Gas Mix?

[djg james]

I've got a Stihl 038 and I've always use the 2.5 gal mix of Stihl oil. Actually, I can only get 2.2 - 2.3 gallons of gas in my metal gas tank. So it comes out to 44:1 to 46:1 mix. I'm told it's better for the saw to have a little more oil than not. Any truth in that?

But I was checking specs on my saw and found this:
http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...d7d12fb678653bf688256ba20049bcdb?OpenDocument
EEK! It says the proper gas mix is 40:1. I thought all Stihls were 50:1.

 

[MACHINE]

32-1 for me

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[djg james]

Yep. It took me waaayyyy too many years to learn to throw out a file. I now buy by the dozen

32-1 for me

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For Stihl?

 

[djg james]

Just down loaded the Stihl manual for the 038. The saw was my Dad's and manual lost years ago. The manual says 50:1.

 

[djg james]

Just down loaded the Stihl manual for the 038. The saw was my Dad's and manual lost years ago. The manual says 50:1.

 

[tug]

You are correct, more oil can cause saw to run poorly "unless retuned", foul spark plugs, and cause carbon buildup over time. Running a saw lean burns them up quickly. The oil debate is an endless subject. It seems because of the EPA all newer saws are 50:1. Saw used to be run anywhere from 32,40 to 1 which might be better for the saw, more oil on moving parts but more emissions. 038 is an older saw. Then there is the argument you can run synthetic oil leaner than conventional. Bottom line you are likely fine with what you are doing

 

[djg james]

So which is 'Correct'?

The 40:1 from the link posted first or the 50:1 from the Stihl manual that I down loaded?

 

[CatMan Fetters]

You can run 40 to 1 or 50 to 1, I ran 50 to one in all my saws for 30 years now i use Honda HP2 and run 40 to 1 and all my saws including my 1994 036 without issues!

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

I run 32:1 in everything.

 

[ammoaddict]

So which is 'Correct'?

The 40:1 from the link posted first or the 50:1 from the Stihl manual that I down loaded?

I would just keep doing what you're doing

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[tug]

So which is 'Correct'?

The 40:1 from the link posted first or the 50:1 from the Stihl manual that I down loaded?

Bottom line you are likely fine with what you are doing.
If you retune your carb you can run just about anything richer than 50 to 1
You are fine putting a 2.5 gallon bottle in 2.3 gallons of gas or 44:1 to 46:1. I would use synthetic or the silver bottle.
I think the stihl would rather you ran saws at 40 to 1 and the EPA says 50 to 1
A saw carb should be tuned for the mix you are running 50 to 1, 40 to 1, 32 to 1
With what you are doing, with a quality oil you kind of got it covered. Synthetic oil lubricates better and burn cleaner than conventional oils of the past.

 

[lone wolf]

Tree Service owner operator here 44 years I run 40 to 1 synthetic oil nothing blows up from poor lubrication. 50 to 1 works but I am more comfortable knowing it has more oil . If i had to use 50 to 1 i would use it in blowers and weed whackers and stuff like that that dont rev real high.

 

[rydplrs]

44/46-1 is probably better then most people do for accuracy. Do you weigh the residue in the bottle? I would be shocked if anything 35-1 to 60-1 was outside the design spec, or taken care of with recommended preventative maintenance and don’t reduce engine life by more then a couple percent.

 

[ammoaddict]

Tree Service owner operator here 44 years I run 40 to 1 synthetic oil nothing blows up from poor lubrication. 50 to 1 works but I am more comfortable knowing it has more oil . If i had to use 50 to 1 i would use it in blowers and weed whackers and stuff like that that dont rev real high.

What kind of oil do you use?

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[lone wolf]

What kind of oil do you use?

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Amsoil Saber in quarts.

 

[lone wolf]

44/46-1 is probably better then most people do for accuracy. Do you weigh the residue in the bottle? I would be shocked if anything 35-1 to 60-1 was outside the design spec, or taken care of with recommended preventative maintenance and don’t reduce engine life by more then a couple percent.

I would not run 60 to 1 this is all EPA mandated BS 32 to 1 prob is the best for the saw but I dont like to breath extra smoke.

 

[djg james]

Just curious, do you use Regular or Premium gas? I heard Premium was better for saws, too.

 

[lone wolf]

Just curious, do you use Regular or Premium gas? I heard Premium was better for saws, too.

Premium.

 

[RED-85-Z51]

People used to run 100:1 with Valvoline oil some years ago with no issues at all. 50:1 with modern high quality oil and ethanol free fuel should be good. Remember that old specs were with...then, quality oils.

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[djg james]

44/46-1 is probably better then most people do for accuracy. Do you weigh the residue in the bottle? I would be shocked if anything 35-1 to 60-1 was outside the design spec, or taken care of with recommended preventative maintenance and don’t reduce engine life by more then a couple percent.

I double rinse the bottle with gas, so residue is negligible.