Duh (revealing my ignorance on mixing 2 cycle gas/oil

Riverslim · Sep 17, 2018

Always used 50 to 1 mixtures. Someone gave me an antique chainsaw, fuel cap says 16 to 1. 1 oz of oil to 16 oz of fuel?

JMOR · Sep 17, 2018

(quoted from post at 19:20:28 09/17/18) Always used 50 to 1 mixtures. Someone gave me an antique chainsaw, fuel cap says 16 to 1. 1 oz of oil to 16 oz of fuel?

or sure!

grizz02 · Sep 17, 2018

go get a ratio rite cup it has all the ratios on it any good hardware or motorcycle shop has them about 3 bucks

Crazy Horse · Sep 17, 2018

Yes, that would be 16 parts gasoline to one part oil ....... BUT that would be an older version of 2-stroke oil, not nearly what you get nowadays. I have an old Pioneer chain saw that has that kind of a ratio recommended but I have been using 50:1 mix for years now using the newer oils.

Steve@Advance · Sep 17, 2018

I would mix it 16-1, like the mfg recommends. Carry some extra spark plugs and don't let it idle!

Though the new oils are better, not knowing the internals of the engine, it may have bronze bushings instead of roller bearings.

If you don't plan on working it, just starting it for demonstration purposes, then you could cut back on the oil.

jeffcat · Sep 17, 2018

When you go to your happy go lucky gas station take your little sealed one gallon Eagle safty can. Pour in a regular bottle of 2cy mix. Now buy Hi-Test gas and only put in 3/4 gallon of gas. This will give you about a 36 to one mix. This will be very kind to any 2cy. engine you have. The oldest saws I own go back to the early 1950s all the way up to 2016. Everything is very happy and runs clean. Some of the really old saws had 16/1 mix and that was one Pint of 40wt. motor oil to a gallon of gas. You look like a steam engine going up a really steep grade in the winter.

Russ from MN · Sep 17, 2018

I run almost everything 3 oz to the gallon, that's about 43 - 1, that includes 2 saws that are 45 years old, and haven't had a problem. I think the oils nowadays are so much better it's fine. The one exeption is an almost new Stihl blower, I bought their oil to get the extended waranty so It's getting 50-1.

47fivewindow · Sep 17, 2018

I agree the oils are not comparable. If anything, the older engines had a lot less r.p.m., better steel, and larger bearings. I buy the 40 to one mix and use it in everything except the old 16 to 1 two stroke outboard motors that seem very happy at 50 to one outboard mix. I may be wrong but that has worked for many years.

guido · Sep 17, 2018

Hello riverslim,

32 to 40 to 1 ratios will work just fine. Here is how you find out how much oil to a gallon for a ratio. One gallon(128 ounce) devided by the ratio you want to mix, will give you the oil amounts you need for that ratio.
For a 32 to 1 ratio 128/32=4,

Guido.

4play · Sep 17, 2018

The mix ratio's didn't have much to do with the engine or brand as it did with the quality of oils at the time. Any modern oil is good enough to run 40 or 50:1 on small equipment. Some of the best oils can go up to 100:1 or more. I have ran Amsoil Sabre for a couple years at 100:1.

Part Time Pete · Sep 17, 2018

My kid runs Klotz in his moto cross bike. I started running it in my stuff and noticed a positive improvement. I run 40:1, old or new
Pete

D beatty · Sep 18, 2018

Been running Opti-2 for over 18 years and one mix covers all makes and ages of 2 cycle engines with no problems with any engine used in.

Bret4207 · Sep 18, 2018

Go ahead and run an old 16-1 saw at 50 or 100-1. You'll be buying a new saw shortly.

Switchflicker · Sep 18, 2018

I'm with you on the Opti-2 My 35 year old Pioneer A1200 has worked just fine on it for as many years as the Opti was available
Stan

Crazy Horse · Sep 18, 2018

Bret ...... it would appear that there are a lot of guys who are going to be experiencing a 2-stroke meltdown (including me),
but it just hasn't happened yet I guess. Somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen from what I read here from most guys who
are running the old equipment on super lean ratios with the newer oils.

