Fuel stabalizer

[jacric2005]

I use premium gas with Stabil for my generator and riding lawn mowers. Since I have a small stock pile of gas for power outages, the Stabil is important so gas will last a while. Run them dry after exercising generator and at end of season with lawn mowers. I run clear premium in the pressure washer, the log splitter and the gas/oil mixture for the weed eater and the chain saw. Run the log splitter dry after each use and others at the end of the season. The one time I used premium without Stabil in the generator and did not run dry, the carburetor had to be replaced. I also keep battery tenders on the generator and the riding lawn mowers. Got tired of things not starting in the early days of the country lifestyle, so decided prevention was easier in the long run.

 

[kraftykeltic]

Im tired of having problems with small engine carbs and I plan to do something about it.

In my area finding ethanol free gas isnt easy and from what I have read dosent necessarily solve the problem.

I know that running the fuel tank empty at the end of the season isnt the answer either because Ive seen first hand the powdery white residue left behind after things dry out.

What do you guys do to not have any problems?

Im looking into a fuel additive called Sta-Bil. I know little about any of these additives.

I have been using for over 10 years no The blue stuff for 5 gals at a time, Stabil, it is available at any auto parts store at the recommended rate, and then 3 or so ounces of dry gas. Dry gas will help to keep the methanol in suspension the blue emzyme will try to take out the ethanol and stabil will add to the storability of the gas. If you are able get a gas shut-off on all your small gas engines and then use that to turn off the unit ensuring the carb is dry, limit the corrosion and varnish build up. In small 2 cycle engines I buy premix, expensive but I have not had problems in 10 years. The pre mix is listed as fuel there really is no gasoline in it.

 

[Up2]

What I have found is the ethanol added fuels can swell the plastic and nylon parts in carbs. Also any good fuel stabilizer helps immensely but remember to run engine for awhile to get it into carb. Lastly fog the engine cylinder with a decent fogging oil and only hand crank to distribute. I have run and repaired hundreds of small engines commercially and every time someone brings me a snowblower or lawnmower at the beginning of they season and says “ it was running fine last season but won’t start now” I’ve seen it so bad that I’ve drilled out the plastic where the float needle seats. Hope this helps someone.

 

[Septemberwheat]

Im tired of having problems with small engine carbs and I plan to do something about it.

In my area finding ethanol free gas isnt easy and from what I have read dosent necessarily solve the problem.

I know that running the fuel tank empty at the end of the season isnt the answer either because Ive seen first hand the powdery white residue left behind after things dry out.

What do you guys do to not have any problems?

Im looking into a fuel additive called Sta-Bil. I know little about any of these additives.

I got sick of dealing with small engine issues as well. About 12 years ago, when a tool engine died, if I could replace it with an electric motor, I did. This has helped significantly in my time spent in maintenance.

 

[Bentrim]

No body asked but as a small engine mechanic for the last 20 years I'll chip in my two cents. This can be an issue that causes friends to end friendships. But here is my experience and reasons. I recommend IF E10 is used to use some type of stabilizer but if the unit is not used for 39 days or more drain the complete fuel system, yes that includes removing the carburetor bowl and emptying it or if it has a drain opening the drain and draining it. After all new equipment is shipped with no fuel in the tank or carburetor.
If you have E10 and don't use it within 30 days pour it in your car or truck and refill your cans and add a stabilizer to the fresh fuel. As for using high test mid grade or regular use what the manufacturer recommends. Remember they built it and have to stand behind the warranty. As for using high test why? There is only two reasons to do so. One it is the recommended fuel and you will have a lighter wallet after you leave the pump. Just a thought about high test also, It is refined for a higher octane, resistance to preignition which means it is harder to light could that make starting harder?
Many don't understand that there are at least two different blends of gasoline. Summer and winter. Summer blend has less volatiles in it so it does not evaporate too fast. Winter blend has more volatiles for those easy starts when it is cold. That is why the snow blower left sit all summer with gas in it will have more problems than a lawn mower left with gas in over the winter.
As for stabilizer don't care what you use I have seen all not work and really "gum up" the carburetor. The most important point is it is not a miracle product and still has a time limit mostly due to how the container was stored and I do not trust the length of storage time on the label!
A lot of fuel related issues are caused by storage conditions. You cannot expect a unsealed container sitting in the sun to keep fuel fresh as one tightly sealed sitting in a dark corner where the temperature rarely changes.

