# Shut off and let it run dry after job - or not?



## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

This has probably been discussed many times over here but I would like to get your opinion. I am in the habit of closing the fuel shutoff valve and letting the engine run until it uses all the gas left in the carb until it dies after I am done clearing snow. This has worked well most of the time. I say most of the time because there have been a couple of occasions where I have had no-starts. So is it better to run it dry or not?


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

it really doesn't matter. Unless you plan on letting non-stabilized/treated fuel in the carb for a long time (6+ months) Otherwise, do whatever you want. It won't prolong the life or give you any advantages.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

My fuel is all with Stabil and Seafoam, never run out any machine … never had a gas issue in all my life.


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## TooTall999 (Nov 19, 2015)

I only run non-ethanol fuel, no stabilizer and don't run dry until the end of the season. Never a problem.


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## Clutch Cargo (Dec 27, 2015)

I only do it with my genset every time because I exercise it just once per month in the winter. With my snowblower and lawn mower, I will do it at the end of the season and then drain the bowl. Like Oneacer, my fuel is on a similar medication regimen (LOL). I have also hopped on the MOGAS/E0 bandwagon which virtually eliminates the need to do this altogether IMHO.


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## gsnod (Sep 2, 2013)

I'm the same as the OP....turn off the fuel value and let it run out on it's own time. I usually start my machine about every other month in the summer, which also allows me to clean all the dust bunnies that have blown into the garage...


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## DuffyJr (Oct 15, 2015)

I think it's a good idea to add some cleaner in with the Stabil with the finicky carbs today and keep the older ones clean, I use Star Tron.


Personally I think letting it run dry after each use is a waste of fuel.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

I'm in the "run it dry after use" camp. The reason is that it may be months before I start it again, in which time the carburetor bowl is exposed to open air, the fuel can turn to gunk in that time, with or without stabilizer. At end of season I go even further and drain the entire fuel system including the carburetor bowl.

As for the "waste of fuel" argument. Seriously? We're talking maybe a thimbleful of gas, my budget can handle that pretty easily.

And yup, no issues starting again, even several years later.


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## niteshft (Nov 17, 2018)

WVguy said:


> I'm in the "run it dry after use" camp. The reason is that it may be months before I start it again, in which time the carburetor bowl is exposed to open air, the fuel can turn to gunk in that time, with or without stabilizer. At end of season I go even further and drain the entire fuel system including the carburetor bowl.
> 
> As for the "waste of fuel" argument. Seriously? We're talking maybe a thimbleful of gas, my budget can handle that pretty easily.
> 
> And yup, no issues starting again, even several years later.


 Ditto! Alcohol attracts water so, an empty bowl is a friend to your carb. Sure, you could run non alcohol fuel but it's a pain in the butt to keep enough on hand. Plus it's way more expensive than Reg gas so where is the loss?


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## johnwick (Dec 16, 2019)

niteshft said:


> Ditto! Alcohol attracts water so, an empty bowl is a friend to your carb. Sure, you could run non alcohol fuel but it's a pain in the butt to keep enough on hand. Plus it's way more expensive than Reg gas so where is the loss?




I’m pretty lucky to have 3-4 gas stations within 5 miles that have 0% ethanol. It’s only about $0.30 cents more per gallon so over the course of a year I’m only out a couple dollars. Way cheaper than tru fuel, good grief. Sounds like others aren’t as lucky on the no-ethanol stations. I feel like they have crept back up over the past 4-5 years after being a desert for quite awhile.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

There may be climate variations that make one better than the other, I can think of Arizona Prescott and even out of Tuscon in the mountains that gets show and really hot summers.
After some issues with dry carburetors leaking, my take was it was better to leave fuel in them and never run them dry. 

The carb and or the float bowel is not going to dry out as long as there is fuel to it (gravity feed). 

I think I only used fuel preservative one winter and that was the cycle in storage period, they would not start come spring, had to jump them. I think there was spraying into the air system involved (a lot of years ago) 

Letting gaskets and seal dry out is not a good thing, carburetors are picky enough. So, never in season and I don't drain fuel in the off season (snow blower in Summer or the Lawn Mower in winter). 

I think in warmer climates its beneficial to start and run them once a month.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I have no access to non ethanol, and have so many blowers and tractors, I'm never sure when is the next time it will be used, so at the end of a season, I drain the tank and carb. some of my equipment may set idle for years, so I like to drain them....no need after every use though.


