# Preventing Carburetor Failure From Clogs



## Jesse11B (Jan 27, 2020)

Hey everyone, say I’m curious if any of you folks have used this product for preventing carburetors from clogging? It’s a product called “Carburetor Clean- Gum Buster”. I’ve attached a couple of picture files below, and a quick YouTube video link Of the product.

The idea of this product is to save a carburetor from developing fuel related gum and debris. The product accomplishes this by purging an aerosolized solvent through a carburetors bowl nut(bowl nut is replaced with a new bowl nut that also acts as a check valve). The vendor claims this product will help to clear the small passages within a carburetor of the remaining trace droplets of fuel that can breakdown and cause clogs.

With being newer to maintaining residential power equipment, I’ve been interested in figuring out how to prevent common problems. In turn I’ve spent a good deal of time researching how to prevent problems from occurring with small engines, and the theme of fuel related issues and carburetors seems to be a primary problem second to general neglect. I think the idea of this product is interesting, and sounds promising. The price is about thirty bucks for the solvent can, and bowl nut/check valve. 

What do you folks think of this idea of purging a carburetor after draining the fuel system for seasonal storage? Or perhaps after each use as an overkill carburetor trouble prevention routine? Do you think the solvent could in time damage the softer metals in a carburetor, Or eat at the plastic plug found at the top of some carbs?


Linked YouTube video of the product below:


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

You cant dream this stuff up …. 


Look, ... I have been using Stabil and half the rate of SeaFoam in all my 5 gallon gas cans, with 87 octane gas, for all my equipment, for all my life, since I can remember.

I have never had an issue on any of my carburetors on all my equipment. I periodically start and run my equipment, even in off season or if not being used.

Now I have worked on many machines that come my way with &^%$&^$ up carburetors, where I just throw on an aftermarket for 13.00, and send them back on there way, with instructions to treat there gas from now on.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

"solvent" doesn't sound safe for a carb.

just use ethanol free gas and/or good fresh gas with a stabilizer and keep it fresh in your small engines and you'll have no problems.


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## Fat City (Feb 11, 2017)

Sounds like snake oi to me . If the kit came with the ' correct ' bowl nut [ different kits for different carbs ] I would be more impressed . I agree with the poster that said an aftermarket carb is about $ 13, way cheaper than the spray can boogie, and undoubtedly more effective. My advice for cleaning carbs, disassemble, soak body and parts in vinegar for a few hours, than put parts in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with plain water, with a small pinch of baking soda . Run cleaner for 10 minutes, use compressed air to purge water, dry with heat gun, a quick shot of penetrating oil keeps small passages open . Blasting solvent up emulsion tube does not clean the air passages . In the past, I've used powerful degreasers in the ultrasonic. That's OK if carb goes back on, and run . ' Cleaned ' but not run carbs corrode as the cleaner attacks metal, causing further corrosion. I use Startron Fuel stabilizer, and don't have problems .


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## Fat City (Feb 11, 2017)

Forgot to ask, are new carbs tested with fuel on an engine, or is this another W **** Lie ?


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## johnwick (Dec 16, 2019)

Pressurize a carb? WTH? Snake oil my friend. As others have mentioned, simply treat your gas with stabil or sea foam.


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## ember1205 (Jan 9, 2020)

oneacer said:


> You cant dream this stuff up ….
> 
> 
> Look, ... I have been using Stabil and half the rate of SeaFoam in all my 5 gallon gas cans, with 87 octane gas, for all my equipment, for all my life, since I can remember.
> ...


Stabil and Startron here, SeaFoam as well. Chain saws, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, snow blowers... Never had a carb issue. Ever.

The one thing I always do is run the machine with the fuel turned off so that the carb empties out. No fuel = no way to gum up the carb from breakdown.

If you have Ethanol-free fuel in your area, use that. Otherwise, be sure the gas is always fresh (buy it from a high-volume station, and don't keep it more than a couple of months - find another way to consume it, like in your car).


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

yep another car dealer like snake oil push, just like they try to push for extra tech hour cash on a service, OHH your fuel system, throttle body and valves need a cleaning/decarboning. snake oil from one who was a factory dsm.

keep your gas fresh (if where one can get e free gas use it) even with efree add some stabilizer brand of choice.only keep around what will be used in 30 days, 60 tops in a tightly sealed container. follow whats printed in the machines owners manual

stop worrying


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I'm skeptical of this, including wondering how it attaches to different carbs.

