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

So I had a fun season with this JD 1028 I picked up last October. I have a busy few months ahead so I have to put this thing away while I have the chance. I ran the machine until it ran out of gas and changed the oil. Since this was only it's first season is there anything else I should do before I put the cover on it? It probably had about 20 hours of use.

Pull the spark plug out and dump a bit of oil in the hole.  Pull the engine over a few times to spread the oil around.  Put the plug back in and pull the engine until you are at the top of the compression stroke and it is hard to pull.  This should oil up the cylinder and close the valves.

The carb probably still has a bit of gas in it.  If it has a bowl drain you could get more out.

Also a good idea to pull the shear pins and grease and spin the augers.

I have a Ariens ST824LE. I always run Stabill in my gas sence birth. I never ever had a carb or any other engine problem. Many folks do drain there carb. To each his own. I know for a fact that todays gas has many contaminants. Just look in your gas can after it sets for a wile. That crap will mess up your carb. You think you are draining it by running it dry. There is always water mixed up with it. The water does not burn so your engine stops. The water then corrodes your carb.You then wonder why it does not run well over time. My blower is 15 years old and still runs like a champ. I here of many folks complaining there carb is messed up or dirty with gum, then end up rebuilding or replacing it,  Stabill has done a good job for me and i will always use it in every thing even my weed wacker.  Out side of cleaning it, engine too. Give it a good grease job. If your unit has axle locks. Unlock them one at a time and remove your wheel, give your axle and wheel grease. Then put it back together. Rust loves to start there.  Touch any spots  you might have scraped the paint off. If you  have 20 hours on it check your belts. They will stretch a bit during brake in.  You might want to order a new drive belt , auger belt, and a few shier pins, You may not need them now, They are good to have just in case. Cover it up and put it in your shed or garage. Don't leave it outside, your cables will rust and your local thief will get it. I chain mine together in my shed. 

Drain the carb, grease the auger and axles, rinse machine off with water, allow it to dry, cover and store. 

You will probably have to pull the wheels off to grease the axle.  If you see any other zerk (grease) fittings, give them a shot too.

would definetely get some stabil or seafoam and put in gas tank and run machine a bit to get it in carb or drain and put some stabil in bowl and put back together would work,and a good power washing thats what I do to mine the oil I do at begining of season I use full synthetic in mine...

I typically fill the gas tank to the full level and don't worry about it.  I had no issues starting the snowblower and lawnmower when in season.  I do not use any gas stabilizer and change oil after the first .  My old Honda lawnmower and MTD gave me no trouble with this method and the new Honda lawnmower is no different.  I am going to do the same for my Honda snowblower in Apr.

To all of the previous comments. I would only ad that it isn't a bad idea after washing all of the salt and dirt off the blower.  To let it dry and give a light coat of WD40 to all and any bolts, cables, handle joints and pivot points, adjustment rods, axle pins, chute crank rods and gears and anything else that moves or is bare steel. It will take about 5 minutes but it's worth the time. 

I actually use a penetrating oil instead of WD40 which lubricates things.  But will also over the course of the summer soften up and almost dissolve any rust that is present.  That way come next fall when you get the urge to start getting the blower ready for winter.  It's easy to get things apart any everything moves freely.
I also then then wrap the blower in bath towels and place in a large plastic zip lock bag. Just kidding!

A big YES to what jrtrebor just said. Hit everything that doesn't have perfect paint over it - scratches, bolts, any bare metal - with oil to stop the rust over the summer. I don't use WD40 either, I find it dries out too quickly. I like Break-free CLP. Don't forget your cables, too.

Hey gang,

I've been one to drain out the tanks in my machine.  However, I'm thinking of just filling up the tank all the way and adding some stabil.  A few questions though.

For those of you who always put Sta-bil in your gas, how much do you need to put in?

When storing the unit for the summer, how much should you put in, or are you all set if your gas already has been premixed with Stabil.

I'm assuming I cannot add any stabil to my gas/oil mix for any of the 2 cycle engines I have, yes?  For example, I run my Stihl BR600 backpack blower with a mix of gas and 2 cycle Stihl ultra which has stabilizer in it.  I'm assuming I don't have to do anything with that, yes?  I always use the Stihl Ultra 2 in all of my 2 cycle engines, so I think they should be okay with the built in stabilizer, yes?

Thanks for your help!

midfi

Your normal Stabill premix is fine, Just follow the directions on bottle- Then run your engine for 5-10 min to make sure it is in your carb and jets

Lots of good advice.

I'm in the carb draining club, or if it doesn't have a drain, I remove the bowl and wipe it clean.

Ounce of oil in the cylinder and close the valves also very important.