Fuel Mix Colour Change ???

[the detached garage]

Hi All:

I have an issue that has me stumped I have a question about fuel changing colour in the saw tank. I use Amsoil Saber in my 2-stroke gas mix for all of my chainsaws. Saber, when mixed, is a blue cool-aid/Gatorade colour. I went to winterize all my saws and when I poured out the gas of each piece of equipment, the fuel was blue in colour – as it was when freshly poured in. There was one exception. When I poured the fuel out of my new Echo CS620p saw, the fuel was orange/rose’ in colour. Almost as if the orange, plastic tank colour had bled into the fuel. Any ideas of what may be going on here? I did run five tanks of fuel through this Echo saw and each time I filled it up, the fuel inside was blue in colour. Fuel has stabilizer in the mix. All my chainsaws have sat for approximately 4 months since their last workout. Not sure what to think. Why is this the only piece of equipment that has had a fuel colour change? All the fuel used in these saws was from the same lot so each piece of equipment is using the same fuel mix. Any insights would be appreciated. I should note that the Echo saw fired up on the third pull (after sitting for 4 months) and ran well, so I can only conclude the colour change did not have any affect on gas quality.

 

[ammoaddict]

Hi All:

I have an issue that has me stumped I have a question about fuel changing colour in the saw tank. I use Amsoil Saber in my 2-stroke gas mix for all of my chainsaws. Saber, when mixed, is a blue cool-aid/Gatorade colour. I went to winterize all my saws and when I poured out the gas of each piece of equipment, the fuel was blue in colour – as it was when freshly poured in. There was one exception. When I poured the fuel out of my new Echo CS620p saw, the fuel was orange/rose’ in colour. Almost as if the orange, plastic tank colour had bled into the fuel. Any ideas of what may be going on here? I did run five tanks of fuel through this Echo saw and each time I filled it up, the fuel inside was blue in colour. Fuel has stabilizer in the mix. All my chainsaws have sat for approximately 4 months since their last workout. Not sure what to think. Why is this the only piece of equipment that has had a fuel colour change? All the fuel used in these saws was from the same lot so each piece of equipment is using the same fuel mix. Any insights would be appreciated. I should note that the Echo saw fired up on the third pull (after sitting for 4 months) and ran well, so I can only conclude the colour change did not have any affect on gas quality.

That is strange.

 

[the detached garage]

That is strange.

Strange for sure. There is zero chance I put in straight gas in the tank because I only carry mixed fuel with my saws. Also, the "unmixed - fresh" fuel I buy is very clear with a slight yellow hue. Definitely not orange/red-ish.

I thought I may have accidentally added "red" bar oil. I did an experiment where I poured mixed gas into a bowl, then added the red bar oil. Fuel stayed mostly blue. I'm baffled.

 

[Woodslasher]

Maybe you or somebody else fuel your saw from a different can with a different mix oil? Or an assistant put bar oil in straight gas to "make the mix for you"?

 

[the detached garage]

Maybe you or somebody else fuel your saw from a different can with a different mix oil? Or an assistant put bar oil in straight gas to "make the mix for you"?

I only use one can of mix with my three cutting saws. All three saws got the exact same fuel each time we were cutting. When it was time to put away the saws for the season, it was the new saw that had fuel colour change. Bizarre. Same fuel as the two other saws. I should add that we only have one 2 stroke mix oil on hand - Amsoil Saber - which definitely has a blue colour to the mix.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Post photos of the fuel in a clear jar against a white background. Someone here will recognize what's going on.

 

[the detached garage]

Post photos of the fuel in a clear jar against a white background. Someone here will recognize what's going on.

Unfortunately I can't. The fuel has been drained into my fuel recycling container. Dumb me didn't think to save it or take pictures.

 

[muddy42]

could your fuel filter or fuel line be deteriorating or dissolving ?

You could try soaking neat gas in the tank for a week and seeing if the issue repeats itself.

 

[J D]

Is that tank "clearer" than the others or was it sitting where it might get more sun or get warmer than the others? The dye may bleach more with more exposure to light &/or heat

 

[Squareground3691]

Pour some of ur mix in it again, let it sit and drain see if anything changes, if not something was wrong the first time around

 

[ZeroJunk]

I got a couple of saws running for a cousin of my BIL and the fuel that came out of all of them looked like orange food coloring. Weird looking.

 

[the detached garage]

could your fuel filter or fuel line be deteriorating or dissolving ?

You could try soaking neat gas in the tank for a week and seeing if the issue repeats itself.

