Stihl 2 cycle oil

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xman23

Minister of Fire
Oct 7, 2008
2,631
Lackawaxen PA
Has anyone seen this issue? I was mixing gas using Stihl's oil mix for a gallon. After emptying the orange bottle, I noticed a bit of sediment in the bottom corners of the bottle. I put some gas in and shook it until it dissolved. I mixed it with the gallon. My concern is, what settled out of the oil maybe an important component of the lubricant. Let me add this oil has been around a long time. I bought a lot of this years ago, and only mix up 5, 6 gallons a year. I 'm about out so I will see if fresh oil has this issue.
 
Sorry, I can't help you as to the point of your question, is the remaining residue an important component. But you have possibly raised a very important issue for folks like you and I who bought up a hoard of their oil years ago and are still working their way through it. I've never noticed the issue since I usually just pour from my hord of pints into one of the old little 2.6 ml (3 ml) containers with the clear side window to measure enough for the next gallon I mix. After I pour it out to mix a gallon, I immediately refill the little guy so it is ready to go for the next batch and just put it back up on the shelf. Never even bothered to rinse out the little container with gas after each use. Never even thought to shake up the pints before pouring either. Always considered the oil to be a "single component" basicly. (Like adding motor oil to your car, never considered it necessary to "shake it up" before pouring it in the car.) I do know that Stihl has a new synthetic oil out now. I just recently bought a new MS250 C-BE saw and guy at the store told me if I use the new oil in it, it will double my warranty period. Problem is, I'm still sitting on about 36 pints of older regular stuff that's about 13 years old now. Hopefully, someone else can chime in on this and help us out.
 
I've always added a bit of gas to the oil bottles after dumping them in the can to rinse them out and get ALL of the oil in the mix.

The warranty thing with Stihl's HP Ultra oil is simple. So long as there is a six-pack of oil on the invoice with the tool, the consumer warranty period is doubled. That's all that has to happen. Just needs to be on the invoice. Nothing forbidding you from using your existing oil.
 
I've always added a bit of gas to the oil bottles after dumping them in the can to rinse them out and get ALL of the oil in the mix.

LOL. I laughed when read "I've always done that" because I do it too.

I also just put 1.9 gallons of gas in the jug with the 2 gallon bottle.
A tad extra is OK, a tad little may not be.

When a saw dies under warranty, it goes to the factory & the fuel mix is tested to see if it's mixed correct.

If the additive drops out of the oil in the bottle but disolves with gasoline, I'm thinking it needs to be in the mix
 
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I mix 5 gallons at a time. For shear ease of math I pour 1 pint into 5 gallons which comes out to 40:1. I usually pour out of quart or gallon jugs so I can't rinse till the last bit is mixed, which I usually do.

To the OP - mix oil doesn't go bad. Rinse, don't rinse. Whatevs.
 
Does anyone have any firsthand experience with stihl denying a warranty claim for mix too rich i.e 40:1
 
Does anyone have any firsthand experience with stihl denying a warranty claim for mix too rich i.e 40:1
That would be the first time I've heard of something like that. They usually don't cover spark plugs and that's really the only thing I could see it permanently killing.
 
That would be the first time I've heard of something like that. They usually don't cover spark plugs and that's really the only thing I could see it permanently killing.
My suttle way of coaxing oil rich mixes;)
 
That would be the first time I've heard of something like that. They usually don't cover spark plugs and that's really the only thing I could see it permanently killing.

Doubtful. There's not enough difference between 40:1 and 50:1 for any part of the saw to notice.
 
Has It always been 50 to 1? I ask because years ago I recall a mix of 20 to 1 using straight 30 weight oil. That was in my 2 cycle Sabb. What made the lubrication better to allow 50 to 1? As I said I hope I have not been leaving the additives in the bottom of the bottle.

I picked up a six pack of the synthetic oil, to try. You'd think there must be something to it to double the warranty. I never compared the price, but maybe the margin is so good it will pay for the warranty issues and then some. Can't help reading between the lines, things may not be what they want you to believe.
 
