Do you have to be a mechanic to own small engines?

[pugaltitude]

I don't know what anyone else pays for gas, but I have to pay almost 4 dollars a gallon. I sure am not going to throw it out after it sets for 30 days when everything I own just runs just fine with it. But do what makes you feel good. My next question is what do you do with this 30 day old gas, pour it on the ground ??? or pay more money to get rid of it?

Add an additive then you wont have to throw it way.

 

[reynoldston]

Add an additive then you wont have to throw it way.

So you are saying if you don't add additives throw it away. Throw it my way I will use it.

 

[Carscw]

I have said it before and I will say it again.

Bullshit on this whole ethanol crap. I as do many others let a mower or car sit for a couple months and it fired right up and gives no trouble.

Many of you just assume that ethanol is the cause of every no start or running bad problem.
You say you have seen what it does. Ok what test or study did you do to come to the conclusion that ethanol is to blame?

How many people come on here with problems that you say is caused by ethanol but they use no ethanol gas? A lot.

 

[SRJMow]

So you are saying if you don't add additives throw it away. Throw it my way I will use it.

I use up the old gas for my lawnmower or snowblower that is over 30 days old in my car. I do not want to waste a thing if I can help it. A car engine is much more forgiving, and a gallon or so of old gas is not that much when mixed in with a nearly full tank of gas in a car. I use my mower frequently so I usually use up my gas in less than 30 days. The snowblower on the other hand is a PITA. I have to keep track of that closely. Sometimes it hardly snows at all during the winter, and other times we get buried. I get gas for it several days before a snowstorm is forecast. I have used a turkey baster to remove old gas in it as much as possible after 30 days, and then it runs dry in just a minute or two. I really do not want to have to work on cleaning that carb if I can help it. A new one ($100 or so for the blower) is too expensive.

The only gas I have a tough time getting rid of is the gas that is mixed with oil for two cycle engines. I have taken that to recycle centers at the end of the summer. Usually there is not much left to get rid of. That is the type of gas that I would consider using additives with. For example, I have a difficult time using up the gas for my chainsaw as I usually only use it to cut tree limbs that have fallen or to remove some small trees from the property. I used some of that old gas at the end of this year in the chainsaw to get rid of the remains of a stump and to use up the old gas. Well, I believe the gas caused the chainsaw to stall out after running for a short period of time. I had to change the plug and the fuel filter to get things running good again. I am not sure it was caused by the old gas, but it may have played a role. I had no problems earlier in the season. Luckily I did not have to replace the carb, although that would be fairly simple and inexpensive to do with the chainsaw.

 

[tybilly]

I have said it before and I will say it again.

Bullshit on this whole ethanol crap. I as do many others let a mower or car sit for a couple months and it fired right up and gives no trouble.

Many of you just assume that ethanol is the cause of every no start or running bad problem.
You say you have seen what it does. Ok what test or study did you do to come to the conclusion that ethanol is to blame?

How many people come on here with problems that you say is caused by ethanol but they use no ethanol gas? A lot.

Thankyou Rivets,i am still not convinced on the whole ethanol issue..but I do know ethanol free at the exxon is about a dollar more a gallon.i say people hang on to their dirty gas cans way too long.

 

[briggs]

I have said it before and I will say it again.

Bullshit on this whole ethanol crap. I as do many others let a mower or car sit for a couple months and it fired right up and gives no trouble.

Many of you just assume that ethanol is the cause of every no start or running bad problem.
You say you have seen what it does. Ok what test or study did you do to come to the conclusion that ethanol is to blame?

How many people come on here with problems that you say is caused by ethanol but they use no ethanol gas? A lot.

