I pulled a good one on myself, today. I felt really stupid afterwards.

A buddy and I bought a semi-trailer load of reject sawmill logs to cut up for firewood. So, today we started on it.
The logs have been laying in a field in a big pile for about 6 months. Some of them were pretty good sized. Well, we showed up at the site, and I drug out my New Stihl 362 with the 25" bar, all excited about tearing into these logs, and my saw would not start for hell or high water.

After it didn't hit on a couple to 3 cranks, I moved off of full choke and cranked it some more, and nothing. I suspected I flooded it or something, so I went thru all of the moves I could think of to correct it and nothing worked. So, I decided to set the saw down and fire up my Jonesred 2255 and it started fine. So, I used it for a tank of gas, and then tried to start the MS362 again: Nothing. It wouldn't start at all. So, I ran another tank of gas thru the Jonesred and I sure was happy I brought two saws. My buddy kept sawing away with his Husky. Anyway, we cut enough for a big trailer load and started splitting using his hydraulic splitter and got us a full trailer load and brought it back to the house.

I was still wondering about why my new Stihl wouldn't start. I knew I had filled it up with oil and gas the night before, and was wondering if maybe I had fowled out the spark plug. Determined to get it going before tomorrow's session. I started trouble shooting. I wondered if maybe the darned flippy caps had let me down, and leaked out all of the gas so I turned it over took the cap off. Nope it was full, but it looked a little thick, I stuck my finger in the hole and noticed that the gas sure looked a lot like bar oil. I took the bar oil flippy cap off and noticed that the bar oil was mighty thin. And of course you know the story, I had poured a full tank of bar oil in the gas tank and a full tank of mixed gas in the bar oil tank. I couldn't believe I had actually done it but I had, there was no disputing the results.

I had worked hard all day the day before, and I then sharpened the saw late that evening, and filled it and I guess I was just tired and not paying attention.

I wondered if I had ruined anything or fowled the spark plug. I dumped out both tanks, and filled the bar oil tank this time with bar oil. And then I filled the gas tank about half way with gas and sloshed it around and poured it out, and filled the tank with the proper mixed gas, this time. Still wouldn't start. So, I popped the cover off, and pulled the plug (I didn't have a new plug) but it didn't really look bad, so I wiped it off as best I could and put it back in. Then I took the air filter off, and it didn't look that bad. I decided to leave the air filter off and attempted to start it. I finally got it to hit after several pulls, then it started but would die if I gave it any gas at all, but it would idle so I let it idle for a minute or two, and was finally able to give it gas, and it cleared up. So, I put the filter back on and the cover and started it again.

It seems to be fine now, and the oiler seems to be working on the chain. So, I guess I am back in business. I guess I will find out tomorrow if all is well, but I think it is.

What a bone head move on my part. Talk about head in butt. But maybe I learned something, I won't forget, probably ever. But I bet I am not the first one to ever pull that trick.

 

YOU are not alone doing this, lol.

 

Been there. Put oil in the gas tank but caught it before I tried to fire it up.


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I put fuel mix in the oil tank once

 

I’ve done it to top handle saws that have the caps close together on the same side of the saw.

 

Did that on my old Shindaiwa. The Shindaiwa saws have the oil and fuel in the opposite siddes from every other saw I've owned. Fuel is closer to the bar than the oiler

 

Put gas in the hydraulic tank of a tiller I rented...OOOPS

 

periodic carb jet lube
Shouldn’t need it again for a while

 

Two strokes love oil in their gas.

Just not that much all at once...

 

Just bought a new 462. Finally got to use it yesterday and damm near did the same thing on my first fill up. Good to know it wouldn
t have totally killed it.

 

Pretty much everyone has done it at least once . If you own Shindiawas in addition to other saws ,it may have happened more than can be explained ... Wait ‘til you get to experience the joy of doing a really bang up job on a chain . And you tell your buds about how you think it’ll be super fast and smooth . Then you put it to the log only to find out it’s on backwards ... Kinda takes some of the joy out of the experience .

 

No Spill Jill can do it...

 

Yep, did that on one of my Stihl's also years back. Don't you just love the Jonsereds! RPM machines!

 

Speaking of top handle saws, I started putting the oil/gas mixture in the bar oil spot. Luckily I did not put too much gas in with the bar oil. It ran fine and no damage done.

 

I saw the aftermath of a guy mixing up the tanks of a factories central epoxy system. Piping, hoses, pumps, guns etc. all ruined.

 

Heck I dribble some mix in the bar oil tank on purpose in crazy cold weather. Won't hurt a thing.

 

If I do any winter cutting, I do have some of the thinner winter weight oil. I just don't want to start any bad habits