Techron is my "ace in the hole!"

[gd9704]

Once again, a finicky 2-stroke carb is smacked back into shape with a dose of Techron in the fuel.

It's spring here and I'm pulling out all my OPE to see if I have any problems going on.

My Echo string trimmer, despite being run dry last fall, started fine, but wouldn't reach top RPM under full throttle. A bit of choke had it running like it should--and told me that the main jet was clogged.

I put a healthy splash of Techron in the fuel tank and ran the machine, full throttle while opening and closing the choke for about 5 minutes......suddenly, the thing ran perfect with the choke off..

For me, this is probably the 5th time that a gummy carb was brought back to life with a dose of Techron.

While I'm sure it keeps my car's fuel system clean, it has saved me lots of time avoiding carb tear downs with my outdoor power equipment.

 

[oilboy123]

Nice.....Will keep that in mind. Might try it with the Amsoil PI.

 

[demarpaint]

I had more problems running seasonal engines dry at the end of the season. I dose them with Stabil and MMO before putting them away and have no problems the next season. Every time I ran a 2 cycle engine dry I had nothing but problems the next season. There are two schools of thought, my method hasn't failed me yet.

 

[gd9704]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I had more problems running seasonal engines dry at the end of the season. I dose them with Stabil and MMO before putting them away and have no problems the next season. Every time I ran a 2 cycle engine dry I had nothing but problems the next season. There are two schools of thought, my method hasn't failed me yet.



I'm thinking you may be right....On the stuff I can't easily drain the fuel from, I top off and stabil. NEVER have a problem with that stuff.

Next fall, I will try it with the 2 stroke stuff!

 

[demarpaint]

I tried both ways, was told running an engine dry was best, and it probably is if you plan on storing it for more than a year. Things like line trimmers, snow blower, mower etc, that get stored under a year, I dose them like I said. I have no problems. Four cycle engines I fog, but they still get a good dose of stabil and MMO.

I just started the mower today, I pull the cord a few times to slop the oil around. Push the primer ball a few times, and it starts on the first pull. Same goes for the snow blower in the winter.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

If feasible I run my stuff dry but my JD lawn tractor (LX277) never gets run dry. It just sits in my shed all winter full of gas. I use Stabil in every tank of gas however all year round. I always put Stabil in my 5 gallon jugs because I never know how long they might be used for. At 5 years of age the JD seemed to have a clogged jet or something, it would run fine with a little choke. A friend of mine that is a technical support person for Kawasaki (the JD has a 2-cyl Kawasaki) helped me tear the carb apart as much as we could and found it to be spotless inside. He was expecting it to look horrible which is what he often finds. We never did find what the problem was and efforts to flush out the carb did not help. We eventually gave up and after about 10 more gallons of fuel went through it it finally cleared up and has been fine for the last 3 years. We figured it was a chunk of something lodged in there, it wasn't gummed up. I was impressed with how clean the Stabil kept the fuel system.

 

[Sayjac]

I didn't run my mower or weed eater dry. Put Stabil in the mower and the Weed Eater 2 stroke oil says it has stabilizer in it.

Both started fine, though the WE took just a tad more coaxing to get going, than it would during prime season.

Good to hear Techron worked for you.

 

[Bluestream]

Not likely the Techron. No way to prove it. 2-stokes often run rough when brought out of storage

 

[gd9704]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Not likely the Techron. No way to prove it. 2-stokes often run rough when brought out of storage



Yes, professor....no way to prove it....other than the fact that it works for me when I use it.

 

[Bluestream]

Techron will disolve deposits over time. It doesn't work in a few miniutes by opening and closing the choke

 

[severach]

Techron and MMO keeps my OPE in top shape all the time. No more cleaning carbs every spring. They always start the way the manufacturer says they should.

Fuel cleaners in old lightly used power equipment will loosen gunk that can plug things up. My 1974 Gilson tractor keeps plugging up with green crusty stuff. It runs much better now but every few months it won't start. I clean the green stuff from the high speed needle and it runs fine again. Eventually that green stuff will be cleaned out and stop being a problem.

Poor running can be from gum reducing the size of the passages. You can't see it because the coating is thin and even. Quick sprays won't remove it. The cleaners will remove it if left in contact for a long time. The loosened gum will color the fuel dark yellow.