What fuel is best for small engines? | Briggs & Stratton

Need lawn mower gas? Find small engine fuel type and storage recommendations for max performance from the Briggs & Stratton Engines experts.

www.briggsandstratton.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/smallengines/comments/9yy1sr

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-blog/2016/08/premium-vs-regular-gasoline

Premium Fuel Futures

A primer on high-test gasoline: Is it for you?

www.roadandtrack.com

Is It OK to Store Gasoline in the Garage? (Quick Facts) – Family Life Share

www.familylifeshare.com

Personally I prefer to use nonethanol gasoline but have had success with E10 also. But honestly I prefer diesel.
So there are my two cents. Give it some thought and do what you want to----You will anyway!!
Have a great day

 

[Andrus]

Im tired of having problems with small engine carbs and I plan to do something about it.

In my area finding ethanol free gas isnt easy and from what I have read dosent necessarily solve the problem.

I know that running the fuel tank empty at the end of the season isnt the answer either because Ive seen first hand the powdery white residue left behind after things dry out.

What do you guys do to not have any problems?

Im looking into a fuel additive called Sta-Bil. I know little about any of these additives.

Though it won't help you in Florida, Stewart's in New York State sells Hi-test with no ethylene,...and it really works. I can leave my tractors all winter and they start fine in the spring. I have used Stabil and it seems to help, but no-ethylene gas is better. The problem is the rust that develops over time with ethylene gas which is hydrophilic, [likes water].

 

[Tony H]

Sta-bil marine (blue stuff). It's too bad our govt made deals with corn growers before finding out that ethanol is a joke. I have my card from the 70's and 80's. All this 10%ethanol gas has gone was reduce my gas mileage by 10% in my old cars. Ethanol is like adding more bread to meatballs. It fills the belly but you are still getting the same amount of protein from the meat. So aside from doing nothing to save the real gas, it also does the damage that alcohol does to rubber parts and those other parts that don't like moisture.

The only folks happy are carburetor manufacturers.

 

[fried1765]

I go with Tru-Fuel or one of the other non ethanol fuels for off season storage. A bit expensive, but worth it for storage. I've had trouble with most of the fuel stabilizers on the market

I use aviation 100LL in all small & old engines!
No ethanol, = no storage issues.

 

[5030]

With all the above being said, can anyone tell me what the difference is between Red Stabil and the Blue stuff other than the red stuff is cheaper and stinks terribly (the smell of the red stuff makes me want to puke). The blue stuff has no smell at all that I can detect. You can smell the red stuff when it gets burned in an engine as well and that smell is horrible.

 

[ArlyA]

The stabil company spend lots and lots on marketing. Seafoam works. Its not much good as a parts cleaner, great as a stabilizer.

 

[JBF43]

No body asked but as a small engine mechanic for the last 20 years I'll chip in my two cents. This can be an issue that causes friends to end friendships. But here is my experience and reasons. I recommend IF E10 is used to use some type of stabilizer but if the unit is not used for 39 days or more drain the complete fuel system, yes that includes removing the carburetor bowl and emptying it or if it has a drain opening the drain and draining it. After all new equipment is shipped with no fuel in the tank or carburetor.
If you have E10 and don't use it within 30 days pour it in your car or truck and refill your cans and add a stabilizer to the fresh fuel. As for using high test mid grade or regular use what the manufacturer recommends. Remember they built it and have to stand behind the warranty. As for using high test why? There is only two reasons to do so. One it is the recommended fuel and you will have a lighter wallet after you leave the pump. Just a thought about high test also, It is refined for a higher octane, resistance to preignition which means it is harder to light could that make starting harder?
Many don't understand that there are at least two different blends of gasoline. Summer and winter. Summer blend has less volatiles in it so it does not evaporate too fast. Winter blend has more volatiles for those easy starts when it is cold. That is why the snow blower left sit all summer with gas in it will have more problems than a lawn mower left with gas in over the winter.
As for stabilizer don't care what you use I have seen all not work and really "gum up" the carburetor. The most important point is it is not a miracle product and still has a time limit mostly due to how the container was stored and I do not trust the length of storage time on the label!
A lot of fuel related issues are caused by storage conditions. You cannot expect a unsealed container sitting in the sun to keep fuel fresh as one tightly sealed sitting in a dark corner where the temperature rarely changes.

What fuel is best for small engines? | Briggs & Stratton

Need lawn mower gas? Find small engine fuel type and storage recommendations for max performance from the Briggs & Stratton Engines experts.

www.briggsandstratton.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/smallengines/comments/9yy1sr

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-cars-blog/2016/08/premium-vs-regular-gasoline

Premium Fuel Futures

A primer on high-test gasoline: Is it for you?

www.roadandtrack.com

Is It OK to Store Gasoline in the Garage? (Quick Facts) – Family Life Share

www.familylifeshare.com

Personally I prefer to use nonethanol gasoline but have had success with E10 also. But honestly I prefer diesel.
So there are my two cents. Give it some thought and do what you want to----You will anyway!!
Have a great day