I run stabilized fuel all the time, and run my carbs dry at the end of the season. But that does still leave some fuel in the bottom of the bowl. If you want to be more thorough, loosen the bowl nut at the end of the season (after closing the fuel shutoff, and running the carb dry until it stalls), and drain out what's in the bottom of the bowl. Re-snug that nut, and put it away for the season. The fuel you're using at the end of the season should be stabilized.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Though I agree with fuel stabilizer, good gas from a Top Tier station, fresh gas, cheap carbs, I like this idea! If there is a problem, it may be easier and faster especially in a snow storm! This is a great idea. It is no different then using similar on a car to clean the throttle body and injectors which is done by every shop and has been proven to work.

With a car you have a lot of suction pulling the cleaner through, with a small engine you have a much smaller amount, thus the benefit of the pressurized aerosol. There have been many times I just shot the aerosol carb cleaner up the main jet, or in the side jet to eat away or dislodge crud.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Though I agree with fuel stabilizer, good gas from a Top Tier station, fresh gas, cheap carbs, I like this idea! If there is a problem, it may be easier and faster especially in a snow storm! This is a great idea. It is no different then using similar on a car to clean the throttle body and injectors which is done by every shop and has been proven to work.



curious about the chemicals in this and if it would damage carb in long term


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Most of the chemicals in those cleaners are Acetone or Alcohol. They will give it a different name, but it is based off those chemicals. 
The alcohol in E10 gas is a solvent.
Naptha is also the active ingredient in fuel stabilizers.


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## 88-tek (Nov 5, 2017)

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=164133&stc=1&d=1582264123


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## Jesse11B (Jan 27, 2020)

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate being able to bounce these ideas off of those who've had many more years experience with maintaining their equipment well. I definitely hear you guys in the snake oil point. Red flags and questions should be raised with new methods that haven't been proven by the test of time. 



oneacer said:


> You cant dream this stuff up ….
> 
> 
> Look, ... I have been using Stabil and half the rate of SeaFoam in all my 5 gallon gas cans, with 87 octane gas, for all my equipment, for all my life, since I can remember.
> ...


Ha , yeah I was wondering how quick you'd be able to fire off this point. I think I heard this point a couple of times in my head while writing the original post. And I certainly agree with this point of using stability and seafoam. My father and grandad have always used stabil, seafoam, and at times have fogged some engines depending on how long they would be sitting. 

Man, I didn't know some of the aftermarket carbs are so economical. 13$ or so ain't bad. Especially in comparison to an OEM 254cc LCT carb listed at 90ish $ at my local parts dealer. 



orangputeh said:


> "solvent" doesn't sound safe for a carb.
> 
> just use ethanol free gas and/or good fresh gas with a stabilizer and keep it fresh in your small engines and you'll have no problems.


Yeah I wondered about that too with the solvent. I wouldn't want to incur solvent caused corrosion. Especially if the goal is to prevent carb trouble to begin with. 

I agree about the e-free gas. I'm lucky enough to have e free gas at many stations nearby, and there are 2 small airports that are within 40 miles that I've been told by my local Arien's dealer sells aviation fuel.

Just for the sake of discussion. Lets say a person choses the method of draining the fuel system/running the engine until it stalls, and fully lets the carb drain out by removing the bowl nut. But is worried about the trace amounts of residual fuel droplets left behind, and the possibility that these left behind trace amounts can over time accumulate deposits. What if compressed air was used to purge or dry out the carb instead of solvent? Maybe compressed air at a lower pressure could be used so as to not damage or move the needle valve's seat and the like? 

I admit it is most likely overkill. But I still like the idea of being able to dry out all of the small fuel passages/circuits within a carburetor after each use of the machine. Especially since some of the snowfalls this year in my area have been about 4 weeks apart. If I could use just compressed air at a low pressure, maybe I'll be able to maintain my new machines carb in a like new state for years. 



