Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Time for a new Chainsaw

Rainman, I picked up some seafoam today, I was surprised they had it in the local hardware store.
How much do you recommend per gallon as a fuel stabilizer for chain saws and snowmobiles?

I recommend .5-1 ounce per gallon in a small engine. I know the can will say 2 oz----that is too much and WILL cause problems with any rubber or silicone.

In an automobile, to clean, and every 4 to six months, I recommend a pint can per 10 gallons and drive it till it is nearly empty. DO NOT keep topping off the tank. that does not mean you need to drive it to empty at one time, but going on a trip is ideal.

If you rarely drive an car, like an antique/show car, put in a pint can each time you fill the tank. USE EACH TANK before adding more fuel/Seafoam to eliminate rust and hard starts.

In all cases I have used these mixed fuels that were up to 3 years old with zero problems.

Deep Creep, the aerosol version of Seafom is outstanding as a gun cleaner, lubricant, rust buster, etc. Also you can spary it into the carb throat at high speeds on small engines to completely remove all carbon and varnish internally. Running it in the fuel will do the same thing only MUCH slower. Try it on a chainsaw and I'll bet you will have to retension the chain to prevent it from spinning after treting with spray----even a new engine. You can also fog for storage this way, except run it at idle and let the spray kill the engine. Your rings, injectors and valves will never stick or rust.



DO THIS ONLY OUTDOORS!!!!!!!!

To do a large, automotive type, get a hose to attach to the PCV port on the plenum/manifold (usually 3/8"). If you can control the throttle by hand, great, if not, you'll need to get someone to control the foot pedal. If the hose will fit loosely into the can, use it. If not pour all the Seafoam into a tall jar. Start the engine, you may need to give it a little throttle to keep it running and the check engine light may come on because the PCV hose is disconnected. Once the engine is running, stick the hose all the way to the bottom of the can or jar, at the same time QUICKLY rev the engine to an immediate FULL throttle and let then let the throttle slam shut to create maximum vacuum. This should happen in about 5-7 seconds and if it was done properly, nearly all the Seafoam will be gone and it should have killed the engine. TURN OFF THE IGNITION!!!!! DO NOT RECONNECT THE PCV HOSE YET!!

Go drink your favorite beverage and wait about 10-30 minutes. Hold the gas pedal to the floor, (to shut off the injectors or to air out the flooded condition on a carb model), and crank until it starts (10-15 seconds). Keep the pedal to the floor until the engine begins to rev higher and run smoothly. THERE WILL BE LOTS AND LOTS OF SMOKE----THIS IS NORMAL!!! Keep the engine running for about two minutes with the PCV hose disconnected and then reconnect the hose (to clear liquid Seafoam from any rubber hoses). Go out for about a 15 minute drive and rapidly accelerate often. Be prepared to have people cuss you because it will look like you are on fire for a few minutes as the Seafoam gets burned out of the exhaust pipes.

You can also add seafoam to crankcase oil and drive about 100 miles before changing your oil to clean and dissolve the sludge that builds up.

Seafoam has several oil based aromatic solvents and Ionized lubricants that burn at high temps. It also includes OIL based Isoprpyl alcohol to remove water and moisture. The solvents will all evaporate and the lubricants are very low viscosity and remain in a system due to their magnetic nature.

Thanks Rainman, I'll probably use the aerosol on my boat next fall to fog the motor, but since I run my snowmobiles every 2 weeks in the off season I'll use it as a stabilizer instead of using Stabil.

The guy at the hardware store said the seafoam was getting more popular as word got around, I never heard of it before reading about it here, they should put more money into advertising.
Thanks again.

AP, It was a standing joke about me selling Seafoam at work. In a small engine, I strongly suggest only occasional use till the end of the season approaches -- The time when you're never quite sure if this will be the last ride of the year. Someone would be looking for wiper blades and often a customer would joke---Seafoam will fix em!

They had a quarter-per-can spiff in Feb 06. I sold over 2000 pint cans of Seafoam, Trans-Tune, and Deep Creep, over 40 gallon cans, and 5 barrels to a landscape company. CHA CHING!!

Can you tell I love the stuff?

I didn't know about the Stabil shelf life. I have some to toss.

Someone mentioned chains earlier. I have always had what I considered shorter life expectancy from chains that I thought I should have. I always greased the bar and used good bar oil, but the chains still wouldn't last very long. I lent a friend my saw about three years back, and he put on something called a "skip-tooth" blade. It is still on the saw and as good as the day it was new. As the name implies, it only has half as many teeth on it, but it cuts like nobodys business.

keeping chains razor sharp extends the life dramatically. i used to hand sharpen, but more recently use a dremel w/ chain sharpening stone. a trick i will share w/ you for fast cuttting (definitely NOT for noobs) is to file down the dogs in front of the cutting teeth. i caution you though that this voids any warranty on chain, bar, or saw, but man you can throw some huge chips and cut anything like butter.

