The correct selection of oil for a chainsaw is one of the main criteria that determines its service life. Currently, you can find a wide variety of lubricants for two-stroke engines on the market.
And some owners of gasoline saws use four-stroke internal combustion engine oils the old fashioned way. In this article we will try to figure out which oil to use in various chainsaws and situations.
What kind of gasoline should I put in my chainsaw?
When choosing the right fuel, each tool owner should take into account the brand and country of origin of the model in the household. Old saws of domestic production called Ural and Druzhba are best refueled with AI-80 gasoline. It contains exactly those additives that are necessary for the stable operation of unpretentious domestic engines. More modern domestic models are designed to run on 92 gasoline.
Things are a little different with imported chainsaws. The engines of all these models are designed for more gentle fuel, so German, Swedish, American and Japanese chainsaws must be filled exclusively with AI-92 gasoline.
When choosing gasoline, its condition plays an important role. Many novice gardeners are confident that the fuel tank of the saw can be filled with fuel, which will remain in the canister for a long time. Some believe that the tool already works in conditions of constant dust, and it is because of this that manufacturers have provided a special air compensator in the carburetor, which is activated when the air filter wears out.
This opinion is fundamentally wrong. As a result of a long stay in a canister, gasoline loses its main properties, and its composition, depending on the material of the container, is replenished with molecules of plastic or metal rust.
Due to the long stay in the canister, gasoline begins to lose its vapors, which are what ignite when the chainsaw is started. It is because of this that gardeners face a number of typical problems, including:
- difficulty starting the engine;
- rapid drop in engine power;
- accelerated wear of tool elements.
To prevent this, you need to regularly use only fresh fuel from trusted gas stations. It is best to buy 2-3 liters of gasoline every morning before starting work in the garden. Using fresh gasoline will make it easier to start the chainsaw and significantly extend its service life.
Rules for preparing the mixture
Even experienced lumberjacks do not always correctly prepare the fuel mixture for a chainsaw if the work is done in a hurry.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- prepare a plastic container holding 2.5 liters or less;
- a measuring container must be present - many people use a regular medical syringe;
- First, fuel is poured into the container, and then a precisely measured portion of oil;
- The final task is to carefully dissolve the oil product by actively shaking the consistency.
It is recommended to store the finished flammable product for 14 days. If more, the oil will settle to the bottom of the container. A new shake of consistency will be required. Busy people often forget about this.
Is it possible to put 95 gasoline into a chainsaw?
In almost every operating manual you can find instructions from manufacturers that for regular refueling of household tools you need to use gasoline with a constant octane rating of no higher than 92. Despite this, many novice gardeners continue to refuel their saws with 95-octane gasoline, in vain believing that he is better.
It should be remembered that the engines of all imported and some domestic instruments are initially designed to run on 92-grade gasoline. If you pour 92-octane gasoline into the fuel tank of the tool, this will cause the piston to push in the opposite direction, which is often called detonation. This dangerous process will become cyclical and will be repeated with each revolution of the internal combustion engine crankshaft. There is probably no need to say that using 98-grade gasoline will have an even worse effect on the operation of the piston and the condition of the chainsaw engine.
Why do you need to dilute the lubricant?
At the very beginning, it is necessary to understand the reason for the dilution of fuel. The mixture used for a chainsaw is diluted primarily to extend the service life of its owner. The instructions for it strictly prohibit operation without diluting gasoline.
The basis of the chainsaw motor is a piston internal combustion engine. It consists only of a cylinder, so it does not have additional systems for lubricating parts. The mixture enters it, settles, lubricates the piston rings and walls. In tools such as chainsaws , oil and gasoline act as a unique lubricating fluid. The mixture extends the service life of all parts.
In addition, it contains additives that are beneficial for engine performance. It has antioxidant, preservative and other properties, which are also useful for the engine and its parts.
Oil for two-stroke chainsaw engines
Modern gasoline saws can be equipped with 2-stroke or 4-stroke engines. In the latter, oil is initially supplied to the crank group parts directly from the engine crankcase.
In contrast, in two-stroke factory engines, fuel enters a plane located under the piston. To refuel such chainsaws, you need to add motor oil to fresh gasoline. It lubricates the rubbing parts of the engine, preventing their premature wear.
Oil for 2-stroke chainsaw engines must meet a number of important parameters:
- When burning oil, a minimum amount of ash should be formed. It is best to allow the oil used to burn completely;
- the lubricant must dissolve quickly in gasoline;
- Oil for 2-stroke engines must be free of harmful impurities that can lead to blockages in the carburetor lines.
