fuel addative

[brown1]

as anyone had luck with addatives for small carberated engines? it seems everytime i go to run my splitter i have to pull the carb and clean it. is it better to leave fuel in bowl or put in shuttoff and run it dry? thanks for any input and merry christmas!

 

[Budweiser John]

I have really good luck with "Seafoam" additive. I purchase it from my local TSC store. Each time I fuel up I put a dash of seafoam in the fuel tank.
I think there are about 8 small engines around here and all are starting and working as advertised.

It also seems to me, higher octane gasoline stays fresher longer. Anyone else have any thoughts about this?

 

[Egbert]

I believe the best advice I can give you is to NEVER use gas containing ethanol. This stuff is your engine's worst nightmare. Find a source for Non-Ethanol fuel, then add something like Seafoam or Stabil.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have had good performance using Stabil in all my small engine gasoline, but also switching it out at not more than 6 weeks of age. I also use non-ethanol when possible, but I don't go out of my way too much for it during mowing season as 5 gallons only last about 2 weeks. For my last fill up of the year, it is definitely PURE GAS for it will be a small amount left in the tanks of the big stuff. For small push mowers, chainsaws, weedeaters, power washers, I drain all the gas from them and run the carb dry. I have a pressure washer that is 12 years old and never had to do anything to it and it still starts on 2nd pull. I recently serviced up a push mower that had been using Stabil for its lifetime, but had been setting with tank and carb dry for 30 month or so. I filled it with fresh gas and it started right up, ran it a bit and changed out the oil. It starts on the 2nd pull also. My riding mowers, I siphon all the gas that I can from the tank then add about 2 oz. of Stabil, run it for a bit and shut it down. Fill with fresh gas next spring and she's ready to go.

 

[Gunny]

I also put Stabil in all my gas cans prior to filling, but on every engine I own that I was able to, I put in shutoff valves. I've been shutting the valve off and letting the engines starve themselves when I'm done using them. I've got a trimmer and one lawnmower that I can't install a shutoff on them, so when they're prepped for winter storage, I drain the gasoline, then run them dry.
In the past, I usually had to clean one, two or even three carbs every spring, but since I've done the above, I've not had to clean the first one.

 

[Utopia Texas]

I use Stabil in all my storage tanks and run the carburetors dry on all small machinery that will sit for over 30 days. I learned to do this years ago when I rebuilt my first antique automobile. My 1919 Ford Model T and 1931 Ford model A can sit for months and they start up within seconds.

 

[RalphVa]

If you have a fuel shutoff, it's always a very good idea in the off season to run carburetors dry. Only in the summer with lawn mowers can I get away with not doing this. Many inlet needle valves with get a piece of trash under them, and you can actually run them with it there, but they'll leak fuel out of the tank if you don't have a fuel shutoff. Got a gasoline generator that's that way now. Turn the valve on, and it starts leaking fuel after the bowl is filled. I like it. It primes the intake with fuel so I don't need any ether to start it after sitting.

I've used Sea Foam on a number of engines, and it has saved me having to tear a carburetor apart. In fact, I don't think I've taken one off since starting to use Sea Foam.

Ralph

 

[Papasmirf]

I've never ran my equipments carbs dry for winter storage. I do use year around Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer; summer and winter mixtures. I also run all of my equipment at least twice a month throughout the winter. Springtime comes and they are ready. I service everything at least in early spring and then in July. Will typically service in October too.

 

[cartod]

I always run my carbs dry in case I dont get a chance to start it. That way I never need to worry about gumming up the works.

 

[murphy1244]

Use a glug of seafoam per tank and install a fuel shut off to run dry at end of season