A Ratio-Rite makes getting the correct ratio easy and you won't be limited to oils that come in certain size small bottles. Many high quality oils only come in quarts or liters or gallons.
2 stroke seized!
- Thread starter Ashful
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Do it in liters. It’s simpler. 1L /xx where d is your mix ration. xx:1. 32:1. 1/32=0.0312L or 32 ml. 4 liters Call it 120 ml of oil.
50:1. 1/50= 0.020 or 20ml per liter of gas. All our new cans are graduated in both freedom units and metric.
50:1. 1/50= 0.020 or 20ml per liter of gas. All our new cans are graduated in both freedom units and metric.
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
Metric is easier in everything. SAE is the most retarded system, period.
Having said that, I just take 128*(amount of gallons I want mixed)/32 = amount of oil in ounces I need.
Wow, lots of interest in mixing oil. But guys, I'm an engineer... I can easily handle the math on a 32:1 ratio, in any measurement system. It was never about that.
My choice to use the 50:1 bottles is purely out of convenience and cleanliness. I throw one in the cupholder of the car or truck when headed to the gas station to fill the 1 gal jug with high-test. That both guarantees I can't forget to add the oil (it happens at the pump), and prevents me from dickering around with measuring oil at the pump (which is often happening in office clothes).
Since my straight gas cans are filled with 87 octane for 4-stroke OPE that doesn't care, mixing the 93 for chainsaws at the pump is just easier than mixing at home.
My choice to use the 50:1 bottles is purely out of convenience and cleanliness. I throw one in the cupholder of the car or truck when headed to the gas station to fill the 1 gal jug with high-test. That both guarantees I can't forget to add the oil (it happens at the pump), and prevents me from dickering around with measuring oil at the pump (which is often happening in office clothes).
Since my straight gas cans are filled with 87 octane for 4-stroke OPE that doesn't care, mixing the 93 for chainsaws at the pump is just easier than mixing at home.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
I used to buy my H1-R in 4L bottles, back when they still offered it that way. Now I just buy it 2 quarts at a time. I used to keep my 2 cycle mix in a gallon container, but I went through it too fast, so that's when I moved up to a 2.5 gallon one. I seem to go through about 5 gallons a year or so.
Not to open this can of worms, but no need to run high octane fuel -UNLESS- it's the only "flavor" offered with no ethanol. I do run high octane in all my small engines, only because it's the only stuff I can get around here without ethanol. If you live where everything is E10, then I'd just run 87 in everything, unless they require high octane. My ATV requires high octane, as I had the the ECU flashed to more aggressive timing/fueling.
Take that back, the new Kwik Trips in town do offer non-ethanol 87 octane.......for dang near premium price. I'd rather buy premium non-ethanol for a tiny bit more so I can use it in my ATV as well. If it weren't for my ATV, I'd be buying the non-ethanol 87 for all my small engine stuff.
Not to open this can of worms, but no need to run high octane fuel -UNLESS- it's the only "flavor" offered with no ethanol. I do run high octane in all my small engines, only because it's the only stuff I can get around here without ethanol. If you live where everything is E10, then I'd just run 87 in everything, unless they require high octane. My ATV requires high octane, as I had the the ECU flashed to more aggressive timing/fueling.
Take that back, the new Kwik Trips in town do offer non-ethanol 87 octane.......for dang near premium price. I'd rather buy premium non-ethanol for a tiny bit more so I can use it in my ATV as well. If it weren't for my ATV, I'd be buying the non-ethanol 87 for all my small engine stuff.
Last edited:
Many folks including myself, buy and store ethanol free for power equipment. It may sit for a few months. Octane does drop as gas ages so it makes sense to me to buy the higher octane ethanol free. Since a local station started selling ethanol free four or five years ago, prior issues with small engines around the house have disappeared.
