Chainsaw oil: what kind to fill, in what ratio with gasoline, which one for chains, and which one for sprockets

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.

How to properly lubricate a power saw chain?

Modern electric chain saws are equipped with a system for automated supply of lubricant to friction units. In this case, you don’t need to invent anything - you just need to pour oil into a special reservoir and let the tool work for a few seconds without load, “idle”. During this time, the lubricant will be evenly distributed along the entire length of the chain.

Older models of electric saws do not have such a system. Their chain is lubricated by periodically dipping it into a container of oil. You can use brushes or a grease gun for lubrication.

Chain oils in aerosol packaging are especially convenient for this purpose.

We especially note that to ensure safety, lubricating electric saws should only be done when the power supply is completely turned off.

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.

Preparing the fuel mixture for a chainsaw

Let's look at everything in order:

Petrol

Gasoline must have an octane number of at least AI92. You can also fill in AI95, but its quality at our gas stations leaves much to be desired, so if you are not sure of the quality of 95, then it is still better to take AI92 gasoline for diluting gasoline in a chainsaw. You should also not take gasoline that has been sitting for a long time in a canister, tank or any other container. Gasoline for preparing the fuel mixture for a chainsaw must be fresh, otherwise it loses its properties, in particular its octane number, and even if you run the chainsaw on such fuel, it will not produce full power. And the saddest thing in this case is that the failure of a chainsaw due to low-quality fuel is considered a non-warranty case and leads to expensive repairs. Sometimes it’s easier to buy a new chainsaw than to repair it after such a breakdown!

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.

Recommendations for choosing oil

There is no clear answer to which oil is best for a chainsaw, since the market is oversaturated with lubricants for 2-stroke engines. But, according to reviews from experienced craftsmen, it is still better to trust lubricants from well-known manufacturers, such as Oregon, Shtil, Champion, Husqvarna. By purchasing oils from these brands, you can extend the life of your tool and provide maximum engine protection.

Please note that there are counterfeits of well-known brands on sale, and if you buy them, you can ruin your chainsaw. Therefore, lubricants must be purchased only from official dealers who have product certificates.

Chainsaw chain lubricant, according to some users, can be replaced with any mineral oil with a viscosity of 15-40 for the summer and with an index of 10-30 for the cold season. The brand can be M8 or M10. Also, many chainsaw owners are beginning to wonder whether it is possible to replace 2-stroke oil with something. Experienced craftsmen strongly advise against adding other lubricants to gasoline, since you can completely damage the engine of the unit, the repair of which will cost as much money as you will not save on lubrication. Moreover, if you do the math, one liter of oil is enough to produce 50 liters of fuel mixture, which can only be consumed by working in a logging site.

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.

Basic criteria for quality oil

The photo of chainsaw oil shows samples from various manufacturers. On sale you can find analogues from Chinese manufacturers. You can often encounter counterfeit products, although products from state-owned factories in China can be of quite high quality.

In order not to regret your choice in the future, it is advisable to pay attention to the following criteria for selecting a lubricant:

• characteristics of the base, which can be mineral or synthetic;
• lubricating qualities;
• minimum parameters of smoke and toxic elements in exhaust;
• eliminating the factor of soot formation during operation;
• detergent and anti-coking qualities.

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.

Review of engine oil manufacturers

Among the manufacturers producing the best two-stroke oils, we can confidently name 2 leaders - these are the companies Husqvarna (Husvarna) and Stihl (Shtil). Companies produce not only conventional mineral oils, but also synthetic lubricants designed for 2-stroke engines operating in harsh conditions.

Husqvarna HP

This is a Swedish manufacturer, which includes several well-known brands, including the Partner company, known for its garden equipment for semi-professional and professional use. Husqvarna produces not only equipment, but also high-quality lubricants used on almost all brands of power tools.

The photo below shows Husqvarna HP 2-stroke oil, which contains special additives that can compensate for poor fuel quality, which is not uncommon in our country. After all, the octane number of gasoline purchased at a gas station does not always correspond to the declared one.

This lubricant is green in color and contains a semi-synthetic base. It can be packaged in both 10-liter and liter containers. The mixture is diluted in a standard proportion of 1:50 (20 g per 1 liter of gasoline). But when the engine has not yet been broken in, or work is to be done in the cold, the proportion can be increased to 1:40.

Stihl HP

The lubricant was specially developed for engines of Stihl equipment. It has a mineral base, has high lubricating and cleaning abilities and can be used at an ambient temperature of at least -10°C.

The bottle has a special dispenser that allows you to mix the fuel mixture without using additional measuring containers.

The lubricant is red in color and can be stored for no more than 4 years in a closed container. The latter can have different capacities, both large and small (for one-time refilling). For example, there is a 20-gram container on sale, the contents of which are added to 1 liter of gasoline. This is a very convenient option for owners of chainsaws who use them occasionally. Important: the mixture of gasoline with this oil cannot be stored for more than 1 month, since during this time it will already lose its lubricating properties.

Stihl HP Ultra

The oil belongs to the highest category. It is created on a completely synthetic base, has a green color and has high lubricating properties, and thanks to salt-free additives it does not create soot.

The oil was specially developed for lubrication of engines operating for long periods of time at high loads and low ambient temperatures, down to -25°C. In addition, this lubricant does not harm the environment. If it is spilled on the ground, it will decompose by 80% in 21 days. The lubricant is packaged in 100 ml and 1 liter bottles.

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.

How to replace expensive oil

The disadvantage of special branded chain lubricants is their high price. Buying a liter of another expensive oil is not burdensome. And if there is work to be done that requires several liters, or even tens of liters, thoughts about saving will probably arise. The main thing is not to go to extremes when considering options. You can save on oil to such an extent that you will have to change the chain several times, or even the tire itself or the oil pump.

