Synthetic oil for chainsaws?

[k***@gmail.com]

I have a Stihl chainsaw which takes 50:1, a McCulloch which takes
40:1, and a string trimmer which takes 32:1. In the process of web
research to find a way to avoid having to keep three premixes around,
I learned of an oil type called 'one-mix', which apparently can be
mixed in one ratio and used for any engine. Near as I can tell,
1) one-mix generally means 'synthetic';
2) in synthetic oils, the important thing is how much 'good
stuff' (additives) they put in the oil, and so you mix it according to
the ratio the oil manufacturer recommends, not the engine
manufacturer. If they put more 'good stuff' in the oil, you need less
of it in the mix.

Armed with this partial knowledge, I checked out the oils available
locally. I found a synthetic called Amsoil (Saber Professional 100:1
pre-mix), with a TC-something rating (which the Stihl requires),
which claimed that a 100:1 mix was good for chainsaws and a list of
other equipment.

Am I safe using this, in the recommended 100:1 ratio, in all of my
engines, regardless of the ratio specified by the engine manufacture?
Anyone else have experience with synthetic 2-cycle oils and/or "one-
mix" oils?

Thanks,

Kelly

[Peter Huebner]

Subject: Synthetic oil for chainsaws?
Newsgroups: misc.rural
I have a Stihl chainsaw which takes 50:1, a McCulloch which takes
40:1, and a string trimmer which takes 32:1. In the process of web
research to find a way to avoid having to keep three premixes around,
I learned of an oil type called 'one-mix', which apparently can be
mixed in one ratio and used for any engine. Near as I can tell,
1) one-mix generally means 'synthetic';
2) in synthetic oils, the important thing is how much 'good
stuff' (additives) they put in the oil, and so you mix it according to
the ratio the oil manufacturer recommends, not the engine
manufacturer. If they put more 'good stuff' in the oil, you need less
of it in the mix.

I used to run 25:1 in all my 2-stroke motors, and it worked fine.
Last year my chainsaw guy suggested I might do better by using a high quality
oil as sold by Stihl or Husqvarna in a 50:1 mix. I made the changeover, and
none of my machines have misbehaved in any way ( Husky and Dolmar chainsaws,
Stihl brushcutter). I think your best bet would be to go with Husky or Stihl
branded oil, and use a 40:1 or 50:1 mix. These oils are specifically made to be
used in such dilute mixes. My Husky saw is 25 years old and was made before
such oils were available: if that keeps running fine with this mix, then I
expect virtually everything else should do as well.
Amsoil is --- very controversial in some circles; I'd be hesitant to use it,
not having enough expertise to actually work out if the stuff is great or
useless myself. Not going to risk my expensive equipment.

-P.

[BR]

Post by Peter Huebner

Subject: Synthetic oil for chainsaws?
Newsgroups: misc.rural
I have a Stihl chainsaw which takes 50:1, a McCulloch which takes
40:1, and a string trimmer which takes 32:1. In the process of web
research to find a way to avoid having to keep three premixes around,
I learned of an oil type called 'one-mix', which apparently can be
mixed in one ratio and used for any engine. Near as I can tell,
1) one-mix generally means 'synthetic';
2) in synthetic oils, the important thing is how much 'good
stuff' (additives) they put in the oil, and so you mix it according to
the ratio the oil manufacturer recommends, not the engine
manufacturer. If they put more 'good stuff' in the oil, you need less
of it in the mix.

I used to run 25:1 in all my 2-stroke motors, and it worked fine.
Last year my chainsaw guy suggested I might do better by using a high quality
oil as sold by Stihl or Husqvarna in a 50:1 mix. I made the changeover, and
none of my machines have misbehaved in any way ( Husky and Dolmar chainsaws,
Stihl brushcutter). I think your best bet would be to go with Husky or Stihl
branded oil, and use a 40:1 or 50:1 mix. These oils are specifically made to be
used in such dilute mixes. My Husky saw is 25 years old and was made before
such oils were available: if that keeps running fine with this mix, then I
expect virtually everything else should do as well.
Amsoil is --- very controversial in some circles; I'd be hesitant to use it,
not having enough expertise to actually work out if the stuff is great or
useless myself. Not going to risk my expensive equipment.
-P.

Whatever you do, don't try to use outboard motor two cycle oil for a
chain saw or any air cooled two cycle engine. I ruined a chain saw by
doing this, as the outboard motors are water cooled and do not get as
hot, the outboard oil can't take the high temperatures of an air cooled
engine.

[Neon John]

Post by k***@gmail.com
Armed with this partial knowledge, I checked out the oils available
locally. I found a synthetic called Amsoil (Saber Professional 100:1
pre-mix), with a TC-something rating (which the Stihl requires),
which claimed that a 100:1 mix was good for chainsaws and a list of
other equipment.
Am I safe using this, in the recommended 100:1 ratio, in all of my
engines, regardless of the ratio specified by the engine manufacture?
Anyone else have experience with synthetic 2-cycle oils and/or "one-
mix" oils?

For many many years I've run 80:1 in all my 2-strokes. I'm currently using the
Northern Tool house brand "smokeless" synthetic. It's not quite smokeless but it's
nearly so.

80:1 has worked well for me. The most-used engine is probably the one on my little
1kW generator. It probably has 200 hours at least. At this ratio, there is only a
whisp of smoke once the muffler warms up and the exhaust port remains dry of oil. No
dripping of black mung like you get with more oil.

I would not buy Amsoil on principle because of their relentless huckster promotions
and multi-level (pyramid) marketing. There are many other oils that are equal or
better. You probably won't go wrong using the oil marketed by Stihl since presumably
it's tested to be compatible with their engines.

