mixing ratios for 2 stroke chainsaws

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You can find/read online where one CSM user built three saws w/ new piston/ rings ran 1x 25:1, 1x 50:1, 1x100:1, (all synthetic) ran each x-hours under load and tore down; his conclusion was stick with 50:1 for least carbon and least skirt scuffing. My 10-yrs_ experience w/ synthethic says same. OLD, lower grade dino oils= ANOTHER STORY. USE SYNTHETHIC, TUNE TO YOUR MIX, and stay there. MINE is 50:1 and VERY Happy, with all my ***.
That has no statistical validity and the methodology is likewise poor.
We do have a member hear that runs 25:1 and he likes the results. I don't like tonuse that much oil in a saw because I don't think the loads involved warrant it, but I have ran 32:1 for years. I can assure you my engines look very good, the saws don't smoke and I have never plugged a spark screen.
Most modern oils are really synthetic blends. There are also oils that are straight synthetics that suck. Synthetic in and of itself doesn't tell one much when it comes to two cycle oils.
 
I like Amsoil saber, mostly because the exhaust doesn’t give me a headache and smells quite pleasant, but their testing of weed eaters against echo oil was such a huge fail and waste of time. Whoever came up with the test was a fool - the engines weren’t ever under load in 300 hours…
Scamsoil repeatedly does stuff like this and it's been going on for years. One of the reasons I won't touch their wares.
 
I just had a GM
Yeah, I can't argue with that. Just the past 16 stand out as THE most INFURIATING vehicles of all time.

My '07 Silverado garage queen with just 103k miles on the clock took me 2 weeks to R&R the transmission - WITH a LIFT - after 3rd & 4th went up in smoke. Every single part of that truck fought me, from the plastic grille, to the bellhousing bolts, manifolds, and transfer case bolts ... not to mention the 200 different styles of connectors that have ZERO logic as to how they come apart. Was absolutely INFURIATING! I'm just thankful mine doesn't have a fraction of the rust that most vehicles this age do around here. Could've been 10x worse!
I just had a GMC Acadia smoke an engine with less than 150k on the clock. And it that vehicle took alot of parts to make it that long. Meanwhile my Toyota Tacoma has over 200K on it and has ate a few serpentine belts, tires and one set of brakes...
 
Sorry to say but they're all junk and built with planned obsolescence as part of the equation. It's a matter of finding what fits you, figuring out the weaknesses and dealing with them.
Maintenance and rust prevention (around here) is key. Skip on the rust prevention and the Maintenance won't much matter. I regularly see trucks inside of 10 years falling apart, literally. Ford, GM, and Ram can't keep bed sides intact. Toyota seems a little better but their bed and cab floors rot out, as do the frames rails and cross members for the bed supports.
 
That has no statistical validity and the methodology is likewise poor.
We do have a member hear that runs 25:1 and he likes the results. I don't like tonuse that much oil in a saw because I don't think the loads involved warrant it, but I have ran 32:1 for years. I can assure you my engines look very good, the saws don't smoke and I have never plugged a spark screen.
Most modern oils are really synthetic blends. There are also oils that are straight synthetics that suck. Synthetic in and of itself doesn't tell one much when it comes to two cycle oils.

Just to clarify, I have only seen one saw with a stopped up muffler screen. Not sure how they did that.

Hedge trimmers with the exhaust on the bottom stop up regularly, and the 2 cycle blowers stop up regularly.

With the trimmers I think it is the position of the exhaust. With the blowers I think they work around an area at half throttle to control where everything goes and don't get it hot enough to burn it off.

Chainsaws by nature of use stay hot enough to keep the carbon burnt off.

I usually throw them away or grind them off depending on how they are made, but I'm sure I'm supposed to burn them off with a propane torch and put them back in.
 
Until you realise it’s the EPA who control what the engineers can do.
The EPA doesn't set oil ratios though. Oil ratios are more driven by the perception of visible smoke and the fact the average consumer is a farking idiot that can't tune a carb or maintain anything to save their lives.
 