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## gregg (Nov 23, 2012)

CRC PhaseGuard4 Ethanol Fuel Treatment, 237 Milliliters - 75141


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Outboards, lawnmowers, snowblowers and generators: If there's likelihood of running it in the next 6 months, I just turn off the fuel valve and then shut it down.  At the end of the season, Marine Stabil (for the last 20 years or so) and then run the carb dry. So far, so good, since the 1960s.


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## malisha1 (Nov 16, 2018)

I run it dry bc I don't want to have gas in machines I'm not using bc I have a attached garage. I put my gas can next to the garage door just in case if it leaks or breaks the gas will leak out on to the driveway


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Clutch Cargo said:


> I have also hopped on the MOGAS/E0 bandwagon which virtually eliminates the need to do this altogether IMHO.


What's MOGAS? 



johnwick said:


> I’m pretty lucky to have 3-4 gas stations within 5 miles that have 0% ethanol. It’s only about $0.30 cents more per gallon.


Wow, you *are* lucky! The only ethanol-free in a reasonable distance from us was somewhere around $10/gal last time I checked (admittedly several years ago), it's racing gas. I believe it's leaded (it was 105 or 110 octane, I think), and I don't want to be walking around through those fumes. I would rather deal with stabilizer instead. 



gregg said:


> CRC PhaseGuard4 Ethanol Fuel Treatment, 237 Milliliters - 75141


That's interesting, and wasn't something that sounded familiar. Then I scrolled down and got to "Not for sale in the US". Drat  

I put stabilizer in my gas all the time, even if I think I'll use it soon. It's cheap enough that I'd rather add it to the can each time, even if it ends up not being needed for that fillup. 

For a time I was running the blower's carb dry after each use, but now I just do that at the end of the season. Doing it each time seemed unnecessary, in the middle of the season, while using stabilizer.


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## Clutch Cargo (Dec 27, 2015)

> What's MOGAS?


 MOGAS is an unleaded aviation fuel, usually 91 octane, for use in ultralight or experimental aircraft. It can also be used in general aviation aircraft (Cessnas, Pipers etc.) and is less expensive than 100LL (commonly known as AVGAS). 100LL also contains lead and I've heard that it may not be good for post leaded era small engines, but don't know that for sure. 

Of interest to us is the fact that it contains no ethanol, and is far less expensive than cans of Tufuel or VP small engine fuel. It can be obtained at small airstrips.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Good to know, thanks!


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## ou2mame (Dec 23, 2019)

I have older blowers, and sometimes a stuck float or gasket failure can lead to the crankcase being flooded with gas so out of habit I always shut the fuel off and run dry. It might take 2 pulls to start, worst case scenario but at least I won't have to change the oil before blowing snow.


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## badbmwbrad (Jul 30, 2019)

During the Winter, I don't bother trying to remove fuel from the carburetor. In fact, it is not possible to run a carburetor completely dry as there is still going to be some residual fuel remaining in the bottom of the float bowl. The problem is that any water absorbed by alcohol will tend to corrode the float bowl. As long as the fuel orifices are clear then the carburetor should still function; even if it has fuel varnish on the bottom of the float bowl. If the varnish breaks loose then it could clog an orifice then the carburetor will cease to function normally. 

Tecumseh Snow King engines used to have a push-button drain valve feature on the carburetor float bowl. Shut off the fuel petcock and push the button to drain the carburetor. This is a great feature for placing the machine into long-term storage. If there's no push-button fuel drain then loosen the bowl nut and let all the gas drip out. 

I don't use fuel stabilizer in outdoor power equipment; instead opting to remove all fuel from the machine during the off season.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

WVguy said:


> I'm in the "run it dry after use" camp. The reason is that it may be months before I start it again, in which time the carburetor bowl is exposed to open air, the fuel can turn to gunk in that time, with or without stabilizer. At end of season I go even further and drain the entire fuel system including the carburetor bowl.
> 
> As for the "waste of fuel" argument. Seriously? We're talking maybe a thimbleful of gas, my budget can handle that pretty easily.
> 
> And yup, no issues starting again, even several years later.



