# Shut-off method and storage



## Jaysen123 (Jan 19, 2016)

Hi guys!

New to the Forums in general. Just purchased a Platinum 24" SHO and had it delivered yesterday. Can't wait to use this bad boy here in southeastern PA where we are under Blizzard warnings. My dealer did advise to use stabilizer directly in the gas can and that way it's mixed nicely when the stream of gas flows in. That way any gas used is always premixed with stabilizer and the fuel in the travel can is also always treated.

I was also advised that the best way to help ensure the engine, carburetor and all fuel lines etc. remain in good shape is to shut off the engine with the Fuel shut-off so that all fuel is drained out of the system. So do you guys try to make sure all fuel is drained as well as from the gas tank when your done? If you don't see an upcoming storm, is this the best route to go? If it's going to be used again soon do you worry about removing fuel from tank too?

I know Ariens and their reputation for long lasting snow blowers so I want to make sure I do everything I can as well to make this puppy last for generations hopefully. What does everyone recommend or are you currently doing?

Thank you!!

Jay


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## ddip214 (Oct 3, 2015)

Hi Jay,
I stay away from the stabilizer and use high octane fuel. Also during the winter season I let the fuel sit in, but between uses I shut the gas on/off for safety reasons, but it's not necessary. However at the end of the season Ill shut the gas off and start the blower up and wait till it dies to clear the fuel out of the carb/system. There is also a little drain valve on the bottom of the carb where you can drain the fuel from inside the carb. and then I'll drain the gas out of the tank and put her away for the summer.


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

There are many schools of thought on this issue. I developed a habit years ago of shutting off the fuel valve and letting the engine stop by emptying the carb. It was as much a safety concern as a maintenance concern. 

I always use a fuel stabilizer, in the can before filling it up at the gas station. So far, I have not had any issues with gummed up carbs. I empty the gas tank after the snow season is over, and leave the cap off for a day to let anything evaporate. Machine usually starts right up next season.

This year, I am using Shell Vnitro fuel, which is 91 octane and free of ethenol. I have not had trouble with ethenol so far, but the machine is getting a bit older, and I figured keeping the fuel system clean and free of possible water contamination, even with the stabilizer, is not a bad thing.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

The only thing i do different from skutflut is when the engine starts to run out of fuel, i close the choke hopeing that all the fuel gets sucked out of the carb.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I don't run it dry each use but I do end of season and I'm a believer in using a good quality stabilizer like Stabil Marine in every batch and a cleaner like Lucas once in a while. It's just cheap insurance.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

ddip214 said:


> Hi Jay,
> I stay away from the stabilizer and use high octane fuel. Also during the winter season I let the fuel sit in, but between uses I shut the gas on/off for safety reasons, but it's not necessary. However at the end of the season Ill shut the gas off and start the blower up and wait till it dies to clear the fuel out of the carb/system. There is also a little drain valve on the bottom of the carb where you can drain the fuel from inside the carb. and then I'll drain the gas out of the tank and put her away for the summer.


+1 for me too.


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## NJHonda (Feb 8, 2013)

Whats makes you think its ethenol free? NO WHERE on the website does it say that. 
Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline | Shell United States



skutflut said:


> This year, I am using Shell Vnitro fuel, which is 91 octane and free of ethenol. I have not had trouble with ethenol so far, but the machine is getting a bit older, and I figured keeping the fuel system clean and free of possible water contamination, even with the stabilizer, is not a bad thing.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

NJHonda said:


> Whats makes you think its ethenol free? NO WHERE on the website does it say that.
> Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline | Shell United States



not sure if thats a fair comparison between countries ?


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## brickcity (Jan 23, 2014)

yea
the canucks have different regulations.


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## AandPDan (Nov 18, 2014)

brickcity said:


> yea
> the canucks have different regulations.


So do different states.


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

NJHonda said:


> Whats makes you think its ethenol free? NO WHERE on the website does it say that.
> Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline | Shell United States


Here in Ontario, it's stated right on the pump. There are 3 places here where you can get ethenol free premium fuel, Shell, Canadian Tire gas bar, and I forget the other one...


