Story to explain why old gasoline is bad for OPE

[javacontour]

My MIL had us down yesterday and wanted me to go over her lawn mower. I hand not been used for over two years when she lost her husband. The neighbor had been mowing the lawn but he was scalping it. Now that my stepson is living there with her for college, why not put him to work?

I knew what I was getting into, but dove in anyway. The mower is worth saving, a mid-range Toro self-propelled with a 6.5HP Techumseh engine.

I open the gas cap and it smells like varnish. Growing up in a turn of the century home, I know the smell of varnish. So I catch the gas in the can, and drop the bowl of the carb. Lots of varnish there too. Some carb cleaner and fresh gas, and I can get it to run on the gas we force feed it.

I give up for a while, having cleaned the float and it's valve and spraying what I can without having removed the carb. Alas, no joy.

So MIL comes out and says give it up, and I go inside for a glass of iced tea and knock out the remaining deviled eggs from lunch

I look on-line, and find a few more places to clean, learning that the nut that holds the float bowl in place also has an orifice in it. So I concentrate my cleaning efforts on that, as well as the passage where it threads into the carb body.

Success. I get it to run, and it's rough at first, but I run out the tank of fuel. I've asked SS to get a bottle of fuel system cleaner and put it in the gas can before he refills it and run it a few more minutes.

I didn't have time to go for the 4 cycle sears weed wacker, but it is probably suffering a similar fate. I left written directions on what to do at seasons end, and of course, double-dosed the new fuel with stabil to hopefully avoid this in the future.

But I really wonder how much OPE I could buy, clean up the carb, put a new plug, do an oil change, etc, and put back into service?

Maybe it's time to check Craigslist for a snowblower or such?

 

[sciphi]

I'd guess a lot. Common sense isn't common anymore.

My current Toro lawnmower I got for free from family since it would never start. A new plug, the right gas and oil (calls for premium and TC-W 2-stroke oil), some Blaster Lawn Mower Tuneup into the carb and cylinder, and some tugging had it purring right along. It still starts on the first few pulls, so success.

 

[MysticGold04]

I need to try your troubleshooting steps to revive a Sears weedwhacker. My guess is that its gummed up with deposits and such from the ethanol in the gas. Its a 2 cycle, so what would I need do to get started bringing this thing back to life? I've tried spraying a bit of carb cleaner - and it sputters and dies, and then wont restart. The spark plug looks okay... maybe I just need to let it soak for a bit????

 

[The motor guy]

Yes you have to take everything apart. Every screw and nut that comes off needs to come off. Then spray carb cleaner through every orifice and jet in the carb. It needs to look like you could eat off it. If it's really bad then you should stick some wire into the holes to unclog them. Then when you store it. Use the blue marine fuel stabilizer. The red stuff doesn't really work anymore with this ethanol fuel. I've decided if I'm working on an engine that has sat more than 3 or 4 years that you should just replace the carb completely. You spend that much in time trying to clean the varnish out of the carb jets and still may not even succeed.

 

[hemitom]

Walk buy my neighbours the other night he is outside pushing his 5 year old mower to the curb, So i have to ask whats wrong, he goes on to tell me he is not mechanically inclined it won't run. So i offer to fix it for him his says no way fix it and keep it. So i get it home spark plug gap is completely closed ,throw the plug back it it sputters but won't start, pull the gas tank and drain it theres about two oz of water in the tank. Fresh gas starts but surges, pulsa jet carb pull the carb, diaphragm is shot. New part put in runs like a champ. I'm sure this happens often good equipment tossed to the trash.

 

[javacontour]

Originally Posted By: MysticGold04
I need to try your troubleshooting steps to revive a Sears weedwhacker. My guess is that its gummed up with deposits and such from the ethanol in the gas. Its a 2 cycle, so what would I need do to get started bringing this thing back to life? I've tried spraying a bit of carb cleaner - and it sputters and dies, and then wont restart. The spark plug looks okay... maybe I just need to let it soak for a bit????


Ethanol doesn't create deposits. But it does absorb moisture. Gasoline turns into varnish if allowed to sit too long exposed to oxygen. That's usually what gets most carbs, the gum and varnish.

