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Default winterizing lawn mower

What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?

thanks all - paul
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Default winterizing lawn mower


"Paul Oman" wrote in message
...
What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?

thanks all - paul


Clean everything. Burn all the gas in the tank and change the oil.

Some people advocate taking out the sparkplug and putting a squirt of oil in
the cylinder, but I never have.


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Default winterizing lawn mower

On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:52:46 -0400, Paul Oman
wrote:

What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?

thanks all - paul



Two methods:

Empty the tank and run dry. At this point you could add a cup of
kerosene to the tank if you remember to remove it in the spring. My
father used this technique, works great and prevents rust.

Add a stabilizer to *fresh* gasoline, add to the mower, and run the
engine for a couple minutes.
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Default winterizing lawn mower

Paul Oman wrote:
What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of
winter?


If you want to do it "right":

First, find the manufacturer's recommendations for storage, and do
what they say if it's in conflict with the following.

Give it a thorough cleaning.
Grease anything that needs greasing and oil anything that needs
oiling--the manual should show you these items.
Put a little stabilized gas in the tank. Pull the air filter. Start
it up, spray "fogging oil" (comes in a spray can and is labelled as
such) into the intake until you get blue smoke out the exhaust, and
run the gas tank dry--if it has a petcock then turn off the petcock
instead of emptying the tank. If the carburetor has a drain, drain
it. If it has a metal tank with a petcock, turn off the petcock and
fill the tank with stabilized gas.
While the engine is warm, change the oil.
Pull the plug and spray some fogging oil in the hole, then put the
plug back.
Spray any bare metal with Boeshield (you can get it at Sears or
Woodcraft or order it online).
If the tires are inflatable inflate them to the correct pressure. Put
it on a couple of blocks or something so that they weight's not on the
tires.

thanks all - paul


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Default winterizing lawn mower

On Oct 6, 5:52*pm, Paul Oman wrote:
What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?

thanks all *- paul


Best is run gas tank dry, buy a fogging oil, it foams and coats the
whole cilinder with oil, pouring in oil wont get the whole cilinder,
you actualy run some in the carb first before it dies and it coats all
the parts from rusting. I kept a boat motor outside for years not
using it, it started first crank, it will smoke alot at first. second
best is fog it as it die. If the carb has any fuel left in it, it will
form a varnish. 3rd best run tank-carb dry. In spring first start
with a cup of 2 stroke gas if you have it, it lubes immediatly.


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Default winterizing lawn mower

STA-BIL in the tank, fill the tank, run it for 15 or so minutes, then change
the oil and park it. Never store a carburator dry.

s


"Paul Oman" wrote in message
...
What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?

thanks all - paul



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Default winterizing lawn mower


Put a little stabilized gas in the tank. Pull the air filter. Start
it up, spray "fogging oil" (comes in a spray can and is labelled as
such) into the intake until you get blue smoke out the exhaust, and
run the gas tank dry--if it has a petcock then turn off the petcock
instead of emptying the tank. If the carburetor has a drain, drain
it. If it has a metal tank with a petcock, turn off the petcock and
fill the tank with stabilized gas.
While the engine is warm, change the oil.
Pull the plug and spray some fogging oil in the hole, then put the
plug back.


I bought some fogging oil at a garage sale, but never used it. The
instructions say to spray it in the cylinder, but nothing about the intake.
Whats the point of that?


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Default winterizing lawn mower


"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
news

"Paul Oman" wrote in message
...
What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal internal
combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?

thanks all - paul


Clean everything. Burn all the gas in the tank and change the oil.


I turn the choke on as it runs out of gas, more and more, until it just won't
run anymore, to make sure I burn out as much gas from the carb as possible.


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Default winterizing lawn mower

On Oct 6, 8:08*pm, "Steve Barker DLT"
wrote:
STA-BIL in the tank, fill the tank, run it for 15 or so minutes, then change
the oil and park it. *Never store a carburator dry.

s

"Paul Oman" wrote in message

...



What is the best way to 'winterize' my lawn mower and other seasonal
internal combustion engine yard tools for the next 5-6 months of winter?


thanks all *- paul- Hide quoted text -


- Show quoted text -


For 30 years and 25 pieces of equipment the only time I had a problem
was when gas was left in a carb, the gas will dry and leave a coat of
varnish screwing up a carb, but of course you do things your way that
are not recomended by any manufacturer
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Default winterizing lawn mower

On Oct 6, 9:48*pm, "jack" wrote:
Put a little stabilized gas in the tank. *Pull the air filter. *Start
it up, spray "fogging oil" (comes in a spray can and is labelled as
such) into the intake until you get blue smoke out the exhaust, and
run the gas tank dry--if it has a petcock then turn off the petcock
instead of emptying the tank. *If the carburetor has a drain, drain
it. *If it has a metal tank with a petcock, turn off the petcock and
fill the tank with stabilized gas.
While the engine is warm, change the oil.
Pull the plug and spray some fogging oil in the hole, then put the
plug back.


