Fuel Mixture for Nils Power Auger?

[blackdog1101]

I just got a new Nils 8" power auger, going to take it out tomorrow for it's maiden voyage. Do those of you who have Nils machines run them with 89 octane gas and 50:1 Amsoil? Since this is a brand new engine should I run the first few tanks a little richer? Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

[Esox_Magnum]

50:1 AmsOil for the first gal of gas. Remove the bit, start it and let it run, every 15-20 minutes go out and rev it while cycleing the choke on and off.... Do this for at least half a tank then go drill your heart out... After the first gal you can mix up to 100:1 with AmsOil Saber Pro without worries....

[Surface Tension]

Do as Esox_Magnum suggested.

If you have time to run the engine before you get out then do it because if you try and drill right away with no break in you'll be lacking power. Not the end of the world but you won't have the higher RPMs to lock the clutch up and it'll slip which IMO is not good.

[blackdog1101]

Awesome info guys! Many thanks! I will do exactly as you suggest.

[hamms-scooter]

Is this typical break in procedure for all 2 stroke augers? Have a newer tecumseh engine on mine and was going to let it run for a while in the driveway . I just remove the bit and put powerhead in a milk crate and fire it up . Handles stradle the crate. I will rev it as suggested also.

[Red Cabin]

Congrats on the nils buy! I bought one at the beginning of the season and really like it. I wish I heard about the break in procedure back then!

[Cyberfish]

I didn't know about breaking it in either, but mine seemed to work fine from the get go. Mabye having the 6 inch bit helped! it sure uses less gas with the smaller holes, I cut a lot, but a tank last a long time!

[hydro]

The best way to break in a new motor (in my opinion anyways) is 1) use the manufacturer's recommended oil, 2) mix the oil/fuel ratio per the manufacturer's spec, 3) start it up and let it idle for a few minutes to warm up. Once it has warmed up completely, keep running it and varying the throttle through the RPM range. Since this is kind of boring to do in the driveway, you might as well take it out and drill holes to work through the break in!

After that important first tank of gas, then you can experiment with other oils and ratios.

[Crappyfisherman]

My Nils is 3 tears old. Broke it in as said above and run Amsoil 1.5 oz per gal of 91 oct. non oxy gas with 1 oz. Seafoam Cleaned the air filter and checked the plug.My problem is I have to give it trottle to get it to start when cold. I prime it 4 times then put on full choke. Once it warms up it will start on one pull.When I ran regular 87 oct. it started fine.

I havent tried the 87 since I switched to non oxy.

[hydro]

I would guess the 91 octane is part of that problem. Higher octane numbers mean the fuel burns at a slower rate and that may be causing the cold start issue. Unless the engine is designed with high enough compression to utilize the higher octane it has no positive effect and can actually cause a loss in power.

[Crappyfisherman]

Thanks hydro, that was it. Put 87 octane in and ran like new. Thought that

was the problem, just wanted a second opinion.

[Surface Tension]

Hydro, good call on the higher octane gas.

[blackdog1101]

Just to follow up, I mixed 50:1 with Amsoil Sabre, and let the machine idle, revving it periodically, for about an hour. Then took it out and fished. Worked just great. Thanks for the advice!

[Twins Guy]

hmmm...can a person find nonethanol nonoxygenated 87 octane gas? i was lead to believe that oxygenated gas with ethanol is more prone to gumming up? if a fuel stabilizer or seafoam is used is this a moot point? having my own issues with a nils right now and i suspect my carb may be to blame but a change or gas would be a lot cheaper and quicker fix...

tg

[Crappyfisherman]

This nonoxygenated gas thing is very confusing. I read that most newer engine components are built to work with anything 10 percent ethanol or less. I think the problem is when you get into the E85 stuff.I fill my boat tank with nonoxygenated for winter storage and use regular gas the rest of the year. Can't find 87 octane nonoxy. As I said in my last post the problem went away after I started it the first time on the 87 octane.

The 91 octane works fine in my snowblower and my buddies 10 year old Jiffy

so it wasn't bad gas.

[hydro]

Dannn,

There is nothing specifically wrong with running the 91 octane non-oxy fuel. As I stated above, it burns slower (you make a % or two less total horsepower), and can make an engine slightly more difficult to start when cold due to that. You are right, you will not find non-oxy 87 octane in the midwest, so if the non-oxy part of the equation is important to you, the 91 octane fuel will work.

On the other hand, E85 is a totally different fuel. It is blended at 85% ethanol to about 15% gasoline (accounting for additives), and has an octane rating of about 105. It contains between 15% and 25% less energy than gasoline by weight so you have to burn that much more to make the same power (read-"mileage"). Because of this it will not work in an engine set up to run on gasoline. The 105 octane has some advantages however, as you can run compression ratios approaching 14:1 or use boost to make all sorts of horsepower in a well tuned race engine.

[mamohr686]

I'm very happy I found this thread and also emailed frank. I've had issues with my nilsmaster for about 3 years. I've always used 91 non-oxygenated fuel in my augers and weedwacker mixed with amsoil. I was so frustrated with it, I actually listed it on c-list. The only reason it's not gone is I got super low-ball offers on it. Yesterday I mixed up a gallon of 87 ethanol gas, 10ml of stabil for ethanol gas, and amsoil professional saber (I think 2.6 oz) for 50:1 ratio. The auger has 3x the power and doesn't stop and get stuck in the ice like it has from the day I bought it. It's a totally different beast. Thanks everyone.