds of feet of rock, churning out vastly superior two-cycle oil? How do they keep their formula secret? How do they color-match those oil bottles to my Stihl chain saw's plastic trim, all in secret?

My cynical guess is that Stihl buys the cheapest two-cycle oil on the market at any given time, bottles it up in snazzy orange bottles, and gives it to Stihl users over a barrel. Perhaps some wiser members here know the truth: what is the right two-cycle engine oil to use for a Stihl 066 (heavy duty milling), and is there really a difference between the goop in the orange bottles and the goop in the Auto Zone bottles?

Any other maintenance suggestions are greatly appreciated.

The last thing I would look at is the fuel mix.
My best guess would be a lean condition caused the saw failure. First check for air leaks and carburetor adjustment.
Things like a poor maintenance schedule can cause lean conditions. Clogged air filters cause excessive vacuum in the crankcase, which can cause air to get sucked past the main seal, which in turn wears out prematurely and allows air to leak past causing lean conditions.
Running a dull saw causes saw dust to be very fine which can clog filters faster and lead to seal failure.
Whoever did the repairs should have identified the problem and fixed it. If all they did was change parts, perhaps they need to double check the saw with a vacuum test for things like a torn intake boot, impulse line, main seal, and so on.

 

[Huck BB62]

Royal Purple is great schtufff!

http://www.royalpurple.com/prodsa/tcwiiia.htmlI don't sell it but I use it in everything (I'm a certified tribologist) So far, on the saws, this stuff is everything they say.

 

[Bad E]

Some are OK, some are not.
Lakeside, tell us a little more about this ultra.
FWIW Husky's new XP oil(grey bottle) is pretty darn good stuff. I have been using it for some time with excellant results.

This is what I use now...40:1 ratio. So far so good.

 

[bwalker]

don't sell it but I use it in everything (I'm a certified tribologist) So far, on the saws, this stuff is everything they say.

As a tribologist you should know you are using the wrong type of oil. TCW3 oils dont cut it in outdoor power equipment.

 

[lawnmaniac883]

All I use now is stihl's orange bottle oil. As previously stated it is not worth the potential discussion with the dealer when my saw dies from neglection.