Fat City said:


> Sounds like snake oi to me . If the kit came with the ' correct ' bowl nut [ different kits for different carbs ] I would be more impressed . I agree with the poster that said an aftermarket carb is about $ 13, way cheaper than the spray can boogie, and undoubtedly more effective. My advice for cleaning carbs, disassemble, soak body and parts in vinegar for a few hours, than put parts in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with plain water, with a small pinch of baking soda . Run cleaner for 10 minutes, use compressed air to purge water, dry with heat gun, a quick shot of penetrating oil keeps small passages open . Blasting solvent up emulsion tube does not clean the air passages . In the past, I've used powerful degreasers in the ultrasonic. That's OK if carb goes back on, and run . ' Cleaned ' but not run carbs corrode as the cleaner attacks metal, causing further corrosion. I use Startron Fuel stabilizer, and don't have problems .





Fat City said:


> Forgot to ask, are new carbs tested with fuel on an engine, or is this another W **** Lie ?


I like the point of having correct bowl nuts too. Especially since some bowl nuts have multiple fuel passages, and I question if 1 or 2 different bowl nuts can be universal? The vendor does offer 2 different kits. One kit offers a bowl nut/check valve for honda engines and their clone counterparts. And the other kit offers a bowl nut for all other engines and machines.

Thank you for the advice on what to use for carb cleaning. I just hope I never have to get to that point, because I have to get to work within 30 minutes from the time of being called. I work in the ICU, and emergency units at the local hospital. I really want to avoid ever having a clogged carburetor, because I don't have the time to shovel out the EOD pile if I'm called in and my machine won't start. And that EOD pile has already claimed a radiator off of my car, and caused exhaust damage to my pick up. I didn't have a blower last year and without time to shovel the EOD pile I rammed through it in reverse. My EOD pile can be pretty deep and long as it's just south of an airfield, and the snow blows across the airstrip and drops around the grove of spruce on my street.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Jesse11B said:


> Thank you all for your input. I appreciate being able to bounce these ideas off of those who've had many more years experience with maintaining their equipment well. I definitely hear you guys in the snake oil point. Red flags and questions should be raised with new methods that haven't been proven by the test of time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I understand your concerns but I just think people overthink this stuff. ever since i have used Ethanol free gas with stabilizer and rotate my gas every couple months I have had no problems. you will hear this from people doing this for 10-20 years or more.

some people swear by Seafoam also. I have had success getting engines to smooth out with a little Gumout mixed in with gas. Some owners swear by shutting off gas and running engine until it stalls after every use. My opinion again is that is overkill. I do it at end of season.

bottom line......you will hear pros and cons on different gasolines , additives , stabilizers , methods and on and on until the cows come home....

I just know what works for me. I work on small engines year round. Lawnmowers , generators and 95% snowblowers......year round. probably a hundred a year.( semi-retired ) 

So what I do works for me.


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

Wow, I agree with Orange again. He is getting much smarter these days !!


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## ember1205 (Jan 9, 2020)

orangputeh said:


> some people swear by Seafoam also. I have had success getting engines to smooth out with a little Gumout mixed in with gas. Some owners swear by shutting off gas and running engine until it stalls after every use. My opinion again is that is overkill. I do it at end of season.


Your point about running a carb dry at end of season "only" is completely reasonable and makes sense. I do it every time because I don't always know when the end of season will be and how long in between uses in general...


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

my personal view about storage is what's good for my 23 foot 454 powered lake boat with roughly 60 gallons left every year in the tank it's also good for my machines and hot rods


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## arienskids (Jan 26, 2018)

the only real way to clean a carburetor while doing a decent job and making sure that you are actually cleaning out the carburetor is to pull off the carburetor bowl and manually clean it out. especially with these modern clone engines, rust, water and other types of debris tends to build up in the carburetor and sometimes you will even find metal shavings from the factory not cleaning the components properly before final assembly, and guess what? none of these miracle solvents or carb cleaners are going to make your engine be able to burn that crap. do it right or dont do it at all


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Sounds like that stuff just forces any remaining gas through the passageways and into the engine or out the intake. Might as well plumb a tire valve stem to the float bowl and hit it with compressed air and do the same thing.


Sta-bil and whatever gas I feel like (usually ethanol stuff) is what's in all my small engine toys. No issues since I've been doing that so I'll keep doing it. Only time I get to play with a carb is if I'm changing jets or a neighbor doesn't listen to me and use Sta-bil so I have to clean their carb...


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

if you are able to get e-free gas locally like you say don't worry about a possible residue being left in the float bowl if you run it dry. there shouldn't be much if any if you run e-free.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I do think the idea of "purging" the carb with some compressed air sounds interesting. A rubber tip on the nozzle, then pressed into the bottom center of the carb (with the bowl bolt removed), a few little shots of air could help get residual fuel out of there. 

