This is really common. First thing I'd do is wack the carb with something to see if the needle will open then shoot a little compressed air in the fuel inlet to see if that gets it going. More than likely if its happened once it will need to be replaced/rebuilt to keep it from happening again.
After years of treating gas the same way two of my small engines refuses to start.
- Thread starter PWMDMD
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This is really common. First thing I'd do is wack the carb with something to see if the needle will open then shoot a little compressed air in the fuel inlet to see if that gets it going. More than likely if its happened once it will need to be replaced/rebuilt to keep it from happening again.
How old is your Stabil? I've haven't been a fan of Stabil since I saw what happens to it after sitting in the bottle for two or three years.
Last couple of years I've very been happy using E0 marine gas with Seafoam mixed in.
Last couple of years I've very been happy using E0 marine gas with Seafoam mixed in.
If I had ethanol concerns, I'd wash ethanol out of the fuel (use the water/ethanol as windscreen washer fluid) and add some acetone to the remaining fuel to keep any water in the mix.
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Yeah those vacuum fuel pumps take a while to get fuel back into the carb. 318 here, the JD 300 series are great machines!
Better use premium gas if you do that. Doing that with 87 octane E10 will leave you with 85 octane E0.
Turned to a red gooey mess and stained the inside of the plastic bottle red.
Acetone increases the octane rating again. But does OPE even care?
The way I see it - Stabil slowed down the gumming up process. Many small engine owners clean their carbs every season, and you got 10 seasons before a clean up is finally needed. Issue did not happen over night, took 10 years to develop. Clean it and move on.
For stored fuel, I only buy Shell brand non-ethanol (if you can trust the pump labeling) and add a double dose of blue marine Stabil along with some Techron. I haven't had any fuel issues for years since. Mowing machines have all started up in the Spring.
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Carbs need to be serviced from time to time. Just the nature of the beast irrespective of which fuel you use.
If you want to go at it like a caveman you can keep it running for a bit on starting fluid and see if it 'Fixes itself'. When I was a kid some of the lazier or less mechanically inclined folks would do this though it certainly wouldn't be my first choice.
If you want to go at it like a caveman you can keep it running for a bit on starting fluid and see if it 'Fixes itself'. When I was a kid some of the lazier or less mechanically inclined folks would do this though it certainly wouldn't be my first choice.
Running ethanol fuel through an AL carb is just a matter of time. I do it to but I know I'm living on borrowed time. I have access to E0 fuel so that is what I run in all of my Stihl 2 stroke stuff, a single 5 gallon metal pale will last me all year. I run E10 in my mowers though simply because they consume so much more fuel. On the mowers though, I bought and installed in line fuel shutoffs, so come winter, I shut off the fuel and drain the bowls, never any problems with clogged jets.
I wouldn't spray either into a running engine
I've never used Non Ethanol gas in any of OPE . The generator gets cranked at least once a month and I shut the fuel off and let it run till it dies . That's it . The ZTR gets used almost year round at least until all of the leaves finish falling . After that I crank it at least every two weeks . Nothing special for the trimmer or the edger . Long story short , I don't buy into the ethanol hysteria and it's never been an issue for me . The OP has something else going on .
I've seen untreated gas be orange like Tropicana after 1 month.
As for the OP, I'm guessing since you are in MA that E-0 fuel is basically impossible to find like it is for me. I've been using a double-dose of Stabil Marine 360 in my E10 gas, since it seems to work the best against moisture. I've also only been buying gas 2.5 gallons at a time, and when I'm done using my equipment I turn the fuel valve off and let it run out of fuel especially if I'm going to be storing it for more than a week. I have found this method to work the best, and it works well for most of my small engine customers too.
My only suggestion is to maybe buy gas 1 gallon at a time if you use it very sparingly.
I run a side business of fixing snowblowers in my area.
I stopped using stabil a while ago, I still get tons of people who have gummed up carbs even though they use stabil.
2 years ago I used startron enzyme stuff. Zero issues and zero gummed up carbs. My customers who also switched to it, I never hear from them any more.
FWIW.
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Boat Marinas will have E0 if they have a fuel pump
E0 meaning ethinol free?? If so it should have no ethinol in it. I’d bet his summer gas was not ethinol free either. Anymore if you want ethinol free you have to find ethinol free. Every place I’ve purchased ethinol free has tested to be completely ethinol free. It’s all I will run in my yard equipment. Ethinol free is getting harder to find and it will say ethinol free on the pump.
Our marina fuel prices are just ridiculous...3 times a regular gas station price.
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