Maybe 1/4 of a cup realistically  I have my mower timed well so I kill the fuel part way through and once I'm done I only have to wait 30 seconds or so for it to die. Turn the fuel on before I take the mower out of the garage and it starts 1st or 2nd pull as it normally would.





niteshft said:


> Ditto! Alcohol attracts water so, an empty bowl is a friend to your carb. Sure, you could run non alcohol fuel but it's a pain in the butt to keep enough on hand. Plus it's way more expensive than Reg gas so where is the loss?



I haven't counted my gas cans recently but I have probably five or six five gallon ones. I label them when I fill them up and they always get a dose of Sta-bil before heading to the station to fill them. I use permanent marker to write on the can near the handle to state what kind of fuel, ie an R for regular and P for premium and NE for no ethanol and I put the date on the can as well. Gasoline won't take off permanent marker easily BUT carb and choke cleaner will easily do the job, brake cleaner and other cleaners I have in the garage don't work or aren't as easy as a squirt from the C&C can!






johnwick said:


> I’m pretty lucky to have 3-4 gas stations within 5 miles that have 0% ethanol. It’s only about $0.30 cents more per gallon so over the course of a year I’m only out a couple dollars. Way cheaper than tru fuel, good grief. Sounds like others aren’t as lucky on the no-ethanol stations. I feel like they have crept back up over the past 4-5 years after being a desert for quite awhile.




Around here many of the Murphy's gas stations have a separate hose for non ethanol 89 octane gas, cheaper than premium ethanol fuel.


Personally I just use Sta-bil and ethanol gas and haven't had carb issues since I started that regiment over a decade ago! You can also get the Sta-bil 360 meant for ethanol fuel (regular red Sta-bil is still meant for ethanol fuel though so idk..) except that will only protect for up to 12 months vs red Sta-bil that works for up to 24 months. Only time I have carb issues is if it's a used machine or I'm helping my neighbors who don't maintain anything...


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

if we read the owners manual most state do not store more than what can be used in 30 days, yet we all know that can be extended by adding fuel stabilizers. still with today's pump gases. well we all know what can and does happen over time

if i have to use NJ pump gas i add marine store and start, besides having stabilizer in it,it also has fogging oil so it helps coat the inner workings of the carb and engine,

my 2 stroke machines get efree as i use the little 1 gallon bottles almost all of them already have stabilizer mixed in . no need to double dose

some useful reading on av gas and work to replace 100LL is here from the faa, https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/avgas/, https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/avgas/media/media/PAFI_2017.pdf


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## johnwick (Dec 16, 2019)

notabiker said:


> Around here many of the Murphy's gas stations have a separate hose for non ethanol 89 octane gas, cheaper than premium ethanol fuel.




Murphy happens to be one of the closest ones to me. Has the separate hose which is nice but is only 87 octane. All my machines run fine on 87. 

It’s an interesting thought, but whether or not your station carries no-ethanol can be attributed to where they are based out of. 

For example, QuikTrip is a large group out of Oklahoma (Oil Country) who have absolutely come to dominate the Kansas City metro and beyond. They all have “no-ethanol” hoses. 

Then there is Casey’s, based in Iowa (Corn Country) which has expanded into KC just as much as QuikTrip. You won’t find no-ethanol gas at Casey’s. In fact, you have to read closely their price signs when you go by as they advertise E15 and E85 larger than E10. They are the only gas stations I have found that carry E10 in 87, 89, 91 and then E15 and E85. It makes for a lot of buttons. None of which I really want to use!


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## gary407 (Nov 20, 2019)

Casey's has no ethanol in Iowa. I always use stabil in small engine gas and never had a problem. I had a boat that set for 7 years with 24 gal of gas with stabil in it, I gave it to my neighbor for some tree work and guess what it started and he ran that gas out of it with no problems. We did clean the carb and put on a new starter, but that old gas worked. So I am sold on stabil. :smile2:


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## TooTall999 (Nov 19, 2015)

I'm lucky to have Mills Fleet Farm here that has two grades of ethanol free gas, 89 and 91 octane. Kwick Trip has 91 octane ethanol free also. All my engines run ethanol free, including my truck.


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## Brent Holm (Oct 22, 2019)

I think most of you are WAY overthinking this... I haven't bought a can of stabil for 20 years now but I continue to own and use seasonal power equipment and toys. Snowmobiles sit from June-November with ethanol pump gas. They always start right up and run fine, never lost a motor. In fact I just took the spare sled out last Sunday and rode the snot out of it with 8 month old non treated ethanol fuel, no problem. I have been doing this for two decades now on chainsaws, snowblowers, lawn mowers, gas powered compactors, snowmobiles, atvs etc etc. 

