"Run the engine long enough that the mix gets run through the Carb."
Got it !
Got it !
Snow Blower Storage ?
- Thread starter demarpaint
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I used to have a Kawasaki motorcycle. We had similar issues when you put a bike away for the winter.
On leaving fuel tank full of fuel,
Tanks are made of metal. As mositure gets inside in an empty tank it slowly corrodes it. Thus the logic is if you fill your tank with gasoline which of course doesn't mix with water, thus displacing water, the end result is no corrosion during winter. So the advice was to fill fuel tank all the way to the top. Of course, using Stabil and similar fuel stabilizer is a must. Goes without saying.
My snowbloader and push mower both have plastic tanks, so corrosion is not an issue. Thus I drain those machines. For cars I fillup.
As for oil,
Again motorcycle riders would put in new fresh oil in the fall to get the contamination from summer riding season out. Clear enoug. Now some/many would dump that oil in the spring before starting a new season. I asked them all why, what is point. The only feeble excuse was that during winter moisture gets into oil. Certainly oil cannot degrade for 6 months in an idle engine.
Everyone here says that moisture burns off from a decent longer ride that gets engine up to operating temperature. Certainly air cooled engines like snow blowers have no problems warming ip
So if you first snow blower run is of a decent duration and burns off any mositure that might have gotten in during summer, then the oil should be as good as when it was put into engine 6 months ago, right?
In other words, it is a waste to dump "storage oil"
That being said, sometimes, such as my summer car, I may put in a cheap weak oil for winter storage. Then in the spring I'll just use a shorter OCI. That is kind of a compromise as I do get some use out of the storage oil.
BTW, most advice here is great. Good stuff
On leaving fuel tank full of fuel,
Tanks are made of metal. As mositure gets inside in an empty tank it slowly corrodes it. Thus the logic is if you fill your tank with gasoline which of course doesn't mix with water, thus displacing water, the end result is no corrosion during winter. So the advice was to fill fuel tank all the way to the top. Of course, using Stabil and similar fuel stabilizer is a must. Goes without saying.
My snowbloader and push mower both have plastic tanks, so corrosion is not an issue. Thus I drain those machines. For cars I fillup.
As for oil,
Again motorcycle riders would put in new fresh oil in the fall to get the contamination from summer riding season out. Clear enoug. Now some/many would dump that oil in the spring before starting a new season. I asked them all why, what is point. The only feeble excuse was that during winter moisture gets into oil. Certainly oil cannot degrade for 6 months in an idle engine.
Everyone here says that moisture burns off from a decent longer ride that gets engine up to operating temperature. Certainly air cooled engines like snow blowers have no problems warming ip
In other words, it is a waste to dump "storage oil"
That being said, sometimes, such as my summer car, I may put in a cheap weak oil for winter storage. Then in the spring I'll just use a shorter OCI. That is kind of a compromise as I do get some use out of the storage oil.
BTW, most advice here is great. Good stuff
You can do what I did: drain the oil right before you start using it again, but save the old oil in case you need to top off one of your cars. That way, you have fresh oil in the snowblower, and you didn't waste any.
In my snowblower I change the oil in the spring and fill up the gas tank with gas with Stabil in it. The Stabil definitely works. The new oil in the spring will last till the next spring, especially since its not used till winter. I do the reverse with my lawnmower and rototiller -- change oil in the fall and fill with gas with Stabil in it.
I've done this for many years and have had no engine problems as a result.
I've done this for many years and have had no engine problems as a result.
A motorcycle mechanic (older fella) passed me a tip on long term storage of motorcycles and small engined equipment.
Rather than use stabilizer, which he claimed, wouldn't do anything for the carb jets as the fuel evaporated, use the following technique.
Get rid of most of the fuel at the end of the season, but leave just enough to allow the engine to run for a few minutes. Add just enough automatic transmission fluid to colour the gas red. Run the engine until it dies from fuel starvation. Change the oil and leave it for start-up next season.
His claim was that the last drop of gas that was clinging to the jet(s) at shutdown will slowly evaporate and leave a deposit behind, likely causing runability problems next season. The trans fluid , however, will remain and keep the jet clean.
I still do this but still refill the motorcycle tanks (petcock shut OFF) with stabilized gas to prevent internal tank corrosion.
