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

Since I have installed a shut-off valve in the gas line of my Toro 421, I had a question about how best to use it.

If it is an ethanol problem, I shouldn't have to worry since I don't use ethanol.
If it is not ethanol related and is a manufacturing defect with the float needle, my shut-off valve should prevent the flooding of either my garage floor or the crankcase of the engine.
Bear with me.
Would it be better to run the machine after I close off the gas supply until it dies?
If I do that, the needle and seat won't be immersed in gasoline for days at a time which could be accelerating the failure of the plating on the needle.
As you have probably figured out, it's been a long winter for me and I spend too much time thinking.

trouts2wrote:
Thanks for posting that picture of the 2450 shutoff install.  It just did not occur to me to do that.  Got it in yesterday.




mml4 wrote:
The picture referred to looks almost exactly like my installation on my 421.
Evidently the Toro SS units share some body panels.
The access actually looks like it might have been intended as a location for a shut off valve which they decided not to use.

When and WHY did they stop putting shutoff valves on blowers?  My 30 year old JD826 has it, and so does my new Honda 928.  I consider them essential and should be mandatory.

Dr_Woof wrote:
I think one reason is that very few people actually use them.
I use the one on my old MTD/Dayton when storing it, but didn't use it regularly during the season, maybe 1/2 the time.

The bigger reason is probably money.
If the mfg. pays as little as a buck or two for the extra cost of installing the shut off, (And I think that would be cheap, considering the cost of parts and the added labor step), and they sell 100,000 machines, that extra $100,000 or $200,000 would almost pay some executives bonus for the year.

Well...I replaced a steel shutoff valve on my daughters MTD blower and it only cost a couple bucks or so for a plastic replacement.  The steel valve was just a hunk of rust at that point (bottom of the tank - where all the water collects).  Given that a plastic valve is probably cheaper to make than a steel valve, and will not rust, I thinkc it speaks to the intelligence of some of the engineers who design these things.

mml4 wrote:

   The filter went in a "new" never used 2002 2450 I picked up a few months ago.  That cutout was perfect.   The machine has a slight gas leak which I never noticed until I put the machine in the porch.  I called Toro Toro and found it was on the tank recall list.  I checked with the local dealer and will get a new tank installed when the weather turns. 

I'm usually working on two stages and always looking to plant a shutoff or filter.  Last year at the beginning of the season I picked up a 25 pack of the red inline Briggs filters.  I've only planted a handfull though.  There's no room on many machines.