How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

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Pway
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How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by Pway » November 6th, 2017, 12:49 pm

I know some people drain the gas and others fill the tank and add a stabilizer. What do you do? I've typically added stabilizer but I don't know if that is best or not. Same with my snow blower I bought last year (I just filled the tank and added stabilizer as per the owners manual but others say that is totally wrong)

Marinegrunt
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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by Marinegrunt » November 6th, 2017, 2:28 pm

I think a lot of it comes down to personal choice. I've heard people say if you run the engine dry the gaskets will dry out faster. I don't know if I buy this because when the engine isn't running the only place you have gas is in the carb bowl and fuel lines. I've also heard people say if you leave gas in the mower it'll gum up the carb faster. I definitely believe this one. Coming from someone who rebuilds engines and carbs I would have to say drain it. With most gas containing ethanol I've seen how much it can gum up carbs. I always buy ethanol free gas for my small engines. At the end of the season I run them completely dry and also drain the carb bowl. If you're real worried about it you can pour some Sea Foam in a little before the engine starts to sputter. Let it run through until the engine dies. They say the oils in the Sea Foam will keep gaskets lubricated.

Whatever you do I would not leave ethanol gas in an engine even with stabilizer in it. As fast as it gums up a carb I wouldn't risk it unless I knew for a fact the stabilizer would prevent it. Running it completely dry won't hurt a thing. Atleast that's my opinion.

Pway
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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by Pway » November 6th, 2017, 5:59 pm

Marinegrunt wrote:
November 6th, 2017, 2:28 pm
I think a lot of it comes down to personal choice. I've heard people say if you run the engine dry the gaskets will dry out faster. I don't know if I buy this because when the engine isn't running the only place you have gas is in the carb bowl and fuel lines. I've also heard people say if you leave gas in the mower it'll gum up the carb faster. I definitely believe this one. Coming from someone who rebuilds engines and carbs I would have to say drain it. With most gas containing ethanol I've seen how much it can gum up carbs. I always buy ethanol free gas for my small engines. At the end of the season I run them completely dry and also drain the carb bowl. If you're real worried about it you can pour some Sea Foam in a little before the engine starts to sputter. Let it run through until the engine dies. They say the oils in the Sea Foam will keep gaskets lubricated.

Whatever you do I would not leave ethanol gas in an engine even with stabilizer in it. As fast as it gums up a carb I wouldn't risk it unless I knew for a fact the stabilizer would prevent it. Running it completely dry won't hurt a thing. Atleast that's my opinion.
Thanks very much, I appreciate the answer and info. Stupid question: if you drain it do you use the gas in a car or otherwise dispose of it? Thanks again. I'm really dumb with engines...

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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by TimmyG » November 6th, 2017, 6:48 pm

Use it in your snowblower.

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ken-n-nancy
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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by ken-n-nancy » November 6th, 2017, 8:13 pm

TimmyG wrote:
November 6th, 2017, 6:48 pm
Use it in your snowblower.
+1.

If it's straight gasoline (not mixed with oil for a 2-stroke engine), then it's fine to put it into your car, too.


Marinegrunt
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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by Marinegrunt » November 7th, 2017, 2:14 pm

If it's older gas I add it to one of our vehicles. I usually try and add it when it will be diluted in a full tank of gas. Automobiles aren't nearly as finicky as small engines so you likely won't notice any difference even if the gas is really old and you add it to a near empty tank.

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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by Pway » November 7th, 2017, 4:07 pm

Thanks for the tips, folks!

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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by FifthofTurf » November 8th, 2017, 9:57 am

Biggest issue with modern gas in modern engines is ethanol.

What seems best is to run the ethanol tainted fuel out, top off with the good stuff (raw gas, AvGas or the canned stuff). Also, do top it off. Leaving a headspace above the fuel can help break things down. Push all the air out by filling to the brim.

Ethanol in fuel will kill the carbs and many of the other bits.

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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » November 9th, 2017, 1:17 pm

I normally follow whatever is in the manual. An engineer approved that text when he could have approved different text.

My last house was fairly close to an ethanol free "real gas" station, so I exclusively used that in all my small engines. End of season I would store the mower dry, per the manual.

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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by mitten » November 12th, 2017, 4:52 pm

I use ethanol free gas in my toro mower and mclane edger. At the end of the year I put Sea Foam in the tank with the gas and run it dry. I'll change the oil and sharpen blades in the spring. Too depressed to do it now... haha.

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Re: How do you Winterizer your mower and other equipment?

Post by PSU4ME » November 16th, 2017, 12:24 pm

Thanks for posting this, I had the same question. My plan was to run out the ethanol gas and then dump some true fuel in there and run it for a bit and let it sit that way.

Not too far off from the advice here however if not had a mower long enough to see long term issues

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