Keep carb full or dry while storing?

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I store mine wet. At each fill of my 2-gal gas can, I add the proper concentration of fuel stabilizer and 2.56 oz of 2-stroke oil (Echo Power Blend, because I have it) for a 100:1 ratio of fuel:eek:il.

When I fixed a stuck intake valve on a friend's mower engine, I read about the lubricity offered by a very slight amount of 2-stroke oil in with the fuel. At such small quantities, there are no negative side effects (like carbon loading in the combustion chamber), and I've read that it helps keep stuff from gumming up. I've been doing it for two seasons now (spiking my 4-stroke fuel with 2-stroke oil) and everything continues to run well.

I used to have problems trying to run stuff dry. You never get ALL of the old fuel out, so whatever is there ends up crusting up or going bad anyway, at least in my experience. I've found that storing completely full/topped off reduces the formation of condensation and reduces problems in the spring.
 
I have never run the fuel out and have never had any carb or starting problems. Towards the end of the mowing season I do add Sta-bil (red bottle) to the gas can and I always try to buy just enough gas to last for one month. Here in south Texas, my mowing ends in November and starts again in March. I have an edger, two Snapper self propelled walk behinds and a Craftsman rider, all powered by Briggs & Stratton. The edger is a 1970 my dad bought and passed down to me. It will start on two or three pulls on the rope every time after sitting for 3 months. The same goes for the Snappers.
 
Check the oil level and recap firmly. Tip most of the fuel out of tank, start the engine and let it run till it naturally stops. Close all the valves, wipe down the outside, fill in the paperwork and return to Q-store. That's what the army taught me.
 
While at camp a few days ago, the neighbour's 16 yr old son asked me if I'd take a look at their 5kw Honda generator because it wouldn't start. I told them to drop it off in the garage and I'd look at it.

Later on, I went up to the garage and noticed it was sitting on the floor. It was a real mess. It had been in an old dirt floor building that had collapsed due to snow load. It was covered in all kinds of debris from animal droppings to clumps of old wet insulation that had dried out. I called the kid over to get him to clean up the generator.

After sweeping it off with a broom and blowing it off with compressed air, I pulled the fuel cap and was greeted with the odor of bad gas. I told the kid that the gas was bad and advised him to recognize and remember that smell. Then I had him siphon off the fuel, added fresh gas and check the oil. The oil was very much diluted with bad gas and overflowed the filler hole. We let it level out then put the filler plug back in. I saw that the fuel valve was open and asked the kid if that's the way he found it. He said he had opened it, which was not a good idea, filling the carb with bad fuel.

I put the kid on the rope and told him to start pulling. No luck. We pulled and cleaned the spark plug then added some gas directly into the cylinder. One pull and it fired but soon died. With full choke, I put the kid on the pull start again. After about twenty pulls it fired and kept running.

So, you're probably asking: What's this got to do with the topic?

The answer is that I know this machine had not been started or run since 2004, that's when the kid's grandfather died and it was his generator. The building collapsed that same winter and the machine had been left for eleven years in a pile of debris, partially exposed to the elements. All it took was fresh fuel and a clean spark plug to get it running.

Is this a testament to the durability of Honda products or that cutting the fuel to the carb may have helped? I suspect a bit of both.

It's amazing how some machines can handle a lot of abuse.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Store wet with Sta-Bil.


Works for me as well...

If one is run out of fuel there will still be a table spoon of gas in the bowl, will likely turn to jell...
 
Premium non-ethanol gas, stabil, mmo, make sure the tank is topped up.

Starts on first or second pull each season.

I'm not going to waste my time draining carbs.
 
some people get annoyed when tcw3 gets mentioned, but at my work, we buy 5 gallons of gas at a time for the golfcart,echo blower and gcv160 pressure washer.

they all run on 50:1 with tcw3.

at home, i add 1/2 oz to a gallon for the pressure washer and never have a stuck float or hard starts. or i use 50:1.
 
Originally Posted By: hatt
I've seen carb gaskets dry out, shrink, and crack after dry storage. I keep my stuff wet and only use ethanol free gas.


There are no ethanol free gas stations here in St. Louis, and the few that are in Missouri are all 91 octane or better.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus
While at camp a few days ago, the neighbour's 16 yr old son asked me if I'd take a look at their 5kw Honda generator because it wouldn't start….

