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

So, I was able to break out the 2-stage honda a couple of weeks ago. It was brand new and never had gas in it for 2 yrs, until 2 weeks ago. Worked like a charm on wet heavy snow with my steep driveway. anyway, I have to put it away now. I might not need it for another couple of years. I know, I know, I should've just hired someone to do my driveway. But, hey, I like my power tools. I've read a couple of past threads on what to do for storage, but since this is for long term storage, is there anything extra I should do? 1. drain gas tank, I didn't use stabil because it was a last minute decision to use the snow blower. Or should I empty it and put in a fresh 1/4 tank with stabil? Or just add stabil to a nearly empty tank now? 2. change oil 3. wash it, dry it, and grease the moving parts 4. paint the underside of the front housing that got scratched on the concrete to reduces chances of rust? is this really needed? 5. oil the cylinder? is this really needed? I figure only, numbers 1-3 are necessary. thanks for the help

I would fill the tank up with gas that has treatment.  This will keep the metal tank from rusting inside out.

If you're going to store it for a long time, I would wash and dry everything well to prevent any corrosion.  I would also get a cover that is waterproof, but breathable.  Store in a cool and dry place if you can.

No need to oil the cylinder.  Just make sure the piston is in the up compression stroke to keep all the valves closed.  This is going to keep it air tight and no moisure will get in.

Overinflate the tires a tad and put some 2x's under the chassis to take weight off the tires.  Nothing worse than a flat from slowly losing air!

Did anyone mention to drain the carb and take pressure off the belt(s)?

really, fill the gas tank? Can stabil last a couple of years?

raysmd wrote:
Yes u want to fill the tank with gas and add a stabilizer that's works with ethanol.. the reason for this is so the tank don't Rust... either way your going to need to drain All the gas out and replace it when your going to use machine again... by adding stabilizer your not trying to "save" the gas, but hopefully prevent it from gumming up that's all...

I store all of my ope with the gas tanks empty,  yes even the ones with metal tanks.  If you drain all of the fuel from the tank and fog the inside of the tank with WD-40 it will put a protective coating on the inside of the tank that will prevent rust.   I have stored many a metal tank for long periods using this method and none have had any rust issues. draining the carb is the same issue.  If you are planning on storing for a very long time I would take the carb bowl off and give the inside of the bowl a quick shot of wd as well.  rubber parts can dry out when left dry but I have not had any bad experiences with that and have been storing all of my ope this way for over 20 years.

I would run it dry with treated gas. As it started to die out I'd open the choke and let it stall out. Fog the tank if you feel it's necessary.

Yes run dry or pump out gas and let run dry then fog the tank.....store in dry garage. If you only used for an hour or so greasing everything may not be needed but it couldn't hurt.

Honda tanks in particular are prone to rusting.. that's just what I have experienced.. I just replaced a tank on a Honda blower for a customer last month.. he bought the blower used it had been in storage for 3 years... tank was stored dry or all the gas leaked out.. either way tank was in rough shape!!!

If you were going to store it with gas in the tank, absolutely use stabilizer. But if that gas will just sit for several years, maybe it's worth considering using ethanol-free gas, and still using stabilizer? Like the canned 4-stroke gas at Home Depot, etc?

If you have a fuel shutoff after the tank, you might run the carb dry, even if you will keep the tank filled.

If you have grease fittings on the augers (where they ride on the auger shaft), you might want to grease those, remove the shear pins, and spin each auger on the shaft, to reduce the risk of the augers rusting to the shaft.

RedOctobyr wrote:
Good info Redoctobyr... I should of mentioned this as well.. sunoco ultra94 has NO ethanol in it... I switched about a year an half ago to using ultra94 ONLY... but still use stabilizer in fuel for long periods of sitting.. and I would agree use the fuel shut off and let engine run out of fuel but keep tank full if its a steel tank..

That's interesting. I did some quick reading, it sounds like Sunono in Canada and Sunoco in the US are unrelated to each other.

I just emailed the US one to ask which grades, if any, might be ethanol-free.

I did find this, about Sunoco Optima race fuel, which it states is ethanol-free. They have a tool to help you find sources for it near you.

http://www.racegas.com/fuel/21

I have seen some things stating that marine fuel sold at docks is typically ethanol-free. Apparently ethanol can cause problems in boats, damaging fiberglass tanks, and maybe other issues. So if there is a marina near you, you could call and find out if they sell ethanol-free gas. Although more expensive than regular gas, it might still be cheaper than the canned-gas options at Lowes/Home Depot.

raysmd wrote:

I would wash it to get rid of salt and prevent rusting.  Lube and grease as you see fit.  I shut the fuel switch off then run the blower until the remaining small gas is gone.  Then fill the tank with a fresh gas to the max level.  I have not used gas stabol so I don't know whether they work or not.  No problems without it.  I change oil and spark plug every other season on my 929WAS and change oil twice on my 520HS andn spark plug once a year.

niper99 wrote:

Okay so I have what may be a stupid question. Does it hurt to use a 94 octane fuel in an engine that calls for 87 octane?

Paul7 wrote:

Not a dumb question.  Higher octane gas is reserved for a high compression engine.  My Honda 270CC is not a high compression engine (majority of OPE engines are normal compression) so using 94 octane will not help to run it any better but not sure if it will be bad.  I have not seen any lable saying using a premium gas on engine not requiring is bad.  It is good for the oil companies since more profits for them.

running 94 vs 87 will due absolutely no damage to the engine.. of course it costs more but were talking like $15 for the whole season.. pretty cheap investment compared to having issue and repair costs...

yes lm from Canada so not sure what Sunoco offers in states..

1. Check the owner's manual, it can be downloaded if need be.

2. Higher octane gas from gas stations does not hurt the engine. It may be overkill from an octane/knocking point of view. Where I live the lower octane fuel may (probably) have ethanol in it. The high octane doesn't and all the OPE dealers recommend using non ethanol impregnated fuel.

3. The last Honda OPE repair person I talked to recommended a full tank of fresh, stabilized, non ethanol gas at the beginning of the storage season. They also said to turn off the fuel valve, run the engine dry and then drain the carburetor . I did and my unit started first try the NEXT winter. The two concerns were that the steel gas tank could rust and water contamination/condensation with an empty or partially full tank. If storage goes on longer than till next winter I suspect draining the tank and putting in fresh fuel before turning on the fuel valve would be a good idea. Draining the tank and then fogging it also seems like a good option for longer term storage.

4. Lube everything you can think of, especially the auger rakes.

5. Check fluid levels and either top up or replace depending on level and condition.

6. If there is a battery remove it, check fluid levels and put on a trickle charge.

7. Check all bolts/fittings and secure as needed.

8. Clean and then paint scratches.

Put some scrap 2x's under the chassis to take weight off the tires.  They will lose air, and trying to inflate an empty tire with a flat spot can be a challenge.