General Product Question
Just bought a model 435 chain saw, & the guy at Lowe's...
General Product Question posted June 5, 2017 by ken rasheff
45 Views, 2 Comments
Question:
Just bought a model 435 chain saw, & the guy at Lowe's told me I need to use zero ethanol gas in it (always mixed with oil of course). But the owner's manual only says to use gas with octane rating of 87 or higher. So was the guy at Lowe's just wrong about this ??
Answer
Ken,
Ideally zero ethanol, would be great it prevents the deterioration of rubber fuel hoses, rubber gromets, rubber intake boots found on most chainsaw.
However practically speaking, the rubber components even if not exposed to ethanol will deteriorate over time anyhow, but should take like 30 years or more, the ethanol speeds up the process.
Anyhow, I use the best fuel I can get typically its "93 Octane" (Note: If you prefer the Pre-mix cans of fuel and only have a small amount of cutting wood each year, then I'm sure that is better), and I have never,ever had a fuel problem, always use fresh fuel, Never use fuel that has been sitting for a season or year in the chainsaw. Always, always, use the proper mix ratio,
I have seen alot of chainsaws with scored and seized Piston/ cylinders from improper fuel mixtures. I have never seen a chainsaw seize from an ethanol problem, or using a lower grade of fuel. I do recommend using a fuel stabilizer, there are many different kinds, again Always add the "Stabil" per the directions on the bottle, Do Not Add more thinking its better, I believe it does keep the fuel life a little better.
Use a small (1) gallon container for all your mixtures (Not a Gigantic 5 gallon can that you will never use up unless you are a Full time Forestry Arborist) , so that you can use the fuel up more frequently and and get fresh fuel on a regular basis. Finally, I have seen separation of the fuel oil, fuel, and stabilizer after it has been initially mixed so always. Give the container of fuel mixture a little slosh or gentle shake before filling your chainsaw, Also after you have put fuel in your chainsaw or using it from day to day before you start up your chainsaw, give the chainsaw a little slosh or gentle shake to insure there is no separation.
I hope this helps, and please let me know If I can be of any further help
Karla
PS. I am Not a Husqvarna Representative or a Repair Service just an experimental chainsaw person
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Personally I see a lot people blaming everything on Ehtanol. I have been service professionally 2 cycle equipment since '09 and have seen problems even pure gasoline. As Karla said most problems is resulting from improper fuel mixes. Here I use 10% Ethanol in everything. For 2 cycles I mix only 1 or 2 gallons at a time mixed with a multi mix Pro mix fuel oil. It contains the fuel stabilizer already so their is no need to add Stabil or other stabilizers.
Yes I do see fuel line and other related problems but is across the board with type of fuel as all contain additives that can damage these parts. Even Stabil itself can cause problems if the fuel it mixed in is allowed to dry up.
Now if you do use Ethanol fuel, one thing to remember is that it must keep in an air tight container as it will absorb moisture directly from the air which combines with the Ethanol and settles out as water.
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