a picture of my chainsaw spark plug. should i change it?

cryptokid · Sep 29, 2004

the sparkplug is 10 years old. has about 40-60 hours of use on it.
the last 10-15 hours of use have been with pennzoil aircooled small engine 2cycle oil which isnt certified for any specifications.
im running 4 ounces per gallon of gasoline.
the idle jet is set to run a bit rich when idling to help cool the motor down between cuts.
the main jet is set for maximum power when cutting, it isnt rich or lean, it is just perfect.

the exhaust is a dark tan colour inside the pipe, it isnt sooty black or oily. the chainsaw only smokes on first startup when the engine is cold i think this is normal behaviour. if i leave it idling for more than 2 or 3 minutes, it does smoke a litle bit when revved up but the smoke quickly stops. i am guessing it is loading up when idling because i have the idle jet set a bit rich.

considering the plug is 10 years old and has seen literally days of use at a time, i dont think it looks too bad.
so what do you guys think of the plug. anyone care to read it and tell me youre opniion?
blano?

Dan4510 · Sep 30, 2004

You already have it out, its 10 years old, I say change it.

Dan

pooter WS6 · Sep 30, 2004

it is probably a 2 cycle engine. They all smoke, hence oil mixed with fuel. It is an oil burner.

cryptokid · Sep 30, 2004

well how does the plug look? you read a plug to give an idea with whats going on indise an engine hence my picture.

blano · Sep 30, 2004

Looks good. No reason to change it.

SteveD2 · Sep 30, 2004

Spark plugs are $1. Why would you put a dirty one back in?

MolaKule · Sep 30, 2004

Combustion-wise, I would say the mixture you're running is pretty lean.

I run a richer mixture so my 2-cycle plugs always show a slightly black color but no deposits.

Check for cylinder scoring when running lean mixtures.

What is your fuel/oil ratio?

cryptokid · Oct 1, 2004

4 ounces per gallon of oil.

hk33ka1 · Oct 1, 2004

So you are running 32:1. Is that Pennzoil synthetic or mineral oil Cryptokid?

blano · Oct 1, 2004

quote:

Combustion-wise, I would say the mixture you're running is pretty lean.

There is really no way to tell mixture richness from looking at the end of a plug ran 50 hours. Id it was white I would say it is lean. That plug actually looks a bit rich to me, but like I said its impossible to tell.

Shannow · Oct 1, 2004

I'd add more oil to your mix.

IMHO, complete combustion of the oil means that you're either a little lean (either A/F ratio wise, or Oil/Fuel ratio wise).

blano · Oct 2, 2004

[QUOTE complete combustion of the oil means that you're either a little lean [/QUOTE]
No it doesnt. I just means your engine is tuned properly and is working like it should. Two strokes should nto smoke and or spew unburnt oil out the exhaust.

Shannow · Oct 2, 2004

Note the "IMHO" in my message.

I like to see a little oil (not clouds of smoke) so that I know that everything that should be lubed is getting oil.

JMHO

Rat407 · Oct 2, 2004

I say don't mess with what isn't broke. I have a chain saw with the same spark plug in it as well, heck now that I think of it I have a leaf blower as well with it's original spark plug. They both are going on 10 years old as well and get used often and the leaf blower see's hard service in the fall as the leaves cover our yard. Both start just fine and run great. Why change it if it runs great. Yes what is a Dollar to change it, well for that dollar I can get half a gallon of gas and run another month on it. Save where you can, it all adds up. When your on a fixed income every little bit counts.

a picture of my chainsaw spark plug. should i change it?

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