What engine do you have? You may be correct that it is fuel related, tho 2 cycle oil in the fuel won't hurt a thing. Maybe flush all the old fuel out and drop the carb bowl and look for water/ debris etc. Half the engine running may be another battle.

Charles, Yeah, I understand that the 4Mix is indeed a totally new engine. And after reading your last post, I can see where it is an OHV enging just from the shrouds. And I would never turn over an engine full of fluid. I've seen photos of hydrolocked engine damage and it is NOT pretty! I was mererly inquiring if it were maybe possible to put in a tiny bit of fluid and give it a gentle pull or two. Certainly nowhere near enough fluid to fill the combustion chamber when the piston is at TDC. Then, after decoking, the plug is removed and all fluid is expelled from giving the starter a good yank or two. I have done this on a 2stroke snowthrower that I "degunked" years ago. But then Charles, while not impossible, it would be harder to hydrolock a 2stroke as most of the excess water would be blown out the exhaust port during the upswing of the cylinder. But once again, I did not fill the entire chamber with gumout. I poured in a little bit while the cylinder was at TDC. And the excess went out the exhaust port during cranking with the wire off. If anything, restarting the engine with ether when I was all finished was probably the most dangerous thing I did. ;-) As for the old engine, I posted it so that other readers of this thread that may not understand what I mean by a flathead engine can see for themselves. Most lawn mower engines, and I am guessing other 4stroke trimmer engines, are of the flathead design. A very simple design to work on unless you need to replace a valve. Yeah, I understand my engines. :) While I have never done a full rebuild of an automotive engine, I have helped with head gasket replacements and cam changes on SB Chevy engines. Surely if one can do that, anything I may need to do to my 4mix in the future would be a simple task. Yeah, I know I may seem pessimistic at times, Charles. But keep in mind I am a DIY person with regards to small engines. I have the tools and would only need to buy feeler gauges to work on the 4mix. As it is only new with 3 hours use, I know decoking is a long ways off. However, since this is an engine totally new to me, I may ask questions that may seem redundant. But they are for the purpose of gathering information. As you said earlier, maybe somebody has already done a decoke and valve adjust. And I can easily apply their experiences for my own use. While my Stihl dealer is a first class operation and is Gold Level certified, if I can do the maintenance/adjustment work myself, that is more money in my pocket. After all, if my car needs a brake job or, say a tie rod end, I do the work myself. So therefore I would do the decoke/adjust myself. That gives me more money for future accessories! :-D Don

I have used penetrating oil finishes on floors. Waterlox and VelvetOil are two of the easiest to find ones. Pay VERY careful attention to the surface prep and application methods ... the first coat is critical for deep penetration. I'll be using Waterlox in a hallway next year, which should test it's durability to the maximum.

Seems like linseed oil is a bad idea here, thank you for pointing that out too. The salesperson at the local woodworker supply recommended linseed oil based on what I told him about the problem, but we didn't talk about darkening at all so I'm glad this discussion brought that out. I am still considering oil (would look for the Watco product Casey mentions) though wipe on varnish is looking better, can anyone tell me whether one darkens more than the other? Have read very good reviews of General Finishes products here on garden web (kitchens)--from their website, looks like their oil-based topcoat (as contrasted with their oil based stain/sealer products) which is called "GF Arm-R-Seal Urethane Topcoat" which is liquid wipe on, would be a good bet, or "GF Oil Based Urethane Topcoat" which is gel wipe on. Any thoughts on these specific products, or any recommendations for other products? I've used Benjamin Moore oil based clear stain in the past and liked it. I'm just trying to avoid sanding on this project, I've done that before on smoke damaged tongue and groove plank ceilings (Deck House again) and the results were good, but it's too time consuming and disruptive at this stage. I think I can manage a wipe-on finishing project, but not sanding. Thanks again!