Well i finally did it. I actually changed all the oil on my many pieces of mower equipment and i put sta-bil in the gas. No more hard starts in the spring. Put sta-bil in my generator and chain saws too. Now i can use that pole saw anytime i want and the gas will still be good. The generator burns around 5 gallons of fuel a year. No more poor performance due to bad gas. Used my zero turn to lug some big branches to the burn pile it fired right up even at 20 degrees. Now if i can figure out how to motivate myself to change the oil in my mowers. After i use them 6 days a week during the mowing season it is a little tough to keep up on oil changes when im saddle sore.
Gas preservative
- Thread starter greasezerk
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ZMOZ:
May not be the smartest thing, but I`m with you to a point! The only thing I put fuel stabilizers in is the Collector cars I work on, they sit a lot with the tanks full! Probably wouldn`t need it in there either! I use my equipment enough that I do not think it necesary! My boat sets for about 3 months and I have never had any fuel problems with it! I don`t think i would use it unless the engine wasn`t going to be used for 6 months or more! I`ve never purchased it for myself!
May not be the smartest thing, but I`m with you to a point! The only thing I put fuel stabilizers in is the Collector cars I work on, they sit a lot with the tanks full! Probably wouldn`t need it in there either! I use my equipment enough that I do not think it necesary! My boat sets for about 3 months and I have never had any fuel problems with it! I don`t think i would use it unless the engine wasn`t going to be used for 6 months or more! I`ve never purchased it for myself!
you should not need fuel stabiliser for most things.
comming up to the end of the season, just stop buying gas and only fill your equipment up enough to do their job. it does not hurt a lawnmower to run out of gas, so run with the tanks low on youre equipment so that when you put somthing away for a while, it shall remain empty. any remaining gas you have left over in 5 gallon gastanks, just dump down youre cars gas tank, that should take care of any needs of using fuel stabiliser and avoiding draining your tanks which is sort of a hassle.
for the odd collector car or some other justified reason for leaving gas in the tank, sure fuel stabiliser is great, but for 98% of us, it is a waste of money if you run your tanks dry or use your fuel up on a contunous basis.
by the way, walbro, who is probably the biggest manufactuer of small engine carborators in the usa says to run your carb and fuel lines DRY before storage.
comming up to the end of the season, just stop buying gas and only fill your equipment up enough to do their job. it does not hurt a lawnmower to run out of gas, so run with the tanks low on youre equipment so that when you put somthing away for a while, it shall remain empty. any remaining gas you have left over in 5 gallon gastanks, just dump down youre cars gas tank, that should take care of any needs of using fuel stabiliser and avoiding draining your tanks which is sort of a hassle.
for the odd collector car or some other justified reason for leaving gas in the tank, sure fuel stabiliser is great, but for 98% of us, it is a waste of money if you run your tanks dry or use your fuel up on a contunous basis.
by the way, walbro, who is probably the biggest manufactuer of small engine carborators in the usa says to run your carb and fuel lines DRY before storage.
I think the quality of gasoline varies greatly throughout different parts of North America. I know around here it began to really get crummy several years ago.
But, is Sta-Bil and similar products needed? Do they indeed extend the useful life of gas? I can't say for sure. I heard that the Briggs & Stratton version is better ... but I'm just passing along hearsay.
But I do know by the look, smell and performance of numerous engines that the gas begins to break down and turn to $#!t after just 3-4 months so I don't keep more than ~5 gallons on hand except in the summer when we burn it in the tractor mowing the lawn. Even that thing began to run poorly when fed 6-month-old gas last summer.
I use very little 2-cycle gas so I mix a gallon of that it up, use a little of it over several months and then use the remainder (diluted) in the 4-cycle equipment running at that time.
I use Sta-Bil but I can't say that it does much. I also run Neutra 131 now, but don't know how long that might prolong the inevitable.
If you have a number of of machines, it's just a matter of time before you have a problem with old gas.
--- Bror Jace
But, is Sta-Bil and similar products needed? Do they indeed extend the useful life of gas? I can't say for sure. I heard that the Briggs & Stratton version is better ... but I'm just passing along hearsay.
But I do know by the look, smell and performance of numerous engines that the gas begins to break down and turn to $#!t after just 3-4 months so I don't keep more than ~5 gallons on hand except in the summer when we burn it in the tractor mowing the lawn. Even that thing began to run poorly when fed 6-month-old gas last summer.
I use very little 2-cycle gas so I mix a gallon of that it up, use a little of it over several months and then use the remainder (diluted) in the 4-cycle equipment running at that time.
I use Sta-Bil but I can't say that it does much. I also run Neutra 131 now, but don't know how long that might prolong the inevitable.
If you have a number of of machines, it's just a matter of time before you have a problem with old gas.
--- Bror Jace
My large toys such as my garden tractor and stump grinders are too big to bring inside the house and must be stored in my unheated outside shed. For the toys I can put inside, I drain the gas and run them dry, then lower the carb bowls. Refill and instant starts next year. For the outside toys, I put a good synthetic two-stroke oil in for the last run along with some fuel stabilizer. Use the toy for a while, and then fill the tanks to the top with gas. A full tank outside ensures that moisture does not collect on the tank's inner topside. I remove the spark plugs and put in a squirt of regular oil and turn the engine over. I reinstall the spark plug and put the babies to bed. In the spring, I drain the old treated gas, refill with fresh gas, and starts and runs without a glich.
I have no idea if stabil really works or not, however I did have problems in my SeaDoo with old gas. It forms sludge in the filters and other carb parts. I tried all sorts of cleaners in a fresh tank of gas without success. Fact is I have to remove the tank, manually clean it out and replace the fuel lines. I have rebuilt the carb many times so far.
Chris
Chris
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