Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Happy holidays every one! ... bought the toro 1028 OXE back in October, right after the very first early snow storm. Was not able to try it in snow... I added the startron stabilizer And filled up the tank with 93 octane. I tested the new baby, showed off without spinning augers... But now it's a long time unused. My question is: is it okay for the fuel to sit in the carb for such a long time? Thanks!

I've read more than a few accounts of people adding stabilizer to their fuel and still having trouble getting their machine to start/run right.  I, on the other hand don't use stabilizer in any of my fuel and all of my stuff starts and runs fine.  So, from my perspective and likely that of many others, fuel additives is just another way to get people to spend their hard earned money needlessly.   

Just because B&S endorse a product, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work.  B&S recommend Mobil 1 5W30 for my Kool Bore snow thrower engine and it eats it at an alarming rate.  I switched to a convention 5W30 high mileage and oil consumption is down.  Not eliminated but certainly less.   

Most fuel additives are nothing more than a gimmick.  Some may provide fuel stabilization for a while but even if it does, it will not cure bad fuel management. 

Here's something to try.  Take two containers of the same fuel and add stabilizer to one container only.  Ensure that both are completely full and tightly sealed.  Leave them for the same period of time, as long as you want.  Take them out and test them to see what condition the fuel is in.  Let us know how that turns out.

If a person doesn't have the wits to completely fill their fuel tanks for storage, they likely won't have the brains to buy and add fuel stabilizer either. 

Ok I guess i will put my 2 cents in.


Personally i drain the fuel out of both the tank and the carb on all my OPE when the season for that equipment is over.  I also do an oil change at the same time.  If the OPE has a metal gas tank i give it a spritz wd40 just to coat the inside of the tank.  I then replace the cap and leave it alone. I also pull the spark plug and put a couple of squirts of motor oil in the cylinder and pull it over a few times leaving the engine at TDC on compression stroke, i then replace the spark plug and put it away for the season.


During the summer months I use enough gasoline that it never get a chance to get stale, however in the winter my fuel may sit for months without getting used.  I do treat my winter fuel with stabil and have never had a problem with any of my winter OPE.  I cant say that it is doing anything good or bad I just know that my engines always start when I need them to.

Since i carefully go over my snow blower before i put it away at the end of the season, I never even put fuel in it unless snow is falling.  I don't see any need to have fuel in it because I am 99.9% certain that it will start and run properly when it needs to.

I store my 69 camaro for the winter and it has always been stored with a full tank of stabil treated fuel and has never not started in the spring.

Ni per99,

      Doing that many machines a year you must fall onto many dead engines with carb bowls that have pushbutton drains.   A simpleton can take care of his carb with a push button drain.

 

      The pushbutton bowl s I collect go on machines I fix-up to sell.   A pushbutton kit is available for very little.  I got four once and converted spare bowls to pushbuttons.   Many people I sell to are first time buyers of a snowblowers and don’t have a clue about maintenance on any OPE.  I give every buyer a printout of my “Guide to Eternal Happiness” which details what to do about gas for the season and storage (Don’t depend on additives).  

 

     This year the machines I sold all come with a year startup guarantee.   I tell them to use fresh gas, don’t depend on stabilizers and prep your machine when done for the season or leave gas in and start it occasionally.     

I never said that I don't believe in stabilizer, all I wanted to point out is the fact that the stabilizers have some critical Missing info. For example: every one agrees that gasoline work for a engine, but not every one agrees that stabilizer is doing anything at all. I'm personly using it cus I'm new to ope. But the mistery is flashing a red light in my brain about the honisty of it

trouts...

90% of all customers dont even know what a carb is!!! let alone drian fuel from it... and i do agree with u as not depending on stabilizer on its own...thats why in a previous post i mentioned that without using stabilizer in your fuel i would replace fuel after a 1 month...with stabilizer 2-3 tops... but the more often the better...once a month is a good rule of thumb....but the fact is people DONT do it.... and like i said i would tune up snowblower in the summer as a customer request... and by the time the snow starts flying they wont start... not all of them but id get 5 or 6 at least every year.... and that leaves me with a warranty....every since i started using stabilizer i ve maybe had one in the last 5 years...makes a pretty good believer in me..

wheather u believe it or not it ONLY COST $5-10 for the hole season....just for peace of mind its worth it...

niper99 wrote:
This reminds me of a buying experience at Best Buy.

Cashier boy:  "Would you like to buy the extended warranty for $4.99, covers you 5 years if you ever drop it or anything goes wrong, we replace it."

Me:  "No thanks, it's only a $15 alarm clock!, they're probably not going to make these old LED clocks anymore, what would you replace it with?  An iphone?"

Speaking of iPhones, since Steve jobs died, apple is going down the drain.

 The latest release of iOS 5 is "Full" of memory leaks and bugs.

I was an apple fan for over 13 years, till now when I feel of giving up my iPhone and switch over to android.

 Most common bugs; slower performance, poor battery life, lack off the new flash and last but not least, the "Home-button-not- responding bug" and apple is not even doing anything to it!   Was not the case with S.J.  even the new operating system Lion is full of bugs.  And about their new final cut pro, which they "killed".  
So yeh... I'm not buying a warranty on my iPhone. With what will apple replace it with, android?!

trouts2 wrote:

TROUTS2, As a true simpleton could you tell me where I could procure a pushbutton drain bowl for a 2011 Toro 221 with a 141cc R-Tek? Thanks.

ralphfr,

   Google Tecumseh 27136A and you'll get scads of places and prices.  When I got mine they seemed impossible to put on and if I ever managed to get it on would never work right.  It turned out they are easy to install and work fine.  With a flat head screwdriver pushing the button and a cup it makes a no mess drain of the bowl ease. 

trouts2 wrote:

hey trouts,,

have u had good luck with the drians in the carb???.... because i havent any luck with them..lve had alot of them leak fuel and have had alot of compliants by customers....and have stopped using them as of recently.... they make sense for sure and serve as a very usefull idea....the problem i think that happens is when u drian some old fuel out the little bit of dirt thats in the bottom of the bowl comes out aswell of course as designed... the drawback is that dirt sticks to the drian valve and causes a fuel leak...