Anyone using STA-BIL Ethanol Fuel Treatment

[Colt]

My Toro snow blower needs a carburetor because it's leaking and I'm told ethanol in gas isn't good for carbs.
Figured I'd try STA-BIL Ethanol Fuel Treatment and Stabilizer in my small engine equipment.
Anyone use it?

Seems the bad weather in many areas has cause a problem getting snow blower parts nationwide.
In the mean time I have a vise-grip crimping the fuel line hose while sitting to stop the leak.
No leak when it's running.
I'm told it's going to be a long wait for the carb.

 

[Doog]

I have been using regular stabil in all of my OPE for at least a decade. I do use it in my 2 cycle Toro snow blower and it works well. But what makes a toro 2 cycle run well is cleaning the carb with gumout small engine carb spray 2-3 times a season. You can get it at ACE Hardware.

BTW every other year I do a refurbish on my snow blower. New belt, clean carb, new plug and new paddles. But I do this in Summer when you can get parts easily.

 

[Phishin]

I loved the Blue Stabil....It was for ethanol fuel. It's all I use. It goes in about $200k worth of my equipment (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, OPE, etc.)

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted By: Doog
I have been using regular stabil in all of my OPE for at least a decade. I do use it in my 2 cycle Toro snow blower and it works well. But what makes a toro 2 cycle run well is cleaning the carb with gumout small engine carb spray 2-3 times a season. You can get it at ACE Hardware.

BTW every other year I do a refurbish on my snow blower. New belt, clean carb, new plug and new paddles. But I do this in Summer when you can get parts easily.

I've used the regular red Sta-bil for years.Always when I fill up my 5 gal can.
Does nothing for ethanol.So I figured maybe kill two birds with one stone.

Just did the belt and plug.Paddles were fine.

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
I loved the Blue Stabil....It was for ethanol fuel. It's all I use. It goes in about $200k worth of my equipment (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, OPE, etc.)



I saw the blue on Amazon .Maybe should have went with that.

 

[edwardh1]

dont use ethanol; gas, use pure gas, its sold in many locations here (south carolina) and all marinas

 

[edwardh1]

dont use ethanol; gas, use pure gas, its sold in many locations here (south carolina) and all marinas

 

[opus1]

FWIW, I e-mailed Gold Eagle a couple of years ago asking about using the Ethanol flavored Sta-Bil in my mower and snowthrower and they basically told be it wasn't needed. The product is designed for marine applications.

I've never used anything but the standard Sta-Bil, but I only use BP or Shell gas in the small engines.

And, as it turns out, my Toro snowthrower is leaking as well. It sounds like I'll have to live with it until summer...

 

[danthaman1980]

+1 on blue (marine/ethanol) sta-bil. It has worked well (for me) for off-season storage of carbureted lawnmowers and motorcycleas. I like to use it full-strength (1 oz in 5 gal), in combination with 1 oz/5gal of TC-W3.

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
I loved the Blue Stabil....It was for ethanol fuel. It's all I use. It goes in about $200k worth of my equipment (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, OPE, etc.)


Just canceled the Stabil Ethanol and Stabilizer order and went with the Marine blue.

Thanks!

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
dont use ethanol; gas, use pure gas, its sold in many locations here (south carolina) and all marinas


54miles is too far for me to pay 5$ for marina gas.

I've found a fuel on/off valve works great on OPE. I turn that off let it run the carb out for storage or transport. So far less issues than before. they cost 4-5$.. Although on smaller ope like a lawnmower it can be a challenge to fit a fuel filter AND valve.

 

[Vikas]

I like the blue stabil; it is definitely better than the original red one.

 

[Donald]

+1 blue Stabil. I use it in all my OPE gas year round. While you can easily figure the end of grass mowing, hard to guess last snow storm or when generator can be shut down with power back, thus I always use blue Stabil in gas.

But only my tertiary backup generator is gasoline, my primary backup and secondary backup are both propane.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Use nothing now (though I have run stabil in the past) and I run sometimes 1 or 2 year old E10 fuel and have no problems. My snowblower starts right up with fuel in jugs from two previous Falls ago.
I was going to drain my genset last summer but never got a round-2-it. I do add a bit of sae30 topoil to the equipment. My Brigg Murry push mower is 24 years old and not using oil. I did require an idle air reset for the E10 and a cylhead re-torque. which I do myself.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
and I run sometimes 1 or 2 year old E10 fuel and have no problems. My snowblower starts right up with fuel in jugs from two previous Falls ago.


Wow. Asking for trouble. Run that swill in the car and buy new gas.

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted By: opus1
FWIW, I e-mailed Gold Eagle a couple of years ago asking about using the Ethanol flavored Sta-Bil in my mower and snowthrower and they basically told be it wasn't needed. The product is designed for marine applications.

I've never used anything but the standard Sta-Bil, but I only use BP or Shell gas in the small engines.

And, as it turns out, my Toro snowthrower is leaking as well. It sounds like I'll have to live with it until summer...


Ethanol is corrosive.May be the reason the carb is leaking.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: Colt
Originally Posted By: opus1
FWIW, I e-mailed Gold Eagle a couple of years ago asking about using the Ethanol flavored Sta-Bil in my mower and snowthrower and they basically told be it wasn't needed. The product is designed for marine applications.

I've never used anything but the standard Sta-Bil, but I only use BP or Shell gas in the small engines.

And, as it turns out, my Toro snowthrower is leaking as well. It sounds like I'll have to live with it until summer...


Ethanol is corrosive.May be the reason the carb is leaking.
Could be. The machine being 12 years old probably doesn't help as well.

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: Colt
Originally Posted By: opus1
FWIW, I e-mailed Gold Eagle a couple of years ago asking about using the Ethanol flavored Sta-Bil in my mower and snowthrower and they basically told be it wasn't needed. The product is designed for marine applications.

I've never used anything but the standard Sta-Bil, but I only use BP or Shell gas in the small engines.

And, as it turns out, my Toro snowthrower is leaking as well. It sounds like I'll have to live with it until summer...


Ethanol is corrosive.May be the reason the carb is leaking.
Could be. The machine being 12 years old probably doesn't help as well.

True!

My SB is 8-9 years old.

 

[TWar]

Not sure what model you have but it seems odd that you need a whole new carb. Does it have a stuck float in the carb? That would cause a slow steady leak. Seems odd that it needs to be completely replaced. Take the carb apart and clean it. You may just have a bad gasket or a stuck float.

I use blue stabil on all gas that goes in my snow blower and generator.

 

[andyd]

Most carbs rely upon a viton seat for the needle valve. They aren't E 10 friendly. I use fuel shut off valves to run the carb out of gas after every use. It has helped to to make them easier to start.