JMOR · Sep 18, 2018

(quoted from post at 08:55:34 09/18/18)
Go ahead and run an old 16-1 saw at 50 or 100-1. You'll be buying a new saw shortly.

es, I too find forums amusing. Take the advice of a forum poster over the manufacturer of the engine any day....to h3ll with those synthetic oil recommendations for your 2018 vehicle, just put half & half mix of non-detergent oil and kerosene in the crankcase and drive on....be happy, every 'expert' knows better than the manufacturer, after all you read it in the internet, so it must be true!

D beatty · Sep 18, 2018

I have been running the Opti_2 which is your 100-1 ratio in saws that are 30 years old and have yet to have a melt down. My oldest saw is a
Super50 Husky and it runs better and cleaner than it did with original mixture. When I bought my first new Stihl saw over 18 years ago
dealer got me started on Opti-2 and stihl will honor warranty using Opti-2. I like the idea that I don't need a bunch of different cans of
gas with different mixtures and having somebody putting wrong mixture in a machine.

Bret4207 · Sep 19, 2018

(quoted from post at 11:17:11 09/18/18) Bret ...... it would appear that there are a lot of guys who are going to be experiencing a 2-stroke meltdown (including me),
but it just hasn't happened yet I guess. Somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen from what I read here from most guys who
are running the old equipment on super lean ratios with the newer oils.

I'm sure some people will be able to keep the saw going for a good long while. But those are going to be people that aren't leaning the saw out and don't have any seals going and they aren't using the ethanol fuels we get here. The newer oils are great, don't get me wrong. But you take an old saw with some air leaks and maybe a piston that's already got a little scoring and then lean it out so it "screams" like a modern saw and it WILL die. It's just a matter of time. The materials and clearances from the old days are different than today. I will put my trust in using a good quality oil mixed at about 35 or 40-1 with fresh, NON-ETHANOL gas. I will set the carb erring slightly to the rich side even if it costs me a couple rpm and I'll try to keep the saw in the best shape I can. I've got saws from the 1960s that have survived rather well using this method. I have seen and owned too many saws that people trashed using decent oils, but mixed way too lean and that someone tweaked the carb on to run as fast as possible wide open with no load. That is a recipe for disaster.

BarnyardEngineering · Sep 19, 2018

Why would you lean out an old saw so it runs like a modern saw? You'd adjust the carb so it runs like it's supposed to.

BTW, less oil in the mix RICHENS the fuel mixture because there's more gasoline going through.

Aaron Ford · Sep 19, 2018

Keep that Klotz shook up. I ended up replacing a piston after leaving a jug of mixed gas set. The top of the can ran great, the bottom stuck the piston rings. It was my fault. I mixed too much and forgot to shake it (or didn't shake it enough). It was a great oil otherwise. The Castor 927 was a good oil but would separate at low temps. The kid has convinced me to switch to Amsoil and we haven't bought a piston since. It is also like Klotz in that the dyes ensure that it is easy to tell what is mixed and what is straight. With a teenager running around, sometimes it is hard to tell if it doesn't change color.

Aaron

Bret4207 · Sep 20, 2018

(quoted from post at 09:46:12 09/19/18) Why would you lean out an old saw so it runs like a modern saw? You'd adjust the carb so it runs like it's supposed to.

BTW, less oil in the mix RICHENS the fuel mixture because there's more gasoline going through.

People do it because they don't understand that a 1975 Mac 7-10 isn't supposed to sound like a 2018 top end Husky. And most people don't know anything about getting a sw to run like it's supposed to, they just know they can get more speed by turning the "H" needle in. Never forget half the people out there are below average intelligence!

No, when speaking of 2 cycle fuel mixes, a "richer" mix has more oil. A "leaner" mix has less oil. That's industry standard for the past 75 years. When referring to carb adjustments, "richer" is more fuel vs air and "leaner" is less fuel and more air. You have to differentiate between the fuel mix and the carb adjustments if someone gets confused on this, but in both cases a leaner mix has less oil going into the cylinder.

Duh (revealing my ignorance on mixing 2 cycle gas/oil

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