Stilh Buying Experience?

[chrisexv6]

Answer to question 1. Click below

http://www.popularmechanics.com/hom...-small-engines-from-the-wear-and-tear-of-e10/

Answer to question 2: yes, and it's probably worse here in Cali than most places. I had a gas station put E85 (15% ethanol) fuel in the tank marked as non ethanol and it downright killed a chainsaw in 4 hours of cutting.

Zero question about it...if you have a 2 stroke, buy ethanol free fuel if you can.

I have switched to buying the pre-mix stuff (similar to whats in that article). I use maybe 2 gallons of pre-mix per year....yes its expensive by the quart, but I dont buy it all at once so my wallet "feels" OK about it.

On the other hand, I know for sure its not killing the insides of my equipment. Also nice that I dont actually have to mix anything.

And at the end of the season I buy the ethanol free straight gas to run all my 4 stroke stuff out with.

I feel its a worthy investment since Im just a DIY-er so my stuff should outlast me as long as I take care of it.

 

[Wizzard]

Its interesting to read through these comments. Its almost as polarized as the Snap-On Harbor Freight Roll Cab comments.

There's no doubt that some people will prefer Stihl and some will prefer Husky. What's interesting is just how bashing people get towards Sthil. I just don't get it. If Stihl was equipment was as bad as some of these guys say it is, how on earth could it become the 800 pound gorilla of the industry?

For example; I own a Stihl FS90 with 3 different attachments, an MS271 saw, an MS 270 saw (1 year older), and a Stihl Blower. Never had any trouble with any of them that was Stihl's fault in any way. The 270 did need to be replaced due to a local fuel station accidentally putting E-85 in the non ethanol tank - I heard they had a gazillion complaints including mine.

Last thing I noticed is sever people recommending the KM and fitting accessories. Great idea. The only reason I went with the FS90 is its actually longer right out of the box and fits the exact same attachments as the KM series. It helps a ton on the hedges!

Anyway - that's my 2 cents.

Where Stihl gets a bad rap on the internet is due to people not knowing that the newer 4-Mix motors NEED a valve adjustment at 60-80 hours of use. People don't adjust the valves and then lunch the motor and proceed to blame Stihl. The Stihl dealer will do the valve adjustment on the 4-Mix motors for ~$35, or you can do it yourself in 10 minutes with a set of feeler gauges. Without a valve adjustment the motor will eat itself eventually, a lot of BR600 blowers ate themselves from owners not adjusting the valves.

 

[rlitman]

Where Stihl gets a bad rap on the internet is due to people not knowing that the newer 4-Mix motors NEED a valve adjustment at 60-80 hours of use. People don't adjust the valves and then lunch the motor and proceed to blame Stihl. The Stihl dealer will do the valve adjustment on the 4-Mix motors for ~$35, or you can do it yourself in 10 minutes with a set of feeler gauges. Without a valve adjustment the motor will eat itself eventually, a lot of BR600 blowers ate themselves from owners not adjusting the valves.

If you watch the videos on youtube, and follow along, it still shouldn't take 10 minutes. It is really that simple.

A regular feeler gauge is too wide for this job. Stihl dealers sell one that fits really cheap, but I just cut a strip out of shim stock I had on hand.

If the machine is hard to start, and the cord feels hard to pull, that's a sure sign you need to adjust the valves.

 

[ducatiti]

Anyone use straight gas from the station without any problems. I have a craftsman 2 cycle trimmer that is around 8 years old with no problem at all using their oil and regular unleaded gas.

 

[Wizzard]

Anyone use straight gas from the station without any problems. I have a craftsman 2 cycle trimmer that is around 8 years old with no problem at all using their oil and regular unleaded gas.

I used to but stopped using ethanol gas in my small engines. Ethanol gas was giving the redesigned Stihl fuel caps major problems for a while. I found a station nearby that sells 89 oct non-ethanol and now use that exclusively for all my power equipment. My fuel will sit for a year (generators, etc) sometimes and I don't want to do that with ethanol fuel. In the long run non-ethanol is always better. Hth.

 

[rlitman]

I used to but stopped using ethanol gas in my small engines. Ethanol gas was giving the redesigned Stihl fuel caps major problems for a while. I found a station nearby that sells 89 oct non-ethanol and now use that exclusively for all my power equipment. My fuel will sit for a year (generators, etc) sometimes and I don't want to do that with ethanol fuel. In the long run non-ethanol is always better. Hth.