Do I think it's necessary? No, almost certainly not. I've had success with just stabilized ethanol fuel, and running carbs dry at the end of the season. But there are multiple levels of approaches to this, some more-involved than others.


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## Snowbelt_subie (Dec 20, 2016)

Hmm this is interesting. I just dont see the need IMO. If you are taking the carb bowl off I dont really see the point of this when you can spray some carb cleaner up through the tube and clean the jet and bowl and put back on.

I rarely see the problem in the upper passages of the carb it's usually in the jet and tube.

In the video no way that main jet gets clogged like that with someone running the machine dry. More like it sat for 5 years full of gas.

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## ember1205 (Jan 9, 2020)

87powershiftx2 said:


> my personal view about storage is what's good for my 23 foot 454 powered lake boat with roughly 60 gallons left every year in the tank it's also good for my machines and hot rods


With one pretty significant exception... The fuel in your boat, if provided from a waterside pump, is almost certainly ethanol-free which makes it significantly more stable and for a much longer period of time compared to the garbage we get at the roadside stations...


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

ember1205 said:


> With one pretty significant exception... The fuel in your boat, if provided from a waterside pump, is almost certainly ethanol-free which makes it significantly more stable and for a much longer period of time compared to the garbage we get at the roadside stations...


where i live that's a totally false statement,, the lake (greenwood lake ) that it's run on is within 60 miles of new york city, ny state epa outlaws the sale of e free with in that zone. which are the county's of orange, westchester, rockland and putnam, the NJ end it's illegal to pump. only way in nj is in qt and 1 gallon cans in the box stores 

who in their right mind is going to buy 60 or 70- 1 gallon cans at that price to top of a boat? and for a note my lake boat tank is 100 gallons,it's bad enough the lake marina's charge $5.50 per plus for high test the only level found at every marina


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

87,
You are right about that.
Most people don't know or never new that.
You would have to put 2 55 gallon drums in your truck and drive how far away to find a place that sells E Free to fill your drums, then transport them back to your boat.
That would be a major hassle.
Even if you went out an bought a special fuel tank for equipment that mounts in your truck, you are only allowed to transport so much flammable liquid at a time, then you have to have a special permit, license endorsement, placards, fire extinguishers and other safety equipment on your vehicle like special explosion proof sealed lights.
It is a major hassle and the added costs and extra work for all that.
That is just to transport the fuel to your boat.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

A lot of those deposits in that are showed on the video are caused by "Sulfation", that is Sulfur that is present in fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel, which now has a lowered content of sulfur. It turns into a "Salt" like substance.
The sulfur reacts with metals in the fuel system when left to sit there and certain ingredients of the gasoline separate and evaporate out if it, the sulfur is left to cling to whatever surface it comes in contact with.
With Ethanol fuels, there is a little bit less sulfur present because the ethanol is taking some of its place because it is diluted with the gasoline, so by diluting the sulfur present gasoline per gallon, there is just a little bit less gas per gallon, therefore a little bit less sulfur.
A good example, take a glass of salt water and let the water evaporate, you have the salt left over. That is what is happening to the carburetors in the video, it is a sulfur salt.
Ethanol free gasoline does the same thing believe it or not. I remember how bad carburetors got before we had Ethanol gas, and they were just as bad if not worse from people leaving old gas in them.
That is why it is so important to drain them of fuel when putting them in storage. There is only a little bit in them and it will evaporate much quicker than it will in a full fuel tank. Carburetors are vented to outside air and it will cause the fuel to "Oxidize", another word for going "Stale" a lot quicker because of the small amount of fuel in them. It stays fresher a lot longer in an enclosed fuel tank with less air space for the amount of fuel in them, so keep the tank full, or empty it out all the way.
I am not a fan of Ethanol gasoline, I would rather we not have it, but we do, and have to make the best of it and deal with it accordingly.


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

ST1100A said:


> 87,
> You are right about that.
> Most people don't know or never new that.
> You would have to put 2 55 gallon drums in your truck and drive how far away to find a place that sells E Free to fill your drums, then transport them back to your boat.
> ...