After sweeping it off with a broom and blowing it off with compressed air, I pulled the fuel cap and was greeted with the odor of bad gas. I told the kid that the gas was bad and advised him to recognize and remember that smell. Then I had him siphon off the fuel, added fresh gas and check the oil. The oil was very much diluted with bad gas and overflowed the filler hole. We let it level out then put the filler plug back in. I saw that the fuel valve was open and asked the kid if that's the way he found it. He said he had opened it, which was not a good idea, filling the carb with bad fuel.

I put the kid on the rope and told him to start pulling. No luck. We pulled and cleaned the spark plug then added some gas directly into the cylinder. One pull and it fired but soon died. With full choke, I put the kid on the pull start again. After about twenty pulls it fired and kept running. ….


Good work boraticus !!!

Not only did you get it running again, but you showed a 16 year old kid how to do it, and had him help you the whole way. Kids don't learn this stuff by osmosis, they need to be shown and given hands-on learning experiences.

You gave that kid something far more valuable than a old working generator. Twenty years from now, he will be showing another 16 year old how to do the exact same thing.

Well done mate.
 
I always drain the gas out and get as much out of the carb as possible. I add Stabil for the last few tanks to treat any residual fuel that might still be in there. I also use nothing but E10 fuel, as that's all that's available here. Never had any fuel or carb problems doing it this way.
 
I was impressed how enthusiastic and capable the kid is. He didn't have to be told twice and caught on very quickly.

When we moved from our house out in the sticks to a condo, I gave him a 1987 Polaris snowmobile with a nice dual carb Fuji 340 engine in it. The machine is in great shape but was difficult to start. I deducted that the fuel pump was weak and needed rebuilding. I had the kid pull off the fuel pump and told him to take it with him to buy a rebuild kit and to get some new fuel line as well.

Sure enough, he got the kit and we went to work rebuilding the pump. Good thing I was there to walk him through it because one of the rubbery elements wasn't lining up properly. I had to show him to use the screws and screw holes to keep the element properly seated rather than using the tiny pins normally used to orient the elements.

His dad's a good guy but totally lost when it comes to mechanics. Now that the kid is acquiring things mechanical, he's got to learn how to take care of them.

Hopefully, one day, he'll be fixing my stuff!
 
I always top off the tank and make sure that the tank only has non-oxygenated fuel in it, add stabil and run it to get it through the system. Haven't had many carb issues over the years except for one finicky chainsaw.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus
I was impressed how enthusiastic and capable the kid is. He didn't have to be told twice and caught on very quickly.

When we moved from our house out in the sticks to a condo, I gave him a 1987 Polaris snowmobile with a nice dual carb Fuji 340 engine in it. The machine is in great shape but was difficult to start. I deducted that the fuel pump was weak and needed rebuilding. I had the kid pull off the fuel pump and told him to take it with him to buy a rebuild kit and to get some new fuel line as well.

Sure enough, he got the kit and we went to work rebuilding the pump. Good thing I was there to walk him through it because one of the rubbery elements wasn't lining up properly. I had to show him to use the screws and screw holes to keep the element properly seated rather than using the tiny pins normally used to orient the elements.

His dad's a good guy but totally lost when it comes to mechanics. Now that the kid is acquiring things mechanical, he's got to learn how to take care of them.

Hopefully, one day, he'll be fixing my stuff!


And when he's 50 and all the young kids are gathered around him, he will tell stories of all the things you taught him, and in those stories you will have the wisdom of Albert Einstein and the swagger of John Wayne.
 
For me it depends on the design of the carb. With a conventional bowl, there are usually not any gaskets below the fuel level when sitting to keep wet. So I store those dry.
A diaphragm carb (typ 2-stroke) may benefit from storing wet, since there are gaskets exposed to fuel when sitting. I still store mine dry and rely on the oil mixed with the gas to preserve the gaskets.

Has served me well for decades.
 
I always start my mower once a month during winter.
Keeps everything lubed and ready for Spring.
Never an issue.
 
Originally Posted By: Dallas69
I always start my mower once a month during winter.
Keeps everything lubed and ready for Spring.
Never an issue.


You need to get the muffler and engine hot to burn off any water/condensation. In Texas maybe you just leave it in the sun for 10 minutes?
 
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