Just as a footnote to a previous post asking about fuel choices for a chain saw that is only occasionally used, I have to say that Stabil Marine added to regular pump gas mixed with 2-stroke oil has been the winner in terms of performance and cost. This is after trying various pre-mixed Ethanol-free fuels sold by Stihl, Husqvarna, and a blend sold as TruFuel. Would recommend.
I needed my chainsaw last weekend and thought about your earlier thread on the subject. The last time I used it was at least 6 months ago. It started on the third crank and worked without a hitch.
I have been using aviation fuel mixed with oil for about 20 years now on all of my 2-cycle engines. I use about 4-5 gal per year for the blower, weed eater, chainsaw etc. The added cost of the fuel offsets the cost to bring in my tools for repair plus the piece of mind knowing my stuff will start with just a few cranks.
Stabil = :good:
> I needed my chainsaw last weekend and thought about your earlier thread on the subject. The last time I used it was at least 6 months ago. It started on the third crank and worked without a hitch.
>
> I have been using aviation fuel mixed with oil for about 20 years now on all of my 2-cycle engines.
I'll keep my eyes open for an easy source of aviation fuel. A trip from my place to one of the small airports around Austin would really run up the cost of procurement when time is figured in. Right now, I'm thinking regular pump gas, mixed with 2-stroke oil, and doctored with Stabil Marine may be the cheapest solution.
On the advice of the Stihl dealer, given when I bought a saw from him, I use only premium grade Shell gas which is ethanol free. He claims that it's the ethanol that kills the small engines (attracts water). I also buy fresh stabil each fall and dose every gas tank w a capful or so and run the engine for several minutes and shut off the gas on the engines I can and run till they stop. I have a rototiller, three lawn mowers, lawn edger, snowblower, generator, chainsaw, 12 hp chipper/shredder, and a string trimmer... all runnin fine.
I did not see the prior thread on chainsaw gas but have some thoughts on the topic. The first thing is to avoid ethanol gas in the small engines. The ethanol holds water and this water causes corrosion in many of the two stroke engine carburetors. The fuel additives that supposedly stabilize the ethanol gas cost more (when added to the gasoline) than purchasing ethanol free gas itself. The next item is gasoline preservatives. The two that I have experience with include Sta-bil and PRI-G (Power Research International- Gasoline). Sta-bil gives me bronchospasm so I don't use it very much and the Sta-bil needs to be added to stored gasoline every six months. My preferred product is PRI-G. I have used ethanol free gasoline stored for 4 years in unventilated 5 gallon metal gas cans with one treatment of PRI-G (1cc per gallon of fuel) in chainsaws and vehicles without problems. I do purchase the synthetic oil for the chainsaw since Stihl would double my manufacturers warranty if I used their oil when I purchased my saw. I live on the Mississippi gulf coast and keep gasoline in storage for the generators and travel after hurricanes. if I know that I am not going to use the saw for a while, I empty the gas tank and then run the carburetor dry.
> I did not see the prior thread on chainsaw gas but have some thoughts on the topic. The first thing is to avoid ethanol gas in the small engines. The ethanol holds water and this water causes corrosion in many of the two stroke engine carburetors. The fuel additives that supposedly stabilize the ethanol gas cost more (when added to the gasoline) than purchasing ethanol free gas itself.
The trick around Austin would seem to be actually *finding* what is definitely, positively ethanol-free gasoline at a gas station. I customarily buy Shell gas, but there is nothing about how the pump is labeled that would suggest that the 93-octane doesn't have any ethanol in it.
Kent,
I am astonished that there are no ethanol free gas stations in Austin! There are six of these stations in Starkville MS alone! Here is a source to help everyone find and ethanol free gas stations:
Here is a website that shows the locations on a map...
I killed a Honda generator carburetor a few years ago and have not used ethanol gas in a small engine since.
> Here is a website that shows the locations on a map...
>
>> http://www.buyrealgas.com/
Yeah, the nearest station shown on that map would be about 180 miles away from Austin. That is a bit of a problem. Aviation gas would probably be easier to find around Austin.
It looks like the FAA and EPA are hard at work to take the lead out of aviation fuel. I didn't see that there were any plans to add ethanol! I looks like 100LL may be your answer in light of the paucity of ethanol free gas stations in central Texas. The hundred octane fuel probably would run well in the small engines.
"Stabil Marine may be the cheapest solution"
Remember the cheapest solution is like the cheapest surveyor.
Rather than treat bad fuel why not buy superior fuel.
You may not need to go to an airport. A few of the bulk plants who supply ordinary fuel will also handle av gas. In my area air boats are common and until recently many had aircraft engines which needed av gas so there was a big need for it.
> In my area air boats are common and until recently many had aircraft engines which needed av gas so there was a big need for it.
Oddly, air boats are extremely rare in Central Texas. :> One small bottle of Stabil Marine claims to treat up to 80 gallons of gasoline. That's about $0.10 per gallon.
Doubling the dose, it still seems economical. If I run out, it's available at the nearest Home Depot or Lowe's. I will keep my eyes open for a pump selling aviation gas, though. Love to try it.
Thanks for starting this thread. I was able to look up ethanol-free stations around me. I better dump the gas that's in my chainsaw now before it sits too long. (I can also get jet fuel nearby if that station doesn't work.)
My solution had been to use the ethanol-added fuel and dump it back in the gas can and run out the engine between uses.
I would keep the saw empty when not in use and carry a half gallon or one gallon gas can and separate 2 cycle oil. Fill and mix on the way to the job. This is the procedure I use for my two cycle equipment at home.
Old gas is a killer, Old fellas with gas are worse.;-)
