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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 27, 2020 20:13:57 GMT -5
I mentioned it in another thread but couldn’t find it. Turns out my carb was clogged from leaving fuel in it. It was only a few months but that’s what happened.
Anyhow, $185 later, it’s now running perfectly. And I didn’t spend $700-800 on a new one, so I’m happy.
Would’ve been much cheaper if I had a vehicle capable of transporting it. $75 of that price was for pickup/delivery service.
Going to add a shot of Stabil to the fuel in the tank, and then treat the fuel going forward.
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jtheissen
Wholenote
Montana lurker, mostly🎸
Posts: 202
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Post by jtheissen on Dec 27, 2020 20:33:44 GMT -5
And every gas engine. Ethanol wreaks havoc, along with liver and onions.
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Post by modbus on Dec 27, 2020 20:42:53 GMT -5
Glad you're back in action.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 27, 2020 20:55:14 GMT -5
Glad you're back in action. The question becomes, did I just guarantee it does not snow again? If so, $185 well spent. |
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Post by guildx700 on Dec 27, 2020 21:01:51 GMT -5
Some engines carbs are fussy and need to be drained for storage.
My snow blower can sit unused for 2 years with gas in it and start right up, so does my rarely used push mower (I use my rider 99% of the time). If in doubt run it dry or at least put some fuel treatment in it.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 27, 2020 21:02:30 GMT -5
Look on the bottom of the carburetor float bowl; there should be a little drain plug. At the end of the season, place a container (or better, a little funnel into a gas can) under the carb and drain all the fuel out of the carb and fuel tank. Go have lunch while the system drains, beause it takes a while.
Doing this every spring is like the ol' "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 27, 2020 21:04:32 GMT -5
Some engines carbs are fussy and need to be drained for storage. My snow blower can sit unused for 2 years with gas in it and start right up, so does my rarely used push mower (I use my rider 99% of the time). If in doubt run it dry or at least put some fuel treatment in it. The guy who fixed it suggested Stabil in every tankful, and running it dry at the end of the season. I think I will follow his advice. I never used to use Stabil, but I always ran it dey at the end of the season. It was trying to start it at the end of the season last year that led to the problem. |
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Post by K4 on Dec 27, 2020 21:19:10 GMT -5
Go buy some cans of pure gas. It is expensive but is cheap when needing a repair. You can find in every hardware store.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 27, 2020 21:29:06 GMT -5
Go buy some cans of pure gas. It is expensive but is cheap when needing a repair. You can find in every hardware store.
I’m not sure I can justify $20 a gallon for gas. But not something I even knew was available. I guess I don’t use THAT much each winter, and the snowblower is my only gas operated machine. $100 per winter may beat having to have a $185 repair each winter. Something to consider. |
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Post by K4 on Dec 28, 2020 5:42:33 GMT -5
I tried a few searches and cannot verify if any marine stations offer 100% pure gas in Staten island..
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Post by K4 on Dec 28, 2020 5:47:46 GMT -5
I'd still spend the 20 dollar a gallon.
I have a marine station that sells non ethanol gas for 2 dollars a gallon, I use that gas for my small engines.
Before I found them I used race gas. 10 dollars a gallon. Turbo blue
Google shows no stations that have that fuel on Staten island.
Sorry
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mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 231
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Post by mikem on Dec 28, 2020 7:14:59 GMT -5
I use "stable" in all of my small engines; weedwacker, lawnmower, outboard motor, snowblower, 3 generators (used mostly for my small sound co.)
Gasoline will go "gacky" if left untreated...
storytime:
Last winter my brother called me stating that his snowblower wouldn't start and asked if I could help.
I show up, the gas tank is full and it wouldn't start...
-in the end, it was old gas-
I opened the drain screw on the bottom of the carb, opened the gas cap, and let the fuel flow into a large glass jar.
After a moment, the fuel in the jar looked like a "black'n tan" draught beer......total separation of two liquids (1/3 clear on the bottom layer)plus it smelled like varnish...
Tightened the screw, added new fuel, a little starter fluid and it worked....
(my next step would have been to clean the carb)
After further questioning my brother told me that the gas was over year old......
I use stable in all of my seldom-used engines plus run them dry for extended storage.
I have had zero issues.
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Post by ninworks on Dec 28, 2020 7:42:56 GMT -5
I am going to be the contrary one here. After working on motorcycle and small engines professionally for the last 30+ years I never use a fuel additive of any kind in anything.
Stabil can be a nightmare if left in the tank for too long. It turns to wax and clogs everything up to the point where carb cleaners have a hard time removing it. If you want your machine to last just drain the tank and carburetor every time you are done using it unless you have plans of using it in the next couple weeks. Replacing the gas isn't as expensive as one container of Stabil and will go a lot further for keeping the cooties out of your fuel system. Do what Peegoo says and just drain the carb and tank. If that's too technical or you're looking for a quick fix then you will have to do fuel system repairs at some point. Bank on it.