Yea, not sure what the regs are. Family does logging and I think capacity limit for diesel is about 100 gallons without all the bs. Might be worth it if you can get a tank for the back of a pickup if there's not a bunch of east coast bull.. (hopefully the lovely bloomberg fails and doesn't saddle the whole of USA with his silly ideas). A hand powered pump might work fine and if not a 12v pump would do the trick. It would take a bit to recoup the investment but if you save $2/gallon then 100 gallons is $200 saved and it wouldn't take many trips to come even.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

When I repowered our 1971 Ariens, I started using Seafoam and Startron. I have never used Stabil because I felt the Seafoam does two jobs where it cleans out the system and serves as a stabilizer, omitting having to ever use Stabil. Thinking I am getting more bang for the buck. Stabil claims to keep fuel fresh for... up to 24 months, well so does Seafoam. But Seafoam also cleans. 

I was using the Startron also up to about 2-3 seasons ago. I think it was after the bottle was empty. I didn't replace it because I figured the fuel is really never in the machine all that long so it might not really be needed. I might be 100% all wet with this way of thinking, but I have not had any problems... :hope:

Now with the 2015 Ariens Pro that I purchased this past August, their might have been some old fuel left in it, but when I bought it, it ran fine. The fuel was a bit on the darker side. I added Seafoam right away to the fuel that was in her. I ran her a few times. When I did drain all of the fuel out, I let the tank dry out and I cleaned the tank out with a rag. I did a good cleaning job to it. I added a bit more than a normal amount of Seafoam with fresh fuel and she runs okay. I start her every 2-3 weeks or so and I let her run for up to 10 minutes. Hopefully if there was any old fuel in her, I took care of it and the Seafoam is working in the carburetor... I haven't had a chance to use her yet this season. Which I am not unhappy about. :wavetowel2: The 2015 Pro is a monster compared to the 1971.


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## ember1205 (Jan 9, 2020)

Kielbasa said:


> When I repowered our 1971 Ariens, I started using Seafoam and Startron. I have never used Stabil because I felt the Seafoam does two jobs where it cleans out the system and serves as a stabilizer, omitting having to ever use Stabil. Thinking I am getting more bang for the buck. Stabil claims to keep fuel fresh for... up to 24 months, well so does Seafoam. But Seafoam also cleans.
> 
> I was using the Startron also up to about 2-3 seasons ago. I think it was after the bottle was empty. I didn't replace it because I figured the fuel is really never in the machine all that long so it might not really be needed. I might be 100% all wet with this way of thinking, but I have not had any problems... :hope:
> 
> Now with the 2015 Ariens Pro that I purchased this past August, their might have been some old fuel left in it, but when I bought it, it ran fine. The fuel was a bit on the darker side. I added Seafoam right away to the fuel that was in her. I ran her a few times. When I did drain all of the fuel out, I let the tank dry out and I cleaned the tank out with a rag. I did a good cleaning job to it. I added a bit more than a normal amount of Seafoam with fresh fuel and she runs okay. I start her every 2-3 weeks or so and I let her run for up to 10 minutes. Hopefully if there was any old fuel in her, I took care of it and the Seafoam is working in the carburetor... I haven't had a chance to use her yet this season. Which I am not unhappy about. :wavetowel2: The 2015 Pro is a monster compared to the 1971.


It takes only a few minutes to run a carb bowl completely dry after turning off the fuel on a machine like that. So, a single run of 10 minutes would be plenty to completely empty anything IN the fuel lines / carb that might have been old.

Curious about your screen name and location... If it's a family name, maybe PM me?


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

When the machine started to give me a little trouble back around... 2008 or so, someone suggested the Seafoam. That is when I started using it. There was about 2-3 months left in that season. When I drained the tank, ran her dry and put her away for the season somewhere around May, this is what I found in the carburetor bowl in October about 5-6 months later. 





ember1205 said:


> It takes only a few minutes to run a carb bowl completely dry after turning off the fuel on a machine like that. So, a single run of 10 minutes would be plenty to completely empty anything IN the fuel lines / carb that might have been old.
> 
> Curious about your screen name and location... If it's a family name, maybe PM me?


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## ember1205 (Jan 9, 2020)

Kielbasa said:


> When the machine started to give me a little trouble back around... 2008 or so, someone suggested the Seafoam. That is when I started using it. There was about 2-3 months left in that season. When I drained the tank, ran her dry and put her away for the season, this is what I found in the carburetor bowl in October about 5-6 moths later.