You recall correctly. The ratio was higher with respect to oil years ago. For the most part, engines haven't changed--the oil additives have improved dramatically.

My understanding is that the modern full syn formulas leave the P&C cleaner, which leads to less engine wear and eventually longer engine life. Wrenchers find that engines (even the old ones) are cleaner after teardown when running oils like Stihl Ultra.
 
Without opening a can of worms...Do any of you use Stens 1 mix?
 
I've always added a bit of gas to the oil bottles after dumping them in the can to rinse them out and get ALL of the oil in the mix.

The warranty thing with Stihl's HP Ultra oil is simple. So long as there is a six-pack of oil on the invoice with the tool, the consumer warranty period is doubled. That's all that has to happen. Just needs to be on the invoice. Nothing forbidding you from using your existing oil.

Had no idea. Does this apply to any of Stihl's tools? I may be looking for a brush saw next year.
 
Had no idea. Does this apply to any of Stihl's tools? I may be looking for a brush saw next year.

Hmm, I wonder about this too. I would think that any trained Stihl person could examine that engine interior and tell exactly what has been burned inside it, regardless what is on the invoice, or in the fuel tank at the time it is tuned back in. They may obviously never go through that much issue with it though and simply act as MasterMech said. I'll ask my Stihl guy tomorrow, I have to go over and get a wrist pin retaining clip tomorrow ...... to the best of my efforts to contain it on removal, had one fly across the workshop and for the life of me can't find it!

Christmas came early today .... USPS showed up with a box of new/used 031AV parts, Ho, Ho, Ho!
 
Hmm, I wonder about this too. I would think that any trained Stihl person could examine that engine interior and tell exactly what has been burned inside it, regardless what is on the invoice, or in the fuel tank at the time it is tuned back in. They may obviously never go through that much issue with it though and simply act as MasterMech said. I'll ask my Stihl guy tomorrow, I have to go over and get a wrist pin retaining clip tomorrow ...... to the best of my efforts to contain it on removal, had one fly across the workshop and for the life of me can't find it!

Christmas came early today .... USPS showed up with a box of new/used 031AV parts, Ho, Ho, Ho!

The thinking is that if a consumer buys a 6 pack of oil, that will mix at least 6 gallons of fuel. Also that if the consumer has said 6 pack of oil, he/she is most likely to use it. Most consumers will not exceed 6 gallons of fuel usage during the warranty period of any one tool. (Then again, they haven't seen our wood piles. :p)

Had no idea. Does this apply to any of Stihl's tools? I may be looking for a brush saw next year.

As far as I know, Yes, but can't say 100% in regard for the high-end clearing saws like the FS350 and up. The only exception may be for the CutQuick saws since they technically have no consumer warranty, only commercial.
 
I visited my local Stihl dealer today and had a lengthy discussion regarding the Ultra Oil extended warranty program and exactly how it will work. I told him about this forum and relayed the various comments that had been posted and asked exactly how he will be managing the program. He stated that your invoice does not need to show that you purchased Ultra at the time of sale, folks might already have a supply of ultra on hand from another piece of equipment. He stated that they do not go by the invoice, but rather by his/Stihl's "logs/records" that show the Stihl equipment purchase information. Those records would note an Ultra purchase if it had occurred, but it is not required. He went on to state that Stihl is going to be very "easy" regarding this warranty. Stihl gets very few warranty repairs on engines internals to begin with, most are ethanol/fuel/carburator related, not internal engine problems. He stated that for the time and money involved, they will simply honor the owners claim and repair the saw. He claimed that they perform most warranty repairs there on site and bill Stihl for the repairs. It is a very rare occurance that an item will ever go back to Stihl to be examined, although is does sometimes occur. If that did happen, Stihl technicians would be able to tell from the deposits exactly what had been used in the saw regardless of the owner's claim. Hope this helps folks decide exactly what they want to do. For me, I'm going to keep working through my pints of old regular stuff, making sure that I start rinsing out my container to get every last drop of that stuff. ==c If my saw breakes, I'll fix it myself.
 
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