Many good points made here. I live in Florida and buy gas (E10) for my small engines in 50-gallon quantities. (I hate going to the gas station.) I have treated it forever with Red Stabil and have had extremely few issues in any of my small engines. My chain saws, weed trimmers, blowers, generators, etc all do really well with gas stored for possibly a few months all start well. After Hurricane Michael in October 2018, I was glad to be able to store gas in this manner as we had no power for several weeks and had to rely on generators solely. There was only one place in town you could even get gas after the storm and the lines were horrendous while waiting for gas. Hence another reason to buy and store in bulk when you can. One thing I find with 2 cycle engines is using Stabil in the gas and a quality 2 cycle oil seems to make difference. Over the years I have come to use Husqvarna 2 cycle equipment. I started using their 2 cycle oil as well and haven't had any start or run issues since. I have also noticed that I stopped fouling spark plugs while doing this. Plugs seem to last for years now and the engines run cleaner. The last thing I'd like to mention is that my stored equipment doesn't sit for months at a time without running. I have gotten in the practice of starting all my engines around the beginning of each month and let them run for 5- 10 minutes, then put them back. (Kind of make a practice of it like paying rent or mortgages.)The only issue I have had since doing this is the fuel lines on 2 cycle engines still rotting out. Don't think there's any cure for that. Just my experience and 2 cents worth. Thanks for reading.

 

[ArlyA]

Many good points made here. I live in Florida and buy gas (E10) for my small engines in 50-gallon quantities. (I hate going to the gas station.) I have treated it forever with Red Stabil and have had extremely few issues in any of my small engines. My chain saws, weed trimmers, blowers, generators, etc all do really well with gas stored for possibly a few months all start well. After Hurricane Michael in October 2018, I was glad to be able to store gas in this manner as we had no power for several weeks and had to rely on generators solely. There was only one place in town you could even get gas after the storm and the lines were horrendous while waiting for gas. Hence another reason to buy and store in bulk when you can. One thing I find with 2 cycle engines is using Stabil in the gas and a quality 2 cycle oil seems to make difference. Over the years I have come to use Husqvarna 2 cycle equipment. I started using their 2 cycle oil as well and haven't had any start or run issues since. I have also noticed that I stopped fouling spark plugs while doing this. Plugs seem to last for years now and the engines run cleaner. The last thing I'd like to mention is that my stored equipment doesn't sit for months at a time without running. I have gotten in the practice of starting all my engines around the beginning of each month and let them run for 5- 10 minutes, then put them back. (Kind of make a practice of it like paying rent or mortgages.)The only issue I have had since doing this is the fuel lines on 2 cycle engines still rotting out. Don't think there's any cure for that. Just my experience and 2 cents worth. Thanks for reading.

You do know those high performance 2-stokes need high octane?

 

[greggyy]

On small engines that get left for some time I use a local made stabiliser that also cleans and takes care of moisture and fungus, a lot of small engines can get gummed up real easy, so they need something if not always being used.

The ethanol is not the issue.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

You can drain the alcohol off. I have been running ethanol in the same mower for 20 years. Run it in my old carb truck too. But, I use the mower year round. Nothing around here has a park it season. Winter comes, off with the deck, on with the trailer.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

You do know those high performance 2-stokes need high octane?

Just make some top fuel for it.

 

[sammyd]

Basically I don't do anything. I use the low grade pump gas in everything and never have a problem. Lots of stuff sits over winter and never fails to fire up in the spring....Don't use any additives in anything.

 

[Septemberwheat]

I agree, but what about if you’re out in the field with say, the log splitter? Do you use a generator? Then you only have 1 small engine to maintain?

Right. I try for machines that run on my pto first, then the generator/welder that I maintain. I can’t get away from all small engines, the goal is to minimize the numbers...

 

[ed1978]

Im tired of having problems with small engine carbs and I plan to do something about it.

In my area finding ethanol free gas isnt easy and from what I have read dosent necessarily solve the problem.

I know that running the fuel tank empty at the end of the season isnt the answer either because Ive seen first hand the powdery white residue left behind after things dry out.

What do you guys do to not have any problems?

Im looking into a fuel additive called Sta-Bil. I know little about any of these additives.

I run a little bit of 2 stroke oil in my gas. I stopped having problems.

 

[number3456]

Never have a problem with E10 and have been using it for decades. As others have said the problem isn’t E10 its the nature of gasoline in general. Likewise in my diesels I use an additive to protect against fuel gelling in winter even though I use winter blend and to protect against the microbes if diesel is left sitting too long.

 

[ArlyA]

The folks who don't use a stabilizer in there occasional use engines, and never have a bad fuel problem, I'd like to know which church they go to? We can't do that and not have fuel go sour in a month. Seafoam costs $7 per can, cleaning out the fuel system of bad fuel runs 50 to $100+.

I'd call that cost effective for occasional use engines ....