Oil questions...

[EFSM]

No, you haven't seen before and after. I have. Not once, but twice. So you don't like it sorta like Regan MacNeil when holy water was thrown onto her possessed body. Here is a video of some Echo Advisory Group member bragging about Red Armor. Notice the nice and shiny piston crown. This srm-2620 with a crm7h plug runs hotter than a br800 with a cmr6h plug. I edited to include a bit on Regan MacNeil.

Just making sure you realize that NGK heat ranges are backwards from most other manufacturers; the higher a number the cooler the tip. Echo uses 8 heat range plugs on almost everything except the 2620 engine and they have no issues with carbon buildup on the plugs. Like was mentioned, that is almost always a result of the carburetor settings being off.

 

[Outback]

When did this forum get more trolls than Denmark. Your engine was probably exposed to old gas that you don't have the self respect to admit to yourself or others. It wasn't the red armor in the amount you claim. I'm sure your a real expert in oils and engines. That's why you came to ask questions here. As an expert you reject all the advice you have solicited. Always a good sign.

20 years ago I was having a conversation with a Porsche mechanic I knew from the local dealership. He asked me what I thought was the best oil to run with a sligh eye. I responded with, clean oil is the best to run. We both laughed because no matter how "special" your oil is if its done its damaging your engine. Period.

Pick whatever you want to run. The ratio you mix it to is gonna be more important than the brand, usually. I have a collection of old and obscure chainsaws, also about anything else you can run on mixed gas except boat motors, I got rid of them, and they don't qualify my opinions. When I see ultra in a tank of fuel I always lower my expectations of the owner. Just be honest, you were running ultra weren't you.

 

[Partner]

In a diesel engine, the oil is clean only a short time after replacement

 

[Outback]

Clean and color are not always the same thing. You have to rub it between your fingers and check for grit followed by a long sniff to check for unburnt hydrocarbons. You know what I meant.

 

[Sloughfoot]

Pick whatever you want to run. The ratio you mix it to is gonna be more important than the brand, usually.

Agree. I wasn't concerned with what make of oil I ran in my oldest and most thrashed saw. Had it 20 years and hundreds of tanks ran. I'm sure it got overheated more than a few times. There was probably as much Ultra used as anything else. What wasn't Ultra was probably Husqvarna. Always 50:1. Never more, never less. Assumed it needed a piston kit and got one. Got as far as pulling the muffler and the piston looked brand new. Crown was relatively carbon free. Been a lot of HP2 at 40:1 ran through it last couple of years. Maybe that cleaned it up a little.
I only use HP2 or Dominator at around 40:1 now. Just because, not from any kind of negative personal experience with other oils at a leaner mix rate.

 

[lilspenny]

Damn that’s wild!!

What oils ratio you run$$

I wonder if it’s because it’s a 4-mix motor???

I just pulled an exhaust off my 261 (little over year old), that’s only had red armor ran through it, the plug, piston, exhaust all looked great!!

The first

Just making sure you realize that NGK heat ranges are backwards from most other manufacturers; the higher a number the cooler the tip. Echo uses 8 heat range plugs on almost everything except the 2620 engine and they have no issues with carbon buildup on the plugs. Like was mentioned, that is almost always a result of the carburetor settings being off.

Thanks, I actually tried the cmr5h which is a step hotter to see if that would be better than the cmr6h and it definitely improved the plug appearance. So, this was during the time frame that I widened the gap to .023. So, that's when I widened the oem cmr6h to .023. That small tweak eliminated the tiny (and I mean really tiny)bit of a surging issue with the Saber. Most people would have been ok with the .020 but I was being a perfectionist and the wider gap helped. So that's actually when I tried the Red Armor again. I did tweak the carb, as I ways do and just like before it was running like a top. After a full tank of Red Armor I checked the plug and it was a bit too black for my comfort and once again the piston crown was getting that amber varnish. That varnish sticks hard so I tried Power Tune again and even with a hot soak overnight the amount that was cleaned was neglible. Back to Saber, and once again Saber is starting to clean the mess. I'm wondering if the phenol may not be friendly to my blower. No matter which scenario the Red Armor leaves it's undesirable mark and tweaking the carb does not stop the formation of that varnish. When I started the search for the best oil I resisted Saber because of the variable ratio up to 100:1 which made it sound like snake oil. I tried 50:1 and the exhaust smell was great but perhaps a tad much so I tried 64:1 and the machine ran strong albeit with less smell but I actually prefer the 50:1 smell. I like a good stroke smell. So Saber does great except for the fact that it is not ashless like Ultra. I removed the muffler and the valve stems look normal. Saber works well and Red Armor does not. So be it. I do wonder if the phenol in the Red Armor isn't being processed well by my br800. It's not as hot as the Echos I have owned but after I ran the hotter cmr5h I felt enough extra heat to make me a bit concerned. Nothing major, but it did not fix the varnishing.

