OT-gas additives for small engines?

I'm a big fan of seafoam for a quick tune up. Both several squirts in the intake when running and then more in the fuel with the tank almost empty. really cleans it up. that and a new/clean air filter and a new spark plug, points if it has them gets most small engines running great.

karl

SeaFoam is good. Not quite "magic" but pretty darn close. Also, good to get fuel with no ethanol. In Canada that means "Shell Ultra"

Sea Foam is a good fuel stabilizer.

If your snowblower uses the Tecumseh "Snow King" engine, they are great little engines but they are fussy about carbs. I pull mine and have it overhauled every 5 years. It only costs about $10 more to have it done than to buy the "kit" and they do a superb job at a local hardware store. I don't know what they use to clean them with, but they look like new. Pick it up the next day, bring it home, bolt it on, the engine starts on the first pull. I have never had to touch the mixture screws.

While nowhere in that class, I had to clean my girlfriend's Briggs carb out a couple of weeks ago. It was running poorly and stalling once in a while.

The carb is one of those modern molded plastic jobbies. There is nothing to rebuild in it.

That thing had more gunk in the bottom than I've ever seen in a running carb!

I used a bit of Sea Foam as solvent. It worked wonders as that. Clean as a whistle now and the mower runs a lot better.

It's hard teaching professional females to take care of a motor. But this one has a clean fetish, so she pays attention, I showed her the bottom of the sponge air cleaner ONCE, and it gets removed, WASHED, dried and reinstalled before every run now.

She bought this mower four years ago from Home Despot - on sale for $90.

Hey, it's a Briggs!

Seafoam if the carb is gunked up. Sta-Bil for any gas that sits around ESPECIALLY the crap with ethanol in it. Also remember to SHAKE up the stored gas every week or so. The ethanol likes to separate out of the mix due to the water in it and cause problems.

HMM I wonder, if I mixed clean water into the gas. Shook it real good then let it settle and separate if it would pull the ethanol out and give me straight gasoline. Anyone have a thought on that?

Isn't that the way one tests for alcohol in gas? If so, then yes, it outta work.

I've got a mower that's about 30 years old now, was in the trash when I got it, up and running now. What I found was it really, REALLY wants 91 octane gas. With 87 and ethanol contamination, it kind of sputters along. If the thing is really old, you might want to invest in some lead replacement additive for the valves, unless it's a 2- cycle. Engines with an unknown service history tend to get a lot of oil changes at first, no telling how many hours it was run with the original fill. I try not to run too many solvents through old engines, no telling what will dissolve unexpectedly.

Stan

Put a mixer in the tank? (Suddenly, I have this vision of a giant Kitchenaid mixer over a 100 gallon tank....) Have to be bigger - the fifty foot woman would consider a 75 gallon container a "pop can"...

tschus

I just don't understand you older guys.

-- Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. -- Storm Jameson

YEah, I always had a BIG crush on her!

It disolves the varnish and other crap deposited/formed bu today's fuels in yesterday's carbs, bringing them back to spec and making the engine run the way it was designed to run.

It will take the ethanol out, but some water stays absorbed in the gasoline too.

I use Yamaha "Ring Free" addative in my 225HP 2-stroke outboard. It is supposed to stop carbon build up and stuck rings. It does seem to work.

I had an old snowblower with a flat head (valve in block) B&S engine. Because of the flat head the cylinder head was easy to remove so I pulled it just for the heck of it. There was fairly heavy carbon especially around and on the valves. I ran a "shock" treatment of Ring Free and pulled the head again. The carbon was cleaned up pretty darn good.

Only downside is the price of the stuff but considering the price of a new O/B it's cheap insurance.

Steve P.

Nah..thats what they make Hobart Mixers for. One can mix a full 55gal drum in many of them. Or more.

They make one that will do 220 lbs of pizza dough at one time....

Gunner

I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)

Didn't follow my link, didja, clare? ;)

-- Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed. -- Storm Jameson

I finally had mine done after 23 years, gave it new belts while I was at it - just like a new machine. This is part of the reason I enjoy winter, plus the fact that with a corner lot, I just toss the snow from my eight car parking lot over the hedge onto the boulevard of the side street. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

How bout a small outboard motor?:-)

Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Did now What about "hot pink"? Sea foam should keep the wheel cool for these HOT days, and Hot Pink keep the fingers from freezing in Feb.

That's how the Dutch Schultz gang mixed the mash for their moonshine when they made it in my grandfather's barn. Prior to that they paid my Uncle Jim 50 cents to stir it with a canoe paddle.

RWL