The only issue I ever had was on inherited dead rammer compactors with 2 cycle Subaru Robin engines. Both machines sat for severeal years with eth gas in them, no shut offs. Both Mikuni carbs had badly corroded fuel bowls and were plugged with varnish. I soaked them in seafoam for a few days, cleaned them up, new bowl gasket and they run perfectly now. Just sold one for $800, I had $20 in parts and a couple hours time.

Anyway... I would go out of my way and buy non eth gas if I thought there was a tangible advantage to doing so. Mostly I think it is an opportunity for people to think they are outsmarting the rest of us. I think in most cases you are just wasting time and money for no benefit what so ever.


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## lefty (Feb 1, 2014)

I shut the fuel off between uses but mainly to combat against a rouge stuck needle. When it comes to offseason, I always remove and clean the carb before storage. If you're here on this forum, this is in your wheelhouse. It's a one-beer job. 

If you don't have a fuel shutoff, install one. 

As far as fuel left in the tank, not really a problem for a small snowblower tank, easily drainable. I've had success on bigger tanks for lawn mowers leaving the fuel in there and putting a sandwich baggie over the fuel fill spout to seal off the tank vent. Never had a problem come spring. An old-timer at a dealer once gave me that tip. I'm guessing keeping the air out helps.


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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

I'll add my 2 cents. I let gas set in all my power equipment, year round.

I try to buy non-ethanal gas, costs about $0.04 - $0.06 more per gallon. If I use gas with Ethanol, I'll add 1 oz of Sea Foam per gallon.

Use Sta-Bil in ALL my gas. Critical for Ethanol gas to slow separating and for non-Ethanol gas to slow aging. (All gas ages, if it sits more than 30 days, it starts to weaken as the volatils will evaporate. Gas will still fire, but you lose some power.

For long-term storage such as generator & tiller, I'll double the Sea-Foam and Sta-Bil requirements. 

No problems starting after storage other than tractor battery needs charging in spring.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

enigma-2 said:


> No problems starting after storage other than tractor battery needs charging in spring.


From what I've read, letting a lead-acid discharge itself until it's flat is bad for the battery, and will degrade the cells sooner. 

A few years ago I got just 2 seasons out of a tractor battery, before it needed to be replaced. Maybe it was just a bad battery, but I would let them go dead over the winter, then charge them in the spring. After doing some reading, I figured that probably wasn't helping, anyways. So now I bring the battery in, and keep in on a battery tender, over the winter. I'm going into the 3rd season on this battery, hopefully it'll last longer than the last one. 

I just got a solar battery tender. Now I can keep the battery in the tractor, in the shed, and the panel will keep the battery topped-up during the winter. Those can also be used if you have a car that sits for extended periods of time.


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## Bulldogge (Nov 1, 2017)

I run non ethanol fuel & stabilizer. I still shut the off while running so it doesn't sit in the carb. Do I really have to IDK, probably not but I do.


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## ghostdog1108 (Nov 16, 2014)

Total waste of time if you use a gas stabilizer....., End of season, sure go ahead.


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

Stabil-360 is all you need regardless of if the fuel has ethanol or not. It will take care of it.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Brent Holm said:


> I think most of you are WAY overthinking this... I haven't bought a can of stabil for 20 years now but I continue to own and use seasonal power equipment and toys. Snowmobiles sit from June-November with ethanol pump gas. They always start right up and run fine, never lost a motor. In fact I just took the spare sled out last Sunday and rode the snot out of it with 8 month old non treated ethanol fuel, no problem. I have been doing this for two decades now on chainsaws, snowblowers, lawn mowers, gas powered compactors, snowmobiles, atvs etc etc.
> 
> The only issue I ever had was on inherited dead rammer compactors with 2 cycle Subaru Robin engines. Both machines sat for severeal years with eth gas in them, no shut offs. Both Mikuni carbs had badly corroded fuel bowls and were plugged with varnish. I soaked them in seafoam for a few days, cleaned them up, new bowl gasket and they run perfectly now. Just sold one for $800, I had $20 in parts and a couple hours time.
> 
> Anyway... I would go out of my way and buy non eth gas if I thought there was a tangible advantage to doing so. Mostly I think it is an opportunity for people to think they are outsmarting the rest of us. I think in most cases you are just wasting time and money for no benefit what so ever.



