Mixing fuel/oil

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silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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670
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northeastern Minnesota
Not all 2 cycle oils are the same. Some recommend less oil ratio and some more oil ratio. Synthetic oils are different than non synthetic. Follow the recommendations of the oil manufacturer you are using. Some people hear about 100-1 ratios with Opti-2 or Amsoil synthetic and want to try 100-1 with a 32-1 oil. The results will not be good.
SB
 

yodar

New Member
Jul 26, 2010
147
1
0
Orlando Fl
I highly doubt it. Most auto parts stores don't carry motorcycle parts and accessories.
If anything, they might carry some cheap off brand pre-mix. I recommend staying away from those. An independent motorcycle shop would be your best bet, although some dealerships will carry it.

Edit: you can get it online too.
Maxima Super M
I bought a Can of Crafstman 2-stroke motor pre-mix and the quart of fuel just made the motor run Lousy (as in NOT run) Honestly I bought the product to get the 1 quart steel can to use as a reserve fuel reservoir. Treated the outside with CorrosionX and it is in my basket ready for use when i run out of gas...it has happened ONCET and I didn't like walking 2 miles home!
 

Venice Motor Bikes

Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles
Mar 20, 2008
7,271
1,810
113
Los Angeles, CA.
I use plain 2-cycle Valvoline oil... I dump a 12oz beer bottle of oil into 2 gallons of gas for break in (24:1) & then I can also mix that same 12oz beer bottle of oil into 3 gallons of gas to make 32:1!

It's as easy as that!! ;)
 

yodar

New Member
Jul 26, 2010
147
1
0
Orlando Fl
Hello,what mixing to do in fuel/oil at break in period and what after.
I think that 24:1 for 4 tank for break in its ok.Then 32:1 for riding.
In 24:1 i mixing 1000gr of fuel with 41,66gr of oil????
Thanks a lot.
The thing that irrigates me is all the bottles are not transparent so the volumes held within after dispensing is unknown. You wanna dispense 4 oz. HOW YA GONNA KNOW!

AMSOIL MOTOR OIL A LITTLE STREAK OF TRANSPARENCY ON THE SIDE of the bottle

4 oz MEANS SOMETHING !



















/
 

GearNut

Active Member
Aug 19, 2009
5,104
11
38
San Diego, Kaliforgnia
I dispense 4 oz by using a ratio rite cup or a Mix Mizer syringe. Both are graduated in both oz and fuel ratios. Before I had those I used a plastic baby bottle which is graduated in oz.
 

Venice Motor Bikes

Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles
Mar 20, 2008
7,271
1,810
113
Los Angeles, CA.
The thing that irrigates me is all the bottles are not transparent so the volumes held within after dispensing is unknown. You wanna dispense 4 oz. HOW YA GONNA KNOW!

AMSOIL MOTOR OIL A LITTLE STREAK OF TRANSPARENCY ON THE SIDE of the bottle

4 oz MEANS SOMETHING !


That's why I mix 12oz to 3 gallons! (32:1) A beer or soda bottle is exactly 12 oz... & you don't have to mix your gas as often! ;)
 

FreeWheeler

New Member
Jun 22, 2010
240
0
0
Maryland
If your oil/mix bottle only shows percentages, then think of this:

1/16 = .0625 = 6.25%
1/20 = .0500 = 5.00%
1/24 = .0417 = 4.17%
1/32 = .03125 = 3.125%
1/50 = .0200 = 2.00%
1/100= .0100 = 1.00%
 

RebelHellbilly

New Member
Apr 22, 2009
222
0
0
Salisbury,North Carolina
ok i ran the 8 once to a gallon at the break in. the last 2 or 3 tank fulls been at the recommended 6 ounces to a gallon. been thinking bout leaning back to 5 ounces on the next gallon. wut y'all think? should i?
 

bigbutterbean

Active Member
Jan 31, 2011
2,417
3
38
Lebanon, PA
I seriously hope that people read this post. Two things here. 6irst, your mix ratio is determined by what your engine requires, not by what brand of oil you are using. your mix ratio is always the same no matter what the oil bottle says. your engine manual should tell you what mix ratio you require. 32:1 is common, but my engine, which is a grubee, is 25:1 after break-in i am betting that these engines would never go higher than 40:1. on the subject of marine oil, i used it for a year, but my rings burnt up after that. TCW oil is for water- cooled engines only. make sure you are buying two stroke oil for air-cooled engines. if it doesnt say air-cooled on the bottle, dont use it. i myself am switching to lucas semi-synthetic oil for air cooled engines. i also dont think that anyone should use racing oil in these engines. super m and oils like it are designed for engines that run at much higher rpm's than these small engines. but no matter what oil you do use, two things are important. it must say air cooled on the bottle. also, if the bottle recommends a ratio of 50:1 or 100:1 and your manual says 25:1, you still mix 25:1.
 

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
7,194
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Maine
erm... although I agree with much of your post, I'm gonna hafta disagree with this bit;

...your mix ratio is always the same no matter what the oil bottle says. your engine manual should tell you what mix ratio you require...
This is... not always true and with the in frame Chinese two stroke kits, it defo something to be questioned - some manual/manufacturer's recommendation of 16:1 fuel/oil is a prime example. Excessive to the point of bordering on insanity, some have theorized that it's if your using motor oil instead of a quality two stroke oil. As the design is based on a 1950's Russian motor http://motorbicycling.com/f4/russian-engines-d-4-d-5-a-6820.html and given the potential scarcity of advanced lubricants in the region - the theory seems sound.

Additionally, should you actually do the following, you will suffer an extremely excessive buildup of unspent oil and deposits;

if the bottle recommends a ratio of 50:1 or 100:1 and your manual says 25:1, you still mix 25:1
Run w/e ratio your comfortable with, but if you wish to run as rich an oil mix as the above, get an oil that's made for it not one designed for 50/100:1 as those aren't the same as normal non synthetics. 32:1 with a quality non synthetic is pretty much the norm after break in.

As an example of some of the advancements made in synthetics (which obv are unaccounted for by the manufacturers), we've this rather long thread regarding the use of as "radical" a ratio as 100:1... you may wish to skim through it a bit to review any number of testimonials made by quite a few members http://motorbicycling.com/f3/100-1-mix-9850.html

While I'm not suggesting you should run such a lean oil mix - it does quite clearly show that the "manual" doesn't accurately reflect what your engine "needs" & I will say that I'd be far, far more likely to trust the oil manufacturer's recommendations for their product than the... so-called "engine manual" included w/these kits lol
 
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bigbutterbean

Active Member
Jan 31, 2011
2,417
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Lebanon, PA
I'm sorry Barely, but you are wrong. Here is why. Number one, oil manufacturers make recommendations based on two things. One factor is that most newer two stroke engines run no lower a ratio than 50:1. Another factor is the type of engine the oil is designed for. A racing engine using racing oil may run on a 100:1 mix. But that oil is made very differently than your average 2 cycle oil. A racing engine does not require the same mix ratio as a weedwacker, nor will a weedwacker run racing oil very well. Here is an example. My manual recommends 16 to 18:1 for the break in and 25:1 after that. 25:1 is 5.2 oz to 1 gallon. 100:!, for example, is 1.28 oz to a gallon. Therefore, in order for a 100:1 ratio to work properly in my engine, the oil would need to have roughly 4 times the lubricity of the oil that was mixed at 25:1. If a weedwacker's manual says 32:1 and the oil bottle says 100:1, you are using only one third the amount of oil required. running a lower ratio will probably never the engine, but too high of a ratio in an engine that requires a lower ratio will probably end up shortening the life of the engine, regardless of what the oil bottle says. My manual says 25:1. I have up until now been using a ratio of 32:1 because that was what my bottle says. my last engine lasted only a year when it should have lasted closer to two. I was using the wrong kind of oil at the wrong ratio. the trick is to use the right oil at the right ratio. I will from now on be using lucas semi-synthetic for air cooled engines. The bottle says 50:1, but my manual says 25:1. I will be mixing 25:1.
 

bigbutterbean

Active Member
Jan 31, 2011
2,417
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Lebanon, PA
also, whether a racing bike or not, all two stroke dirtbikes/atv's/motorcycles are watercooled. this makes a difference not only in the type of oil they use, but also the ratio they require. air cooled engines require a lower ratio because they rely partly on oil to keep the engine from overheating. water-cooled engines can run a higher ratio because they do not rely on oil for coolness at all.
 

bigbutterbean

Active Member
Jan 31, 2011
2,417
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Lebanon, PA
Also, I'm not going to debate this topic. You obviously have the right to express your opinion and thats fine. But im not going to go back and forth. Do some research. I did. Every article I read about how to properly mix oil for 2 cycle engines said this: " To determine the proper mix ratio, consult your owner's manual." Not one article I read said anything about consulting the oil bottle to determine the proper ratio. If you want to play around with your mixture, I can tell you a couple things. You will not get better performance with a higher ratio than what the manufacturer recommends. Ever. Running a lower ratio will provide some extra lubrication, but probably wont improve performance. It might actually cause damage to the engine over time. I know that running too high of a ratio will cause damage. My piston rings went out in my last engine and it was about a year old. One ring snapped and the other lost its temper. For those of you not sure of what I mean by that, it means it didn't hold its shape. In my case, it shrunk to the same size as the groove it was sitting in.
 
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bigbutterbean

Active Member
Jan 31, 2011
2,417
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Lebanon, PA
when I said all two stroke dirtbikes/atv's/motorcycles were watercooled, I meant newer ones, just to clarify. Most were actually aircooled until as recently as ten or twenty years ago. It surprises me how quickly car technology advances and how comparatively slowly small engine technology advances. Especially considering that the first motor vehicle to cross the continental United States was a motorized bicycle. That makes the motorbike more American than the automobile.
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Butterbean,
You say you aren't going to debate this as if you are right and there is no room for discussion. By your reasoning, my China Girl motors should have all blown up running Opti 2 at 100-1. My chainsaws, too. They haven't and run better than ever. How would you explain that?
You have your opinion, Barely has his and I have mine. If something works for you, do it.
SB
 

bigbutterbean

Active Member
Jan 31, 2011
2,417
3
38
Lebanon, PA
an engine blowing up and taking damage over time are two very different things. I was using pennzoil marine oil and my engine lasted a year. I was also running a 32:1 ratio without being aware that my manual actually recommended a 25:1 mixture. had I been using the proper oil and mixing at the proper ratio, my engine may have lasted twice as long. I never said using the wrong ratio would cause an engine to blow up. and just because an engine may perform differently does not mean that what you are doing to the engine is good for it or right. it may work now, but it may also shorten the engine's lifespan. you probably wont notice right away if what you are doing is going to hurt the engine. you may not notice it at all. I didnt. one day my bike ran and the next it didnt. until it broke down, it ran the same as it did the day i built it.