Stihl had a recall on the newish caps that were affected by ethanol (quick change caps with a D mark on the underside). The replacement caps (with an E mark) have no such issue. You might want to talk to your dealer about it. Anyway, people were so frustrated by the defective caps that Stihl went back to screw on caps after that debacle.

I use 93 octane 10% ethanol gas for all my small engines. I cannot get ethanol free fuel locally (yes, I know about pure-gas.org; the closest source is 78 miles away, across toll bridges, and a few hours each way).

If going into equipment that needs mixed fuel, I use the 50:1 Stihl synthetic oil (the most expensive stuff is also a requirement for the 4-mix equipment, as the conventional oil is known to carbon up the engine), and Marine Stabil at the usage dose (because the top of the line Stihl oil contains stabilizer too). I buy the 1 gallon oil mix bottles, and mix a gallon at a time. It goes into a 1 gallon steel can with a magnet that reminds me of when I last filled it.

For my mower, snowblower, etc, I buy 5 gallons of 93 at a time. I mix Marine Stabil at the storage dose (double the other one), and add an ounce of Marvel Mystery Oil (ethanol is known to cause sticky lifters, and this can help prevent the issue). The generator gets exercised on this same fuel, but I also keep 5 gallon cans of 87 octane (with stabil, and nothing else) to use for a prolonged outage. I don't mind running 87 through my generator, I just don't want it to be left stored with any in it.

 

[smiffy]

I don't know if its been mentioned but stihl dealers are meant to do a free retune after the machine has bedded in this is quite important to make them easier to start and run better long term there are other things that can be adjusted to increase machine life aswell such as the oiler on chainsaws the oiler should be checked every time the machine is starteda usually by running the saw up whilst obon the floor with the tip of the chain 4 inches away from a piece of wood to look for the spatter
the other thing the dealer should teach you is the correct way to start these tools drop starting power equipment is definitely dagdangerous and very stupid

 

[Wizzard]

Stihl had a recall on the newish caps that were affected by ethanol (quick change caps with a D mark on the underside). The replacement caps (with an E mark) have no such issue. You might want to talk to your dealer about it. Anyway, people were so frustrated by the defective caps that Stihl went back to screw on caps after that debacle.

I use 93 octane 10% ethanol gas for all my small engines. I cannot get ethanol free fuel locally (yes, I know about pure-gas.org; the closest source is 78 miles away, across toll bridges, and a few hours each way).

If going into equipment that needs mixed fuel, I use the 50:1 Stihl synthetic oil (the most expensive stuff is also a requirement for the 4-mix equipment, as the conventional oil is known to carbon up the engine), and Marine Stabil at the usage dose (because the top of the line Stihl oil contains stabilizer too). I buy the 1 gallon oil mix bottles, and mix a gallon at a time. It goes into a 1 gallon steel can with a magnet that reminds me of when I last filled it.

For my mower, snowblower, etc, I buy 5 gallons of 93 at a time. I mix Marine Stabil at the storage dose (double the other one), and add an ounce of Marvel Mystery Oil (ethanol is known to cause sticky lifters, and this can help prevent the issue). The generator gets exercised on this same fuel, but I also keep 5 gallon cans of 87 octane (with stabil, and nothing else) to use for a prolonged outage. I don't mind running 87 through my generator, I just don't want it to be left stored with any in it.

I hear you. I had Stihl replace my caps (at their expense) for the ethanol friendly versions. If the non eth station wasn't so close to me I'd also be using 93 octane as well. I also used the Stihl synthetic oil (white bottle) forever. But now I use the Husqvarna synthetic out of convenience (closer drive and slightly cheaper).

 

[thebeekeeper1]

One word of caution on using the 93 octane with ethanol--I melted the hood on my John Deere tractor/mower using that stuff. The ethanol makes it run hotter than normal, added to the high octane, and you get LOTS of heat that is hard on air-cooled engines.

 

[Cope]

My county is Ethanol required, and the adjoining counties also sell E10. My dealer recommended an Ethanol additive that along with 89 octane fuel just about stops the problems.

