Water in gas tank

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Monday, July 29. 2013

Found in the back of Dad's garage during clean-up and clean-out. It's a fairly old machine but in good shape. With his mild Parkinson's, I doubt he had used this saw for at least five years. Still, it tried to start up and then sputtered out.

Brought it in to my excellent local power tool guy. There was water in the tank. He blamed that on the ethanol in the gas. Had to clean and flush. Needed a tune-up and a new blade. Cleaned it up inside and out so it looks like new, too. I do know that, for power tools, it is best to drain the gas tank if they will not be needed for a few months. I just run 'em until they empty the tank. Only occasionally do I have a job that needs a full tank, so I rarely fill it up.

This lightweight Huskie will be a good alternative to my heavy Stihl Farm Boss, for smaller jobs.

Posted by Bird Dog in Gardens, Plants, etc., Our Essays at 14:19 | Comments (15) | Trackbacks (0)

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I fortunately have a small privately owed highway store/gas station that sells 100% gasoline. Everything large has been pressured by the ethanol thugs to switch over but a few people hold out.

100% gasoline, good for your small engines and isn't generally more than 10 cent higher than the diluted fuel. I can't remember the exact numbers but I once did an energy calc and I believe the price difference has to be around 20 cents for ethanol gas to be the better deal once you factor in the reduction in miles per gallon from the dilution.

#1 JKB on 2013-07-29 14:24 (Reply)

Down here in SC, you can get it at almost all gas stations - ethanol free gas.

A lot of that is because of the large lakes - outboards don't like ethanol at all and inboards have their issues sometimes.

#1.1 Tom Francis on 2013-07-29 15:33 (Reply)

Ethanol free gasoline is very difficult to find in NJ (at least in my experience). I make a point of giving all the gasoline I will use for small engines a dose of "dry gas", a stabilizer such as Stabil, and Marvel. I've been told Marvel functions as a stabilizer but I use both anyway.

Never left anything sitting idle for 5 years though. I have used gasoline that has sat for a year though.

#2 Knucklehead (Link) on 2013-07-29 15:41 (Reply)

The "ethanol" treatments are products like Marvel, StarTron, Yamalube, and Sta-Bil (which has a specific ethanol product).

#2.1 Knucklehead (Link) on 2013-07-29 18:12 (Reply)

"... lightweight Huskie will be a good alternative to my heavy Stihl Farm Boss, for smaller jobs."

For those jobs I've been using an 18 volt reciprocating saw with a 9" combo blade. Super low maintenance, and you can lop brush off below the soil line with no problems.

#3 guy on 2013-07-29 15:58 (Reply)

Hmmmm... sounds like a good idea. I was considering purchasing a the Craftsman C3 10 inch 19v cordless for small jobs but since I already have the reciprocator, I'll try that.

#3.1 Knucklehead (Link) on 2013-07-29 16:32 (Reply)

I just tried this out recently on my new electric recep saw, and was surprised how easy it cut. They make a blade just for pruning and it has large, spread-out teeth. Very handy if you have a long enough extension cord.

#3.2 Jack (Link) on 2013-07-29 17:26 (Reply)

I think they'll kill the E15 --been lots of complaints to the geniuses in DC --

#4 buddy larsen on 2013-07-29 17:26 (Reply)

I run an additive called Seafoam in everything from my string trimmer to my snow blower. Keeps them running strong!
Highly recommend it.

#5 Lipperman on 2013-07-29 17:43 (Reply)

What's BEST is to buy ethanol free gas. You have few options outside of race shops and some smaller dealers. HOWEVER! now you can actually get 100% gas either 4 or 2 stroke (comes premixed) in quart cans. (SEF is one brand, there are others). I recently saw it at Home Depot The stuff ain't cheap (around $6 a quart, but how much gas does a chain saw use, anyway?

Equipment repair shops love ethanol gas since all equipment must be rebuilt every year as a result of the crap our Green Government foists on us. Rant off. Well sort of. It is an engine wrecker for sure.

But anyway, use ethanol free gas. It ain't cheap as I said, but neither is a carb rebuild with new gas lines etc. Also, in winter, particularly up North you'll want to use an engine fogger. Just empty the gas run the engine and spray 'fog' the carburetor - the engine will die and you are safe for Winter storage. You can buy fogger in most decent equipment shops. Sometimes they have it at Depot or Lowes.

Take care of that Husqvarna. Wish I still had the one I had back in the 70's. Gotta say, however, that Echo I bought from the Depot runs like a little dream machine. Nice to be able to easily get parts too, unlike Stihl - where dealers charge a huge premium for the smallest, most common part. (Oops, did I say Rant off??)

Ethanol free gas. Fogger. Done.

#6 Capn Jan on 2013-07-29 17:44 (Reply)

--echo all that, except never tried the fogger. The Home Depot premixed gasoline makes the difference between a one-season machine and a machine you can't wear out. And for a fact the value proposition in chain saw world is that little Echo 370 or 400 --one eensy little mod on the premixed gasoline is that it is a lean mix --i suppose EPA had 'em err to the lean. If when you open a new can you add about a teaspoon of the regular mix oil and shake well before every fill, you'll have a saw that starts on the second or third pull and lasts forever, seems. Brush off that easy-access air filter every time you fill, too --and sharpen that chain at the same time --makes a world of difference. The file sharpens on the pull, and a couple pulls per tooth is all you need if you do it often enough. Angle 30 degrees, and level. Flip the bar when you change chains, too.

The problem with mixing the fuel yourself is the ease with which you can err 10 or 20% --and still run the saw, but have to treat it very harshly to get any work done. Soon you're back to the shop, and too pooped for the gain you made, to boot.

#6.1 buddy larsen on 2013-07-30 03:54 (Reply)

Chainsaws are the only weapon shown to be really effective against flying sharks.

Official Sharknado Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsqFR5bh6Q

#7 Jim on 2013-07-29 19:16 (Reply)

Yer STIHL dealer likely has a fuel conditioner that can be mixed (a few mLs) in the last tank of the season and then run for a while. My saws run all year, so I don't have the problem with them, but the four-cycles on the mower and snow blower (Tecumseh engine and dicey carb) need it.

#8 Steve in ct on 2013-07-29 20:03 (Reply)

"Equipment repair shops love ethanol gas since all equipment must be rebuilt every year as a result of the crap our Green Government foists on us. Rant off. Well sort of. It is an engine wrecker for sure. "

My local small two stroke shop tells me the same thing. They are very busy every spring with fouled up small motors, including outboards, that are ruined by ethanol.

#9 MikeK (Link) on 2013-07-29 21:03 (Reply)

Bought DH the large Stihl chain saw- one step under the commercial one. It's a beauty. Then I watched as he dropped a couple of trees and spent a time cleaning up the woods. That was last year--now, watching him I can see that those days are behind us. Will try to get him one like your dad left you, and hire in the younger guys to do the heavy lifting. Want to keep that man around for a long time--somebody else can cut the big stuff !

#10 apple pie on 2013-07-29 22:40 (Reply)

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Monday, July 29. 2013

Water in gas tank