Interesting. I haven't actually pulled a carb from my snowblower to look at it, but all of my other powersports stuff results in an empty bowl (with the exception of whatever might be in the water catch lines). I wonder if maybe it's just because of the shape of the bottom of that bowl?

On a similar note, maybe run it dry then purge whatever is left through a water catch tube or similar?


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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

never hurts to add some fuel stabilizer/ additive of choice to that last tank, as unless the bowl is dropped it's never bone dry .


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

That is true 87, there is going to be a little bit left in it that wasn't picked up through the main jet.
The main jets are not at the very bottom because they don't want them to pick up water or other sediment at the very bottom of the bowl.
I shut my fuel off and let it run "Dry", but it is not completely dry, there is always a little bit left in there unless you remove the bowl and dump out what is left over.
At least I get most of the fuel out, that way when I turn the fuel back on, it fills the bowl with enough fresher fuel to compensate for and dilute any left-over fuel to make it start and burn the gas again so it will stay running.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

ember1205 said:


> Interesting. I haven't actually pulled a carb from my snowblower to look at it, but all of my other powersports stuff results in an empty bowl (with the exception of whatever might be in the water catch lines). I wonder if maybe it's just because of the shape of the bottom of that bowl?
> 
> On a similar note, maybe run it dry then purge whatever is left through a water catch tube or similar?


After you run it dry you can loosen the bowl nut and let the rest drip out. Taking off the bowl is easy..every once in a while the rubber bowl gasket doesn't want to cooperate when you put the bowl back on.
Some units have a seperate drain on the bowl but it's not actually at the bottom..You can remove that and tip the machine to point the hole straight to the ground..Next turn the fuel on for a second or so .. the fuel will push out most of the junk that is left.




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## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

shovel
so true, 
if one looks at Kielbasa holding that bowl you can see the indent that holds the fuel over to the push button drain, the amount left is about what's left when that button is not pushed to drain it. 

good thread guys esp.when the season is coming to a close and this info informative to new owners of older and newer machines


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

87powershiftx2 said:


> shovel
> so true,
> if one looks at Kielbasa holding that bowl you can see the indent that holds the fuel over to the push button drain, the amount left is about what's left when that button is not pushed to drain it.
> 
> good thread guys esp.when the season is coming to a close and this info informative to new owners of older and newer machines


That is one of the good bowls..some you have to tip the machine and remove the drain screw.
On the push buttons there is no excuse to not fully dump the carb a couple times a year..at least to get rid of trace water of nothing else



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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

The drain on the side of these styles leaves alot of fuel behind which requires tipping the machine... Just as well loosen the bowl nut instead.









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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

Wow. Lot of opinions on fuel and draining. OK, my 2 cents.

I'll talk a out my generator. Fuel stays in it year round. Dont drain it and it's probably 2 years old. Starts and runs fine. I do use the fuel shut off but more concerned over fuel loss should gas line break or float sticking.

Use non Ethanol gas when available, Ethanol otherwise. Use Stabil Marine AND Sea Foam. 

Snowblower gas usually sets over the summer in the machine. Starts and runs fine but I usually use th ed electric start for the first startup in early winter. 

Same with garden tractor and Lawn Boy. 

One thing different is I only use premium in the small engines such as trimmers and blowers. Ethanol will separate and should the engine get a dose of alcohol it can (will) melt the head and piston. Running gas with high octane will limit cylinder head temperatures. (Always swirl the gas can before fueling the equipment to remix the gas).


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

enigma-2 said:


> Wow. Lot of opinions on fuel and draining. OK, my 2 cents.
> 
> I'll talk a out my generator. Fuel stays in it year round. Dont drain it and it's probably 2 years old. Starts and runs fine. I do use the fuel shut off but more concerned over fuel loss should gas line break or float sticking.
> 
> ...


Are you saying that the generator is fine on premium non alcohol without the use of addition of fuel additives?
If so that pretty much goes inline with a well known tester on you tube who tested carb parts in jars with different levels of alcohol..with and without additives ..non ethanol gas showed no damage after one year



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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

I'll play devil's advocate just because I'm in the mood.

