Posted on 11/04/2015 5:07:21 AM PST by CGASMIA68
I love my Stihl chainsaw. It is one fine piece of machinery.
There are multiple companies that offer fully synthetic two-stroke oil.
I wouldn’t use anything but full synthetic oil in a Stihl. Both are specifically designed to perform under high temps.
If you want to understand motor oil, check out bobistheoilguy.com.
Stihls are great - once you get them started.
I use full synthetic TCW3 outboard motor oil in my two stroke chain saw, string trimmer, and Lawn Boy two stroke lawn mower engines with no problems.
Your mileage may vary.
Never had any trouble with that. Most engine wear begins at startup when the oil is cool. Gotta use that fully synthetic on a Stihl to prevent that business, in my experience.
Used whatever was on the shelf and didn’t look to cheap for my 14 year old My Homelite leaf blower and the way too heavy Craftsman chainsaw I recently sold off. Both run fine, but I’m not using these daily either.
I’ve never changed the oil in my 6 year old mower. I leave the bagger on so that when the damn thing finally implodes I’ll have something to put all the shrapnel in. Maybe I should take care of that this weekend...
I have stihl weed whackers and chainsaws. They are hard to start. Once running they work well and seem to last a long time. Very durable.
We have several stations with ethanol free gas but only at “regular” octane.
I get the Stihl ultra in the larger bottles. It’s cheaper, and it’s not hard to measure oil.
I don't know if it would work for anyone regarding two-strokes, but when I was a younger man, and before ethanol was mixed in the gasoline, I was using methanol in racing karts. These were four-cycle engines. At the end of the day, I'd drain the fuel tank, and pull the fuel hose off the tank, fill the length of hose with WD-40 (from the big gallon cans, not the spray cans), and start the engine. I'd let the WD-40 run through the carb and engine. I don't know if it would work the same with ethanol, but when I did this, I'd never run into issues with methanol clogging up the carb.
I also mixed Energy Release into the oil on the four-cycle. These were Tecumseh engines. The local kart guy who'd been racing this class for years, and was the Tecumseh dealer showed me the trick with the WD-40. I showed him my engine after a season of running Energy Release, and he said he'd never seen an engine come apart so clean and in good shape after a racing season.
Stihl 4-strokes require oil-gas pre-mix. Wrap your head around that one.
I understood it looking at a cutaway motor on the counter at a big Stihl shop, but I don’t understand it well enough to explain it.
To the larger question, I agree with the idea that any quality 2-stroke oil should be fine. I’m an old motocrosser from 2-stroke days, surely there’s plenty of stuff out there still that fits the bill.
I guess a good cleanout would work, but the logistics of it when you think about edgers, weed eaters, blowers, hedge trimmers and the like kinda makes that purpose a drawn out thing, doesn’t it?
Cant find it around here,need to go on line
You can’t go wrong using what the manufacturer recommends.
I’ve got a 20-something year old Stihl 026 Pro saw that has cut many hundreds of cords of firewood and it still runs like a scalded dog.
I love it.
/johnny
Could be that ID10T chip on those Stihls.
Kidding! I’m totally kidding!! ;p
Yes, it most certainly does. I haven't dealt with real lawns in over 10 years. I live in New Mexico, where xeriscaping rules (rocks, native plants, and drip systems - if you water at all). Back when I did have the lawn, when I lived in Idaho, I had a trimmer and mower, and the trimmer was an echo gas model, and the gas didn't have ethanol...
To find ethanol-free gas near you check out this website:
www.pure-gas.org
Just yesterday I was at the Stihl dealer for new toys (bigger bar and chain), dropping off chains for sharpening, and a replacement tensioner.
While there another customer asked this exact question.
The reply was anything EXCEPT for marine specific 2 cycle motor oil. (lots of recreational boating products in local gas stations around here)
I use whatever is available in gallons.
I learned where to eyeball on a common disposable paper or plastic cup for measuring.
I never come across gallons of boat motor oil.
OT but, this is a wierd one for me to decloak for...(rare)
/recloaking...
There is a station in Bolivar that has 94.
In Pleasant Hope at the Laney’s store and I’m sure other places VP sells a 98 octane in a metal jug prepackaged like the propane containers out front on the sidewalk.
This year I am buying the VP and using it in my saws.
Well, you’re lucky in that respect you don’t have that much to do. For me, I’d have to do that with an edger, blower, hedge cutter and a trimmer..... At least three hours front and back.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.