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I may be a minority, but I prefer to store my power toys (mowers, tillers, chain saws, etc) for the winter with no fuel in the tanks. I usually run them until the engine dies from lack of fuel, then soak up the remaining fuel in the tank with a paper towel, and when possible I remove the bolt holding the card float bowl, then blow into the fuel tank to force any remaining gas in the line out. It's easier to just use fuel stabilizer, but I had several negative experiences with it.

What do you prefer to do...empty the gas or add stabilizer?

Diesels.......just leave with a full tank...........But 2 strokes run them bone dry......then put a coulpe of drops of oil down the spark plug hole and rotate a few times replacing the spark plug.
Petrol goes off after a while.......so keep the tank full.....or bone dry.
Try lighting old fuel with a match.........it will not even burn and it stinks!:ashamed:

I'm not obsessive about getting every drop out of the tank but I do believe in getting all the gas out of the carb if I'm not going to run an engine for more than a month.

I think that the addition of ethanol to gasoline has made matters worse -- does anybody know about that?

Two-Stroke said:

I

I think that the addition of ethanol to gasoline has made matters worse -- does anybody know about that?

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When alcohol was first added to motor fuels, suppliers discovered that old poor grade fuel could be enhanced with the addition... There was so much of that done that it became a real source of bad batches of all kinds of blends...

Today just like in past years, try to buy your fuel from the busiest stations you can find. You will generally get a better, more consistent blend of a fresher fuel...

In todays market you are going to find ethanol in ALL motor fuel, with the exception of aviation and in some places marine gasoline...:smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

When alcohol was first added to motor fuels, suppliers discovered that old poor grade fuel could be enhanced with the addition... There was so much of that done that it became a real source of bad batches of all kinds of blends...

Today just like in past years, try to buy your fuel from the busiest stations you can find. You will generally get a better, more consistent blend of a fresher fuel...

In todays market you are going to find ethanol in ALL motor fuel, with the exception of aviation and in some places marine gasoline...:smile:KennyV

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Well stated...I too wonder how much the quality of todays gasolines is dependent upon adding ethanol. For me, who only puts about 2000 miles per year on his car and truck, a full tank of fuel lasts for months. I do not use gas stabilizer, but the labels on the Sta-Bil brand clearly state that alcohol is not part of the mix in the bottle. It makes me wonder what they use in their product.

In Australia the best fuel is Aviation fuel in a 44 gallon drum, it has a Octane rating of 106......and the drum is fully lined internally.......so not rust or contamination.
Ethanol is no good it causes problems........I do not use it!

JDgreen said:

I may be a minority, but I prefer to store my power toys (mowers, tillers, chain saws, etc) for the winter with no fuel in the tanks. I usually run them until the engine dies from lack of fuel, then soak up the remaining fuel in the tank with a paper towel, and when possible I remove the bolt holding the card float bowl, then blow into the fuel tank to force any remaining gas in the line out. It's easier to just use fuel stabilizer, but I had several negative experiences with it.

What do you prefer to do...empty the gas or add stabilizer?

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I do both! I use the blue Marine Sta-Bil in my fuel and run the tanks and carbs dry for storage. What kind of negative experiences have you had with fuel stabilizers?

JDgreen said:

I may be a minority, but I prefer to store my power toys (mowers, tillers, chain saws, etc) for the winter with no fuel in the tanks. I usually run them until the engine dies from lack of fuel, then soak up the remaining fuel in the tank with a paper towel, and when possible I remove the bolt holding the card float bowl, then blow into the fuel tank to force any remaining gas in the line out. It's easier to just use fuel stabilizer, but I had several negative experiences with it.

What do you prefer to do...empty the gas or add stabilizer?

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I like you prefere to drain all fuel from system making sure engine will not start again. I then remove the spark plug an squirt a few shots of motor oil from a (oil can) the old fashion kind with a trigger. I the either hand crank or crank the engine over with the starter until I'm satisfied the oil has been dispursed in the cylinder wall. I then reinstall sparkplug or plugs finger tight with the sparkplug or plugs wire off so I remember to tighten in spring.