First, let's not automatically dismiss new products just because they're new. I'm pretty sure old-timers scoffed and howled at products like Seafoam and Sta-Bil when they were initially introduced. Seafoam claims to be the "trusted choice of mechanics since 1942"....well before the advent of ethanol laced fuel. From the Seafoam website:
_The Sea Foam story began in the 1930s, when Fred Fandrei, a salesman in the petroleum industry, wanted to spend more time fishing than fixing his outboard motor because of fuel-related problems. With the goal of finding the perfect petroleum blend, Fred created a formula that would stop fuel from going bad and help his motor run better._ 

Secondly, let's not dismiss products that may help the "average Joe". Members participating in this group have learned how to care for lawn and garden equipment....from treating fuel to rebuilding carburetors to replacing bearings and so much more. We're a very small minority. The vast majority of adults who own a small gasoline powered engine do little more than change the oil. Either they don't have the mechanical aptitude, interest and/or time as they're too busy with jobs and families. I'm all for any product that helps the "average Joe" spend more time with their family.

Third, I like the basic concept. It's really not much different than the pump saver lubricant-antifreeze all of use use before storing a pressure washer over the winter. 

I have no idea if this product works but I think it's a worthy concept attempting to solve a common problem. It may need to evolve into a better product or a different method to dispense it but nothing is perfect when it's first introduced. I'm willing to be open minded about its future.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

rod330 said:


> Secondly, let's not dismiss products that may help the "average Joe". Members participating in this group have learned how to care for lawn and garden equipment....from treating fuel to rebuilding carburetors to replacing bearings and so much more. We're a very small minority. The vast majority of adults who own a small gasoline powered engine do little more than change the oil. Either they don't have the mechanical aptitude, interest and/or time as they're too busy with jobs and families. I'm all for any product that helps the "average Joe" spend more time with their family.


Totally agree that ways to help people less-familiar with this stuff is a Good Thing. There are loads of things competing for everyone's time & attention. And we all have things we've dug into, and learned about (often things we're interested in), then things we're less familiar with. 

For each topic I've sat down to learn about (taking small engines as an example), there are 100 other ones that I'm very unfamiliar with, and have to treat differently. Heck, sharpening knives is a simple example. Previously using a $5 sharpening doodad, and getting crappy results. Then getting my WorkSharp, learning how to use it properly, and being able to quickly put a nice edge on my knives. 

Many people don't give a second thought to their small engines, and that's totally understandable. 

But where this requires taking something off the carb (already one of the mysterious parts of an engine), and ensuring that you can thread this onto the carb properly, it feels like it's not going to be that effective at being adopted by Joe (or Joanne) Homeowner. Once wrenches are involved, for better or worse, you probably limit your target audience. 

Miracle In A Can products are much more likely to be used. Unfortunately, despite multiple uses on multiple engines, I've never had a carb improve by running Seafoam through them. What helped me was disassembling and ultrasonic cleaning. Startron and Techron haven't done anything yet for my tractor, either, which needs partial choke to run smoothly. I'm not disputing anyone's successes with them, merely offering that in my experience so far, I have yet to see an improvement. 

I think the principle of this is interesting, though. I wonder if you could get some of the benefit by simply removing the bowl nut, and blasting some carb cleaner up through the main jet area. Or maybe just a blast of compressed air, to avoid risking issues from solvents.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

rod330 said:


> I'll play devil's advocate just because I'm in the mood.
> 
> First, let's not automatically dismiss new products just because they're new. I'm pretty sure old-timers scoffed and howled at products like Seafoam and Sta-Bil when they were initially introduced. Seafoam claims to be the "trusted choice of mechanics since 1942"....well before the advent of ethanol laced fuel. From the Seafoam website:
> _The Sea Foam story began in the 1930s, when Fred Fandrei, a salesman in the petroleum industry, wanted to spend more time fishing than fixing his outboard motor because of fuel-related problems. With the goal of finding the perfect petroleum blend, Fred created a formula that would stop fuel from going bad and help his motor run better._
> ...


I like the idea..I just don't see how it will get that last quarter inch of fuel above the hole so the main can suck it up
If that attachment at the bottom has a way to fully drain the bowl first ..then I can see it working.
I would be concerned about how it regulates what's it calling low pressure..is the pressure low because of low volume and the pressure is leaking up through the main...or it the pressure actually regulated.
Also there are people that don't have fuel shut offs so the pressure would just go to the tank.
I just wish they produced carbs that don't have the problems..not all of them do.
I would gladly spend the extra two bucks on a machine in which the carb didn't corrode.


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