I bought some fogging oil at a garage sale, but never used it. *The
instructions say to spray it in the cylinder, but nothing about the intake.
Whats the point of that?


Poor instructions, you are right.


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Default winterizing lawn mower

"Steve Barker DLT" wrote in message
...

STA-BIL in the tank, fill the tank, run it for 15 or so minutes, then
change the oil and park it. Never store a carburator dry.


Why?


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The whole point is to put some lasting lube on the cylinder wall so it
doesn't rust. No need for it in the intake really.

s


"jack" wrote in message
...

Put a little stabilized gas in the tank. Pull the air filter. Start
it up, spray "fogging oil" (comes in a spray can and is labelled as
such) into the intake until you get blue smoke out the exhaust, and
run the gas tank dry--if it has a petcock then turn off the petcock
instead of emptying the tank. If the carburetor has a drain, drain
it. If it has a metal tank with a petcock, turn off the petcock and
fill the tank with stabilized gas.
While the engine is warm, change the oil.
Pull the plug and spray some fogging oil in the hole, then put the
plug back.


I bought some fogging oil at a garage sale, but never used it. The
instructions say to spray it in the cylinder, but nothing about the
intake.
Whats the point of that?



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Default winterizing lawn mower

rubber and paper gaskets shrink and crack. ACTUALLY for a simple overwinter
storage, really nothing needs to be done. It takes gasoline 3 or more years
to varnish anyway. I'm with the guy who just parks the stuff. As a matter
of fact my lawnmower set outside last winter and started within 3 or 4
revolutions of the crank this past spring just like it does every time.

s


"Reggie Dunlop" slap@shot wrote in message
. ..
"Steve Barker DLT" wrote in message
...

STA-BIL in the tank, fill the tank, run it for 15 or so minutes, then
change the oil and park it. Never store a carburator dry.


Why?




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Default winterizing lawn mower

On Oct 7, 8:34*am, "Steve Barker DLT"
wrote:
rubber and paper gaskets shrink and crack. *ACTUALLY for a simple overwinter
storage, really nothing needs to be done. *It takes gasoline 3 or more years
to varnish anyway. *I'm with the guy who just parks the stuff. *As a matter
of fact my lawnmower set outside last winter and started within 3 or 4
revolutions of the crank this past spring just like it does every time.

s

"Reggie Dunlop" slap@shot wrote in message

. ..



"Steve Barker DLT" wrote in message
m...


STA-BIL in the tank, fill the tank, run it for 15 or so minutes, then
change the oil and park it. *Never store a carburator dry.


Why?- Hide quoted text -


- Show quoted text -


I agree over winter is minimal and likely its ok, but my Sthil carb
was ruined in maybe 1yr, its a pain to need a repair when you need a
tool, and what dries out expands again quickly, i just like running
dry but different things work
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Default winterizing lawn mower

i winterize my mowers the way we do outboard/inboard marine engines
in the shop . run some stabilized gas thru it ,then spray fogging oil in
the intake till it kills or makes the engine miss. this coats the valves
and cylinder. then we drain the carbs and fill with fogging oil.works
pretty well. some of the marine vacume fuel pumps call for some fogging
oil in the for storage also. in the spring,just drain the carbs and fire
it up..... but wether you choose to run your carb dry or leave gas in
it,make sure that last tank has stabil in it... i hear guys saying their
gas doesnt gum up,but in my area i see MANY carbs gummed up after
sitting just one winter with gas in them. lucas

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the reason to change the oil BEFORE storage is because of all the
contaminates and acids in the oil that will attack the aluminum parts.
THAT's the reason einstein.



s


wrote in message
...

I just use the stabilizer, run for a few minutes and put the mower in
a garage or shed. There's no need to change the oil until spring. If
it's not being used, who cares if the oil is clean or dirty. In fact
I think that clean oil is spring means it will be clean when the mower
is used. Unlike sitting in the crankcase all winter.

If you live where mice may get in, be sure they cant enter the foam
air cleaner. Use fine hardware cloth. Or just put mouse poison in
the shed.



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Again, Einstein, the reason for the 15 minutes is to warm up the oil. We
don't want to try and drain cold oil, now do we?


s


wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Oct 2008 20:08:25 -0500, "Steve Barker DLT"
wrote:

STA-BIL in the tank, fill the tank, run it for 15 or so minutes, then
change
the oil and park it. Never store a carburator dry.


15 minutes is excessive. It only takes a minute for the treated gas
to get to the carb. Heck, in 15 min. you might run out of gas and
have to start over. Besides, at $4 a gallon, why waste gas.



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