Just to clarify, I have only seen one saw with a stopped up muffler screen. Not sure how they did that.

Hedge trimmers with the exhaust on the bottom stop up regularly, and the 2 cycle blowers stop up regularly.

With the trimmers I think it is the position of the exhaust. With the blowers I think they work around an area at half throttle to control where everything goes and don't get it hot enough to burn it off.

Chainsaws by nature of use stay hot enough to keep the carbon burnt off.

I usually throw them away or grind them off depending on how they are made, but I'm sure I'm supposed to burn them off with a propane torch and put them back in.
I use to run BP blowers alot and still do, but to a lesser degree. Never had a screen plug. I should add that the last two I have had where strato engines that run very clean. Before that I had a Stihl BR420.
I also have a Stihl FS85 trimmer that I bought used from a friend some time around the year 2000. It's never been cleaned either.
I might add I run the blowers wide open same for a trimmer. The crude carbs on O P E really don't work that great at half throttle and they aren't ment to be ran like that.
 
Sorry to say but they're all junk and built with planned obsolescence as part of the equation. It's a matter of finding what fits you, figuring out the weaknesses and dealing with them.
Maintenance and rust prevention (around here) is key. Skip on the rust prevention and the Maintenance won't much matter. I regularly see trucks inside of 10 years falling apart, literally. Ford, GM, and Ram can't keep bed sides intact. Toyota seems a little better but their bed and cab floors rot out, as do the frames rails and cross members for the bed supports.
Rust isn't the fault of the MFG's to some degree. It's hard to make something iutnof steel that won't rust when subjected to 3-6 months of salt water exposure every year.
When I moved to Montana from Upper MI I was amazed at the number of older vehicles running around with no rust.
 
I use to run BP blowers alot and still do, but to a lesser degree. Never had a screen plug. I should add that the last two I have had where strato engines that run very clean. Before that I had a Stihl BR420.
I also have a Stihl FS85 trimmer that I bought used from a friend some time around the year 2000. It's never been cleaned either.
I might add I run the blowers wide open same for a trimmer. The crude carbs on O P E really don't work that great at half throttle and they aren't ment to be ran like that.


We have an account who buys BR450's maybe a dozen at a time and they won't even take them unless you remove the screen.
 
Rust isn't the fault of the MFG's to some degree. It's hard to make something iutnof steel that won't rust when subjected to 3-6 months of salt water exposure every year.
When I moved to Montana from Upper MI I was amazed at the number of older vehicles running around with no rust.

I've lived in the PNW my whole life. I watch Candadian Youtuber Deboss Garage, and have literally gone "wow that's rusty, PASS" seconds before he's going IT'S SO CLEAN, THERE'S NO RUST ANYWHERE! Surface rust doesn't even register to him.
 
Rust isn't the fault of the MFG's to some degree.

Steel can be galvanized easy enough to withstand decades of corrosion. It's just not cost efficient. (Most) people would rather spend $20k for a "luxury" package, so that's what the masses get instead of a vehicle that will actually last. Planned obsolescence.

Volkswagen actually tried to get it right more so than anyone here in N.A. did. Double sided zinc plated panels. Copper Nickel brake lines. I've seen many 20 year old VW/Audis around here with original brake lines looking much better than other manufacturers half their age.
BUT they get failing marks on so many of the mechanicals and is understandable why people that don't live in the land of cancer overlook them.

It's all a trade off.

For a better perception of my environment, Fluid Film performed a 5 year study at my counties ODOT garage. We're a perfect storm of heavy Lake Effect snow (100"+ per year avg), high year round humidity, and winter temps that are conducive to accelerated corrosion.

I'd gladly give up most all of the amenities in modern vehicles for something that could just hold up for 25 years with minimal structural maintenance. But that's not what most people want .

As it is, I easily spend 10-12 hours and $100 per vehicle annually on rust prevention.....all to eventually lose anyhow. That might not sound like alot....multiply by 4 (vehicles) and one maybe starts to appreciate the effort. Most won't put this effort into one let alone 4. It's a real investment both physically and financially in long term ownership here. There's no alternatives unless one wishes to have a car payment for life.

