pressure washer out of gas but gas is still in the tank????

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May 6, 2014
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i think my lawnmower has this syndrome, the pressure washer a chonda engine 212cc thing ran out of fuel a few times when i was washing and the final time i filled it and it ran out i thought yes its empty now i can store it away for winter till next year (the fuel has been treated with briggs and stratton fuel fit).
when i moved the pressure washer around i heard fuel sloshing around in the tank. opened the lid and saw it did have fuel in it but its not fully covering the filter inside where fuel is sucked out from to the engine.
is this normal that they dont get all the fuel out when running? i think i could have got it to use more if i had it on a slight angle when in use.
what do i do now? since it "ran out of fuel" and cranking it didnt make it start should i just store it away as is or should i/is there a way to drain the rest of the fuel out of the tank?
pic of washer attached.
 

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I’m one if it’s a steel tank I store wet otherwise could potentially rust I never drain my GX200 Honda fuel tank store full and shut off fuel valve.
 
ok i did shut off the fuel lever. its got briggs and stratton fuel fit so guess will be a good test to see if that stuff actually works.
am i correct in assuming that if the pressure washer stalls due to no fuel syndrome but fuel is still in the tank would the carb be empty? or do i need to drain carb?
 
I drained the carb. It was full. A steady stream came out for 2 seconds or so.
What do i do about the fuel in the tank? Any way to drain it? Or just leave it in there and store the washer away now in the shed?
 
There are various methods of storing, but if it was me, I would fill the tank and add the stabilizer and let it be.
 
Wondering is there is a way to siphon the fuel out? Id like to store it dry. Also can use the remaining fuel in lawn mower.
 
I have a baster type suction bulb that is actually a battery filler. For adding water to batteries. Works great for sucking the last of the gas out of OPE tanks. They are cheap, and sell them at most auto parts stores.
 
Do you guys find that when your motor cuts out due to no fuel there is fuel still in the tank? Or is this just a issue im having?
 
I drained the carb. It was full. A steady stream came out for 2 seconds or so.
What do i do about the fuel in the tank? Any way to drain it? Or just leave it in there and store the washer away now in the shed?
Top it off with stabilized fuel and store till next spring. If stabilizer was used most mfg want carbs stored wet not drained.
 
Do you guys find that when your motor cuts out due to no fuel there is fuel still in the tank? Or is this just a issue im having?
That depends on the design of the fuel tank. Is it flat on the bottom or sloped? Is your pressure washer level on the ground or favorably sloped to drain the tank?

I always try to siphon or drain out as much fuel as I can before running it dry at the end of the season.

I also run pure gas to avoid problems with residual gas. At least use pure gas for the last fill before ending the season.
 
I usually leave my small engines full with Stabil treated top tier 91 octane E0 fuel. I have not had issues in many years with this approach.

The only thing I "run out" of fuel is my generator which has an auto off to drain the carburetor float bowl. The fuel tank is left full almost all the time to be able to use it when needed.

Just my $0.02
 
i siphoned the gas out of it today, only 100ml came out. guess there was less in there than i thought. there is still a tiny bit left in the tank which my straw cant suck up.
 
I’m one if it’s a steel tank I store wet otherwise could potentially rust I never drain my GX200 Honda fuel tank store full and shut off fuel valve.
Same here, I have a GX200 on a pressure washer and a GX 620 on a generator, both steel tanks. I use some stabilizer in fuel and also add two cycle oil (outboard motor type) at a dilution of 250:1, No problems with tanks or engines after about 18-20 years.
 
I have an older Briggs and Stratton Craftsman PW. It's gas tank carb design is terrible. The pickup does not go all the way to the bottom. And there is no way to completely empty the tank short of rags and soaking it up.

So what happens over time using the E10 gas is water builds up in the bottom. I finally drilled a hole in the tank and put in a drain plug. It slowly leaks though so I never have any fuel in the tank anymore after it sits for a while......
 
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