2-cycle Q's: Octane, Stabil vs Neutra, more

[UncleS2]

Thanks to Blano for his advice on not mixing 2C oils- sounds like I'd be better off using Mobil MX2T or Schaeffer, but not both at the same time.

I know little about 2C engines, the questions here all pertain to my own equipment:
1. Huskqvarna 51 chain saw, bought new June '97, surely less than 3 or 4 hrs run time on it. Original owner's manual says lowest rec'd is 90 octane gas, mix 50:1. *Later* manual says lowest rec'd octane is 87.
2. Stihl FS-80 trimmer, bought new July '02, more run time than the saw, manual says at least 89 USA pump octane(90 RON), mix 50:1.
3. Homelite Vac Attack II blower, bought new yesterday(10/25/03), manual says gas for automotive use of 87 octane or higher. Mix 50:1.

Questions:
Octane: Is it best to run Super Unleaded in all of these machines? In general, is more octane better?(within pump gas limits of 93 octane or so). I'm now using Chevron 93, good or should I switch.

Break-in: It's too late for the saw & trimmer, of course, but would I be better off to mix a full tank at ~32:1 & use all of that for a break-in tank for the Homelite blower? It now has Chevron 93, w/ Schaeffer 2C conventional oil at ~45:1 in it. also: Is it normal for a new engine, w/factory settings, to rev kinda slow? The Homelite started easy & ran smooth yesterday, but didn't seem to rev as fast as I'd expected. Might this take care of itself after a tank or two is run through it?

Fuel stabilizers: I have on hand Schaeffer Neutra, Fuel Power, & Stabil. Any experienced recommendations on which is best, & how long I can trust a mixed gallon of gas to be useable?

*Anti-Owner devices*: the new Homelite Blower has plastic gizmos on the High speed & low speed adjustment screws to prevent them from being turned counter-clockwise from the factory settings. Any idea how I can get these off withoug damaging the adjustment screws?

Gasil Mixture: Since I've learned recently that the 50:1 mix is largely due to political correctness, would I be better off to just use a richer mixture of 40:1, 32:1, or somewhere in-between for all these machines? Will a richer mixture really give more power due to better compression? Will richer mixture lower rpm?

And last: do all these questions remind anyone else of the Gilda Radner, "Roseanne Roseannadanna" skits on on the Saturday Night Live shows of long ago?

[ October 26, 2003, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Hughes ]

 

[blano]

1. I use premium in everything.
I have always used stable with good results.
2. Just be sure not to pu more in than the directions say. I al;so wouldnt run too much old/stabilised gas through a machine.

3 Thanks to the epa most equipment have these stupid screws. Some you can take off other you cant.It hard to say without seeing them.

4.It might, but more than likely th crab is set wrong.

5. I run 32:1 in everything. $40:1 would work fine also. 50:1 IMO is epa pacification pure and simple. Mor oil deos not lower rpm. As for more power with more oil. I have seen research which suggests this.

 

[Cujet]

The urban legend about using just enough octane to prevent detonation is truly bunk. Given that detonation is very damaging to engines, and given that most people are not racing their chain saws and lawn mowers, using high octane fuel helps to ensure detonation does not occur.

32 to 1 has a 100 year proven track record. There are many good reasons for this ratio. Some of which are lubrication related for particular engines. But the main reason is that 32 to 1 is enough oil for nearly all conditions, operating environments and engine loads one is likely to encounter. So, it is truly the safe ratio to use.

Chris

 

[mrchecker]

Octane is important in 2 strokes because the oil lowers the octane, premium isn't a bad thing, but don't go out of your way to get Sunoco 94. It's most important in the chainsaw because the engine sees load at lower RPM than in the other equipment, hence more chance of knocking.

I too run 32:1 in everything. The worst thing too much oil will do is foul the plug or clog the muffler if you don't work the equipment hard enough.

I've found leaf blowers in general to be kind of laggy and slow sounding compared to weedeaters and chain saws. I think it's just due to the nature of the load on the engine.

I have run 2 year old gas that had Sta-bil in it. Generator started and ran normally.

 

[darrenc]

Stuart,

I’ve got the same homelite blower. They are slow to rev, but once they get going, hit pretty high RPMs (12-13 K). I’ve adjusted the carbs and it didn’t affect the acceleration. Turning a fan is akin to having a heavy flywheel bolted onto the engine.

Regarding the cap limiters, I pulled mine off with pliers. Underneath were normal H L adjustment screws. For what it’s worth, I’ve run Amsoil 100:1 (mixed at about 80-85:1) in the unit for about the last 2-3 years. I run premium (91 here in Calif.) with a mix of Neutra @ 1 oz/gal, and Fuel Power @ 1 tsp./gal. Before I knew Neutra and FP existed, I used either Stabil or B&S fuel stabilizer with some Amsoil PI.

I recently went through a gallon of fuel mixed with Red Line Allsport mixed at 50:1. None of my equipment ran well on this, and they all smoked more. Right now I’m running the Amsoil 100:1 again, only mixed at 65:1. This seems to run the same is it did when it was mixed at 80:1. Big improvement over the Red Line. As you can tell, I didn’t like the Redline, and will probably use the rest of it in my Jeep at low doses. And, as you can also tell, I really like the Amsoil 100:1. It’s the best stuff I’ve ever used. Note: I’m not a dealer.

Let us know how the Schaeffer works out. I sure like their other products!

 

[MolaKule]

Schaeffer's #706 has a good price/performance ratio. I have used it exclusively for almost a year now in weed trimmers and chainsaws with good results. I use a 40:1 mixture in all engines.

I prefer Neutra as the stabilizer with 89 octane fuel.

 

[Mic]

I run premium gas in everything. I use a 32:1 mix and Stabil. I use Stabil in everything except my boat. In my boat I use Seafoam. I don't know why I use the Seafoam. Someone may have suggested it to me. I use Stabil fogging spray on the carbs for the boat and snowmobile. I have never had any problems with any of them. Knock on wood.

How long can you trust a mixed gallon of gas to be useable? I don't know. I can tell you that my snowmobile has sat since Jan 02 with Stabil in the tank. It fired right up Last weekend. Rode it around a little and seemed fine. Although, it would not burn down until you pinch it going across a lake. I will ask the dealer if he found anything in the carbs when I go to pick it up this weekend. I do not have the courage or a sync gauge to do the carbs myself.

Jeff