getting ready to put up the lawn mower for the season. Some tell me to top it off with stabilized gas while others say drain the gas. Anyone have any actual insight to share?
- posted
11 years ago
getting ready to put up the lawn mower for the season. Some tell me to top it off with stabilized gas while others say drain the gas. Anyone have any actual insight to share?
draining the gas is cheaper
I was told by a Honda/Stihl dealer to use only premium gas in equipment because it doesn't contain ethanol and therefore wwon't spoil like regular gas YMMV
Best way is to empty tank and then start it up and run the carb dry...
On 11/28/2012 5:38 PM, ChairMan wrote: ...
Well, good story but it ain't so...almost all premium is also E10.
Only a very few stations sell 100% gasoline and you can generally pick 'em out in a market by being quite a bit higher than the prevailing price.
There's only one in town here; he's running about 3.40 for regular while everywhere else is about 3.25 now...
I'd run it dry. Gas stability is not the only problem. It can evaporate in some carburetors gumming them up. Happened in my snow thrower a couple of years ago and gas was stabilized.
My Honda mower has a shut off valve so I can keep gas in the tank yet run dry. Don't know why all don't have this. Cheapskates probably don't want to spend the extra 25 cents it might cost to install.
Gasoline has been going bad, decades before ethanol. I vote for drain the gas, and run it dry. If it's stored indoors, that is.
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I was told by a Honda/Stihl dealer to use only premium gas in equipment because it doesn't contain ethanol and therefore wwon't spoil like regular gas YMMV
I use the opposing solution to what most are suggesting. I keep mine filled and use "seafoam", which I run through the carbs prior to storage. Been doing it for years with no problems. My machines usually start within a few pulls and some more instantly when it's time to use them again. They are stored in a cold shed in the southeast region of Michigan if that helps.
I would suggest draining the bowl if you got time. I tried to start snowblower on cold winter day. Had to remove ice cube in fuel bowl.
Greg
Pretty sure we did this last year.
After I suggested doing nothing, a lot of posters agreed.
Anyway, I do nothing. Last mowing was a month and a half ago. Starts every spring.
I usually do nothing. I had a generator sitting outside which ran early summer. A month ago tested. Saw water entering fuel bowl. Saw dry tank with a lot of varnish. Saw fuel leaking out near bowl after fueling. No starty.
Greg
Yeah, I do nothing too, but it might not be best. Mower is only 7 years old. So is the wacker. I know the wacker wouldn't start with 2 year old gas. New gas fixed that. Three reasons I don't do anything.
Same here. I don't think that many months between now and growing season in Spring will do any damage to equipment... at least it didn't to mine.
Run it dry.
Jon
My neighbor, the small engine mechanic, says to run it dry.
OTOH- I have a 12[?] yr old Honda that sits in the back yard with piece of tin covering it loosely. It has whatever gas was in it from the last time I ran it. I *might* chop up some leaves with it next week-- but if not, it will have sat from Nov 1 to mid May before I start it up. It took 2 pulls this year, so I guess I'm pushing my luck.
If it doesn't sound like it should in the spring I'll run some K100 in it for a few tanks.
Jim
They also advertise that they sell real gasoline. Sometimes they only have a pump or two with the real stuff.
The last few engines I've had recommend against storing them dry. They recommend filling the tank before storage. I haven't had a problem in decades, though. One snow blower didn't like old gas but every other engine I've had gets over it.
Would it have killed you to exert a few extra micro-calories and put this in your subject line:
=================== Subject: Drain gas from mower or add stabilizer? ===================
?
Insight is a compound word. It comes from within, it cannot be "shared."
Unless you can find it someplace pretty much all gasoline is at least E10. A few area stations had non-ethanol blend but gave up because everyone seems to shop on price (wholesale ethanol is cheaper to buy).
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