confessions of a small engine hitman

[Electric Comet]

only have two gas powered tools and apparently i do not follow best practices when i expect not to use them for 3 months or so

do you empty the gas out or just shut off the gas from the tank to the carb

[bnwelch]

Always put Stabil in all my small engine fuel. Store tool in garage for the winter, engines usually start with reasonable effort in the spring. Other than my 40 year old Dolmar chainsaw...it always gives me fits...

[hubops]

I use fuel stabilizer - year round. on sale = ~ $ 15 per year. .. a few little 6 ounce containers will go a long way. My 2 lawn mowers < 20 hp rider and 4 hp push > always start well in the springtime after ~ 6 months I have never drained the gas ; I sometimes run the 4 hp B&S out of gas at the end of autumn - not the rider.. The portable generator - 10 hp Honda - emergency use only - I always test run it at 3 - 4 month intervals - I left it for 6 months once and it didn't like it. I have drained the tank ~ twice in 17 years - bought it used in 1999 - can't say it matters. When test running it, I will run it for 15 - 20 minutes and put some load on it - and usually turn off the gas valve & let it run the carb dry, before storage. This is just my experience. Tiny fussy engines - like weed whackers or chainsaws always seem to give more trouble - I don't own either. The times that I've helped-out with firewood - the chainsaw guy is either really good or really bad with starting their chainsaw. My theory is that the really bad guys are flooding it. John T.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Same here. Snowblower with year old gas started on first pull.

[Puckdropper]

Electric Comet wrote in news:oahqjv$fb3$1 @dont-email.me:

I think it's extremely dependent on where you live. My grandpa never drained fuel, I never do, a buddy of mine doesn't, and the tools seem to run fine after sitting for a few months.

In some cases, where the machine has been sitting longer I've had to inject fuel directly into the cylinder through the spark plug hole and try to get it to fire. Once it does, it usually starts pulling fuel through the system and runs fine. Sometimes it takes a second squirt of fuel.

In other areas, I've heard claims that when they let the machine sit for a month the fuel's already gone bad.

Puckdropper

[krw]

Nothing. Well, the last time I use them, I do shut them off. ;-) I just dump the remaining gas in the cans into my truck. I put in new oil in the spring and I'm off and running. I've never had a problem starting the engine in the spring. I did have a bad battery and spark plug last year and I'll have to change all the belts on my tractor this year but I don't to anything else.

[krw]

The instructions for my tractor specifically said not to drain the gas. It dries out the rubber bits. They did recommend a stabilizer, which I don't bother with.

i have used a shot of ether in the air cleaner. Also, I fill the tank with new gas. One year my snow blower didn't want to run until the old gas ran out but that's the worst I've had.

[Puckdropper]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

*trim*

Oh yeah, stabilizer... I don't use it. Stabilizer seems to be one of those "doesn't hurt" products that some areas actually need but others are just wasting money on.

Puckdropper

[krw]

I've done the same in VT, AL, and GT, so that covers a lot of areas. I think the problem is the gas not spoiling but drying out and leaving gunk in the carb. Water won't help but fresh gas and perhaps some cranking should clear water or "bad" gas.

[Larry Kraus]

Four-stroke lawn mower does not care. Empty and run dry, or add stabilizer, or just park it - does not seem to matter. Starts with one or two pulls, runs fine.

Two-stroke blower, trimmer and chain saw are emptied and run until they stop, with every use. Otherwise, ethanol in the gas destroys the fuel line from the tank within a year.

[Leon]

In Houston my 30 year old Honda likes gas stabilizer, no wasted gas bought 2 gallons at a time. And that can sit over the winter.

I use Echo 2 strokes and mine is 10 years old. I leave fuel in it through the season but try to drain and run dry for the winter if I am not going to use if for more than 2 months.

As a tip from my repair guy, only use Premium fuel. Some Premium fuels do not have ethanol/alcohol added.

[Trenbidia]

Old fuel will go bad. Really old fuel will turn into "varnish". This varnish will coat the inside of your carburetor and fuel lines. It can also coat the inside of your fuel tank.

An easy way to detect for a varnished fuel system is to sniff with your nose. With the engine OFF, get close to your carburetor and sniff. If it smells like varnish, the carb will have to be rebuilt. Don't even waste your time spraying carb cleaner into the carb, it won't help.

Once a carb is varnished it has to be disassembled and physically scrubbed out. The varnished fuel is stubborn and it clogs the small passages and jets. Running an engine with a varnished carb is very bad. It will cause the engine to run lean and this can cause serious internal cylinder and piston damage.

All it takes for fuel to varnish is about 10 to 18 months of sitting. Temperature and other factors will have an effect on the level of varnishing. Fuel additives can help prevent varnishing but don't do the common mistake and add too much fuel conditioner. Follow the instructions on the bottle.

Once the inside of your fuel tank becomes varnished you have a big problem. The varnished areas along the upper sides and top of the tank can dry up. The dried varnish turns into flakes and these flakes will clog your fuel system.

[Markem]

A gas treatment is your best friend.

[Unquestionably Confused]

"Simple" solution is to buy the pre-mixed gasoline from the 2-cycle companies. Made with ethanol free premium (92 octane). My Echo equipment starts first time, every time using it. Can has a shelf life of 24 (?) months once opened.

Cheaper, not as simple, mix up your 2-cycle fuel using premium, ethanol free gasoline if it's available in your state. Ethanol means death to small gasoline engines. ;)

[Leon]

I think the solution might be more expensive than the repair. In the Houston area the premix is between $5~$8 per "quart".

Does that have the oil premixed too?

And I have been told by many repair shops to use Echo brand oil additive for 2 stroke engines.

[Spalted Walt]

"Welcome to the definitive list of stations that sell pure, ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada!"

[krw]

I found the "simple" solution was to buy 4-cycle tools. ;-)

[Electric Comet]

have some of this now but i am too late

so far have the four stroke running again

next i deal with the two stroke

[Electric Comet]

not sure what stabilizer is or does i have some fuel treatment for next time

need to add a valve and do this as i think this is the most sure fire way

yeah the two stroke is next now that the four stroke is running

combustion engines seem archaic compared to electric but you cannot beat the power and portability and operation time

but they are loud

[Unquestionably Confused]

Yes, you pour it direct from the can and you're good to go.

And, yes, it is expensive. I sure wouldn't want to run a lawnmower on the stuff, but in my case, I use it for string trimmer, leaf blower and chain saw. Still expensive to buy but since I don't use all that much of it, it's really not bad considering everything starts right up every time and I can store it without worrying about degradation of the fuel or the equipment.

For larger equipment including my emergency generator, I stick with the premium non-ethanol gasoline. Note that I'm buying premium not for the octane but rather for the lack of ethanol. Unavailable in all but a few spots in Illinois but since I live close to the state line, it's easy for me to go up and pick up 5 gallons when needed. Friggin' ethanol destroyed one carb on the generator. Not going to happen again if I can help it.

My small engine shop sells and recommends the pre-mix and non-alcohol fuel for ALL their small engines. They also recommend "Sea Foam" over Sta-Bil. I still use Sta-bil in the gasoline stored in Jerry cans for the generator but always use Sea Foam in the last tank of gas in the fall and first tank in the spring.

I don't know how much difference Echo brand oil would make in the fuel equation, but what could it hurt other than, maybe, your wallet. I think that if you get rid of the alcohol you've gotten rid of 95% of the problem.