The choice of oils for 2-stroke engines largely depends on the types of cooling systems. Compositions of the 2T standard are suitable for lubricating internal combustion engines equipped with air cooling systems. For engines cooled by liquid systems, you should choose oils marked TC-W3.
In any case, the oil for permanent lubrication of the engine of the tool used must be of the highest possible quality. When burned, low-quality oils form a large amount of carbon deposits, which settle on the cylinder walls and under the piston rings of the internal combustion engine. Because of this, the standard rings lose the ability to compress, resulting in burrs appearing on the inner walls of the engine cylinder. In addition, poor-quality lubrication leads to overheating of the crank mechanism parts. As a result, they jam and completely fail.
Storage recommendations
The mixture must be prepared in the quantity necessary to carry out a small amount of work, since when the solution is stored for a long time, its quality characteristics deteriorate. The prepared mixture must be consumed within several days.
A fuel mixture that has been stored for about a month will reduce engine performance. Resinous substances are formed in the nodes, and carbon deposits appear, the piston rings lose mobility. The longest shelf life of the mixture is no more than 2 weeks. During this period, the solution will not lose its quality. If the air temperature is more than +25ºC, then the shelf life of the product is reduced to 10 days.
Some experts allow the use of expired mixture to save money. To do this, it can be spent gradually, gradually mixing it into a fresh solution in a volume of no more than 10% of the total amount of the mixture. The finished gasoline-oil mixture must be filtered.
If you follow all of the above recommendations, you can ensure reliable operation of the chainsaw. Also, when performing work, you must observe safety precautions, since the chainsaw operates using a chain that rotates at high speeds and, if operating rules are violated, can pose a danger to the worker himself and the people around him.
How to dilute gasoline with chainsaw oil?
The mixture of gasoline and oil must be constantly prepared in a clean container, the walls of which have measuring marks. This will give the chainsaw owner the opportunity to accurately determine the amount of gasoline and motor oil he is mixing. The material from which the container is made must be resistant to gasoline. Metal containers work well for this.
Fuel and lubricant must be poured through a watering can to prevent loss of components. In order for the lubricant used to completely dissolve in the fuel, the filled container will need to be shaken several times. As a result, the gasoline mixture should become evenly colored. In this case, you need to make sure that there is no sediment at the bottom of the vessel.
Need quality components
Practice proves the influence of the quality of the prepared mixture, taking into account the required proportions, on the service life of the tool, power, productivity:
- It is not recommended to use components that have expired.
- It is especially important for the components of gasoline and oil - do not use components obtained from gas condensates, since the molecular structure contains harmful water for internal combustion engines.
- Partial non-compliance of AI-92 with international standards. AI-95 grade is saturated with additives that dampen the detonation moments of internal combustion engines.
The noted disadvantages limit the operational life of hand-held chainsaws, the internal combustion engines of which operate on complex mixtures of combustible mixtures.
The ratio of oil and gasoline for a chainsaw
Every chainsaw company tunes their engines and base carburetors to run with different amounts of lubrication. Therefore, the proportion of oil and gasoline for a chainsaw may be slightly different.
Most often, when mixing fuel with oil, manufacturers advise using proportions of 1:50 or 1:40. This means that 1 part of motor lubricant must be mixed with 50 or 40 parts of fuel, respectively.
Translating the proportion into a more accessible formulation is quite simple. For example, 1 liter of fuel contains 1000 ml. If you divide 1000 ml by 40, you get 25 ml. This means that for 1 liter of gasoline you will need to dilute 25 ml of lubricant. The same formula should be used when the manufacturer recommends preparing the fuel mixture exclusively in a ratio of 1:50. To do this, 1000 ml must be divided by 50, resulting in 20 ml. This means that 20 ml of motor lubricant should be diluted in one liter of fuel.
Things are a little different with Chinese chainsaws. Their manufacturers advise diluting gasoline for chainsaws in a ratio of 1:25. This means that owners of Chinese tools need to mix exactly 40 ml of lubricant into 1 liter of pure gasoline. This ratio is due to the fact that in terms of build quality and selection of components, these chainsaws are slightly inferior to their Western counterparts. In engines of American, European and Japanese models, the distance between the cylinders and pistons is significantly less than that of chainsaws from China. In this regard, the amount of lubricant required for the operation of the former. far less.
