What oil is best? and what ratio?

[jakethesnake]

I've used Quicksilver many times with no problems.

That’s what I ran too

 

[thedude74]

918 pages and it died??? Fricken slackers. Im switching to Echo Red Armor. As it turns out that full synthetic Wally world brand 2 stroke oil is crap too....lubes good....but leaves carbon deposits.....Everywhere....piston, chamber, muffler....my wife and kids....on the dog....
Anyone burn up a saw yet running Red Armor 50-1?

 

[ammoaddict]

Dominator 36:1

 

[Boomer2230]

I like the smell of YamaLube at 40:1.

 

[ammoaddict]

I like the smell of YamaLube at 40:1.

In the morning or at night?

 

[Boomer2230]

In the morning or at night?

Anytime of the day.

 

[nbbt]

Morning early risers

 

[Seachaser]

I like the smell of YamaLube at 40:1.

That’s what I run in my boat. Supposed to be good stuff. A little pricey, but I used to have a dealer that would fill up a five gallon jug for me from his bulk supply.

 

[rogue60]

Someone should test oil in a weedeater for a day or 2 so we know what oil performs best in hard working chainsaws for a couple thousand hrs...

 

[Hundred Acre Wood]

918 pages and it died???

Oil threads never die. They just rest for a while after they use up all the oxygen in the room.

 

[Mastermind]

I'll lay a few observations on you fellas.

I've seen exactly one oil related failure in 15 years of rebuilding and porting saws.

I've seen several fuel related failures. Dead gas with extremely low octane will damn sure kill an engine. But running one oil rather than another ain't gonna kill your saw. Some oils cause too much carbon buildup for my tastes. Some will leave behind plastic like deposits. Others seem too wet, and a few seem to dry. Some oils stink....and others that "smell like race day" can get overpowering in regular use. But if mixed correctly with good gas, none that I've seen will cause a catastrophic failure.

The one for damn sure oil related failure I saw? Amsoil Sabre mixed 80:1 in a ported 088 being used to mill with. The big end connecting rod bearing got so hot that the sheet metal cage melted and oozed out between the rod and the crank. Was it because Amsoil Sabre is bad oil? No...not at all. It's good oil. A lack of understanding killed the saw. 80:1 in a 120cc saw while milling? WTF was the owner thinking?

 

[MustangMike]

I run Saber at 40:1. Would never say it is the "best", but it oils well and runs clean. No one I have recommended it to has turned back, including a pro firewood guy and a guy who previously blew up 2 Asian saws with other oil (his 3rd Asian saw has run far longer than the other 2).

I have also had a known builder on this site rip down one of my saws and remark how well it was oiled.

It works for me, so I will keep using it. I run both ported Asian and OEM saws on it and have never blown one up.

 

[jakethesnake]

I’d add lucas to that list.

 

[jakethesnake]

Lucas to the list of causing failure

 

[FergusonTO35]

I'll lay a few observations on you fellas.

I've seen exactly one oil related failure in 15 years of rebuilding and porting saws.

I've seen several fuel related failures. Dead gas with extremely low octane will damn sure kill an engine. But running one oil rather than another ain't gonna kill your saw. Some oils cause too much carbon buildup for my tastes. Some will leave behind plastic like deposits. Others seem too wet, and a few seem to dry. Some oils stink....and others that "smell like race day" can get overpowering in regular use. But if mixed correctly with good gas, none that I've seen will cause a catastrophic failure.

The one for damn sure oil related failure I saw? Amsoil Sabre mixed 80:1 in a ported 088 being used to mill with. The big end connecting rod bearing got so hot that the sheet metal cage melted and oozed out between the rod and the crank. Was it because Amsoil Sabre is bad oil? No...not at all. It's good oil. A lack of understanding killed the saw. 80:1 in a 120cc saw while milling? WTF was the owner thinking?

Never in my life understood people who run their oil ratio as lean as possible. Trying to save a few nickels per gallon of gas on a $1000+ saw. Used to see dealership customers all day long who would drop 50k on a new Lexus and then change the oil every 12,000 miles.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Lucas to the list of causing failure

Lucas products are waaaayyy overpriced for what they are.

 

[FergusonTO35]

As it turns out that full synthetic Wally world brand 2 stroke oil is crap too....lubes good....but leaves carbon deposits.....Everywhere....piston, chamber, muffler....my wife and kids....on the dog....

Another reason not to shop at that miserable place!

 

[MustangMike]

Randy, I have seen the large rod bearing fail on 2 Asian big bore saws running Stihl oil at 50:1. Had the owner switch to Amsoil at 40:1 and his third saw has far outlasted the other two.

Also, (correct me if I'm wrong), but I believe you generally recommend a good oil at 40:1 in all your ported saws, which should reduce oil failures.

My take:

1) I believe Asian saws, in general, are not as tough as OEM and need additional protection.

2) Big bores (heavier pistons) and porting put more stress on a saw.

3) If my oil mix works for Asian saws, my OEM saws should last for a long, long time!

I don't claim to be an expert, but I do try to learn from observation and use common sense.

 

[ammoaddict]

I run Saber at 40:1. Would never say it is the "best", but it oils well and runs clean. No one I have recommended it to has turned back, including a pro firewood guy and a guy who previously blew up 2 Asian saws with other oil (his 3rd Asian saw has run far longer than the other 2).

I have also had a known builder on this site rip down one of my saws and remark how well it was oiled.

It works for me, so I will keep using it. I run both ported Asian and OEM saws on it and have never blown one up.

I like saber at 40:1. That's what I was running until I decided to try dominator. I still have some saber and will run it at some point.

 

[Hundred Acre Wood]

I've seen exactly one oil related failure in 15 years of rebuilding and porting saws.

I've seen several fuel related failures. Dead gas with extremely low octane will damn sure kill an engine. But running one oil rather than another ain't gonna kill your saw. Some oils cause too much carbon buildup for my tastes. Some will leave behind plastic like deposits. Others seem too wet, and a few seem to dry. Some oils stink....and others that "smell like race day" can get overpowering in regular use. But if mixed correctly with good gas, none that I've seen will cause a catastrophic failure.

Thank you for this post. I've tried to make this point in several oil threads and been ridiculed for it. If the saws aren't failing, the oil is doing its job despite what appearances may lead people to believe. Some oils may be better than others for one person's personal preferences, but that doesn't make the other oils crap. The vast majority of the time they work. If they didn't you'd have forums full of people talking about their bottom end failures, the class action lawsuits, the recalls... But none of that happens. Because the oils work when used correctly.

Unfortunately the zealots won't accept reason and actual outcomes as any kind of evidence. So the oil threads continue...