# Ariens EFI Storage



## MSB1766 (Jan 25, 2019)

So I picked up a new Ariens Deluxe 30 EFI snowblower the other day, got a good price from dealer due winter is over.
How should I store this snowblower that is EFI?
The manual says to fill tank with stabilzer in fuel and then it says to drain the tank.
I do not know what to due as this is an EFI sytem.


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## GeorgePowell (Mar 17, 2019)

Seems a waste to completely fill tank with stabilized fuel just to throw it out. They do say run the treated fuel for a few minutes then shut the valve to empty the system.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Do you have a link to your manual? That seems like odd advice, it would be interesting to see. I found a Deluxe 30 EFI manual here: 
https://www.snowblowersdirect.com/manuals/ariens-6724fb90ae22004ec7fb6750a7983ed3.pdf

I didn't notice instructions to add stabilized fuel then drain it, but maybe I'm looking in the wrong area?


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

The storage section of the manual seems pretty clear - add stabilizer, turn the key off, and ignore it . . .


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## MSB1766 (Jan 25, 2019)

I read that in the Operators manual says add stabilizer turn off key just like tadawson wrote but the engine manual says:

FUEL HANDLING:
Short Term Non-use (up to 30 days)
1. Add fuel stabilizer, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Start the engine.
3. Run the engine outdoors for 5 minute to be sure that treated gasoline has circulated through the entire fuel system.
4. Stop the engine.
Long Term (more than 30 days)
1. Run the engine until it stops due to lack of fuel.
2. Add 4-6oz of an ethanol free fuel.
3. Start the engine and run until it stops from lack of fuel.


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## Fat City (Feb 11, 2017)

I agree with filling the tank with stabilized fuel, than draining it . The fuel washes out any condensation, and can be used in another engine . I like the idea of than adding ethanol free fuel, and stabilizer, running the engine a few minutes .
When engine cools, lightly oil cylinder .


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

If the vendor has specific instructions, follow that. If not, I'd do like I do with the cars I store over winter. I fill the tanks with non-alcohol fuel with stabilizer. Gas station is about a mile from the house so obviously it gets run into the system and there's no gas line shutoff on the car. I disconnect the battery when it goes into storage though some people say to use battery maintainers. I start the vehicles about once a month in the off-season long enough to get the engine up to temp. I also try to move the car a little so the tires don't flat spot.
If I had an efi blower, unless directed otherwise I'd do some variation of that.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Full tank of fuel leaves less air space for moisture to condense in the tank, stabilize the gas first. Fuel injected units that pressurize the fuel in the lines wont have a problem where the fuel is pressurized and not in contact with air or oxygen, it wont go stale. If you have a carb, drain the fuel bowl, because that little bit of fuel in the bowl will go stale a lot quicker than the larger amount in the fuel tank. Carb bowls are vented to air so just a small amount of fuel will go stale a lot quicker than a much larger amount in storage will.


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## MSB1766 (Jan 25, 2019)

So here is what I did, drained out the tank ran engine until it ran out of fuel, filled tank with NON ethanol 93 octane fuel with Star-Tron fuel treatment, ran engine for 5 minutes and turned it off. Set a reminder in my phone to charge the battery in 3 months, will probably start it then and run it for a few minutes.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Sounds good to me.


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## IDEngineer (Oct 16, 2018)

On my engines, carbed or EFI, I treat the (always!) non-ethanol fuel, run the engine for a while to guarantee *treated* fuel has made it throughout the entire fuel system, then turn off the fuel valve and let the engine die on its own. Then I drain the fuel tank completely by removing a hose and draining it into a fuel can. Squirt some storage oil into each cylinder, manually turn the engine over a couple of times to distribute the storage oil, and clean/replace/gap the plug(s). Burn the old fuel in something else, and refill next winter with nice *fresh* non-ethanol fuel.


Result: Your engine's fuel system is fully protected with treated fuel, your engine's combustion sections are fully protected with storage oil, and you don't have gasoline aging in the tank for 6-9 months.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

MSB1766 said:


> So here is what I did, drained out the tank ran engine until it ran out of fuel, filled tank with NON ethanol 93 octane fuel with Star-Tron fuel treatment, ran engine for 5 minutes and turned it off. Set a reminder in my phone to charge the battery in 3 months, will probably start it then and run it for a few minutes.


That sounds like a winner.


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## GeorgePowell (Mar 17, 2019)

Does not seem to have a fuel cutoff on the 30 efi, or l am not looking in the right pace...


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## MSB1766 (Jan 25, 2019)

There is not a fuel shut-off. Just be careful not to turn on the key without fuel in the tank, talked a service tech and he said they had had a few in due to running the fuel pump dry and burning it up.


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## Bills small engine repair (11 mo ago)

ST1100A said:


> Full tank of fuel leaves less air space for moisture to condense in the tank, stabilize the gas first. Fuel injected units that pressurize the fuel in the lines wont have a problem where the fuel is pressurized and not in contact with air or oxygen, it wont go stale. If you have a carb, drain the fuel bowl, because that little bit of fuel in the bowl will go stale a lot quicker than the larger amount in the fuel tank. Carb bowls are vented to air so just a small amount of fuel will go stale a lot quicker than a much larger amount in storage will.


 I have found that fuel stabilizer just makes it worse, There is a chemical reaction that happens between the ethanol and fuel stabilizer such as staybill and sea foam that caused a gel to build-up in the carburetor and clog the jets.


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## MSB1766 (Jan 25, 2019)

So this is what I did, At the end of the winter filled the tank with NON ethanal 90 octane gas with Gumout Mulit-system Tune up with P.E.A,
Ran blower for 5 minutes. In the Fall sucked out all the fuel in the tank, put the fuel into my ztr mower, as I have alot of leaves to pickup.
Filled the blower tank with freshly treated fuel.


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