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
good point. I've been known to fill up all my cans at one time when I have fuel rewards to use...which came to around 35 gallons IIRC.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
On average though, there are a whole bunch of people out there paying for octane that they just don't need...oil companies have done a very good job of brainwashing people that they "need" premium (look, even the name is marketing!) fuel for various reasons...then there is the old wives tale that it gives you more power too 
JRHAWK9
Minister of Fire
On average though, there are a whole bunch of people out there paying for octane that they just don't need...oil companies have done a very good job of brainwashing people that they "need" premium (look, even the name is marketing!) fuel for various reasons...then there is the old wives tale that it gives you more power too
On paper, you will get more power out of 87 vs 92/93........AS LONG as you don't need the octane to slow down combustion to help quench pre-ignition.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
My two main saws both specify 90 octane minimum, and most pumps around here have 87/89/93. Also, as peakbagger already noted, octane drops with time. Also, my car spec's 93 minimum, so I'm usually pumping some of that anyway. It's easy enough to purge the pump hose with a shot of a few gallons into the car, before filling my little 1 gallon can for 2-stroke.
I keep two 1 gallon cans for 2-stroke, and throw the empty one into the trunk of the car any time the full one is getting low enough. Keeps things simple, and keeps the fuel I'm running relatively fresh.
I don't worry about non-ethanol fuel, in anything. I dump the fuel out of my chainsaws, when I know they'll be sitting mostly unused over the hot summer, but other than that I just use and fill without a thought toward ethanol.
I keep two 1 gallon cans for 2-stroke, and throw the empty one into the trunk of the car any time the full one is getting low enough. Keeps things simple, and keeps the fuel I'm running relatively fresh.
I don't worry about non-ethanol fuel, in anything. I dump the fuel out of my chainsaws, when I know they'll be sitting mostly unused over the hot summer, but other than that I just use and fill without a thought toward ethanol.
Stihl says to use 89 octane in their saws. At least the four that I own. I have run 87 and not damaged anything but if they call for it, it's better to be safe. Especially for the small cost difference.
If you're pumping from a blender pump (which is nearly all that I see these days), the first half gallon or so is whatever was pumped last. If you're pumping 10 gallons it's not a big deal but if it's 1 gallon, it is.
I'd use E0 if it was convenient and did not cost much more, but here it's an hour+ drive to the closest station that has it and it's a couple dollars more a gallon. E10 has worked fine for me for decades.
If you're pumping from a blender pump (which is nearly all that I see these days), the first half gallon or so is whatever was pumped last. If you're pumping 10 gallons it's not a big deal but if it's 1 gallon, it is.
I'd use E0 if it was convenient and did not cost much more, but here it's an hour+ drive to the closest station that has it and it's a couple dollars more a gallon. E10 has worked fine for me for decades.
To prevent straight gassing all my 2 cycle toys. My only mixed 2 cycle container is in a 1 gallon sthil bar oil jug. And only one of them. I keep the jug in a 5 gallon bucket with a quart of bar oil. When it's fully empty. I mix a new batch.
All that didn't prevent me from leaving water in the 2 cycle jug. I was rinsing it out, as I'm real careful about anything getting in the fuel. Must have gotten distracted and forgot to dump it out. Luckily it only got into the weedwacker. A month of trouble shooting and a new carb. Only found it when I dumped the gas into a clear jar. There it was, green 2 cycle mix on the top 2/3 and 1/3 clear water on the bottom. Later I saw the clew I missed, the fuel in the primer bulb was milkey as I pumped it.
All that didn't prevent me from leaving water in the 2 cycle jug. I was rinsing it out, as I'm real careful about anything getting in the fuel. Must have gotten distracted and forgot to dump it out. Luckily it only got into the weedwacker. A month of trouble shooting and a new carb. Only found it when I dumped the gas into a clear jar. There it was, green 2 cycle mix on the top 2/3 and 1/3 clear water on the bottom. Later I saw the clew I missed, the fuel in the primer bulb was milkey as I pumped it.
Not mine. Just re-checked my manuals to be sure my memory wasn't drifting, and both of my Stihl manuals say 90 mininum. This is an 064 (85cc) and 036 Pro (63cc), both late 1990's / early 2000's vintage.
Yep. As noted above, I always run a few gallons of 93 into the car, to purge the line before putting the nozzle into the 1 gallon can. I'm not sure what those pump nozzle lines hold, but assuming 15-20 feet of Ø5/8" line between mixing valve and nozzle, it's likely 0.3 gallons.