OK! Today's crying session complete! 😂😂
 
We have an account who buys BR450's maybe a dozen at a time and they won't even take them unless you remove the screen.
And that's probaly not a bad idea unless your in the western US.
The other thing is those 4mix engines are really a poor design. The exhaust valves gum up and start to leak. I could see that very easily causing a plugged screen.
 
I've lived in the PNW my whole life. I watch Candadian Youtuber Deboss Garage, and have literally gone "wow that's rusty, PASS" seconds before he's going IT'S SO CLEAN, THERE'S NO RUST ANYWHERE! Surface rust doesn't even register to him.
That salt causes issues with the entire driveline too. Wheel bearings, pinions seals, U joints, etc.
 
Steel can be galvanized easy enough to withstand decades of corrosion. It's just not cost efficient. (Most) people would rather spend $20k for a "luxury" package, so that's what the masses get instead of a vehicle that will actually last. Planned obsolescence.

Volkswagen actually tried to get it right more so than anyone here in N.A. did. Double sided zinc plated panels. Copper Nickel brake lines. I've seen many 20 year old VW/Audis around here with original brake lines looking much better than other manufacturers half their age.
BUT they get failing marks on so many of the mechanicals and is understandable why people that don't live in the land of cancer overlook them.

It's all a trade off.

For a better perception of my environment, Fluid Film performed a 5 year study at my counties ODOT garage. We're a perfect storm of heavy Lake Effect snow (100"+ per year avg), high year round humidity, and winter temps that are conducive to accelerated corrosion.

I'd gladly give up most all of the amenities in modern vehicles for something that could just hold up for 25 years with minimal structural maintenance. But that's not what most people want .

As it is, I easily spend 10-12 hours and $100 per vehicle annually on rust prevention.....all to eventually lose anyhow. That might not sound like alot....multiply by 4 (vehicles) and one maybe starts to appreciate the effort. Most won't put this effort into one let alone 4. It's a real investment both physically and financially in long term ownership here. There's no alternatives unless one wishes to have a car payment for life.

OK! Today's crying session complete! 😂😂
The US OEM's have been using galvanized and coated steels for decades.
I know this because I previously worked for the biggest supplier of automotive steel in the US.
 
They set emission standards which are intrinsically linked.
Oil has very little impact on two stroke emmissions. So no, they are not intrinsically linked. The same mechanism that allows unburnt fuel to escape the exhaust port is the same mechanism that allows un combusted oil to escape the exhaust port. IE in a traditional two stroke the transfer port and the exhaust port are both open at the same time to facilitate scavenging of exhaust from the cylinder. Strato charging is now widely used to stop this and Autotune and Mtronic controlled carbs keep the fuel to air ratio in a range that ensures efficient combustion.
In short it's the scavenging process in traditional two strokes that causes high emmissions and the oil content has little to no influence on this.
 
I once serviced an old Homelite XL-1 for a friend who bought it used cheap at an estate sale. The saw would literally not run fast enough to spin up the chain, not even high idle. I found out why when I pulled apart the muffler, it was choked up with so much carbon it only had a few pinholes left to pass the exhaust gas. It was a muffler like this.

xl-1 muffler.jpg

Almost every one of those vents were plugged solid. To this day I have never seen this amount of carbon build up in a muffler, I can only speculate as to how it got in that condition as it was impossible for the saw to cut wood. My best guess is that someone let it idle through a complete or even several tanks of gas with a rich mixture, wrong oil, bad gas or a combination of them.
I have several of these saws, and have never had any significant carbon buildup in any of their mufflers. I run Castrol 2t for the most part, I don't think it's anything special as oils go, but it has never plugged up a screen or baffle.
I suppose proper tuning is the key with any oil/mix ratio, personally it bugs me when a saw doesn't sound right, and the mix adjustment screwdriver is always close by during any cutting secession.
 
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