I have seen it happen with 10% ethanol ..I get it all the time ...There is a different with a steel tank and a plastic tank ..Your car tank holds more fuel then a small engine tank ..I let my derby car sit all winter with reg gas it works fine and its a boat tank but if I do that in my lawnmower or my snow blower it runs like **** ..I proved it to a client the other day he had reg gas that sat in the tank of his snow blower since the end of last winter it ran like **** ..I draned it put high test and some sea foam threw it and it ran perfect ..But some people say there is no diff ...I believe there is buts that's me ..And the cost of it I don't notice at all

 

[Rivets]

Ethanol is alcohol, alcohol attracts moisture, moisture attracts corrosion and corrosion put money in my pocket. I can't make it much simpler. If you are turning your fuel over in thirty days or less, there is very little chance that you will notice a difference. If you are a landscaper or drive a vehicle you will probably never notice a difference, because you never have fuel sitting around. The average homeowner likes to have a 2-5 gallon can sitting in the shed and here is where the problem occurs. As I have said before, we advice all customers to use non-ethanol fuel in all their small engine units. Yes, it does cost more (about .45 in my area) but at today's labor rate, we call it cheap insurance. Just like our customers, each of you must decide which route to go. Can I prove that this way is better, no. All I can say is that we have seen a drastic drop in the number of fuel related problems by customers who have changed and if I had a dollar for every customer who has said thank you because he has noticed a difference, I could take a nice vacation. Still clean and rebuild about a dozen carbs a week, so we still need to educate our new customers. Do what works for you.

 

[reynoldston]

Ethanol is alcohol, alcohol attracts moisture, moisture attracts corrosion and corrosion put money in my pocket. I can't make it much simpler. If you are turning your fuel over in thirty days or less, there is very little chance that you will notice a difference. If you are a landscaper or drive a vehicle you will probably never notice a difference, because you never have fuel sitting around. The average homeowner likes to have a 2-5 gallon can sitting in the shed and here is where the problem occurs. As I have said before, we advice all customers to use non-ethanol fuel in all their small engine units. Yes, it does cost more (about .45 in my area) but at today's labor rate, we call it cheap insurance. Just like our customers, each of you must decide which route to go. Can I prove that this way is better, no. All I can say is that we have seen a drastic drop in the number of fuel related problems by customers who have changed and if I had a dollar for every customer who has said thank you because he has noticed a difference, I could take a nice vacation. Still clean and rebuild about a dozen carbs a week, so we still need to educate our new customers. Do what works for you.

If you are cleaning 12 carburetors a week you must have one big shop with a very big business. I have worked in big shops and never seen that many carburetor repairs. Now when you are doing all these carburetors they are full of water damage? It just must be where I am located when I take a carburetor apart I am more likely to find dirt or gum up from real old gas and not water damage. Now when I say gum up its from gas that has been setting for years not one season. Yes I have come across water damage in carburetors but find the carburetor by that time isn't repairable some times. Just my own experiences which are a lot different from yours.

 

[briggs]

If you are cleaning 12 carburetors a week you must have one big shop with a very big business. I have worked in big shops and never seen that many carburetor repairs. Now when you are doing all these carburetors they are full of water damage? It just must be where I am located when I take a carburetor apart I am more likely to find dirt or gum up from real old gas and not water damage. Now when I say gum up its from gas that has been setting for years not one season. Yes I have come across water damage in carburetors but find the carburetor by that time isn't repairable some times. Just my own experiences which are a lot different from yours.

We (there is 3 of us )do up to 10 a day here its the number one problem we see come in the door other then lack of maintence ...I find water ,gummy stuff ,scale ,grit (to much stable) crushed floats hell I even had one that was cracked from freezing...Me I don't mind making money but if I can prevent people from doing this stupid stuff I will ...As for the gas I tell them use high test gas it makes them run better and it lasts a little longer most times its improper storage of gas that causes the trouble ..But I do agree that if u are using high test everyday as a land scraper u will notice the price difference

 

[pugaltitude]

It just must be where I am located when I take a carburetor apart I am more likely to find dirt or gum up from real old gas and not water damage. Now when I say gum up its from gas that has been setting for years not one season.

We are now finding the same gummed up carbs of old stale fuel thats been sitting for a few years in a mower in fuel that has been left for approx a month.
Fuel is changing and we have to accept it.

The problems we are getting is 9 out of 10 fuel related.
Running rough, hard to start cold, hard to start hot, not starting at all, the list can go on.

The common factor is usually always the fuel.