WINTER STORAGE

[metz12]

well your weed wackers wont need to be ran over the winter so drain the gas out, so the fuel lines dont get gunked up, but wont you use your blower for blowing light snow? you wont need to do that since youll be running that every once in a while.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

well your weed wackers wont need to be ran over the winter so drain the gas out, so the fuel lines dont get gunked up, but wont you use your blower for blowing light snow? you wont need to do that since youll be running that every once in a while.

Yes, I will use my blower for light snow. My main concern is my mowers because without them I can't do anything. My older weedwacker has lasted 25 years without draining out the gas, so I won't worry about that!

 

[Ric]

Yes, I will use my blower for light snow. My main concern is my mowers because without them I can't do anything. My older weedwacker has lasted 25 years without draining out the gas, so I won't worry about that!

Do you use echo oil for mixing your 50:to1 mix. If so it has fuel stabilizers in it so your 2 stroke stuff shouldn't be a problem, you shouldn't have to drain them but I'd still run them once in a while. If you're not comfortable with what I'm saying don't do it. You do what you think is right. You can always go with the sta-bil that everyone talks about.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Do you use echo oil for mixing your 50:to1 mix. If so it has fuel stabilizers in it so your 2 stroke stuff shouldn't be a problem, you shouldn't have to drain them but I'd still run them once in a while. If you're not comfortable with what I'm saying don't do it. You do what you think is right. You can always go with the sta-bil that everyone talks about.

Yes I use the Echo Power Blend oil w/ the built-in stabilizer for my 2-cycle equipment.

To sum it up (since I have changed my mind a lot) I think I'm going to run everything weekly, keep the gas in my 2-cycle equipment since it has the stabilizers, and only keep enough gas in my mowers so the gas does not get too old.
Thanks everyone for your help! :smile:

 

[hcooper]

My Echo oil mix to add to the gas for the 2-cycle oil says it has a stabilizer in it. Does that mean I do not need to do anything with it?

If the gas is reasonably fresh (not over a few months old) and is in a gas can, it won't hurt to add some STA-BIL to the gas, according the the mix ratio on the bottle. I've done this for many years and have had no trouble. Also, if you have a few gallons of mixed fuel and want to use it up, just dump it in your pick-up's gas tank before you go and fill it up. Won't hurt a thing.

 

[hcooper]

Do you use echo oil for mixing your 50:to1 mix. If so it has fuel stabilizers in it so your 2 stroke stuff shouldn't be a problem, you shouldn't have to drain them but I'd still run them once in a while. If you're not comfortable with what I'm saying don't do it. You do what you think is right. You can always go with the sta-bil that everyone talks about.

Try what I've done for years with 2-cycle and 4-cycle engines: Empty the gas tank, but leave a few ounces in it. Splash a little STA-BIL in there. Run the engine to get it warm, then shut off the tank-to-carb gas valve (if there is one). It should run for a time with the gas left in the carb. While it's doing that, throttle the engine up & spritz some WD-40 or CRC in the air intake until it smokes really good, then really shoot the stuff in to cause the engine to quit. Empty what's left in the gas tank, and you should be OK. If you can't drain the carb, the STA-BIL in the gas should keep what fuel is in there OK.

 

[phcaan]

Up until about 18 months ago I never ran anything out, never used fuel stabilizers, and kept two stroke mix all through the winter and used it up in the spring. I did not have many problems. But all of a sudden I had nothing but problems all fuel related. About that same time I discovered that many engine makers seem to consider anything carb related to be the fault of the gas you run and do not warranty their fuel systems very well and the newer they are the more picky they seem to be. I think it is going to be much worse over the next few years. So I became real religious about fuel stabilizers, fresh fuel, fuel containers, higher octane fuel, fuel without booze in it, and off season storage. i also began to talk to classic car owners, motorcycle folks, boaters, and neighbors. Some of the stuff they showed me was pretty amazing. A bottle of fuel stabilizer is pretty cheap. Honda engines are known to be expensive to repair. Many two stroke oils have stabilizers in the mix. If they were not a good idea then I do not think they would put them in the oil.


What is a good brand of fuel stabilizer to use?

I have been using SeaFoam for a couple of years in everything, trimmers, chainsaws, lawnmower and everything else. Every Spring it all fires up first try and runs all summer just fine. SeaFoam 1oz per gallon of gas.

 

[mowerdoc]

As a small engine mechanic I'm pretty familiar with the fuel problems we've been having the last few years. For winter storage I use Sta-bil fuel stabilizer in everything. Add it to the tank and run the machine long enough to completely circulate it through the carburetor. I don't have any starting problems in the spring. I also add it to my fuel cotainers, again no problems.

 

[Lawnboy18]

As a small engine mechanic I'm pretty familiar with the fuel problems we've been having the last few years. For winter storage I use Sta-bil fuel stabilizer in everything. Add it to the tank and run the machine long enough to completely circulate it through the carburetor. I don't have any starting problems in the spring. I also add it to my fuel cotainers, again no problems.

How much should be added to the tank? I have some, but it states for 3 liters and something like 75 liters and I am not sure how much gas I have in my mower's tank. Do I just poor a shot and mix it with a stick and let the machine run for a while?

 

[itguy08]

How much should be added to the tank? I have some, but it states for 3 liters and something like 75 liters and I am not sure how much gas I have in my mower's tank. Do I just poor a shot and mix it with a stick and let the machine run for a while?

Not sure on that as I add it to my gas cans when I buy gas. I think I use 2oz to 5 gallons of the red Sta Bil. You could look at the specs for your gas tank and approximate it from there. However I will say the previous owners of out house left us a bottle of "Honda" stabilizer that said it was made by Sta Bil. I've been dumping it in a huge shot at a time to the push mower and it doesn't seem to care. I don't know if you can add too much.