There are three replacement options. Firstly, you can use specialized products from little-known manufacturers to lubricate the chain. But we still need to look for such oils. In addition, there is a risk of stumbling upon a low-quality product.

Application of oils for automobile engines. They can be used as a temporary replacement, but they cannot boast of high adhesion, so the quality of their work will be clearly worse than special ones. For this reason, it is not recommended to use spindle and diesel oils - the worst in terms of adhesion.

And we definitely need to talk about one more option - working out. This is the name of oil that has spent its life in the engine and is drained from it when replaced.

In fact, this is not an option at all. Metal particles are always present in the waste. And if they may not damage the chain itself, then they certainly will not damage the oil pump and the entire lubrication system. On forums on the Internet you can find a “killer” argument in favor of testing - that the Soviet chainsaw “Druzhba” did not have chain lubrication at all and worked. So you can pour whatever you want - and it will do. Well, “Shtil” will also work with a working off or even with a non-lubricated chain. The question is how long it will work and how many chains will have to be replaced during this period.

A warning to those whose chainsaw is under warranty. Warranty workshop technicians are able to identify cases of poor-quality chain lubrication. Especially when using mining. Repairs under warranty will be rejected immediately.

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.

Sprocket Lubricant

At the end of the chainsaw bar there is a driven sprocket, which ensures rotation of the chain. It also needs to be lubricated periodically. For this purpose, thick materials are used. You can use STIHL universal lubricant. Domestic lithol-based lubricants are also suitable. There is a special hole on the tire for lubricating the sprocket. You need to pump lubricant into it using a grease nipple or syringe.

Please note that if you frequently work with the toe of the tire, for example, when making grooves, the load on the sprocket increases and it needs to be lubricated more often.

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.

Features of different types of oil

For two-stroke engines, types of oil such as mineral or synthetic can be used. The first option is more affordable, but synthetics have the main advantage - the absence of carbon deposits in the cylinder, which helps to increase the actual life of the chainsaw.

The use of more expensive synthetic and semi-synthetic materials is justified by their advantages:

• ensuring trouble-free operation of mechanisms;
• stability of the power drive;
• reducing the cost of planned repairs;
• longer life of the chainsaw.

However, after you start using mineral oil, when you have been doing this for quite a long time - more than 100 motorcycle hours, then you can no longer switch to synthetics. This is explained by the fact that when working with a mineral lubricant, carbon deposits formed on the internal planes of the cylinder.

Synthetics, due to their cleaning properties, can wash away this plaque, and pieces of carbon deposits can damage the instrument. Therefore, you should continue to use mineral oil.

Criterias of choice

It is recommended to choose oil for an electric chain saw or its gasoline equivalent based on the following criteria:

• The product must not have obvious fractional separation or sediment.
• Technical specifications must be officially certified by the manufacturer.
• The manufacturing company must have a registration and legal address.
• Before purchasing a specific oil, it is useful to read reviews from real consumers of the product.

Checking a chainsaw Source livejournal.com
It is impossible to decide which oil is suitable for a chainsaw chain without a practical test. Ideally, at 100% load, there should be no smell of overheated wood in operation, and the engine should not show signs of overload.

Basic malfunctions and their elimination

One of the most common complaints is that
Partner chainsaw will not start.
This may be due to a full engine, an empty fuel tank, lack of spark from the spark plugs, or due to the fact that the fuel mixture is not entering the carburetor. To eliminate defects, check the presence and level of gasoline, as well as the cleanliness of the fuel filter. If it is dirty, clean it or replace it. If the engine does not operate at full power or stalls when the load increases, then it is recommended that you clean or change the air filter, spark plug, or turn off the chain brake. If none of these steps improve the performance of your Partner 351, contact your service center for qualified assistance.

Excessive smoke emission during sawing indicates a large proportion of oil in the fuel mixture. Drain the old fuel, mix new fuel and pour it into the tank. And if the engine does not idle correctly, then the reason lies in the carburetor. Try to adjust the carburetor with your own hands as indicated above.

The article carefully examines how to dilute gasoline with oil for a chainsaw. When making the consistency, try to observe all proportions correctly so as not to harm the equipment. When running in a new tool and in hot weather, do not forget to add 20% more oil than indicated in the instructions.

Safety precautions when operating a chainsaw

First, the manufacturer in the annotation shows the importance of having special protective clothing, shoes and accessories. So, for example, for non-hazardous work you should acquire:

• closed comfortable shoes, preferably with iron edging;
• clothing that fits, but does not restrict movement;
• non-slip, thick gloves;
• safety glasses;
• a helmet or special noise-absorbing headphones.

The Partner 351 chainsaw is operated with only 2 hands. Inserting a saw with one hand can result in injuries and injuries not only to the operator, but also to surrounding people. Since the gasoline drive produces harmful and toxic exhaust, it is prohibited to operate Partner 351 indoors or in poorly ventilated areas.

Main brands of motor oils for chainsaws

The leading companies producing chainsaw lubricants are Stihl and Husgvarna. The following oils are used for saws:

• Stihl HP is a mineral lubricant for tools of the same brand. It has a reddish color and is available in different packaging, even for one-time use, which is very convenient.
• HP Ultra - made on a synthetic base, has improved properties, used at low temperatures.
• Vitals Semisynthetic - created for economical models, used annually.
• Husgvarna HP is semi-synthetic, equipped with additives that compensate for the low quality of gasoline. Applicable for use in equipment of other brands.
• Champion Jaso FD - provides reliable protection of all engine parts.

There is a large selection of products on the market for two-stroke engines from various manufacturers. How to dilute oil

for chainsaws, indicated on the packaging. It is better to buy products from recognizable companies, this will help keep the tool in working condition longer.