Now if you attract moisture as well, add rust/corrosion to the mix.

It's all bad for carbs.

I probably need to totally dismantle the carb this winter and rebuilt it. I just "got it working" with the tools I had. I'll actually do a proper job at the end of the season.

 

[eljefino]

It's satisfying fixing stuff in the field.

This is why it's cool to carry a crescent wrench, 6-in-1 screwdriver, voltmeter etc around with you in your car, even if you can count on your car to be reliable.

I fixed a free, dump found lawnmower with a paper towel, crescent wrench, and bread tie stripped of its paper so it was just a wire. I *so* felt like macgyver!

OPE has about the same return on investment and garage space as a beater car. Better if you can time the seasons.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

This is why it's cool to carry a crescent wrench, 6-in-1 screwdriver, voltmeter etc around with you..


eljefino to the rescue! You da man!

Joel

 

[Letter_K]

I remember the first lawnmower I fixed when I was about 14. We found a Flymow and figured out sparkplug wire would loosen from the vibration. I put a rubber-band around it and it ran great. Well great, until the plastic hover-bowl broke.

The guy getting rid of it was the 2nd person who attempted to fix it. We fixed it in a minute with the rubber band and pushed it a 1/4 mile through the streets running since it had no wheels.

Now running over Dog doo with it was a major hazard.

 

[javacontour]

If I had my car, I'd have all sorts of tools. I had to make due with a sketchy socket set, and what was in late SFIL's electricians tool belt.

No parts for a proper rebuild, so I limited it to removing the bowl and spraying the bejezez out of everything I could reach either via the bowl side, the air intake, the fuel intake, or the vent tube from the crankcase.

It must have done it goodnuff as it finally ran.

But I think I'll get a rebuild kit and tear down the carb this winter and clean it properly before next spring.

 

[steve20]

you could also try spraying some AeroKroil in place of/in addition to the carb cleaner-I think I've found the magic elixir with this stuff

 

[RS700L]

Quote:
But I really wonder how much OPE I could buy, clean up the carb, put a new plug, do an oil change, etc, and put back into service?


A lot. Most of the things people throw away are for lack of knowledge.

 

[Warstud]

If it will run on choke...you may be able to just run some good fuel system cleaner thru it to clean it out rather than tearing it apart.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted By: steve20
you could also try spraying some AeroKroil ....

Where do you find this stuff at?

 

[fred9xx]

I bought AeroKroil directly from Mfg.

I bought one "regular" and one w silicone for my shower valve. I bought it for its penetrating/loosening ability and it worked!!

http://www.kanolabs.com/google/

 

[steve20]

yeah--I just posted the AeroKroil tip under the 2 cycle cleaner thread---and got shot down multiple times by those 'in the know' I will continue to use AeroKroil for this purpose

 

[ddrumman2004]

20 years ago, my wife back then, called me one Saturday morning about a rear bag lawnmower she found at a yard sale for 20 bucks and all I had to do was go pick it up. All that was wrong with it was a broken spark-plug. The elderly woman that owned it tried to change the plug and broke the insulator off. She was told to try this when she had problems starting it.
To make a long story short, new plug and it ran great.

Fast forward to today. I pulled out a 20" Murray push mower that my young son's mom bought back in 1993 from Walmart. Has a 3.5 HP B&S engine that gets no maintenance. I know, I should be shot for this...LOL!

But, I pulled it out from under the back porch last week after it had sat there for at least 3 years. Spent an hour freeing up the cables, added gasoline, pushed the primer bulb in six times for good measure, pulled twice and she fired right up. Added a little Seafoam through the carb and it ran great as I cut the back yard.
Those little B&S engines are tough!

 

[Doc8404]

Originally Posted By: steve20
you could also try spraying some AeroKroil in place of/in addition to the carb cleaner-I think I've found the magic elixir with this stuff


Old thread but why start another!
I did this the other day and hunk I dislodged something. Now it runs like garbage but better with the choke slightly on.
One cylinder lean and one rich.
Time to dismantle carb!