Pictures?

what else to do on lunch break?

this is the saw that i so glowingly recommend...


this is a close up of the chain:


this is a relatively new chain for my 16-inch bar and the dogs arent filed yet.. i wont file the dogs until after it wears more. at most i file them down to the level of the non-cutters, then when that chain wears out i buy new.

if you are going to try this do so at own risk, i dont feel like being sued. use a flat file and do a little at a time on each dog. do it conjunction w/ a good sharpening on the cutting teeth. if you file too far (like all the way down) the chain will grab wood too hard and it is really not safe.

I have a 12 volt sharpener made by Stihl. It is great for dressing up the cutting edges. Takes about 60 seconds and I'm back drinking a beer and thinking about cutting wood.

Good man, Guv!

Actually, it is a dang good sharpener.

thanks for the afternoon chuckle. somehow when i invite friends up to "work" we usually attack the projects in similar fashion.

I think we've spent a couple of afternoons doing that type of "work" together Dave, well minus sharpening the chain on the chain saw, I don't recall us ever getting around to that, it's all about your priorities.

You can buy a filing guide that fits over the teeth & has a slot for the "dog" to stick up through so it can be filed to the correct height realitive to the wear on the chain. The dog should be filed as the chain wears.
I do the same as DIED & file a little deeper but will also warn it's not for the unattentive chainsawer. It can cause unexpected kickbacks esp. on small stuff but cuts like a son of a bisquet eater! Just pay attention & be carefulf!

yes, you dont want to end up like this

Adding this to DIED's post, the non cutting teeth he points out are the anti-kickback plates that they put in consumer chains to reduce "noobs" getting hurt. These can easily be ground off to make the chain cut faster,albeit it will have the tendency to kick back more so be aware. The "dogs" are called raker teeth and should never be totally removed, but rather should be filed down to maintain an even depth of cut for each tooth, picture it as each tooth carrying the same sized chip out of the cut, rather than some getting a big chip and some getting a smaller or no chip because the previous tooth cut more than needed.

The condition of your bar will also determine a lot about how your chain will cut, a worn out bar is worse than a worn chain, and will cause the saw to wander and require more cutting pressure, which is a bad thing.

I use a Dremel to sharpen. I like to sharpen as soon as there's the first sign of dullness.

My neighbor was watching me cut 1 day. I hit some embedded barbed wire, causing a few sparks and swear words to fly about. He insisted that I bring the saw to his shop, where he sharpened the chain with his Harbor Freight sharpener.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93213

My saw cut just as well as my most careful and tedious Dremel job, and sharpening took about 1/2 the time. I gotta get me one!

I've seen that and wondered if it was any good. Guess I better go get one.

Not too long after I bought this place I saw that I REALLY needed a chainsaw. The local Stihl/echo dealer said that the QC of Stihl has gone downhill so he recommended the Echo. I believe the saw that I got is the arborists saw, 12", 14" and 16" bar capabilities. I'm using a Stihl bar, and an Oregon chain that they make for cutting in nasty places. It's supposed to be treated somehow to resist dulling like a normal chain. The local Amish sharpener said that after he started selling them, the regular chains didn't move, so now that's all that he sells.
Dad has a Stihl the same size, and this Echo cuts quicker - faster chain speed I believe. In the 6 years that I've had it I have gone thru 3 bars and I don't know how many chains and gallons of gas. It's cleared roughly an acre of trees, and a lane that is 300 Yds long and 20' wide. It has taken some abuse as well, some of the trees were 30" thick......... Sugar Maple, Pin Oak, Hickory (that was the worst).

Last weekend I just finished clearing 3/4 mile of fence line by myself with a axe, clippers and a 18" poulan CS. It was so thick you couldn't see through it, it took me three years on weekends. I went through several chains and wore out one sprocket, but otherwise the saw held up fine. That will be the first "and" last time I clear a fence line without a dozer..WHY did I do it that way? Please someone....tell me.....because I sure don't know

Gotta laugh but I been there, done that. I get obsessed with something like that and go overboard. Now that you're finally through, how does it look at the end where you started 3 years ago?

Sgt911,its all about the beer.You can only drink so much in 1 weekend on a dozer,but an infinate amout over 3 years with a chainsaw.You did good.
Im impressed and pleased with the info being exchanged about this topic here as Im sure we all need this info.
Dave,I made your chains and just realized I boxed em up but never mailed them.Ill take care of that ASAP.

Keen observation