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.

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.