Gas with Ethanol in Small engines.....Do not run engine dry for storage.

[murphy1244]

Shoot, between me and my father we've been running outboard motors and other seasonal equipment dry for nearly 70 years, before and after ethanol came along. Never saw a carb problem due to that. But I have rebuilt plenty of carbs for friends who left ethanol gas in their equipment over winter. I think I'll stick to running equipment dry at the end of the season.

I agree, I've always ran my 2 and 4 stroke small engines dry. But I do use Seafoam in my mix.

 

[clemsonfor]

i dont have any singe carb outboards anymore. If you pull the fuel line on a multi carb engine you will be running one carb dry before the others, all the time. These fuels not getting fuel are not getting oil on a 2 stroke, i dont do this. I had a stuck inlet needle on a 2 cyl c carb omc this summer. I been doing it this way and just letting the fuel evaporate in the bowl, there was barely any goo in the bowl, and i had not been into those carbs in 4 years or so.

 

[DEWFPO]

I've never run an engine dry before storage and always store with a full fuel tank. Additive or not, I've had no problems with some of these engines starting after even 2 or 3 years dormant. Just lucky I guess. Yes, we have plenty of E10 here. Can't find straight gasoline anywhere for 200 miles.

DEWFPO

 

[murphy1244]

I've never run an engine dry before storage and always store with a full fuel tank. Additive or not, I've had no problems with some of these engines starting after even 2 or 3 years dormant. Just lucky I guess. Yes, we have plenty of E10 here. Can't find straight gasoline anywhere for 200 miles.

DEWFPO

I left a motorcycle with a full tank and stabil for 2 years and it came out like cokacola. Never do that again.

 

[clemsonfor]

Some are lucky, for themost part i have been, but i have also built more small carbs than ever in the last few years. They never are right again it seems. They always dont idle quite right or like to flutter etc. Yea im sure there not compleatly clean but when you had a hard plastic unadjuatable float and fixed jets its hard to mess up the rebuild.

Some may not know it but when you use stihl and Husky oil to mix with it contains the addative in it. I have always wondered why my saw gas seems fine even after a winter or summer or so! Boat gas i have been lucky with as well, even without stabil in it or seafoam. Knock on wood.

As for a boat, you cant leave the carbs full, they dry out eventually! They are siphon feed from your fuel pump, motor off, tank sits lower than motor so there is no way they stay full like a lawnmower carb will. They have some leak out or evap off and it will jsut fill as the float falls.

 

[arrow]

Our motorcycles always have problems with storing wet and have used all the additives from Stabil to Seafoam. If you do not start up intermittently, (which I always forget to do) the gas in the float bowl dries up and leaves varnish residue that easily clogs jets. The manufacturer of Robin Suburu engine that is in my generator recommends gas shut off valve to off position and float bowl emptying in their manual if it will not be started on a weekly basis. I would love to get hold of some but there is no ethanol free gas available in my state. I have no problems when running to dry. This ethanol is savage stuff to stationary engine carbs.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I have ruined two carburetors by storing them with ethanol-containing gas in them. I run all my gas engines dry if they are going to sit for any extent of time.

 

[VA MTN MAN]

Shoot, between me and my father we've been running outboard motors and other seasonal equipment dry for nearly 70 years, before and after ethanol came along. Never saw a carb problem due to that. But I have rebuilt plenty of carbs for friends who left ethanol gas in their equipment over winter. I think I'll stick to running equipment dry at the end of the season.

Me too. i dont think the carb shown was do to being left dry. If running carb dry was that big of a problem look at all the motors that are tested at the factory then set on shelves waiting to be sold. outboard motors,generators mowers etc. most any you buy have had gas in them and they all start. I might start having trouble by running dry but it has worked well for the last 50 years so until then I will keep em dry.

 

[bucktaker]

i think the key here is no ethanol gas in small engines, I lost all the plastic lines in my stihl chain saw even though I always leave it full and treated with stabil. Now I search for no ethanol gas for my equipment. Does anyone know if the higher grades of unleaded have ethanol?

 

[clemsonfor]

They do if the pump states 10% on it, unless they have a sticker on the 93 octane or whatever it is that says "does not contain ethonol". Most that have this will advertise it somewhere. Some in my area have it others dont. I also can get no-ethonol 87 octane at certain stations.