All my other equipment is stored with dry tanks, all these tanks are plastic. This equipment includes weed wacker, roto-tiller, lawnmower, snow blower, powered assisted bicycle.
Been doing this for years with no problems.
Rather than use stabilizer, which he claimed, wouldn't do anything for the carb jets as the fuel evaporated, use the following technique.
Get rid of most of the fuel at the end of the season, but leave just enough to allow the engine to run for a few minutes. Add just enough automatic transmission fluid to colour the gas red. Run the engine until it dies from fuel starvation. Change the oil and leave it for start-up next season.
His claim was that the last drop of gas that was clinging to the jet(s) at shutdown will slowly evaporate and leave a deposit behind, likely causing runability problems next season. The trans fluid , however, will remain and keep the jet clean.
I still do this but still refill the motorcycle tanks (petcock shut OFF) with stabilized gas to prevent internal tank corrosion.
All my other equipment is stored with dry tanks, all these tanks are plastic. This equipment includes weed wacker, roto-tiller, lawnmower, snow blower, powered assisted bicycle.
Been doing this for years with no problems.
While I won't dispute that there is sound logic in there, lots of "older fellas" have been using ATF for all kinds of stuff they shouldn't be
I wonder if carb throat application of fogging oil wouldn't reach almost all of the same places and be the right tool for the job along with stabilized fuel. I haven't mentioned it before, but all of my stored engines get fogging oil through the plug hole and are stored at TDC. They also get a couple of pulls once a month, ending again at TDC.
I wonder if carb throat application of fogging oil wouldn't reach almost all of the same places and be the right tool for the job along with stabilized fuel. I haven't mentioned it before, but all of my stored engines get fogging oil through the plug hole and are stored at TDC. They also get a couple of pulls once a month, ending again at TDC.
Hi Craig,
This "older fella" wasn't the one you are picturing in your mind, but I can understand your skepticism, its only natural since you havn't met him.
He is a just-retired Honda motorcycle mechanic, lots and lots of experience. He was the fella that the other (all brands) motorcycle dealers in the area would send customers with older machines, since he actually knew how to work on them, rather than just diagnose and change parts. ( I got that information from one of the other Honda dealers, not from him). Of course, he worked on all the current models as well. He was well known and respected in the province.
Also, there was no wondering whether the stuff would make it to the right place, it had no choice.
This "older fella" wasn't the one you are picturing in your mind, but I can understand your skepticism, its only natural since you havn't met him.
He is a just-retired Honda motorcycle mechanic, lots and lots of experience. He was the fella that the other (all brands) motorcycle dealers in the area would send customers with older machines, since he actually knew how to work on them, rather than just diagnose and change parts. ( I got that information from one of the other Honda dealers, not from him). Of course, he worked on all the current models as well. He was well known and respected in the province.
Also, there was no wondering whether the stuff would make it to the right place, it had no choice.
Continue doing what you are doing now. Next fall start it up and let it warm up good then drain the oil that has been setting there all spring, summer, and fall. It may be new but condensation is still there from setting. We're just talking about 20 oz of oil so it's really not a waste. That's what I use to do with my 4-cycle snowblowers but now I run 2-cycle blowers and don't worry about the oil change. Also, Amsoil makes a very good fuel stabilizer.
Originally Posted By: paul246
Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
While I won't dispute that there is sound logic in there, lots of "older fellas" have been using ATF for all kinds of stuff they shouldn't be
Hi Craig,
This "older fella" wasn't the one you are picturing in your mind, but I can understand your skepticism, its only natural since you havn't met him.
I honestly meant no disrespect to your friend by my comments (hence my chuckling smiley), but I stand by the statement about ATF. Everyone and their uncle has a grand-pappie that did something-or-other with ATF somewhere other than their automatic transmission and swears by it...
As a direct comment, I would think that any oil would work - two stroke oil, for instance, is actually meant to be burned, something like Lucas UCL, a teaspoon of motor oil... Do we know that Stabil doesn't act oily and that it does indeed evaporate? (never checked).
Of course I recognize that one would be silly to purchase two stroke oil for the express purpose of winter storage - but if you had it around...