I like to run all of the fuel out of the tank and make sure the engine will no longer run. I then shoot a few shots of motor oil into the sparkplug hole or holes hand crank the engine over 6-10 times reinstall the plug or plugs finger tight with the plug wire off so I remember to tighten it in the spring.:thumbsup:

I'm in the run em out if gas cat. except my diesels which I keep the tanks full.I think I'll use the stablizer in the Grasshopper.My Yanmar I use all yr.round and have never had an issue.I read on another forum there's two things you never want to run out of fuel,an airplane and a diesel. russ

Diesels can be left with a full tank and can be left for a few years and still be fine.......so never run a diesel out of fuel as you will wreck the fuel pump and injector.

KennyV said:

...

In todays market you are going to find ethanol in ALL motor fuel, with the exception of aviation and in some places marine gasoline...:smile:KennyV

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That's what I object to: not having a choice about whether or not the gasoline I buy has 15% ethanol mixed in.

Two-Stroke said:

That's what I object to: not having a choice about whether or not the gasoline I buy has 15% ethanol mixed in.

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It is unfortunate but ... just another thing that we no longer have a clear choice in... :smile:KennyV

Two-Stroke said:

That's what I object to: not having a choice about whether or not the gasoline I buy has 15% ethanol mixed in.

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In Australia they have introduced a ethanol mix...........I am keeping away from it.......to many problems.
Best way to increase your Octane is to add 25% Toluene(Methyl Benzene) into you petrol.

lizard said:

In Australia they have introduced a ethanol mix...........I am keeping away from it.......to many problems.
Best way to increase your Octane is to add 25% Toluene(Methyl Benzene) into you petrol.

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On the subject of engine storage, I don't know that adding an octane booster will solve the problem -- or will it?

You mention that you avoid the ethanol mix -- I wish I could buy just straight gasoline without the ethanol but it's not available here, as far as I know.

Two-Stroke said:

I wish I could buy just straight gasoline without the ethanol but it's not available here, as far as I know.

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You can but it's pricey ... Aviation gas...
I use to buy it and blend it when lead was removed from pump gas... It's rather inconvenient, but available.. :smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

You can but it's pricey ... Aviation gas...
I use to buy it and blend it when lead was removed from pump gas... It's rather inconvenient, but available.. :smile:KennyV

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That's interesting. I guess I'd have to go to an airport to buy it. That is good to know - thanks.

Two-Stroke said:

I guess I'd have to go to an airport to buy it.

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You can get your local AV gas prices at this link...
AirNav: Local Fuel Prices
:smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

You can but it's pricey ... Aviation gas...
I use to buy it and blend it when lead was removed from pump gas... It's rather inconvenient, but available.. :smile:KennyV

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Aviation fuel is very high Octane in excess of 106RON.(Research Octane Number).
All Unleaded fuel has lead in it.......7grams per litre compared to Leaded Fuel which use to be 40 grams per litre.
Anyhow if you buy a 44 gallon drum of aviation fuel it will last a long time....as long as you store it correctly.

You need to put in your Zip and check the 100 LL fuel... thats low lead BUT do not use this stuff in a 'no lead' street car... although it is labeled LL it is actually very high in lead content... Racers also buy AV gas because it is super high in Lead... :smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

You can get your local AV gas prices at this link...
AirNav: Local Fuel Prices
:smile:KennyV

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Very interesting - I put in my zip and found a wide variety of prices (low = $4.30; high = $7.70). Benchmark: I just filled up my truck at $2.60 [15% ethanol]. I also discovered the location of some small airports that I hadn't known about.

I enjoy learning new stuff.:smile:

KennyV said:

You need to put in your Zip and check the 100 LL fuel... thats low lead BUT do not use this stuff in a 'no lead' street car... although it is labeled LL it is actually very high in lead content... Racers also buy AV gas because it is super high in Lead... :smile:KennyV

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Main thing is the purity of the fuel and the extreme high octane rating.......so you can be sure it is fresh and not contaminated.
Aviation fuel smells beautifull........much better than other fuels!

lizard said:

Aviation fuel smells beautifull........much better than other fuels!