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## InfernoST (Feb 12, 2014)

I also use Stabile Marine stabilizer but never shut the fuel valve when she is running because the engine will run extremely lean as the fuel is being used up in the bowl and can cause engine damage. I prefer to fog the motor, it has worked for me on my boats and other engines without fail. YMMV


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## suspicionogignorance3 (Jun 12, 2014)

InfernoST said:


> I also use Stabile Marine stabilizer but never shut the fuel valve when she is running because the engine will run extremely lean as the fuel is being used up in the bowl and can cause engine damage. I prefer to fog the motor, it has worked for me on my boats and other engines without fail. YMMV


 I would think that 95% of the run time , with fuel shut off, would not be a lean condition....Confused on how fogging the engine will help out with fuel going bad in carb...


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## InfernoST (Feb 12, 2014)

suspicionogignorance3 said:


> I would think that 95% of the run time , with fuel shut off, would not be a lean condition....Confused on how fogging the engine will help out with fuel going bad in carb...


The fuel stabilizer keeps the fuel fresh the fogging lubricates all of the fuel passages, the fogging oil is typically good for storage of up to 2 years and it wont gum up.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

ddip214 said:


> Hi Jay,
> I stay away from the stabilizer and use high octane fuel. Also during the winter season I let the fuel sit in, but between uses I shut the gas on/off for safety reasons, but it's not necessary. However at the end of the season Ill shut the gas off and start the blower up and wait till it dies to clear the fuel out of the carb/system. There is also a little drain valve on the bottom of the carb where you can drain the fuel from inside the carb. and then I'll drain the gas out of the tank and put her away for the summer.





Town said:


> +1 for me too.


Last year I reached out to one of the techs at LCT Engines, and they confirmed there is absolutely no benefit to using high octane fuels, and that there is actually a potential to increase the rate of engine wear by doing so. The recommendation was regular grade gas with marine sta-bil and to keep the gas in storage no longer than 3months.


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## kwk11 (Oct 9, 2015)

NJHonda said:


> Whats makes you think its ethenol free? NO WHERE on the website does it say that.
> Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline | Shell United States


 From Canadian Shell website FAQ's
Shell V-Power NiTRO+ FAQs - Canada


11. Is Shell V-Power NiTRO+ premium gasoline safe for all vehicles? 


Shell V-Power NiTRO+ is effective in all gasoline-powered engines found in conventional, modern and hybrid vehicles as well as motorcycles, snowmobiles, and leisure marine vehicles. 
*Shell V-Power NiTRO+ premium gasoline in Canada does not contain ethanol.

*


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## NJHonda (Feb 8, 2013)

ahh got it..


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## ctdave (Sep 11, 2015)

kwk11 said:


> From Canadian Shell website FAQ's
> Shell V-Power NiTRO+ FAQs - Canada
> 
> 
> ...


there are also local shell stations that have eth free gas. the shell site contains a list of them..i have one close by and that is all I use in my Harley 93 oct with no eth... I do the same as some others I use reg gas with marine stabilizer. at the end of the season I run my equip out of gas and drain the carb. very simple . never had a prob with a gummed up system


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## kwk11 (Oct 9, 2015)

ctdave said:


> there are also local shell stations that have eth free gas. the shell site contains a list of them..i have one close by and that is all I use in my Harley 93 oct with no eth... I do the same as some others I use reg gas with marine stabilizer. at the end of the season I run my equip out of gas and drain the carb. very simple . never had a prob with a gummed up system


 Not that I would use it but you can get 93 oct while ours is only 91.


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## ctdave (Sep 11, 2015)

kwk11 said:


> Not that I would use it but you can get 93 oct while ours is only 91.


 that's the only fuel I put in my Harley. i don't use it for my yard equip or generator.. the local Sunoco still has 94 oct. don't know if that's true because I thought they changed to a 93 oct premium


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

TheHolyCannoli said:


> Last year I reached out to one of the techs at LCT Engines, and they confirmed there is absolutely no benefit to using high octane fuels, and that there is actually a potential to increase the rate of engine wear by doing so. The recommendation was regular grade gas with marine sta-bil and to keep the gas in storage no longer than 3months.


