Oil/Fuel Mix in Older Chain Saws

[Philbert]

I'm looking in a manual for an older Husqvarna saw I acquired, and the recommendations for the oil/fuel mix varies from 1:20 ('oil'), 1:25 ('pre-mixed oil'), to 1:50 ('Husqvarna Twostroke oil').

I use a good quality 2-cycle chainsaw oil, so I am not concerned about using the 1:50 ratio, but it makes me curious about the other mixes and what the other oils were. The saw was from around 1979, so I assume that there are some of you guys who remember some of this stuff.

I also have an older Remington Sportsman II (also 1979) that I haven't gotten around to yet, but saw that the Chain Saw Collectors' Corner web page lists a 1:16 ratio for this saw! Is this correct or for a special type of oil, or does it need that much oil (almost seems like a diesel)?

Thanks for sharing any knowledge or insight.

 

[West Texas]

I think we have better two cycle oil and good gas today; that makes it right for using a different mix than we did years ago. I think I used 40:1 in everything about ten years ago; but, not any more.

 

[crane]

My old Mac 1-40 calls for a 16:1 ratio and I was told with the newer name brand oils STIHL,etc it was o.k to bump that mix to 25:1. Saw seems to like it, although I've not got many tanks thru it. I'm sure there will be more opinions to come...

 

[eyolf]

There are a ton of old threads regarding oil, enough to keep you entertained for hours if you like...

You can google up stuff on oils too; enthusiast sites for model aircraft and boats often have links to some pretty esoteric discussions. You can learn a lot more.

That old Remington really should have more oil, although if you baby it, I'm sure you could get by with 50:1 with a very high-end "service TC" (not TC-W3) oil, after you had run a tank of 20:1 mix through to thoroughly coat everything. The extra oil has to do with the tolerances of bearing fits and cylinder bore finish. Modern saws with a Nikasyl bore coating need a very light film to effectively lube and seal. Tighter tolerances require less oil to cushion and take up space.

 

[Philbert]

Oil/Fuel Mix

Thanks guys. This is helpful.