Oil-Gas mix question

[PaPaPeng]

>

>> Does anyone know the gas-oil mix ratio for a two stroke 3 hp Toro >> snowthrower? Also the mix ratio for a 25 cc Weed Wacker? >> Thanks. > >Typically it was 20 to 1...use more oil if in doubt. >Too little and it will seize the engine.... >Too much and it will foul the plug... >Synth oil will smoke a lot less.... > >I would go to Toro's website and look up a replacement manual.... >Just food for thought. >

This will be one of those "Why can't they....." gripes.

1. Why can't they have the oil mix ratio molded into the plastic gas tank or something like that. Then there won't be any lost manuals or mangled/missing labels.

1. Why can't the manufacturer supply a squeeze bulb syringe to draw the correct amount of oil to mix a gallon or a liter of gas.

I believe I am quite knowledgeable about gadgets but this oil-gas mix thing is driving me nuts. I have tried both lean (seizing) as well as rich mixtures (stalls from fouling) and cannot figure out the right mix yet. I can't keep track of what I did any more.

[Eric in North TX]

Running a 2 stroke rich on oil will make lean on fuel. The main jet can only pass so many molecules, if the oil is taking up too much space enough fuel can't get through. +1 on moulding into the fuel tanks, if only.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

I just go to the borg and buy those little plastic bottles of lawnmower oil. You add the whole thing (it's just a couple of ounces, I think) to a gallon of gas to have the proper mix for 2 cycle engines.

What I do is go buy 5 gallons of regular gas in a 5 gallon gas can, then add stabilizer to it. I then pour a gallon of it into a smaller 1 gallon gas can and add the oil to that. I end up with 4 gallons of stabilized gas for my lawn tractor and 1 gallon of stabilized gas/oil mix for the weedwhacker, leaf blower, edger or whatever.

Two very different sized cans means no possible screwups... at least by me.

Concerned about the 4 gallons getting too old? Pour it into the gas tank on your car and buy some more. However, I've never had any problems with using stabilized gas from the year before....

[Edwin Pawlowski]

My snowblower does. My chainsaw varies with the type of oil, regular or synthetic. It can be 32:1 or 50:1, IIRC.

I've seen some oil sold in small bottles, enough to use with one gallon of gas. There is also an oil bottle that has a squeeze thing and is marked with the ratio for a one gallon container also. I don't recall the brand, but Wal Mart has it.

[Pete C.]

Some tanks and / or tank caps do list the mix ratio. They have a symbol that looks like an old style gas pump, with an oil drop superimposed on that and a number in the oil drop like 40 or 50 that represents the mix ratio expected i.e. 40:1 gas:oil.

Pete C.

[ds549]

some 2 strokes run 6000 rpm some run 12000 rpm. stihl oil,echo oil and huskvarna oil is for 12000 rpm engines.so ,if you mix it according to the bottle it can be used safely in any small 2 stroke engine. the oil made for the slow engines isnt quite good enough for the fast engines.

[Jason Killen]

Trying to find out the ratio is a pain.

As far as remembering the ratio. I write it on the gas can in big black letters kind of like this: Saw Mix 40:1 3.2 oz

(I can't remember the actual number of oz oil for 40:1 but you can figure it out.)

Then I buy oil in a squeze bottle and add however much the can says on it.

Note on buying little bottles of 2 cycle oil. You have to buy the right one. Some are say 30:1 and some are 40:1. They have different amounts of oil in them so it's not as simple as just grabbing one and throwing it in, you have to get the right one.

[PaPaPeng]

Thanks guys. I vaguely remember now the ratio as 1:40 for the snow thrower but the 1:16 ratio for the weedwacker keeps bugging me. It can't be right. In the "frugal" group a person suggested using a baby feed bottle with graduations for measuring. I thinks that's a great idea and I did see a bottle in the dollar store.

This is another invention idea. Factory mold into the engine's gas tank a pocket for correct volume of oil for the right ratio mix when the rest of the tank is filled with gas. Pour gas into this pocket to flush out and mix the oil to a full tank. Voila no mucking around.

[AZ Nomad]

Why not just RTFM?

[The Reverend Natural Light]

Go to a motorcycle shop and buy a Ratio Rite. It is a little cup that measures the proper amount of oil for whatever mix and fuel amount you're working with.

I'll say it again just in case:

Go to a motorcycle shop and buy a Ratio Rite. It is a little cup that measures the proper amount of oil for whatever mix and fuel amount you're working with.

As an aside, the sales manager for a cycle shop I worked for was in too big of a hurry to let the service department prep a new dirt bike for sale. He measured and poured the oil straight into the tank, poured in the gas, and shook the bike to mix it. Of course, the 100% oil had already drained through the tank into the carb and completely filled it.

-rev

PaPaPeng wrote:

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Could be. I have a small bottle of Homelite oil that says to add to 1 gallon of gas for a 16:1 mix. It was my son's and I have no idea what machine it was for.

[pawlowsk002]

Eric:

My old Jacobsen push mower had this lithographed on to a nice metal plate, riveted to the engine shroud. It was a keen (and very old) machine.

G P

[m Ransley]

A good safe mix is 32-1 exactly one ounce per gallon. For some engines set for a leaner oil mix some can be adjusted by turning in the high speed needle.

[m Ransley]

My Mistake:: I meant one ounce oil Per Quart gasolene.

[Jason Killen]

[Goedjn]

Of course, you can't add fuel until you've run the thing completely dry, or you screw up the oil-mix....

[Stormin Mormon]

Something rather old, I'd think.

[Stormin Mormon]

Well, lets see. If it was 32:1 fuel mix, th at would be about 97% fuel. For 50:1 mix, that would be 98% fuel.

Now, lets look at it. Supposing I'm running 97% fuel, and 3% oil, and it's running lean. So, now, I'm going to change to a mix that is 98% fuel, and 2% oil.

Really, how much differnce do you think this will make?

[Steve Barker LT]

It won't make any difference. I'll admit I jumped in the middle of the thread here, but I can assure you all if you use a quality oil, you can run it at 50:1 in ANY two stroke engine made. We've been running 10 lawn boys on 50:1 stihl oil for about 9 years now.

[Al Bundy]

"Jason Killen" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

On machines I get, first thing I do is engrave on plastic or metal the plug#, plug gap and fuel mix if applicable.