DIY Chainsaw fuel

[joe_db]

I was advised to NEVER use ethanol fuel in my chainsaw if I wanted it to work more than once. So far I have had good luck with the $8/quart "chainsaw fuel", but last night I had a tree go down and I was out of the $32/gal fuel. I decided to DIY some fuel, so I grabbed a quart of 100 octane avgas, added the correct amount of 2 stroke oil, and bit of SeaFoam. So far so good, the saw ran fine.
Does anyone see any problem with continuing to use this mix? I would really rather pay $5/gal than $32/gal. I keep a jug full because the lawn mower warranty is void if I use ethanol gas in it. I also enjoy the lack of stink perfume in avgas.
*it isn't the gasoline that stinks so much, but some stinky crap added to car gas to make it less appealing to glue sniffing kids

[Tim]

I have a Stihl and an Echo chain saw and a Husquavarna leaf blower. I use regular non ethanol fuel from the local gas station and have not had any problems. The Stihl dealer did recommend the $8/quart premix fuel but couldn't really tell me why. Stihl, Husquavarna and Echo sell 2 stroke oil so they know the equipment will be run on gas station fuel. Why would they sell the oil if the premixed fuel is the only thing that works? I think the $8/quart price is the answer.

[tenders]

Nothing wrong with avgas if you can get it easily. Certainly no ethanol!

Dealers recommend premix because the oil/fuel ratio is very important, 2-stroke engines are becoming a rarity these days, and a huge fraction of the population is VERY bad at remembering and/or measuring.

[Sam]

Here in Chicago I have 9 snowblowers at various nearby locations. Some are two stroke and some 4 stroke. [the 4 strokes are older US made Sears Craftsmans either Briggs or Tecumseh engines that seem to work forever]. Last year one of our local warehouse stores had on deep sale straight gas/stabilized/pre mix @ less than $3/qt. The issue is that it was good for both 40:1 and 50:1 and stated that it would not void any mfg warranty etc and listed all the top brands. I bought some since it made life easier and used it in both older 40:1 and newer 50:1 machines. Everything started and ran fine, admittedly we did not have that mush snow and still have a half dozen new cans left. My engineering background says be cautious. Is it possible that one mix [maybe with a secret elixir] can work long term?

[Al Schober]

Just some random thoughts from an old fart that's been running gas engines a long time:
a) any fuel left in a carb for long is not good (hot weather evaporates volatiles). Leaving it in a tank is not much better (it doesn't mess up the carb but is still goes bad). Drain the tank and use it elsewhere. When you fill a tank for the garage, put a tag on it with the date.
b) ethanol fuel is nasty stuff. Avoid it if you can tolerate the price/inconvenience. It absorbs water and dissolves things you don't want dissolved. If you do use it, keep your tank clear of the stuff that settles out.
c) 2 stroke stuff has improved a LOT over the years. Carbs have gotten better (I have an Echo trimmer that gives no problems - good carb?). Son bought a new KTM 250 dirt bike - 2 stroke but oil injection with regular gas. He tells me it seems to be running about 100:1.

[sastanley]

I have several opinions on this, but the bottom line is I do not run ethanol laced fuel in any of my small motors. The lawn mower being the only exception since I run it every week, but in the fall I switch back over to E0, as the frequency of usage slows.

I include the A-4, since it also counts as a small motor. I have an ethanol free gasoline source about 15 miles away at $3.50/gallon presently, so I go get $175 of fuel from him with my 7 jerry cans and that mostly covers my annual consumption.

edit- One problem with chainsaws is the plastic fuel lines...ethanol eats that $h!t up and it crumbles. Don't ask me how I know when Hurricane Irene blew threw town several years ago with 7 trees down in the front yard.