Removing the fuel filter

Old Gweilo said:
Agree 100 % Ethanol Fuel is to be avoided. If / when you can't buy 0E fuel you can make it, (remove the Ethanol). You need an appropriately sized container, (5 gal), with a drain spigot at the very bottom, water & food coloring. Pour, for example, 4 gal of Ethanol fuel into the 5 gal container with the spigot closed. Color 1/2 gal of water with food coloring and pour it in with the Ethanol gas. Shake the mixture up a bit then let it stand for at least 1/2 hour. Open the spigot and drain off the colored water / ethanol mix until the flow turns clear. Abruptly close the spigot. Your 5 gal container now contains roughly 3 1/2 gal of pure gas. The hardest part of all this is getting the equipment, (tank), you need to do it. I bought this, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00301GBY0? ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title . Obviously you wouldn't want to feed your car like this but for mowers etc the exercise is worth it. I have stored 0E gas for 2 full years and it doesn't spoil or need additives to keep it from fouling your small engines. Works for me.
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Good to know, but requires far more motivation than I possess!
 
For ethanol-free gas storage, I recommend one of these fuel caddys. 14 gallons, so you don't need to fill it every week, and tall and narrow, which minimizes exposure to air, which extends the life of the fuel. I have two of them. We get lots of power outages, and I want to be able to have power for at least a week.
 
2muchgrass2mow said:
I have a JD X-370 that is 3 yrs. old. I have always seen myself as pretty handy at 75, even though arthritis greatly affects my work these days. After a long string of lawn tractors - all of which I serviced myself - I got the JD primarily for the hydraulic power steering and overall quality. I love my X-370, and I have historically changed oil and filter, plugs, tranny fluid and filter, blades, air filter, greased, etc. This is going to sound crazy I know, but I CANNOT REMOVE THE FUEL FILTER!!! WHAT'S MORE, I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO REMOVE IT!!! It is inserted on both ends so tight, and so far, that the clamps actually serve no function. I can slide those down the gas line easily but pulling and/or twisting does nothing. I have actually thought about cutting the line to remove the filter, but what about the next time? I've also thought about getting out my ramps, loading the mower on my truck and taking it to the dealer, but that seems ridiculous. Lastly, I thought perhaps if I scored one end of the fuel line like every 1/8 in. deep all around it that maybe I could work one end of it out of the line. If I could get one end out it would make it somewhat easier to get the other out. This is frustrating. It must be changed after THREE years - I know that. Ideas anyone???
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I have a craftsman DGT6000 ,never replaced the fuel filter ,but it is only 22yrs and @ 600 hrs.
 
JD D140 with 430 hours on it, only run 91 octane, no stabilizer ever, ethanol-free, kept in very clean containers, and have never changed the fuel filter or had a fuel related issue with it. I would never change a fuel filter on a small engine unless it became restricted or started leaking. I have a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in which I never ran anything but 91 or 93 octane, ethanol-free of course, 97,000 miles on it, sat for 7 years untouched after a bad wreck, yet started on the very first turnover when I tried it last year. Never changed the filter, never used any kind of fuel additive, but was very shocked when it started. Fuel injection probably helped with that, though.
 
farmerdave1954 said:
JD D140 with 430 hours on it, only run 91 octane, no stabilizer ever, ethanol-free, kept in very clean containers, and have never changed the fuel filter or had a fuel related issue with it. I would never change a fuel filter on a small engine unless it became restricted or started leaking. I have a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in which I never ran anything but 91 or 93 octane, ethanol-free of course, 97,000 miles on it, sat for 7 years untouched after a bad wreck, yet started on the very first turnover when I tried it last year. Never changed the filter, never used any kind of fuel additive, but was very shocked when it started. Fuel injection probably helped with that, though.
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Interesting! I've had no issues with the line or filter. Just trying to do filter 3 years what the specs call for yearly.
 
robertschemenauer said:
I have a craftsman DGT6000 ,never replaced the fuel filter ,but it is only 22yrs and @ 600 hrs.
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First rider I ever owned was a 1993 Craftsman 12 HP. with like 5 speeds and a manual shifter. I used it for so long that the shifter broke off and I got a new one and got a couple more years out of it. Finally, I gave it to my niece. They don't make them like that now! 🙂
 
GearHead36 said:
For ethanol-free gas storage, I recommend one of these fuel caddys. 14 gallons, so you don't need to fill it every week, and tall and narrow, which minimizes exposure to air, which extends the life of the fuel. I have two of them. We get lots of power outages, and I want to be able to have power for at least a week.
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Thanks! Makes perfect sense for you, but I would not want 28 gal. of gas setting around in my basement. I'll stick to occasional ethanol free and Stabil. If I mowed a big area I would consider it.
 
2muchgrass2mow said:
Interesting! I've had no issues with the line or filter. Just trying to do filter 3 years what the specs call for yearly.
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The specs call for it yearly because that greatly increases their profit from filter sales. Sum total of the reasoning behind that maintenance schedule. Same with belts, oil filters, etc. Most mfg recommendations are based on what's best for profit, not what's best for the product or the customer.
 
2muchgrass2mow said:
Thanks! Makes perfect sense for you, but I would not want 28 gal. of gas setting around in my basement. I'll stick to occasional ethanol free and Stabil. If I mowed a big area I would consider it.
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You don't HAVE to buy 2. They will sell you one. I wouldn't want 28 gallons of gas in my basement either. I wouldn't want 5 gallons of gas in my basement. I have a workshop, and that's where my gas storage is. I don't mow enough to use 28 gallons before it goes bad. When one caddy of gas gets old enough, I put it in my truck, and refill the caddy with fresh gas. When power went out from hurricane Helene, I had very little gas in my vehicles, and it was several days before I could get some. I vowed to never let that happen again.
 
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