 

[lilspenny]

Agree. I wasn't concerned with what make of oil I ran in my oldest and most thrashed saw. Had it 20 years and hundreds of tanks ran. I'm sure it got overheated more than a few times. There was probably as much Ultra used as anything else. What wasn't Ultra was probably Husqvarna. Always 50:1. Never more, never less. Assumed it needed a piston kit and got one. Got as far as pulling the muffler and the piston looked brand new. Crown was relatively carbon free. Been a lot of HP2 at 40:1 ran through it last couple of years. Maybe that cleaned it up a little.
I only use HP2 or Dominator at around 40:1 now. Just because, not from any kind of negative personal experience with other oils at a leaner mix rate.

I have one chainsaw now, a 25 year old 029 with my muffler mod. It's almost like new and holds sentimental value. That thing loves HP2 but it isn't persnickety like my br800. My 4-mix trimmers are not so hard to please. I haven't tried Dominator.

 

[lilspenny]

Damn that’s wild!!

What oils ratio you run$$

I wonder if it’s because it’s a 4-mix motor???

I just pulled an exhaust off my 261 (little over year old), that’s only had red armor ran through it, the plug, piston, exhaust all looked great!!

You know, I like Stihl quality even when compared to the other major brands. The 4-mix is quirky but it has a low rpm torque advantage that I like around windows. That's not needed with a blower.

 

[Sloughfoot]

I have one chainsaw now, a 25 year old 029 with my muffler mod. It's almost like new and holds sentimental value. That thing loves HP2 but it isn't persnickety like my br800. My 4-mix trimmers are not so hard to please. I haven't tried Dominator.

The pros that know around here prefer dominator over sabre for saws. Can't remember exactly why. Never tried sabre, myself.

 

[lilspenny]

The pros that know around here prefer dominator over sabre for saws. Can't remember exactly why. Never tried sabre, myself.

Amsoil answered my question about Dominator in a 4-mix by saying I could run it but it might be overkill. I will give it a try in my chainsaw.

 

[huskihl]

Amsoil answered my question about Dominator in a 4-mix by saying I could run it but it might be overkill. I will give it a try in my chainsaw.

What’s wrong with overkill? It’s the same price as saber and usually is available in quart jugs as compared to smaller bottles. One jug of 32:1 of mixed fuel goes into everything I own and work on. The only saw I’ve ever seen it build carbon on was a 2511. Even then it’s just on the outside of the muffler, the insides were clean

 

[Stump Shot]

 

[Khntr85]

You know, I like Stihl quality even when compared to the other major brands. The 4-mix is quirky but it has a low rpm torque advantage that I like around windows. That's not needed with a blower.

You may have said but what oil ratios you run??

 

[lilspenny]

You may have said but what oil ratios you run??

50:1 seems to work the best in my br800. My 4-mix trimmers work fine @ 40:1 or 50:1. With Saber 64:1 works great. But, if I had to choose one oil with one ratio for my trimmers, blower, and chainsaw it would be 50:1. With vp it would be 45:1 except 40:1 in my chainsaw.

 

[huskihl]

Could check with AI and see what they say. Never know when you’ll find an opinion that agrees

 

[Wilhelm]

View attachment 476965

Burt Gummer Graboid exterminator, legend.

What’s wrong with overkill? ...

 

[Sloughfoot]

Could check with AI and see what they say. Never know when you’ll find an opinion that agrees

Ok

Google Search

 

[Partner]

And everything is clear you can close this thread now

 

[SawAddictedFarmer]

Ok

Google Search

And everything is clear you can close this thread now

They're probably just pulling that from https://arboristsite.com

 

[Outback]

Arborist site official fuel mix is half kerosene/ half Coleman's white gas. Has to be Coleman brand. Mixed 77.7/1 with liquefied unicorn farts and a sprinkle of fairy dust, which I'm told is zinc based.