Old Fuel/Spark Plugs

[Jim Mesthene]

Some info first so you can judge/categorize me:
My first saw, a Mac, was mercifully stolen in 1975.
Got a Pioneer P40, used it for 30 years on my woodlot in NH.
Just got a new Husky

The manual, a cover letter from Bailey's, and lots of posts warn about old fuel. With my Pioneer, I mixed gas, oil (16/1) and stabilizer and used it for up to a year without a problem. Can I do the same with my Husky (synthetic @ 32/1)? Why not?

My manual calls for an NGK Spark Plug. Everyone, including Bailey's seems to like Bosch plugs. I was a SAAB/Jaguar mechanic for 27 years and built some race engines too. I always found NGKs to perform better with a broader heat range than Bosch, fouled less too. Any comments? Comments suggesting Champion plugs will be disregarded.

 

[skwerl]

Modern high quality mix oil already has fuel stabilizer mixed in. No need for additional. I've regularly used fuel up to 2 months old without any issues, although one of my old Echos recently gave me fits trying to run on fuel that had been in the tank for a year. Better to buy and mix less fuel, more often. No equipment manufacturer of any type would condone 1 year old fuel regardless of what you add to it.

If you're going to mix at 32-1, be sure to adjust the carb to run on that mixture. Whatever ratio you use, just adjust for it and stick with it. I'd abandon the 16-1 ratio for any saw.

I run NGK in all my Husky saws, I own 4 and none of them are stock.

 

[Jim Mesthene]

If you're going to mix at 32-1, be sure to adjust the carb to run on that mixture. Whatever ratio you use, just adjust for it and stick with it.

My plan was to adust the mixture by plug color, after it's gone through a few tanks of gas. Sound reasonable?

 

[skwerl]

Yup. Combine that with basic carb adjustment technique and you're golden. Of course you usually have to bypass the EPA limiter caps in order to actually set up the saw properly, but that's another topic that's been beaten to death. :bang:
http://www.madsens1.com/sawtune.htm

 

[bwalker]

Adjusting by plug mixture is often unmisenderstood and harder to do than most think.. I would just find the no load rpm and tach it to that or go to Madsens site and listen to there carb tuning tutorial.