I have a Honda lawnmower that my father in law gave me when I got married in 1988. It was 20 years old then. I always drain the carb and tank at the end of the season and haven't had to do anything to the fuel system....EVER! I put gas in it for the first mow of the summer, choke it and pull the rope 3 times and it starts. It will start on the first pull every time all summer long. The same goes for my chainsaw, leaf blower, pressure washer, etc. As long as I keep them empty when they sit for a few months they always start right away when I put new fuel in them.
If I have any gas left over from the previous season I'll use it to kill weeds and get new gas. It's very inexpensive insurance and it works. Yes, I can fix the machines if they break but why would I want to do that if I can prevent it?
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krrf
Wholenote
Posts: 375
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Post by krrf on Dec 28, 2020 7:42:59 GMT -5
Buy ethanol free gas or marine fuel. That's the only thing I use in small motors. Definitely drain the tank or run it dry at the end of the season.
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mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 231
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Post by mikem on Dec 28, 2020 8:42:13 GMT -5
I am going to be the contrary one here. After working on motorcycle and small engines professionally for the last 30+ years I never use a fuel additive of any kind in anything. Stabil can be a nightmare if left in the tank for too long. It turns to wax and clogs everything up to the point where carb cleaners have a hard time removing it. If you want your machine to last just drain the tank and carburetor every time you are done using it unless you have plans of using it in the next couple weeks. Replacing the gas isn't as expensive as one container of Stabil and will go a lot further for keeping the cooties out of your fuel system. Do what Peegoo says and just drain the carb and tank. If that's too technical or you're looking for a quick fix then you will have to do fuel system repairs at some point. Bank on it. I have a Honda lawnmower that my father in law gave me when I got married in 1988. It was 20 years old then. I always drain the carb and tank at the end of the season and haven't had to do anything to the fuel system....EVER! I put gas in it for the first mow of the summer, choke it and pull the rope 3 times and it starts. It will start on the first pull every time all summer long. The same goes for my chainsaw, leaf blower, pressure washer, etc. As long as I keep them empty when they sit for a few months they always start right away when I put new fuel in them. If I have any gas left over from the previous season I'll use it to kill weeds and get new gas. It's very inexpensive insurance and it works. Yes, I can fix the machines if they break but why would I want to do that if I can prevent it?noted. For winter (or extended) storage would you also recommend fogging the engine? |
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mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 231
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Post by mikem on Dec 28, 2020 8:42:41 GMT -5
For winter (or extended) storage would you also recommend fogging the engine?
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Post by modbus on Dec 28, 2020 8:52:11 GMT -5
I am going to be the contrary one here. After working on motorcycle and small engines professionally for the last 30+ years I never use a fuel additive of any kind in anything. Stabil can be a nightmare if left in the tank for too long. It turns to wax and clogs everything up to the point where carb cleaners have a hard time removing it. If you want your machine to last just drain the tank and carburetor every time you are done using it unless you have plans of using it in the next couple weeks. Replacing the gas isn't as expensive as one container of Stabil and will go a lot further for keeping the cooties out of your fuel system. Do what Peegoo says and just drain the carb and tank. If that's too technical or you're looking for a quick fix then you will have to do fuel system repairs at some point. Bank on it. I have a Honda lawnmower that my father in law gave me when I got married in 1988. It was 20 years old then. I always drain the carb and tank at the end of the season and haven't had to do anything to the fuel system....EVER! I put gas in it for the first mow of the summer, choke it and pull the rope 3 times and it starts. It will start on the first pull every time all summer long. The same goes for my chainsaw, leaf blower, pressure washer, etc. As long as I keep them empty when they sit for a few months they always start right away when I put new fuel in them. If I have any gas left over from the previous season I'll use it to kill weeds and get new gas. It's very inexpensive insurance and it works. Yes, I can fix the machines if they break but why would I want to do that if I can prevent it? I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I agree with you 100%. I have a $5 siphon pump I use to get most of the gas out of the tanks, and then run them dry. My snow blower sat for almost 2 years like this and started right up on Christmas morning after a big snow.
As for fogging oil, I do fog the snow blower when I put it up for a season, because we haven't had much snow here over the past decade or so, and the blower might sit for a long while, like it did this last time. I generally don't fog any of the mowers, because they only sit for 4 months or so.
The YouTube channel "Taryl Fixes All" is nearing the end of a year long experiment on fuel additives, and thus far they haven't made much of a difference.
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Post by ninworks on Dec 28, 2020 9:45:36 GMT -5
The YouTube channel "Taryl Fixes All" is nearing the end of a year long experiment on fuel additives, and thus far they haven't made much of a difference.