On a related note, nitromethane powered radio-control enthusiasts have to use after-run oil through the glow plug hole because of acids left behind causing engine corrosion. This after-run oil was basically repackaged and marked up MMO. That's probably another candidate for the technique you mention.
Of course, MMO is used for everything under the sun just like ATF... OK OK, I'll stop now
Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
While I won't dispute that there is sound logic in there, lots of "older fellas" have been using ATF for all kinds of stuff they shouldn't be
Hi Craig,
This "older fella" wasn't the one you are picturing in your mind, but I can understand your skepticism, its only natural since you havn't met him.
I honestly meant no disrespect to your friend by my comments (hence my chuckling smiley), but I stand by the statement about ATF. Everyone and their uncle has a grand-pappie that did something-or-other with ATF somewhere other than their automatic transmission and swears by it...
As a direct comment, I would think that any oil would work - two stroke oil, for instance, is actually meant to be burned, something like Lucas UCL, a teaspoon of motor oil... Do we know that Stabil doesn't act oily and that it does indeed evaporate? (never checked).
Of course I recognize that one would be silly to purchase two stroke oil for the express purpose of winter storage - but if you had it around...
On a related note, nitromethane powered radio-control enthusiasts have to use after-run oil through the glow plug hole because of acids left behind causing engine corrosion. This after-run oil was basically repackaged and marked up MMO. That's probably another candidate for the technique you mention.
Of course, MMO is used for everything under the sun just like ATF... OK OK, I'll stop now
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Actually I agree with you with respect to the over-usage of ATF as a remedy for everything. He didn't claim that it was a special property of ATF either, just that it was what he used, and in small amounts would do no harm to the machine. I think he chose ATF because of its ability to remain stable for long periods of time.
Funny you should bring up R/C, I've been involved in that hobby as well for nearly 30 years. I also wondered if MMO was not simply repackaged ATF, and did a few (simple) tests on each. I was never able to really demonstrate that one wasn't simply the other. I subsequently found a product that really does protect the bearings...Corrosion X...excellent stuff for a lot of different uses, too.
Funny you should bring up R/C, I've been involved in that hobby as well for nearly 30 years. I also wondered if MMO was not simply repackaged ATF, and did a few (simple) tests on each. I was never able to really demonstrate that one wasn't simply the other. I subsequently found a product that really does protect the bearings...Corrosion X...excellent stuff for a lot of different uses, too.
Originally Posted By: paul246
Funny you should bring up R/C, I've been involved in that hobby as well for nearly 30 years.
Go figure... I've run out of time and space to pursue it, but my RC10GT is still in the basement wishing it could go out and play.
Funny you should bring up R/C, I've been involved in that hobby as well for nearly 30 years.
Go figure... I've run out of time and space to pursue it, but my RC10GT is still in the basement wishing it could go out and play.
" I also wondered if MMO was not simply repackaged ATF"
I thought the main ingredient of MMO was ATF for a long time.
(that plus solvents).
I found out differently.
MMO has been around long before ATF existed.
I checked the MSDS of both and asked around.
They are similar only in appearance.
Besides, MMO tastes better.
I thought the main ingredient of MMO was ATF for a long time.
(that plus solvents).
I found out differently.
MMO has been around long before ATF existed.
I checked the MSDS of both and asked around.
They are similar only in appearance.
Besides, MMO tastes better.
I just put away my Honda snowblower today. One week ago when I last used it, I filled up its metal gas tank with Stabil(ized) 89 octane fuel. I then blew out my driveway, and when I was about finished I shut off the fuel, allowing it to stall out.
Putting the Stabil-fortified gasoline in a week ago allowed the mixture to get into the carburetor. Shutting the fuel off allowed the carburetor to MOSTLY drain. Whatever fuel is left in the carburetor is Stabilized, so that's a good thing.
Today, I changed the oil, topped off the metal gas tank with more Stabil and 89 octane fuel, sprayed fogging oil in the cylinder by removing the spark plug, and pushed it into the shed. That's it. Before next winter, it will get another oil change and I will siphon out the full fuel tank and put that fuel in my car. I will then fill it with fresh fuel and pull the rope!
If it had a plastic gas tank, I would NOT have topped it off. All my snowmobiles have plastic tanks and after I run the Stabilized fuel through the system I siphon out the remaining fuel and put it in my car. With the snowmobiles, however, even with Stabilized fuel I pull the carbs apart before each riding season and clean them. Even slightly dirty carbs on a two-stroke can spell disaster.