The reason to use premium gas is that it is ethanol free. In Ontario all premium gas is ethanol free, apparently less so in the US. The ethanol absorbs water out of the air and forms a alcohol and water mixture that is heavier than gas and drops to the lowest point in the container and will not burn. Depending on the humidity level in the air the saturation can occur in a short time. Stabilizer does not seem to prevent this in my area at least. 

Premium gas has a higher ignition point than lower octane grades so it is used where detonation is a problem. It is agreed that in engines where detonation is not a problem you don't need premium gas, so snowblower engines don't need premium to run properly. 

I don't believe the LCT tech saying that premium gas will/may cause increased rate of wear when all the evidence points to the additional additives and cleaners in premium fuel reduce the carbon build-up in engines.


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## lillbear (Jan 5, 2016)

I wonder if it's just habit to do the stabilizer etc. I always have put premium in blower,lawnmower and tractor. Never drained anything. All I do is change the oil before the season starts and never had a issue in the last 20 years. I'm probably playing devil's advocate but I would think that if it's that critical I would have had problems by now. I wouldn't try it with regular gas but it seems to be fine with premium . Even my 250 HP boat engine.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

lillbear, is your premium the ethanol-free type? 

I'm personally of the opinion that ethanol vs ethanol-free is probably more important than extra additives and cleaners in premium. For these discussions, it would help avoid confusion if people also mentioned whether their gas has ethanol or not, since it varies by area and country. 

Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with adding Seafoam to my gas to clean an already-dirty carb. It didn't help my generator that needed partial choke to run smoothly. But running the carb through an ultrasonic cleaner did the trick.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

RedOctobyr said:


> lillbear, is your premium the ethanol-free type?
> 
> I'm personally of the opinion that ethanol vs ethanol-free is probably more important than extra additives and cleaners in premium. For these discussions, it would help avoid confusion if people also mentioned whether their gas has ethanol or not, since it varies by area and country.
> 
> Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with adding Seafoam to my gas to clean an already-dirty carb. It didn't help my generator that needed partial choke to run smoothly. But running the carb through an ultrasonic cleaner did the trick.


There are 4 reasons I buy premium gas here in Ontario: 
1. does not contain any ethanol which has much less energy than gas, so ethanol free gas will produce more power and use less fuel; 
2. does not contain any ethanol which absorbs water out of the air and forms a water laden alcohol mixture that does not burn;
3. ethanol is recognized by small engine manufacturers as a problem because 10% ethanol can be tolerated but 15% and higher ethanol content is specifically not recommended;
4. premium has additional additives to keep the engine and fuel system clean. 

I hope this clarifies my view as noted in my previous post. 

Good luck.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Here (New Jersey USA) all gasoline has ethanol, premium or not.

I run the carb dry before putting the machine away. I also turn the engine over until the valves close.

I just bought some Marine Sta-bil and will likely add it, but so far I haven't needed it even with 10% ethanol.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

ChrisJ said:


> Here (New Jersey USA) all gasoline has ethanol, premium or not.
> 
> I run the carb dry before putting the machine away. I also turn the engine over until the valves close.
> 
> I just bought some Marine Sta-bil and will likely add it, but so far I haven't needed it even with 10% ethanol.


 I would think it would be better to have the valves open so that they do not rust shut. Myself, i put about an ounce of oil into the cylinder after removing the spark plug, and pull the starter rope a few times to distribute the oil, and then put the spark plug back in. The next season, it smokes a bit on first start until the oil burns off, but other than that, if has been fine.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

RIT333 said:


> *I would think it would be better to have the valves open so that they do not rust shut.* Myself, i put about an ounce of oil into the cylinder after removing the spark plug, and pull the starter rope a few times to distribute the oil, and then put the spark plug back in. The next season, it smokes a bit on first start until the oil burns off, but other than that, if has been fine.


The Ariens/LCT manual says to pull the starter rope until resistance is felt so that the valves are closed. This is the last step in the storage procedure. Subaru engine manual for my tiller says the same thing. It appears to help stop moisture entering the cylinder and causing rust, even when the engine is fogged with oil or oil added to cylinder and distributed by the piston which are earlier steps in the procedure.


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