A year is not enough time to test something like that. Fuel additives can help in the short term. One to three years. The long term is where it will appear. Five years plus. I always fogged 2 stroke Jet Ski (personal watercraft) engines at the end of the summer as a vital part of winterization. I drained the fuel tanks, mixed a high concentration of premix and attached a remote fuel tank directly to the engine's fuel system bypassing the fuel tank on the vehicle, ran the engine enough times to blow as much water from the exhaust system as possible, and when I was done I would trickle straight 2 stroke oil into the carburetors until the engine died. That way everything on the inside of the engine was coated with oil. It's very hard to get all the water out of the exhaust systems on those things and internal condensation can be problematic. Just in case there was a small amount left in there somewhere the oil would help as a protectant. I also told the customers to go out and crank the motor over (not start them) every couple weeks just to keep any corrosion from binding anything up inside the engine. |
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Post by modbus on Dec 28, 2020 9:49:40 GMT -5
But that's the thing, it hasn't made any difference in the short term. The only failure so far has been a machine with an additive. They are all relatively hard to start, with the easiest to start being the ethanol free gas, which makes sense. The additives don't seem any better than plain pump gas.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 28, 2020 10:10:53 GMT -5
Should I instead just run it dry every time I use it and just gas back up each time it snows? Is that a better practice?
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Post by insanecooker on Dec 28, 2020 10:20:23 GMT -5
I would make the very outside suggestion of reading what the manual says rather than asking people on the Internet - but I believe I also qualify as one with this suggestion, so...
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Post by Leftee on Dec 28, 2020 10:36:55 GMT -5
I would make the very outside suggestion of reading what the manual says rather than asking people on the Internet - but I believe I also qualify as one with this suggestion, so... 🏆😂 |
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Post by modbus on Dec 28, 2020 11:10:02 GMT -5
I'm just a internet knucklehead, but I run stuff dry only at the end of the "season", not every use. Like you said, you never really know when the last snow will be, but by the time April rolls around, it's pretty safe to drain.
Also, they do usually have drains on snowblower carb bowls, so I'd assume the manufacturers are cool with draining them. Some of the old Tecumseh "Snow King" engines actually had a little drain valve on the carbs that could be opened without tools, which was nice.
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Post by K4 on Dec 28, 2020 11:11:57 GMT -5
Should I instead just run it dry every time I use it and just gas back up each time it snows? Is that a better practice? That does work Best to find some real gas. Certain entities are pushing hard for 15% ethanol in our gas, small engine manufactures are fighting it just as hard. Fuel injected cars it's not a big deal, small engines don't like it. And no one wants to pay an extra 500 dollars for a fuel injected weed wacker. |
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Post by modbus on Dec 28, 2020 12:13:25 GMT -5
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Post by Laker on Dec 29, 2020 15:29:35 GMT -5
Buy ethanol free gas or marine fuel. That's the only thing I use in small motors. Definitely drain the tank or run it dry at the end of the season. I totally agree with ethanol free fuel. The only problem I’ve had with my snowblower was the year I used 10% ethanol fuel and left it in the tank over the summer. I will not put stabil in any vehicle or small engine fuel tank. I put it in my old Corvette once around 30 years ago and it seemed to really mess with the octane of the fuel. I couldn’t hardly “put my foot into it” without massive engine ping. Our local Shell premium gasoline is ethanol free and is the only fuel I use in all gasoline engines. I do not have to drain tanks or run engines out of fuel after use and have absolutely no starting problems after vehicles, lawn mower, or snow blower sit for any extended period of time. As an example, I fired up my old Corvette this fall for the first time in about sixteen months and it popped right off...no starting issues. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 29, 2020 19:52:33 GMT -5
I think you guys have talked me out of Stabil (which I already bought, non- returnable).
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Post by K4 on Dec 29, 2020 22:50:11 GMT -5
Stabill won't hurt anything on a small engine. It might even help keeping the carb clean. Find a gas station that sells 100% gas and use them. I'd use them in my car as well. I get 30 Mpg in my mustang on real gas, 23 on 10% ethanol. Highway mileage. In town if I keep my foot out of it, it becomes 20 vs 16. |
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Post by Mfitz804 on Dec 29, 2020 23:48:06 GMT -5
Stabill won't hurt anything on a small engine. It might even help keeping the carb clean. Find a gas station that sells 100% gas and use them. I'd use them in my car as well. I get 30 Mpg in my mustang on real gas, 23 on 10% ethanol. Highway mileage. In town if I keep my foot out of it, it becomes 20 vs 16. There isn’t a gas station that offers it anywhere near here, unfortunately. |
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Post by LTB on Dec 30, 2020 9:53:47 GMT -5
And every gas engine. Ethanol wreaks havoc, along with liver and onions. Lol, Liver and onions are going to be a regular staple for Giraffes on MT2 😅 |
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