Poulan chain saw oil ??

Bought a used poulan chain saw , 3400 model, from a used lawn mower and saw shop. Would anyone know what ratio of oil this saw might use? I was thinking it might be 16:1 but not sure. Thanks.

Run 16to 1 oil in her,lots of oil with todays gas,that 3400 was made back when Poulan was still building a quality saw.Scott

I think it would run fine with 40-1, the oil is so much better than it used to be. Do not use gas with ethanol in it and only use oil for air cooled engines. I have a Poulan that I bought new in 1972 and I run 40-1 in it.

It has more to do with the quality or refinment of the oil than the saw. If you buy 50:1 oil than mix it 50:1 Make sure the oil has fuel stabalizer in it and perferably use high octane fuel.

Dont take secondhand information,Here is the manual,Kinda interesting on the two options they give you.Bill M.
online manual

3.2 ounces per gallon I think that is a 40to 1 ratio.

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POULAN 3400

I buy Poulan/Weedeater brand 40 to 1 two stroke oil at the local WallyWorld to use in my old Mac weedeater that also requires 40 to 1 mix. It has fuel stabilizer in the oil.

Kent

wonder why this link shows a different ratio than the owners manual?

I have a couple Stihl chainsaws, and use the genuine Stihl mixing oil. So you are OK saying to use the Poulan stuff from Walmart in a Poulan. My opinion is that OEM is always best on stuff like this. DOUG

I use the synthetic oil in my poulan and after 6-7 years of moderate use (25 loads of wood a year) I am still running the origional spark plug.

I run it 40:1.

Hello bill mart,
Simple answer! the manual is correct.
There is so much wrong, misleading and just plain wrong info on the web.
Take it all with the coution, at least.
We used to call them key punch operators in the old days of the computer revolution.
Now they call them data entry?
Oh well..........
Guido.

I've been running my Stihl 045 Super since new - and I bought it around 1985. Always run a 20 to 1 mix and never used any name-brand "50 to 1" rated oil. Always used the cheapest two-stroke-oil I could find, and plain 30W motor oil a few times. It too still has the original spark plug. In fact, I've never had to replace a plug in any of my Sthil saws. I do pull them out and check once inwhile - and gap and scrape off if needed (which is rare). I'll note that I heat a home and barn 100% with wood and cut a lot of wood every year.

I don't post this to prove anything other then . . . your getting 6-7 years with an original plug is to be expected in a well cared for saw - regardless of oil used. Not unsual at all and it proves nothing specifically in favor of synthetic oil.

I have seen many cheap (non platinum or copper) plugs short and fail, which had nothing to do with the oil-mix. They are usually only found in teh cheap homeowner "throw-away" saws.

in the old days they used the old mixture of 16:1. Then saw technology and oil mixtures changed & they went to the 40:1 sometime in late '70's, early '80's. The 2 manuals were written at different times.

jd:

There seems to be a difference of opinion between you and my Stihl dealer.

I asked their small engine mechanic about running 32:1 ratio so I could use the same mix in my Lawn Boy mowers and my Stihl saws.

His basic reply was, that as much as they would like for me to run the rich mix, the 310 would have issues. Not so much with the old 025.

Is that because the 025 is an old saw, and the 310 is a "cleaner" running "new" saw? DOUG

I worked for many Stihl, Sachs, and Homelite dealers, along with many John Deere dealers - going back to the 1960s. We all expressed our opinions to customers, but much had nothing to do with sny sort of "inside" information from the company making the products.

The situation is this, with two-stroke-cycle engines.

Many older saws ran mixes like 16-1, or 20-1 because many people were using regular 30W motor oil. NOTE that Stihl allowed that, even in the 1980s. Also . . . many cheaper saws did not use materials durable enough for "mistakes" in mixes lacking lube.

Now? All the newer equipment must meed Federal and/or California emmissions specs. So, the mixes MUST be light on oil. Subsequently, "super" oils and mixes like 50-1 have to be recommended. If a company recommends anything else, they are supporting somebody defying emmissions-regs.

If you mix 20 - 1 in a new saw, it won't hurt a thing and is apt to make it last longer. Only possible downside is premature plugging of the spark-arrestor screen if you have one on the muffler. Or . . . the saw might run leaner with extra oil. More oil in the mix means less gasoline and thus a leaner fuel mixture. So, you might have to readjust the carb and some have plastic limiter caps you have to pry off.

I've been running 16-1 for 40 years, in everything I run. That includes my newest saws including two Dolmars, two Efcos, one Husqvarna, and one junker Poulan. Also several saws 40+ years old, including my 040.

As I stated earlier, I have saws run on that mix for over 20 years that still have the original spark plugs and fouling has never been an issue. That includes my Stihl 045 Super and two Stihl 041 Supers.

I'm not saying anyone needs a heavier mix. I'm just saying it hurts nothing. I've got a lot odd-ball two-stroke-cycle stuff around here, including tree tappers, portable water pumps, electtric generators, etc. Some call for 16 -1 and some allow 50-1. I prefer to have one mix that works in all of them.

Even in the late 1980s - Stihl stated this: "Stihl recommends a mix of 1:40 for Stihl-brand two-cycle engine oil . . . or . . . 1:25 for other branded two-stroke engine oils . . . or . . 1:20 of 30W motor oil.

One more comment as to why I like a heavier mix. There are NO mandated tests done on two-stroke-oils to insure quality. Companies selling their "special" oils are free to claim whatever they want. Two-stroke-oils WERE commonly tested years back, but no more. So, you can't go by the spec-ratings on the bottle, like you can for motor oils or gear oils. The only spec that I believe is one to the negative. When an oil says TCW3 only, I won't use it in an air-cooled engine. Boating industry oils DO get tested since they are more mainstream. API-TC is the rating most American saw companies ask for. But, it costs a small fortune to have a brand of oil tested and certfied, so few do it. It is NOT required by law. So with the USA, the Asians, and the Europeans, we have new saws calling for . . API-TC, Jaso-FD, and/or ISO-L-EGD+, yet you're going to have a hard time buying any oil that actually carries that official certification.