I recently got an early 60s jacobsen 2 stroke and a 1969 lawn boy 5238 both say to use sae 30 non detergant gas oil mix 16:1 now im wondeing should I go ahead and use 2 cycle oil mixed 16:1 im just confused im used to my 80s and 90s lawnboys where its 2 cycle oil mix 32:1 or 50:1 not using sae 30 would it hurt to just do 16:1 with 2 cycle oil ? My guess is all they had back than was sae 30?
oil question
- Thread starter bjl8691
- Start date
Guys will tell you oil has changed but I would just mix a two cycle oil at the rate they call for. I know guys who run those old outboards and they run two stroke oil at 16 to one just like they call for. I remember at the local gas station when I was a boy they sold a dual purpose oil by Quaker State. Was for two cycle outboards and 4 cycle lawnmowers. That was a big seller with the two cycle fellows.
I would run a mixture like they recomended back then also. Those mowers had a lot more sloppier internal tolerances than they do today and they had better gas back then. I remember when Shell came out with a two cycle oil. It was the same oil as 30 wt. but with a dye that you could tell if oil had been mixed with the gas. You had to keep the exhaust ports cleaned out on those old lawnboys.
Interesting ive never mixed sae 30 with gas before wonder if it smokes more or less than 2 stroke mixture and the lawn boy has a cork float and the jet hole seems like its big enuff not to clogg from the thinkness of the oil ill give it try not for a few days tho its 100 degrees here to hot for me
impalass
Well-Known Member
I think that these 2 engines don't have needle bearings so you should with the 16:1 mixture.
impalass
Well-Known Member
Yes. With a good 2 stroke oil the exhaust ports will stay cleaner.