I just checked and fuel line/filter look fine. The saw is new and was put into service in April of this year. I like your idea of adding gas neat to the fuel tank and letting he sit. I can check it periodically. Makes good sense. I'll get on this. Thanks.

 

[the detached garage]

Is that tank "clearer" than the others or was it sitting where it might get more sun or get warmer than the others? The dye may bleach more with more exposure to light &/or heat

The tank of the Echo is a semi clear orange plastic. On the other Stihls, they are a solid white plastic. So UV light could be an issue. When not in use (the last four months), all saws are stored in a dark garage/shop. However, your idea of heat. The Echo was used significantly more so maybe heat had some play. I hope this was a one time event.

 

[the detached garage]

I got a couple of saws running for a cousin of my BIL and the fuel that came out of all of them looked like orange food coloring. Weird looking.

Yes. That's a good description. Similar to what I saw. Weird thing is that two other saws, with fuel out of the same can, looked fine.

@ZeroJunk Did these saws have orange fuel tanks?

 

[RedneckChainsawRepair]

I've seen that before and I run red mix. Sometimes turned orange in different saw tanks when dumping. Not a clue why it happens.
Always thought it was because the orange or red tanks for some reason. Never seen it other colored tanks. That I can recall.

But I am talking orange orange. Not like straight E-gas pink etc.

Now with my E-free 90 I run it is yellow when straight.

 

[the detached garage]

I've seen that before and I run red mix. Sometimes turned orange in different saw tanks when dumping. Not a clue why it happens.
Always thought it was because the orange or red tanks for some reason. Never seen it other colored tanks. That I can recall.

But I am talking orange orange. Not like straight E-gas pink etc.

Now with my E-free 90 I run it is yellow when straight.

View attachment 1121498

Thanks very much for this info. Makes me feel better - lol. It has to be the orange plastic tank. The shade of the fuel was definitely orange based. I'm going to put some clean, unmixed fuel in the tank to see if the gas colour turns.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Mark that saw if you're putting unmixed fuel in it. Big red tag on the pull cord or something.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. I'm the only one who uses my equipment, but I probably wouldn't do it at all. Figuring out some fuel color foible isn't enough incentive to risk straight gassing a saw. I do have some Mobil Racing 2T that's very lightly colored, I might mix up a batch of fuel with that and try it, but I definitely wouldn't put unmixed fuel in the tank.

 

[the detached garage]

Mark that saw if you're putting unmixed fuel in it. Big red tag on the pull cord or something.

Maybe I'm just paranoid. I'm the only one who uses my equipment, but I probably wouldn't do it at all. Figuring out some fuel color foible isn't enough incentive to risk straight gassing a saw. I do have some Mobil Racing 2T that's very lightly colored, I might mix up a batch of fuel with that and try it, but I definitely wouldn't put unmixed fuel in the tank.

I'm as paranoid as you - lol. This is why I'm the only guy who mixes fuel for my saws. Thanks for the reminder. I will add mixed fuel to the tank to see if it changes again. I am interested to see how a blue mix turns orange.

 

[Breckinridge Elkins]

Your 620p probably came with a bottle of Echo Power Blend Gold which mixes orange. Are you sure you didn't use it?
And I agree with Yota. What's to be gained by putting straight gas in the tank besides heartbreak? The original sample was mixed, use the same fuel as before.

I have two Echo's with the semi clear tanks that have sat awhile. I will dump them out tomorrow to see if there's any color leeching.

 

[the detached garage]

Your 620p probably came with a bottle of Echo Power Blend Gold which mixes orange. Are you sure you didn't use it?
And I agree with Yota. What's to be gained by putting straight gas in the tank besides heartbreak? The original sample was mixed, use the same fuel as before.

I have two Echo's with the semi clear tanks that have sat awhile. I will dump them out tomorrow to see if there's any color leeching.

Hello Breckenridge Ellis. I did not use any fuel/oil in this saw other than the Amsoil Saber. I ran 5 tanks of fuel/saber through this new 620p in the spring, then it sat for 4 months. It was when I went to winterize and dumped the fuel that I noticed the orange-ish coloured fuel. Should have been cool aid blue like my other two saws that got winterized at the same time.

Agreed on the test gas. I currently have added fresh, new fuel/Saber mix to the 620p and I will let it sit for several months and I will sample the fuel periodically to see if there is any colour change. Let me know what you find out about your orange semi-clear tanked saws.

I plan to contact Echo to see if they have ever run into this situation before. I'm not concerned - just extremely puzzled. The saw runs beautifully. Inside/outside integrity of the fuel tank seems to be fine. Thanks for your help B E.