Questions about Magnum III - Oil Mix, Fuel, Carb Settings, Etc.

[Cottco]

My magnum III is approaching 28 years of age - I bought it used from Robbinsdale Marine in 1987 and have diligently maintained it year after year. I swapped out the auger to a Lazer when they were released - but the head is original.

It cuts ice like butter, but with a 24:1 fuel mix - she smokes like a third world welding shop. Carb is clean and spark is strong. Your thoughts?

[wolfman-k]

I used the new smokeless oil sold at strikemaster last year, and it works great. It really cuts down on the smoke in the shack. This year I'm going to try AmsOil in a tank, I'll have to wait a bit to check that out. Have you called Strikemaster in Big Lake? I highly recommend their customer support, great people!

[Guest]

My thoughts are... your oil mixture is too rich. You may have put a little too much in, or it might not have been mixed in well enough.

I used to run mine for many years on 40/1 and always used valvoline snowmobile 2 cycle oil.

24/1.. its going to smoke regardless. I switched over to battery operated after I got tired of waiing for the permanent to clear out a couple years back... it might take me an extra 5 seconds to drill a hole... but it saves a lot of time when I dont have to sit and watch smoke pour out the door for 5 minutes

[scalescratcher]

I have done exactly what you did. Have a powerhead that is over 20 yrs old with the Lazer auger upgrade. I tried Amsoils synthetic last year and have seen almost complete elimination of the smoke issue. I picked up the single mix packs at the show last year that mix with 1 gallon of gas. Smoke is no longer a problem.

[Cottco]

Called Strikemaster - changed mix to 32:1, went with their smokeless oil (big difference right off), changed plugs / checked gap, cleaned carb, said prayer, full choke, 2 pulls, WE'RE DRILLING HOLES NOW, BABY - BRING IT!