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Yes the old days Ethyl gasoline looked good and smelled good...
BUT catalytic converters can not have it ... so it is LONG gone... :smile:KennyV

Good night all... :smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

Good night all... :smile:KennyV

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Remember Unleaded fuel has lead in it, but 1/6 compared to unleaded.......so you can run Leaded fuel in a car with a Catalyitic converter but its life will only be 40,000 km.........I am guilty of this.....but it has a nicce grey-white exhaust............instead of black.:frown:

That is a good idea, since the ice turns to water, which will cause you to have problems when you go to start it back up again. I never really thought much about it, since I usually put just the amount of gas that I need in when I use it, but it is something to think about.

lizard said:

Remember Unleaded fuel has lead in it, but 1/6 compared to unleaded.......so you can run Leaded fuel in a car with a Catalyitic converter but its life will only be 40,000 km.........I am guilty of this.....but it has a nicce grey-white exhaust............instead of black.:frown:

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In the States, since 1996 if you are caught with ANY measurable amount of lead in a on road vehicle it is a $10,000.00 fine...
There is Zero lead allowable in on road gasoline, and the states that do annual smog inspection, certification, will pick up on it immediately... those that do not have annual inspection are subject to spot tests...
The biggest reason AV gasoline is so expensive is the tear down and purge at the refineries that produce it... very costly and shuts down the operation completely until complete... the local refinery in McPherson Kansas is undergoing a purge/cleaning right now... It will be closed for a month and requires 2500 working 3 shifts to get it done... can not produce onroad motor fuel without the certification.
But if any of you remember what smog was like in the 70's in our larger cities, you should be glad we have no lead in our engines on the highways, today would be MUCH worse...:smile:KennyV

One more thing about AV gasoline...
Although it is labeled "Low Lead"... it contains 4 times the lead of the highest on road fuels from back in the leaded on road fuel days....
It is just some what lower than what AV gas use to be... so a blend of a very little will contaminate your on road fuel system to the point it will not pass a test...

AV gas is still used in race engines at some marinas and of course in older gasoline aircraft... :smile:KennyV

Not an expert by any means, but I know what has worked for me. I put Stabil in my mowers, tillers, Ford Jubilee, trimmers, everything. Full tank, run for 3 or 4 minutes, shut down. Put the spark plug and drop in some oil. Done. Been doing it this way for some time now.

Rickstir said:

Not an expert by any means, but I know what has worked for me. I put Stabil in my mowers, tillers, Ford Jubilee, trimmers, everything. Full tank, run for 3 or 4 minutes, shut down. Put the spark plug and drop in some oil. Done. Been doing it this way for some time now.

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Sorry for not being able to follow up on this, had no Internet access for several days...DSL quit working and couldn't even connect by dial up. About 8 years ago I used Stabil in several small engines, stored them with fresh fuel and added the stabilizer, but 5 months later the fuel was very yellowish and stale...decided to never use the stabilizer again.

What do you use your Jubilee for? I inherited mine from my dad, he used it as a hobby tractor, I started tearing it down to rebuild the engine a long time ago and then decided to buy my JD because I wanted something that could use a modern mid mount mower and FEL, plus had PS and hydro.

JDgreen said:

Sorry for not being able to follow up on this, had no Internet access for several days...DSL quit working and couldn't even connect by dial up. About 8 years ago I used Stabil in several small engines, stored them with fresh fuel and added the stabilizer, but 5 months later the fuel was very yellowish and stale...decided to never use the stabilizer again.

What do you use your Jubilee for? I inherited mine from my dad, he used it as a hobby tractor, I started tearing it down to rebuild the engine a long time ago and then decided to buy my JD because I wanted something that could use a modern mid mount mower and FEL, plus had PS and hydro.

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You did the right thing.............nothing runs like a 'Deere'...............lol

I agree with the majority. I run my mower bone-dry then put a couple squirts of general purpose oil into the spark plug hole. I've never left gas in the mower all season.

If it has a metal gas tank, I leave it full, with stabil and isoprole drygas. Leaving a metal tank full will not allow it to rust. Metal tanks were used on the older models. For newer models with plastic tanks, I add stabil and isoprpoel drygas, shutoff the gas and let it run until it dies. I then drain out the gas tank and use that gas in my snowblower. I also remove the spark plug and squirt some Marvel Mystery oil down the plug hole and turn the engine over a couple of times. I also make sure the deck is blown off so no damp grass sits there rusting the deck.