Putting the Stabil-fortified gasoline in a week ago allowed the mixture to get into the carburetor. Shutting the fuel off allowed the carburetor to MOSTLY drain. Whatever fuel is left in the carburetor is Stabilized, so that's a good thing.
Today, I changed the oil, topped off the metal gas tank with more Stabil and 89 octane fuel, sprayed fogging oil in the cylinder by removing the spark plug, and pushed it into the shed. That's it. Before next winter, it will get another oil change and I will siphon out the full fuel tank and put that fuel in my car. I will then fill it with fresh fuel and pull the rope!
If it had a plastic gas tank, I would NOT have topped it off. All my snowmobiles have plastic tanks and after I run the Stabilized fuel through the system I siphon out the remaining fuel and put it in my car. With the snowmobiles, however, even with Stabilized fuel I pull the carbs apart before each riding season and clean them. Even slightly dirty carbs on a two-stroke can spell disaster.
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Another addition - you should have changed the oil after blowing the last time so it was nice and hot. All the [censored] held by the oil in a splash-lubed, unfiltered application won't be in suspension if you allow it to cool before draining.
I have a feeling (or is it a hope?) that the last time I used my Toro 2 weekends ago may be the last of the season so I changed the oil right after blowing. When I'm sure it's the last time I'll drain the fuel, carb bowl, fog, hit it with diluted Simple Green and power wash it off, lube controls etc...etc... and cover it up.
I'm thinking about fogging through the air intake this year. Never done that before but it will mean that fogging oil will be in my (brand new) carb keeping it clean. My OPE fuel ALWAYS has Sta-bil in it so I don't need to worry about running it just for that.
Before I changed the oil on the last run I should have done a little bit of water-mist decarboning while it was hot too. It's 22 years old, and would likely benefit.
I have a feeling (or is it a hope?) that the last time I used my Toro 2 weekends ago may be the last of the season so I changed the oil right after blowing. When I'm sure it's the last time I'll drain the fuel, carb bowl, fog, hit it with diluted Simple Green and power wash it off, lube controls etc...etc... and cover it up.
I'm thinking about fogging through the air intake this year. Never done that before but it will mean that fogging oil will be in my (brand new) carb keeping it clean. My OPE fuel ALWAYS has Sta-bil in it so I don't need to worry about running it just for that.
Before I changed the oil on the last run I should have done a little bit of water-mist decarboning while it was hot too. It's 22 years old, and would likely benefit.
After fogging, pull the cord a couple times to distribute the oil in the cylinder.
...I did do this, as it is pretty standard procedure
Spray some Silicone Spray on the metal parts in the chute.
...I DID NOT do this, and should have. Luckily, I still can!
As for changing the oil hot, I did run the snowblower for 15 minutes before dumping the oil.
...I did do this, as it is pretty standard procedure
Spray some Silicone Spray on the metal parts in the chute.
...I DID NOT do this, and should have. Luckily, I still can!
As for changing the oil hot, I did run the snowblower for 15 minutes before dumping the oil.
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Originally Posted By: propuckstopper
After fogging, pull the cord a couple times to distribute the oil in the cylinder.
Oh yeah, and if you want to be picky, make sure to leave it at TDC on the compression stroke. This closes the valves so the springs aren't compressed for months and there is no air pathway in and out of the cylinder (condensation+corrosion).
After fogging, pull the cord a couple times to distribute the oil in the cylinder.
Oh yeah, and if you want to be picky, make sure to leave it at TDC on the compression stroke. This closes the valves so the springs aren't compressed for months and there is no air pathway in and out of the cylinder (condensation+corrosion).
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Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Yes, I store all of my small engines and marine engine full with Seafoam or Sta-Bil.
Run the engine long enough that the mix gets run through the Carb.
Worked like a charm. Toro 2cycle snowblower started on the third pull. Ran great. Thanks for the tip !
Yes, I store all of my small engines and marine engine full with Seafoam or Sta-Bil.
Run the engine long enough that the mix gets run through the Carb.
Worked like a charm. Toro 2cycle snowblower started on the third pull. Ran great. Thanks for the tip !
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