John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
Serenity: That feeling of knowing that your secretary will never tell either of your wives.

[Sheldon]

Post by k***@gmail.com
I have a Stihl chainsaw which takes 50:1, a McCulloch which takes
40:1, and a string trimmer which takes 32:1. �In the process of web
research to find a way to avoid having to keep three premixes around,
I learned of an oil type called 'one-mix', which apparently can be
mixed in one ratio and used for any engine. �Near as I can tell,
1) one-mix generally means 'synthetic';
2) in synthetic oils, the important thing is how much 'good
stuff' (additives) they put in the oil, and so you mix it according to
the ratio the oil manufacturer recommends, not the engine
manufacturer. �If they put more 'good stuff' in the oil, you need less
of it in the mix.
Armed with this partial knowledge, I checked out the oils available
locally. �I found a synthetic called Amsoil (Saber Professional 100:1
pre-mix), with a TC-something rating (which the Stihl requires),
which claimed that a 100:1 mix was good for chainsaws and a list of
other equipment.
Am I safe using this, in the recommended 100:1 ratio, in all of my
engines, regardless of the ratio specified by the engine manufacture?
Anyone else have experience with synthetic 2-cycle oils and/or "one-
mix" oils?

The service folks where I buy my equipment have told me the fuel:oil
mix is not so critical that it has to be super precise ... if you have
a 50:1 and 40:1 you can use a ratio anywhere inbetween; 45:1 would be
fine for both. I was told that it's more important to use fresh
fuel, so don't mix more than you can use within two months, and
dispose of the fuel still in the tank at the end of the season. All
my 2 cycle machines; chainsaw, leaf blower, and string trimmer use a
50:1 mix but I know I don't have exactly the precise proportion
because I only mix a half gallon at a time and I extrapolate by
eyeballing both the gas and the oil. The only time I encounter a
problem is starting with old fuel mix, my Echo leaf blower is most
tempermental about old fuel. As soon as I mix up a fresh batch that
blower starts up on the second pull.

But I don't know about 32:1... it may be fine with 40:1 but I don't
think I'd stretch it to 50:1... I suggest you contact the string
trimmer manufacturer or their service center.

[Larry Caldwell]

In article <3da750b2-5d4b-4bbe-9b16-393131905b96
@e25g2000prg.googlegroups.com>, ***@gmail.com (kellyjones1
@gmail.com) says...

Post by k***@gmail.com
Am I safe using this, in the recommended 100:1 ratio, in all of my
engines, regardless of the ratio specified by the engine manufacture?
Anyone else have experience with synthetic 2-cycle oils and/or "one-
mix" oils?

I don't know about all of your engines, but I know a guy who runs a
street maintenance business. He runs a fleet of leaf blowers (about 35)
somewhere around 30 hours a week between September and November every
year. He told me he uses Amsoil 100:1, and runs the leaf blowers for
years with no down time.

Personally, I use Red Line synthetic at 50:1 in all my engines. Red
Line is readily available at my local NAPA auto parts stores. The stuff
is amazing at keeping the inside of an engine clean. A couple years
ago, a bolt broke on my leaf blower and I had to remove the head to fix
it. The inside of the cylinder was white glove clean, with absolutely
no signs of wear or scuffing. I was astonished.

I don't really use it in all my 2-cycle engines. Red Line is marketed
as a racing oil for 2-cycle motorcycles. For marine use, I use Quaker
State Outboard synthetic. Sadly, my chainsaw and leaf blower get a lot
more hours on them than my fishing boat, so I can't say much about
outboard motor performance.

I still have a quart of paraffin oil, which is what 2-cycle engines used
40 years ago. I remember the 16:1 mix and the cloud of blue smoke.
Between the paraffin oil and leaded gas, you had to pull the engine
apart and chisel the deposits off the head and ports about once every
100 hours.

[rhiebert]

Post by k***@gmail.com
I have a Stihl chainsaw which takes 50:1, a McCulloch which takes
40:1, and a string trimmer which takes 32:1. In the process of web
research to find a way to avoid having to keep three premixes around,
I learned of an oil type called 'one-mix', which apparently can be
mixed in one ratio and used for any engine. Near as I can tell,
1) one-mix generally means 'synthetic';
2) insyntheticoils, the important thing is how much 'good
stuff' (additives) they put in the oil, and so you mix it according to
the ratio the oil manufacturer recommends, not the engine
manufacturer. If they put more 'good stuff' in the oil, you need less
of it in the mix.
Armed with this partial knowledge, I checked out theoilsavailable
locally. I found asynthetic called Amsoil (Saber Professional 100:1
pre-mix), with a TC-something rating (which the Stihl requires),
which claimed that a 100:1 mix was good for chainsaws and a list of
other equipment.
Am I safe using this, in the recommended 100:1 ratio, in all of my
engines, regardless of the ratio specified by the engine manufacture?
Anyone else have experience with synthetic 2-cycle oils and/or "one-
mix"oils?
Thanks,
Kelly

*When changing from non-synthetic 2-cycle to a synthetic, ie. the
Saber Prof Pre-Mix100:1, change the spark plug(s) after the first 15
minutes.

[Kelly]

Thanks all for the feedback... I wasn't aware of the 'shady marketing'
rep of Amsoil; I picked this up at a local sporting goods retailer (GI
Joe's), where it was one of the few synthetic 2-cycle oils they sold.
I'll look for the Red Line next time I'm at NAPA.

Post by rhiebert
*When changing from non-synthetic 2-cycle to a synthetic, ie. the
Saber Prof Pre-Mix100:1, change the spark plug(s) after the first 15
minutes.

Any reason why? I can't think of any reason why a plug which works fine
for dino, and fine for synth, would need replaced if switched from one
to the other?

Kelly