Well Brent seeing as you are in Colorado as am I I'll guess your area is as dry as mine if not more so. That said the ethanol probably won't be able to even find moisture 


Still Sta-bil mine to keep the gas fresh for up to 24 months..





RedOctobyr said:


> From what I've read, letting a lead-acid discharge itself until it's flat is bad for the battery, and will degrade the cells sooner.
> 
> A few years ago I got just 2 seasons out of a tractor battery, before it needed to be replaced. Maybe it was just a bad battery, but I would let them go dead over the winter, then charge them in the spring. After doing some reading, I figured that probably wasn't helping, anyways. So now I bring the battery in, and keep in on a battery tender, over the winter. I'm going into the 3rd season on this battery, hopefully it'll last longer than the last one.
> 
> I just got a solar battery tender. Now I can keep the battery in the tractor, in the shed, and the panel will keep the battery topped-up during the winter. Those can also be used if you have a car that sits for extended periods of time.



Yea, deep draining a battery KILLS it quickly!!! I use a couple batteryminder brand chargers that do reconditioning and I rotate between toys. Still have the OEM batteries in my 2008 Honda XR650L and 2009 Suzuki DRZ400S and 2009 Skidoo Summit x 600 etec. The battery in my truck finally died after 11 years and that got probably once a year battery conditioning for a few days. I laugh when I hear of people having batteries last only a couple years.





ghostdog1108 said:


> Total waste of time if you use a gas stabilizer....., End of season, sure go ahead.



Nope, I buy gas by the 5 gallon can and depending on many variables, it will last me a month to a year or so. I always put the recommended amount of Sta-bil in the can before I go to the gas station and being a little cautious I like to keep another 5 to 10 gallons on hand for the generator or truck in case of emergencies. If it gets along in age (over a year or so) then I'll just put it in the truck and get some more next time I'm out.





GoBlowSnow said:


> Stabil-360 is all you need regardless of if the fuel has ethanol or not. It will take care of it.



I looked at that stuff but it says something like "keeps gasoline fresh for up to 12 months" whereas the red stuff is up to 24 months and still works on ethanol gas. Haven't had a problem yet with it either.


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

ok one item i don't see given that could/maybe helpful to remember, rubber fuel lines don't like ethanol either, most of the clone engines have a screw in the tank hose adapter that houses a fine mesh gas filter. 

for the OP how much flow from the tank into the carb? did he check it? there is a good possibility the hose has collapsed inside restricting the flow to a crinkle into the carb making it run lean/surge unless under choke

the op's post fails to say he checked the flow down, he dose state he replaced the carb. 

did he check the connector that screws into the tank for the hose for it's filter screen being clogged? dose it have one which i think powermore dose.
did he check the hose? 


minor item often forgotten is amount of fuel into the carb as being gravity feed any restriction slowing fuel from the tank can cause a lean running


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

I use StaBil in the fuel all year, mostly because I don't know whether any particular machine use will be the last for a day, week, month, or the season. The manual sez to run the carburetor out after each use if stabilizer isn't used. I run it out anyway, even with the stabilizer.

-----

Those who tinker with the carburetors will know that running the engine until it stalls will leave a tiny bit of fuel in the bottom of the bowl. This is evident when I drain the bowl at the end of the season during the pre-hibernation prep. Will that tiny bit of fuel grab enough moisture from the air to form an acid that eats the bowl? We live in a very dry (low relative humidity) climate most of the year, but in the winter the RH goes up even though total available moisture in the air drops. The machine sits in the climate-controlled workbay between uses, with RH managed at about 25% or slightly higher depending on temperature. I'd worry about it a lot more if the machine sat outside in the cold, where condensation would be a bigger risk. Too much to think about really. It's easier to just shut the fuel off, let it run out the bowl as much as possible, and not worry about it with the stabilized fuel. Belt plus suspenders and I don't generally worry about pants dropping.