 

[pepi]

Thank you all for your comments. My Stihl dealer is going to give me a $20 discount. I thought they were pretty much set with their prices but still asked just in case, and the owner said yes

Certen times of the year you can save 5x that amount....

 

[justme-]

One word of caution on using the 93 octane with ethanol--I melted the hood on my John Deere tractor/mower using that stuff. The ethanol makes it run hotter than normal, added to the high octane, and you get LOTS of heat that is hard on air-cooled engines.

That wasn't the fault of the gas - more likely your engine was overheating from something else - dirty cooling fins?

ethanol can be used to increase octane but unless the circumstances are right and you're actually running something much higher like 20% eth it is far more likely to do internal damage than cause overheating. The amount of extra heat from 92 or 93 octane gas vs 89 octane is miniscule. You have a higher difference from running the wrong range spark plug which is about 100*

 

[rlitman]

I hear you. I had Stihl replace my caps (at their expense) for the ethanol friendly versions. If the non eth station wasn't so close to me I'd also be using 93 octane as well. I also used the Stihl synthetic oil (white bottle) forever. But now I use the Husqvarna synthetic out of convenience (closer drive and slightly cheaper).

Stihl calls for 89 or higher octane anyway. If I could get ethanol free, I'd be happy with 89.

Yeah, Husqvarna synthetic (or other top brand synthetic mix oil) should be just fine. Just not conventional in a 4-mix system. I'm not familiar with whether or not they include stabilizer in their mix. That would determine how much Stabil I add.

 

[hangfirew8]

Stihl dealers are required to take it out of the box, set it up, and run it before you take it.

A large local dealer Stihl & John Deere dealer charges $25 to unpack, adjust, and gas up an import or farmer grade Stihl. I avoid them like the plague.

All the other dealers do prep and gas as part of the purchase.

 

[hangfirew8]

Where Stihl gets a bad rap on the internet is due to people not knowing that the newer 4-Mix motors NEED a valve adjustment at 60-80 hours of use. People don't adjust the valves and then lunch the motor and proceed to blame Stihl. The Stihl dealer will do the valve adjustment on the 4-Mix motors for ~$35, or you can do it yourself in 10 minutes with a set of feeler gauges. Without a valve adjustment the motor will eat itself eventually, a lot of BR600 blowers ate themselves from owners not adjusting the valves.

Standard feeler gauges will not fit in the small area, at least not on my KM110R. You need a very narrow blade.

Stihl makes a kit that includes a feeler gauge and a valve cover gasket, it cost me $4 at the local Kubota dealer, or $25 at the local John Deere dealer. Guess where I got it.

I love my 110, it has more torque and less RPM than optimal for weed wacking, but it's just the thing for pole pruning and hedges. The larger 2-strokes have more explosive acceleration, but for my purposes, the 110 does everything I need to do.

 

[cashishift]

I have all Stihl stuff.. love them.

FS90R, BG86, SG20, hand sprayer.. pruner..

Have the BF tiller attachment for the FS, and will be getting the edger attachment soon. Plan on switching to the MotoMix this year, as I don't use a whole lot of fuel and its worth it to not have to worry about it. Hoping my dealer sells it by the gallon.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

That wasn't the fault of the gas - more likely your engine was overheating from something else - dirty cooling fins?

ethanol can be used to increase octane but unless the circumstances are right and you're actually running something much higher like 20% eth it is far more likely to do internal damage than cause overheating. The amount of extra heat from 92 or 93 octane gas vs 89 octane is miniscule. You have a higher difference from running the wrong range spark plug which is about 100*

The guy I bought it from suggested a mouse nest inside could have been inhibiting air flow from the flywheel "fan"--but that wasn't it. The cooling fins (entire engine and compartment) is spotlessly clean. There was no mouse nest or other debris.

It was fine, then I used the Shell 93 octane and melted the hood with the first tank. Using non-ethanol 87 octane since results is noticeably cooler operating temps. VERY noticeably so. Dunno beyond that.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

I have all Stihl stuff.. love them.

FS90R, BG86, SG20, hand sprayer.. pruner..

Have the BF tiller attachment for the FS, and will be getting the edger attachment soon. Plan on switching to the MotoMix this year, as I don't use a whole lot of fuel and its worth it to not have to worry about it. Hoping my dealer sells it by the gallon.

