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

Happy holidays every one! ... bought the toro 1028 OXE back in October, right after the very first early snow storm. Was not able to try it in snow... I added the startron stabilizer And filled up the tank with 93 octane. I tested the new baby, showed off without spinning augers... But now it's a long time unused. My question is: is it okay for the fuel to sit in the carb for such a long time? Thanks!

I've had gas sit longer than that. It's not ideal, but I wouldn't expect a problem.

As CharlesW said, using stabilizer all the time isn't a bad idea. I tend not to use it when I'm going through gas more quickly (mid-summer, or mid-winter). But I will add it near the end of each season, when I'm going through the gas more slowly. And it wouldn''t hurt to use it all the time, to be safe.

A tip, the Marine Sta-bil is much cheaper to use than the regular kind. The regular version treats 1/4 the gallons of the Marine bottle of the same size. And the Marine is only a dollar or two more. I've switched to Marine. Plus, the used bottles with the measuring feature can be used to measure out 2-stroke oil, etc.

I have had a can of gas for 2 years with stable in it. I have used it in my mower with no problems for the last 2 years. 

If your not using stabilizer I wouldn't let fuel sit longer than a month... I tell my customers to put the old stuff in there cars and get fresh at least once a month... If u use stabilizer u should be safe for the season.

Why so much  obsession over fuel?

Thirty days and it's going bad?  I'd believe that if it's left out in the open in  a water pail. 

I have gas in containers out at my camp that sits for six month and often eight months without ever having a problem with it.  Keep it in an air tight container and it will be fine for months on end without fuel stabilizer.  Particularly in cold weather.   Even if it's left in the fuel tank of a machine it's good for months.  

I've got untreated gasoline sitting in the fuel tank of the B&S engine on my Simplicity snow blower that been in there since the beginning of November.  That's almost two months already.   Two pumps on the primer, one pull of the cord, engine fired right up and runs as per usual, great.  

Waaaaay too much anxiety about fuel and necessity for bogus stabilizers.  If you want to eliminate your fuel  problems, it starts by ensuring you're getting clean gasoline at the pump.  Every time I've encountered a fuel issue it's from freshly purchased contaminated gas.  Never had a problem, ever,  from fuel that's been sitting in a fuel tank or container for a few months. 

I use 93 for my Toyota sequoia, whice improves power majorly in low rpm, so I can cruise on 60 mph with only 1500 rpm... Instead of 1900 rpm.. So when I filled up my truck, I filled the B&S 2.5G gas container

JoelKlein wrote:
Help me out here.....

How does the octane rating of the fuel have such an effect on the gear ratio?   Constant engine rpm in a particular gear should, in most cases, deliver the constant speed.  If you're in fourth gear at 1500 rpm and increase the engine speed to 1900 rpm in the same gear, you will increase the speed of the vehicle unless you're spinning the drive wheels.  Lowering the engine speed in the same gear will result in slower speed. 

There's something in what you've said that I'm either missing or not understanding. 

I worked in the petroleum industry. The energy in a gallon of gasoline is independent of octane value. A gallon of 87 octane has the same energy content as a gallon of 93 octane. Higher octane gasoline has a higher ignition temperature which is beneficial to high compression ratio engines. OPE engines are low compression ratio engines along with the majority of automobile engines. If a low compression ratio engine needs high octane gasoline it typically means it is not functioning as originally designed.

Fleetfoot -

OT, but where do you fill up. At the cheapest pump in town or just a decent station that has *good traffic* -- which in theory should = gas that moves in qty and is more fresh. Which might mean better pumps, better maint, filters, etc.

Gas is gas  afaik. Meaning it all comes out of the local pipeline/refinery. How much additive pack differs from brand X versus X when oftentime, it will be some local joe schmoe truck rig filling up the local *top tier* stations.
I'd be inclined to hear some industry folks on what method do you decide to pump your gas...

JoelKlein wrote:

The only way that you could come up with a 400 rpm difference  would be that you are using a a higher gear with the 93 octane.

Yeah, maybe the added engine torque allows running in 5th, at 1500, vs 4th, at 1900, to get acceptable performance (for hills, passing, etc)? That's the only way it makes sense to me.

As a minor aside, Stihl recommends 89+ octane fuel in their engines. Maybe it's different for small, high-revving 2-strokes, vs larger 4-strokes. But at least some OPE recommends gas higher than 87 octane.