Lawnmower; Putting Away For the Winter ?

Do you stab the oil in the front, or is it backstabbed oil?

What is Staboil, anyhow? And do I want to know, or will I get stabbed?

There's usually a few times I mow in the winter, so it doesn't sit idle for more than three or four months. I just top it off and go.

Jon

I've heard of Stabil. Used it before. Is that related to stab oil?

With the gas shut off, why not run the mower until the carburetor is empty?

Briggs & Stratton recommends running a mower out of gas if it will be stored where the temperature is pretty steady, such as in a cellar. It recommends a full tank and Stabil if the temperature will fluctuate.

That sounds right to me. Suppose it's left with half a tank in a location where the tank will warm 20F each day and the night air is humid. The vapor pressure of the gas will drop a lot at night, pulling in moist air, and the gasoline will absorb moisture, which will end up on the bottom. During the day, the increased vapor pressure will drive out a lot of air, so more will be sucked in when it cools. I haven't had trouble in my garage, but significant water could accumulate.

How about running a mower out of gas, then leaving it in the sun for a few hours with the cap off the tank so that any remaining gas will dry up and blow away? A completely empty tank shouldn't pump much air in and out, and there will be no gas to absorb water vapor.

Letting a mower battery sit all winter without charging will probably shorten its life. If much grass is left under the deck, corrosion could shorten its life.

It is a 2 stroke, and the oil does not have any kind of stabilizer in it.

In ontario they must say "may contain up to X% ethanol" or they may not have ethanol in it. Shell is on record as stating they will NOT put ethanol in their Ultra.

It's just BHT - butylhydroxytoluene

Bzzzzt.

Incorrect

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over the years I have pretty much developed this method...

run dry, put gas cap back on but loose... remove spark plug and spray some wd40 into the cylinder, pull cord a few times to distribute the oil, then replace spark plug.

paul

OK, what is it? A chemist friend of mine said that's all it is - prevents the "oils" from going rancid.

Ouch! WD-40? Is that really what you meant to say? Or a type? That's not oil, it evaporates rather quickly, and cleans the metal well enough to allow it to rust, including valve surfaces when you turn the engine over. . Plain old 30W oil will do a lot better or if you're concerned it's not burnable, use the kind you mix with gas. But WD-40, well, you're hastening the wear internally. It's definitely not a recommended thing to use.

HTH,

Twayne`

StaBil claims it's 95% mineral oil and 5% secret ingredients.

Here is a brief description of CAS#64742-47-8, ONE of the significant ingredients.

This is a mixture of C10-C14 naphthenes, iso- and n-paraffins. Neither the concentration of aromatics nor of hexane is greater than 0.1 % by volume. Depending on the raw material and the production processes, the composition and physical properties of this solvent can vary considerably. The symptoms of chemical pneumonitis do not become manifest until a few hours or even a few days have passed. Exxsol D70 / D80, Shellsol D70, Hydrosol P 200, among others, are trade names.

It has many other ingredients. It is not "just" any one thing. It is a formula.

Lotsa funny guesses!

It's the secret formula used by Coca-Cola.

TDD

BINGO!