I use nothing but their gas for my stuff, as the relatively small amount used doesn't make the cost too far out of line. My dealer just starting getting it in gallons a month or two ago. Only thing is, they didn't raise the price of the quarts so the gallon can actually costs more than the <much handier to use> quart cans. I'm guessing that will change soon.

 

[Wizzard]

Standard feeler gauges will not fit in the small area, at least not on my KM110R. You need a very narrow blade.

Stihl makes a kit that includes a feeler gauge and a valve cover gasket, it cost me $4 at the local Kubota dealer, or $25 at the local John Deere dealer. Guess where I got it.

I love my 110, it has more torque and less RPM than optimal for weed wacking, but it's just the thing for pole pruning and hedges. The larger 2-strokes have more explosive acceleration, but for my purposes, the 110 does everything I need to do.

You are correct. I forgot to mention I cut up the appropriate size feeler gauge so it would fit.

 

[justme-]

Stihl calls for 89 or higher octane anyway. If I could get ethanol free, I'd be happy with 89.

Yeah, Husqvarna synthetic (or other top brand synthetic mix oil) should be just fine. Just not conventional in a 4-mix system. I'm not familiar with whether or not they include stabilizer in their mix. That would determine how much Stabil I add.

just adding 2 things - 2 stroke engines NEED higher octane because of preignition. Especially because with the noise of the engine (due to the nature of what 2 strokes in OPE are you will never hear preignition happening so you can quickly destroy a piston/cyl from it and never know what happened without a tear down.
89 and higher octane gas usually has a better additive package in it versus low grade which can help the gas storage life and reduce ethanol separation. Important to think about the process when getting gas tho - 90% of customers buy 87 so a station without separate pumps and hoses for each grade is a problem. Think about the process - the hose all the way back to the pump in the "pump" unit is full of gas - since the majority of fills are 87, it's almost surely 87. You buy 1 or 2 gallons of 89 you have to pump through the 3/4-1 gallon in the hose/pump before getting the 89 in your can, so you don't result in 89 in the can - more like 88.
Suggestion from that perspective (made to me from someone in the know) is get 93 for OPE in small quantities since the balance of 87 will likely bring the octane at or above the required 89. The side to that is the public in general doesn't buy 89, they buy 87 or 93 since either your car needs high test or it doesn't so 87 is likely to be older gas at the station than 93.

As to mix oil- be careful what you use if you have a item that's under warranty. Although Stihl and Husky both make high quality oil you have to watch the specs and match what your manufacturer requires. Example - Husky (and it's brands) top oil is FD rated oil and their units require oil meeting that rating. If you have an issue under warranty that could be attributed to mix oil (and there are many) and you can't show you were using the correct oil they will deny your warranty.
Stihl Ultra is also high quality oil, it is not FD rated however. Stihl makes their own oil to their own standards and as such it does not meet warranty requirements for other companies, while using Husky oil can also be cause for denial of a warranty claim from an issue that could be attributed to mix oil. Not picking on these specifically - store branded (best value from Walmart, Napa brand, auto zone brand, etc) would also have to meet ratings for a specific manufacturer.

There is nothing inferior to Stihl oil or Husky oil - in actuality it's the standards system that mix oils are rated by that is lacking, but to have warranty you have to follow the manufacturer's instructions. Happy to explain more in detail about mix oil and ratings if anyone wants to know - PM me.

 

[rlitman]

Important to think about the process when getting gas tho - 90% of customers buy 87 so a station without separate pumps and hoses for each grade is a problem.

This is so true in a 1 gallon container. I generally buy my mix gas at a station that has a single hose. I'll just put the first gallon into the car. I'm not worried about wasting the 20 cents. Then I fill my can.

As for 89 being "old" gas at the station, I highly doubt that.
Most stations today only have two types of gas stored, 87 and 93. The other grades sold are mixed by the pump itself. So if they don't have 89 stored, it won't get old.

You're right about the additive package. 93 is better regarding that, as well as regarding reformulation for longer storage. If they're just diluting the 93 with 87 to get to 89, you may as well buy 93 unless you go through a lot of it. For me, filling one gallon at a time, it's nuts to take a chance on cheaper gas. Still, the huge jump in cost to go with bottled gas is not worth it to me, but may be for some.