Coleman Fuel for Winterization?

Joined
Feb 4, 2020
Messages
453
Location
MI
When I winterize my small engines (lawnmower, generator, etc) I typically turn off the fuel valve, run them dry, drain the carb, and store them away. I got to thinking about the residual fuel in the gas tank, fuel lines and fuel filter. My little Honda EU2000i has a fuel pump and it is hard to get every last drop of fuel out of it. Sometimes it can be temperamental after a long storage.

What about adding a little (1/2 cup?) Coleman fuel to the empty gas tank to flush out the lines, pump and filter?

Drain the tank and run the engine dry of gasoline. Put a little Coleman fuel in the empty tank. Start the engine and run it no-load until it runs dry (probably only about 5 minutes or so). The Coleman fuel is quite volatile and any liquid left will evaporate out of the system in a few days. This would leave a clean & dry fuel system for long term storage. Coleman fuel also has a rust preventative in it, so that should help long term too.

I haven't actually done this yet, but I remember my dad using Coleman fuel in a pinch to finish the lawn when I was a kid. Mower seemed to run ok.
 
I think you're overthinking it. Siphon the gas out of the tank, run it dry, and put it away for the winter. Forget about the Coleman fuel. I've been doing that for decades, all my OPE starts on the first or second pull when it's put back into service.

The olly thing I do differently from above is the outboard motor on the boat. I remove the plugs and give each cylinder a squirt of fogging oil.
 
Seasonal OPE like my mower and power washer get stored with Stabil and some TCW3 and MMO mixed into the fuel, I don't run them dry. Prior to mixing TCW3 and MMO I used Stabil and MMO. I have yet to encounter a problem
 
Last edited:
I use Marine Stabil and TCW-3 all the time. Engines always start in the spring.
It just seems that the little Honda EU2000i generator is a bit more temperamental in the spring. On ECO mode (lower idle speeds) it has a stumble to the idle. I typically need to run a splash of Seafoam in the first tank of gas to get it to 100%.
 
I fill the tank with gas or 2 cycle mix depending on the need and put the machinery into the garage. They start right up in the spring with out any Voodoo.
 
I run my mowers and generators for a few minutes about once a month during the winter . Nothing else needed .
 
We had a power outage and the little Honda EU2000i got a workout for a few hours.

In the name of science, I'm trying the Coleman fuel idea. I don't see how it can hurt anything, so why not?

I drained the tank with a 'super siphon', then ran it dry. I then added about a 1/2 cup of Coleman fuel and ran it again until dry, drained any residual fuel out of the carb, and put it away.

I'll see next summer how well this worked. I usually need to add some Seafoam to the first tank to smooth out the idle. Maybe not next time? Time will tell.
 
IIRC, the old wives tale was Drain the metal tank, leave the plastic tank be.

I leave gas in plastic tanks but run them low so the fresh gas mixes with
the old stuff. 'Course, I only use E0 gas.

Mt 2¢
 
I run regular 87 gas (E10) and mix blue Marine Stabil and 1oz/5gal marine TCW-3 2-cycle oil mixed in. This goes in all my small engines and also my motorcycles for the winter. The only one I have issues with is the EU2000i. It has a carburetor with tiny jets that is known to be problematic if not stored properly. This is the reason I'm trying this experiment.
Worst case, I will have to clean the carb next year.
 
Back
Top