Two stroke mix that isn't green...

[Hillbilly1]

Bought a new 660 earlier this week from the dealer, they took it in back and ran it for 1.5 to 2 minutes and then brought it out. Since I work in a manufacturing facility I assumed it was drained of gas for transport but never checked (hey, it's a habit - we drain stuff before it goes anywhere). Anyway, got it home and the gas in the tank was NOT green, not even close. More like an amber or reddish tint.

Called the dealer immediately because all my life 2 stroke mix is green for lawn equipment, and he assured me it had oil in it and it was the HP ultra stuff. I didn't think anything of it, dumped it out, ran it some with my own mix (orange bottle stihl stuff) and put it up, only when I went to mix more today with the HP ultra I bought that stuff is GREEN out of the bottle.

Two questions (1) why would a factory brand new saw from a Stihl dealer (also Shindaiwa) not have green mix in it (2) is there any other oil the dealer put in there that would not have been green but been OK (amber/reddish color, but not very distinct)...

Well, three questions (3) would the saw burn up in 1.5-2 minutes at varied throttle without the oil as-new?

Am I screwed or OK here? I don't have a compression gauge unless the automotive stuff I have fits it.

Sorry, I'm anal. Thanks for any insight before I call them back or drive over there tomorrow.

 

[twiztedsix]

Was the mix red? Shindawia has an oil called red armor we use in the shop thAt we really like. Did you save a sample of the old stuff ?

 

[w8ye]

Redline is red and is very popular

 

[Hillbilly1]

I wish I had kept some of it but after he told me what it was, I poured it out and put in my own mix because I never trust anyone else's (bad experience).

It certainly had some reddishness to it, but it was not distinctly red. Sort of a reddish amber color.

Maybe it was the Shindaiwa stuff???

 

[Stihl-Pioneer]

The Stihl HP Ultra mix I have been using is amber in color.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

They started making Ultra oil reddish within in the last couple months.

PS. You worry to much about the color of your oil.

 

[Roanoker494]

It would not surprise me if Stihl provided the dealers with a "special" oil so they could quickly distinguish it. It is also possible that Stihl is providing the dealers with a pre-mixed fuel that is tinted red.

EDIT:
Looks like the question was answered while I was typing my message.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Husky Oil is Blue
50 Fuel is Pink
Klotz Original Techniplate mixes almost clear
Stihl HP is dark green

 

[PogoInTheWoods]

Just curious and not wanting to start anything, but...

If you don't trust your dealer, why did you buy a saw from him -- a 660 no less?

It did come with a warranty, right? And an extra two years if you bought a 6 pak of Stihl
Ultra? That's the promotion in my area. And what I received with a new BR600 blower was
the green Ultra about two months ago.

Poge

 

[troutfisher]

I use Klotz, which is red, the mixed fuel is pink. Amsoil Interceptor is amber, mixed it looks like regular gas. If you're worried pull the muffler and look at the piston. Vertical scuff marks are bad.

 

[Hillbilly1]

Just curious and not wanting to start anything, but...

If you don't trust your dealer, why did you buy a saw from him -- a 660 no less?

It did come with a warranty, right? And an extra two years if you bought a 6 pak of Stihl
Ultra? That's the promotion in my area. And what I received with a new BR600 blower was
the green Ultra about two months ago.

Poge

I bought it from him because he had the best price - the dealer is new to me although he's been around for some time. I did the promotion with the ultra and it is green for sure, so it seemed odd to me that what was supposedly ultra in the saw wasn't green as well, not at all. And I had to look hard to convince myself it was a reddish/amber color, which I've never had to do before.

For 20 years, for air cooled engines the oils I've mixed have been green or blue (other colors for water cooled though). And every one I've ever used has been immediately distinguishable from straight gas as 2 cycle mix....visual distinction is after all, the purpose of the dyes.

But it looks like there are some oils out there that muddy the waters. Why in the world anyone would make 2 stroke oil that doesn't readily visually evidence itself when mixed in fuel, I haven't the foggiest...

 

[Hillbilly1]

From the responses looks like everything is OK (either stihl or shindaiwa - I don't care what it is as long as there was oil, hell even SAE 30W for 2 minutes would probably do if it would mix evenly). Thanks a bunch guys, I've got educated that not all 2-cycle oil is green or blue.

Now if some smart ass lube engineer could tell me why there are essentially nondetect versions, I'd be all ears....

 

[mdavlee]

Klotz had me messed up the first time I filled up with some. Its what i'm using now with no worries.

What part of tn are you in?

 

[REJ2]

Cant go wrong with the above mentioned oils, all good. I use something different but it aint no better or no worse, just different in name. Echo Powerblend

 

[imagineero]

I bought some stihl HP today and it was red. Most are green or blue, but quite a few oils are red. I kind of like the blue because its easy to see, but Stihl HP has a good rep.

Shaun

 

[dingeryote]

I got back home from filling the gas cans the other day, and thanks to having 1,000 worries going on at once, started running the brush cutter, and then wondered if I had put the oil in the mix jug as usual. Shut things down and looked at the gas in the tank...awww crap. Scrambled back to the barn, and WHEW!! 2 gallon sized empty Stihl ultra bottles in the trash.

The stuff I got last year, was just slightly yellowish colored when mixed, and looks a lot like unmixed Gas. It's had me nervous more than once.

I'm glad to hear they switched to something more obvious.


Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[tdi-rick]

I bought some stihl HP today and it was red. Most are green or blue, but quite a few oils are red. I kind of like the blue because its easy to see, but Stihl HP has a good rep.

Shaun

Castrol blend and bottle Stihl oils oil here, or at least used to.

Somewhere down the bottom it should say 'Bottled by Castrol' or something similar.

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

I buy the orange bottle stihl oil. I use a blue kerosone can, had few problems with people at the ranch using weird mix in 1 gallon red gas cans, went to blue to let every one know blue fuel can is 2 stroke gas oil mix.

 

[imagineero]

I recently started buying the little 100ml bottles of stihl HP. They're slightly more expensive than the big bottle, but it means I can trust someone else to mix fuel if I happen to be up a tree. All my fuel cans are 5L (or 5 quarts for you statesiders). I usually have two cans mixed at a time, and find that will get me through most days. I have a larger 10L can clearly marked and in a different color which has straight fuel, but I very rarely fill it. It's only for big days. Not that many days I can get through 10L of fuel!

The other thing thats been bugging me lately, the last 2 times I bought the 1L bottles of premix, something weird happened with the lids. They just wouldnt seal properly, so if they tipped over they leak, and when you 'squeeze' them to get the oil up into the measuring bit, air was leaking out both lids no matter how tight you do them up so that you couldnt easily fill the measuring bit. Looked at the lids real careful, tried swapping them etc... pretty annoying. They never used to do that. You do them up, and they get to a certain point (which isnt tight enough), then they jump the thread.

I think I'll trial the little 100ml ones for a while, see how it goes. Would be nicer if they were blue though.

Shaun

 

[Rookie1]

A coworker bought some oil that was amber,cant remember brand,and you couldnt tell it was mixed. I didnt like it for the fact that someone could mistake straight gas for the funky mix. I believe there was a thread a while ago where a member wanted some dye to mix in with his light colored mix.
Oh ya if the dealer said it was mix did you ask him what it was?:msp_smile: