I’m sure it’s happened to you before. You’re out cutting wood with your chainsaw, and then you realize that you forgot to add bar oil to the gas tank. Now what? Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to get rid of the 2-stroke oil in your four-cycle engine.
I put bar oil in the gas tank. What should I do?
Bar oil is a special type of oil that chainsaw manufacturers use to lubricate the bar in your chainsaw. However, there are also some other things that contain bar oil, such as small engines and some other machinery. While it may seem strange to put bar oil into your gas tank, it’s actually not too uncommon—many people do it without knowing better.
What happens when you put bar oil into a fuel tank is that the two liquids should just mix together and become one liquid with different properties than either of its constituent parts. But because bar oil has very different characteristics than gasoline (it doesn’t evaporate quickly as gasoline does), this mixture can cause problems for your chainsaw engine if you run it with too much bar oil in the tank or run it at all after putting too much in there!
When you use a chainsaw, you often have both chainsaw oil and gasoline readily available.
When you use a chainsaw, you often have both chainsaw oil and gasoline readily available. But what if you mix the two?
Mixing bar oil with gas can cause problems for your engine. It may not run or start, or it could cause damage to the engine. Bar oil is made of different ingredients than gasoline, so combining the two will result in an unstable mixture that could make things worse than they were before you decided to add bar oil to your gasoline tank.
However, there are many other uses for bar oil that don’t involve risking damaging your machine! Here’s how we recommend using this multipurpose lubricant:
It is important to know what kind of fuel your chainsaw uses.
Before you put the oil into your gas tank, it is important to know what kind of fuel your chainsaw uses. There are two different types of fuels: gasoline and diesel. You can find out what kind of fuel your chainsaw uses by looking at the product manual or simply by reading the label on the side of the machine itself.
Make sure that you are filling your saw with the right kind of fuel.
Every chainsaw manufacturer specifies a type of fuel that is appropriate for its saws. If you are not sure, follow the directions in your manual or call the manufacturer directly. It’s also possible that your saw was not designed for gas at all—some have engines that require only oil to run properly and safely. You can check this by looking at the engine or checking with an expert before filling up with fuel, but if you accidentally use gasoline instead of bar oil then there are some steps you can take now to limit any damage:
- Avoid starting the engine until it has cooled down completely (at least 30 minutes)
- Clean up any spilled fuel immediately
First, review the product instruction manual for your chainsaw.
- First, review the product instruction manual for your chainsaw. If you don’t have one, check out this article from our friends at Consumer Reports on how to find it online.
- Make sure you are filling your saw with the right kind of fuel. Look at the label on your gas can or look in your local hardware store’s tool section for information that matches what’s printed on your chainsaw bar oil container (for example, “Chainsaw Bar Oil”).
- Make sure you’re using bar oil that meets industry standards: API SL or API SJ-STD
You may be able to get a replacement instruction manual from the manufacturer or from a third-party company.
If you’re not able to obtain a replacement instruction manual from your manufacturer, consult with a third-party company that sells chainsaw parts. They may be able to help you find the necessary information.
The gas tank for two-stroke engines has different markings than four-cycle engines.
The gas tank for two-stroke engines has different markings than four-cycle engines. On a two-stroke engine, the gas tank has an arrow that points up to indicate which side is the “fuel in” side. The liquid fuel will be poured into this side of the tank. The other side is for oil and bar oil should be added there.
If you’re unsure about which type of engine your chainsaw uses, check its manual or ask someone who knows what they’re talking about (like that guy down at your local hardware store with all those tattoos).
Do not add 2-stroke oil directly to your gasoline for 4-cycle engines.
- Do not add 2-stroke oil directly to your gasoline for 4-cycle engines.
If you already added 2-stroke oil to your 4-cycle engine, you will need to drain the tank and start fresh with fresh gas and no oil.
If you already added 2-stroke oil to your 4-cycle engine, you will need to drain the tank and start fresh with fresh gas and no oil.
If you already added 2-stroke oil to your 4-cycle engine, you will need to drain the tank and start fresh with fresh gas and no oil. You’ll need to clean out the gas tank because it’s probably got some debris floating around in there. Once that’s out of the system, you can use regular gasoline (for example, 87 octanes) without any additives or special fuel mix ratios.
Once it’s in there, it’s hard to get out but it can be done if you take certain steps.
If you want to get this oil out of your gas tank, there are a few steps that you can take to make sure it’s gone for good.
- Clean the tank thoroughly with soapy water and a scrub brush or cloth. This will help remove any dirt or debris that might be clinging to the inside of your fuel tank and prevent it from clogging up your engine as soon as you start using it again.
- Remove the spark plug from its position at the top of your chainsaw’s engine block, then clean off all traces of bar oil before reinserting it into place (you may also want to grab some extra paper towels just in case). The same goes for cleaning off any residue on top of your carburetor (it should look like an upside-down funnel) before putting everything back together again—make sure nothing was left behind!
- Once everything has been cleaned up properly and replaced where needed, start up your chainsaw again and check for leaks; if you see any signs whatsoever (water dripping from one spot or another), stop immediately before taking further action instead! If there aren’t any problems after starting up successfully without issue then congratulations: You’ve got yourself one clean machine ready
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you the information you need to make an informed decision about whether or not to add bar oil to your chainsaw. There are several benefits of doing so, but also some risks. If you are going to do it anyway, be sure that you take all appropriate safety precautions and follow instructions carefully!