Runnin the gas out...

[Drew78]

I just finished reading a thread, and wanted to know what you all think.
What is the best method from running the gas out of a saw for long term storage.
I know, empty the tank out and start it up till it runs out. I have done this once and had these observations...

As you are running the engine, as you get closer to being totally out of gas the engine starts running lean and idles up. Can I just hammer the throttle to empty the gas from the carb once it goes lean and put it away? Or do I have to let it idle dead? i dont really like the sound of my saw when it starts to idle faster and would assume that damage could be done.
Just looking for a good way to run the gas out of the system so my carb wont get gummed up and I wont do any additional damage to the engine while doing so.
Saw in question Stihl 360 PRO
Thanks-
Drew

 

[tony marks]

dont hammer it as shes running as lean as it ever will as the gas runs out.
probably wont take much time but i still wouldnt think that would be good for the saw ,in the long run. jmo

 

[Drew78]

well I did a search and found an old thread about saw storage. If one were to chose to store their saw 'wet', wouldnt it help the carb at least to fire it up and let it idle for a min or 2 and rev it just a little just to keep things moving occasionally and to move some gas through the carb? I just dont like running the saw dry as you can really hear the thing go lean while it idles itself out.

Also what the heck is 'fogging" and engine? what do you need to do, why, and what products does it require???

thanks-

Drew

 

[Wade Huggins]

Drew,
I dont know about fogging. If your going to store wet the your right about fireing things up every once in a while but at that point you will or should consider dumoing your gas out and putting new in old stale gas is no good for your saw keep it as fesh as you can. At this point it might be more effort than you want to put out so if you decide to go try just let the saw run out on its own at idle or maybe slight pressure on the trigger but as Tony said you dont want have the triggered burried as that will cause you to run it more lean than you want. I store wet and start every couple of weeks but I have fresh gas mixed all the time. Good luck...........Wade

 

[jokers]

Fogging is introducing oil to the intake of a running engine until the engine quits. Very common with watercraft of all sorts.

Russ

 

[Drew78]

Thanks guys-

I am going to leave it wet, I think. Winter is only a few months, andwho knows maybe I will beable to use it during the winter. I do have about 5 cords split and stacked already, we will see. But I have no problem going out to the garage and starting it up once every few weeks and replacing gas with new once a month.

Drew

 

[Jacob J.]

Drew- The Stihl and Husqvarna owner's manuals printed since 1971 all pretty much say the same thing- empty your tank, let the saw idle all the gas out ( with the gas cap off ) and then remove the spark plug and pour a teaspoon of straight mix oil into the cylinder via the spark plug hole- then pull the engine over a couple times with the spark plug still out of to distribute the oil. This is what they do at the factory after test firing saws and preparing them for shipment overseas. Except at the factory, they use straight castor oil instead of two-cycle mix. If you idle all the gas out of the fuel system then chances are you won't have to rebuild your carburetor the following spring.

However, it isn't recommendable to store your saw "wet". Modern gasoline, with all the additives, can go bad in as little as 3 weeks.

 

[WRW]

Drew78,
Running a saw lean while under load is what kills it (heat). That or exceeding the maximum rated RPM because of the lean condition. Neither will happen if left at idle.

 

[WOLF_RIVER_MIKE]

How can you leave em alone all winter? that's the best time to cut.

 

[Mike mandry]

I run mine out & apply the choke when it starts to lean out. I run it till she wont fire at all, I get every last drop out & then let it sit with the cap off, so the tank dries out.

Been doin this for years & had no problems so far.

 

[Doug01]

what about additives? Like Briggs

 

[Mike mandry]

I agree, daining the fuel & going through all of that is a pain.

I have never seen a tank, or carb varnish.

Around here, at least in my experience, the carb diaphrams will get as hard as a rock in no time-within 1 year if left sitting with fuel in it. Maybee its just the gas around here (midwest)

I dont drain mine for fear of varnish, but to avoid a carb rebuild.

 

[Drew78]

Come to think of it, I was at my folks house this summer and picked up dad's 'ol 026 for the first time in over a year. This saw has seen MAYBE 10 hrs of work and has sit on a shelf full of gas and bar oil with a rag over the powerhead for the majority of its life a good 3 years about. I checked for oil and mix and it had both. Shook it up, choked er down and she ripped away after the 4 or 5 pull! Now due to the fact that the gas was as old as I am, she quit running after about 1 min so I hopped in the truck mixed up a gallon, ran the saw empty refilled and the ???? thing SCREAMED! No problems at idle, saw wouldnt die, acclerated fast blah blah blah. Been in a garage in Illinois its whole life up on shelf. I say that if that 026 could take that kind of abuse, then my 360 which gets WAY more care will be just fine.
Just thought I would pass that little diddy on...
Thanks to all who have posted-

Drew

 

[vsteel]

The reason they say to empty them out is that most of the time saws will be ok if stored wet, but if you get a batch of bad gas, it can turn on you really quick. I personaly have only seen one batch of gas that went bad fast. It was stored just the same as always but it "turned" in about 2 months. This was several years ago and I have not seen the problem since.

 

[max2cam]

Originally posted by WOLF_RIVER_MIKE
How can you leave em alone all winter? that's the best time to cut.

That's a fact! Winter is THE best season to cut by far. Love it!

I store 'em wet most of the time and have never had a problem -- yet.

http://www.atthecreation.com/