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

ghostdog1108 said:


> Total waste of time if you use a gas stabilizer....., End of season, sure go ahead.


try telling that to a boat owner . our boat motors sit for months like that of a OPE engine. only in a boat there maybe major gallons of gas still in the tank or tanks, 

end is for me. i'm 100% for treating my ope engines just like the one in my lake boat, stabilizer in the fuel, just in place of stabil i use marine store and start, that one add's some fogging oil in it that helps coat the in side of the carb and motor with a sticky oil that coats the inner workings 
i also add it to my spare cans with 91 octane e free to help in storing as a safety. as true fuel is simply stabilized high test in qt and gallon cans at a big mark up in price


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## fordguy2018 (Dec 27, 2019)

WVguy said:


> I'm in the "run it dry after use" camp. The reason is that it may be months before I start it again, in which time the carburetor bowl is exposed to open air, the fuel can turn to gunk in that time, with or without stabilizer. At end of season I go even further and drain the entire fuel system including the carburetor bowl.
> 
> As for the "waste of fuel" argument. Seriously? We're talking maybe a thimbleful of gas, my budget can handle that pretty easily.
> 
> And yup, no issues starting again, even several years later.


Just run it dry. Then you have no issues. IMHO should be SOP for all of your machines.


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

Here's what I've always been told:
If you drain the unit dry, the seals dry out over the summer and then leak when you refill in the fall.


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## ou2mame (Dec 23, 2019)

Rooskie said:


> Here's what I've always been told:
> If you drain the unit dry, the seals dry out over the summer and then leak when you refill in the fall.


Never had that happen with a lawn mower, no reason to think it would happen with anything else. I run everything dry for storage.


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

Rooskie said:


> Here's what I've always been told:
> If you drain the unit dry, the seals dry out over the summer and then leak when you refill in the fall.


That was undoubtedly true when cork gaskets were used for bowl sealing. Modern carbs (oxymoron??...) use teflon, buna, and other neoprene-like materials for seals and hoses. That stuff is more likely to crack from age and exposure to some aromatics in the fuel, vs "drying out". If you have a vintage/antique machine with cork or paper gaskets and sealing rings, by all means find a way to keep them from dry cracking. Consider though that the only things that stay wet with fuel in the bowl will be a drain seal plus maybe a main jet seal if it has one, and the sealing washer where a screw-in float valve seat might sit. There aren't many of those screw-in seats since Tillotson in the 1950's. The bowl gasket is always above liquid level unless the needle is leaking. Just not a lot of things to "keep wet".


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

Good explanation by Dr Bob. I used to worry about the "drying out" phenomenon, but once I started working on OPE, I saw that it really wasn't an issue (any more). Contamination and crud build-up was much more of a concern. I have started to run more of my machines out of gas during the off season. Though I still run my generator and lawn tractor every month or 2. 

tx


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

My standby generator (Generac 20kW LC) likes to do a test start and run once a week. I'm not sure why, since it runs on natural gas. Not a lot of available issues with old fuel to be a concern. I put a battery in it every couple years, and that battery sits on an integrated charger/maintainer at all times. Makes me wonder if the weekly start-run test is a throwback to units running on stored liquid fuel. Even on gasoline engines in small air-cooled generators and tractors, I can't see how running an engine every month or two buys anything if you are draining the carburetor anyway.

For my few pieces of OPE, I drain the tanks for off-season storage anyway. The oil gets changed prior to that storage, plugs come loose, cylinders get fogged with ATF or fogging oil, and the engines are rotated to TDC compression so the valves are closed. Plug(s) back in finger tight, plug lead is left loose.


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## badbmwbrad (Jul 30, 2019)

I'm thinking there are other degradation mechanisms present which can increase potential for a no-start condition (e.g. atmospheric conditions which causes condensation in the cylinder or in the crankcase which can corrode bearing surfaces) 
Perhaps the weekly surveillance run accounts for the mean time between mouse nest builds in the air cleaner or exhaust pipe? Electrical contacts can corrode too. 



dr bob said:


> My standby generator (Generac 20kW LC) likes to do a test start and run once a week. I'm not sure why, since it runs on natural gas. Not a lot of available issues with old fuel to be a concern. I put a battery in it every couple years, and that battery sits on an integrated charger/maintainer at all times. Makes me wonder if the weekly start-run test is a throwback to units running on stored liquid fuel. Even on gasoline engines in small air-cooled generators and tractors, I can't see how running an engine every month or two buys anything if you are draining the carburetor anyway.


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## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

Original Poster here. Wow! Lots of great info. Thanks a bunch everyone!


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