Consequences of incorrect dosage
Many chainsaw users don't pay enough attention to proportions. 50 grams more or less - does it matter? But in vain: often the cause of saw malfunctions is operation with an incorrectly prepared fuel mixture. Moreover, you can make a mistake or intentionally violate the ratio either up or down.
If there is a lot of oil...
There is an opinion among chainsaw owners that “you can’t ruin an engine with oil.” But it’s not for nothing that they come up with the necessary parameters for the finished mixture. Excess oil can also be harmful and cause inconvenience. Indeed, despite the improved combustion characteristics without residue, some hydrocarbons still turn into soot and carbon deposits. At low concentrations there are few of them, but if you enrich the mixture with oil twice as much as the norm, then coking will result. This is especially dangerous for cheap mineral oils that do not have a “washing” effect.
It is also highly likely that you will find oil in the air filter when the carburetor is overfilled. The candle will also be sooted - it will need to be cleaned, rinsed and dried. Also, vapors from unburned oil will settle in the muffler, and during intensive operation they will burn out, forming a trail of soot and sparks.
After such refueling, almost all the insides of the saw will have to be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed. The funniest “surprise” will be the “dying” of the piston rings - but this is only in the case of systematic abuse of oil overflow and work under heavy load.
...or little
“Greed” when preparing the fuel mixture has ruined more than one piston.
This is where it really is better to be “overcautious” than to be “underdressed.” After all, if in the first case you are faced with a thorough “washing” of the unit, then in the second you will have to change the CPG, and this is generally unprofitable on many saws, but for others it costs quite a lot of money. Conclusion: saving is pointless. If there is not enough oil, the piston begins to rub strongly against the cylinder, since at high temperatures gasoline is too fluid to act as a lubricant.
Sad result: scuff marks on the piston, ruined saw engine. If the owner comes to his senses in time, he will find that the piston and cylinder are cast in a beautiful blue. No master can give a guarantee how long these will last.
What oil should I use for a chainsaw chain?
To find out exactly what oil to use to lubricate the chainsaw chain, you will need to study the instructions of its manufacturer. Almost all tool manufacturing companies recommend using a product that has the highest adhesive properties. This means that the material used to lubricate the chain must have adhesion to the metal surfaces of the chain and bar.
You need to figure out why a lubricant has adhesive properties. While the chain moves along the standard guide bar, the saw element reaches high speed. If you use chainsaw oil with low adhesion for lubrication, then more than half of the liquid will fly off from the top of the tire by inertia, never reaching its bottom. As a result, such oil will prove to be ineffective, and the tire and chain will quickly fail due to constant friction.
The best oils for chainsaw chains
You can find the highest quality oils on the market, which are recommended to be used by almost all manufacturers of chainsaws and companies that manufacture saw accessories for them. These products have high adhesive properties, which makes them effective when working in difficult weather conditions. These lubricants include:
- Stihl ForestPlus oil - this composition is best used at an air temperature of at least -15 ⁰ͦC. The material is supplied for sale in containers with a capacity of 1 or 5 liters;
- Stihl SynthPlus lubricant - has high adhesion to metal coatings. The composition shows high efficiency when working in conditions not lower than -25 ⁰C;
- Husqvarna Bio Advanced oil performs equally well in both normal and extreme conditions. The product has a balanced composition with increased adhesive properties;
- Makita Biotop lubricant is one of the top products. reliably protecting the sawing parts of the tool from increased friction and premature wear. The price of this oil is an order of magnitude lower than Stihl products;
- Oleo-Mac Polar Lube oil is a budget lubricant that stands out for its low price and excellent viscosity and adhesion parameters.
To lubricate each of these products, manufacturers advise using no more than 5 mg of lubricant per cycle of operation.
Chainsaw sprocket oil - manufacturer's advice
In order to reduce friction on the drive sprocket and extend the service life of the mechanism, each manufacturer equips it with a needle bearing that requires periodic lubrication. Many experts advise using a multi-purpose composition from the Stihl brand for this.
This product is quite expensive, so some gardeners and professional forest fellers use lubricants at a lower cost. Compositions such as Litol or Litol 24 have proven to be effective against increased friction of a needle bearing.
To lubricate the driven chainsaw sprocket, as well as to protect the drive sprocket, you can use the same oils. A small syringe is suitable for applying them. It quickly presses lubricant into small holes in the tire and near the bearing located above the sprocket.
