Winterizing not just boats

[Fisherman]

For those that can't get their gas powered equipment to run in the spring,  it's probably due to forgetfulness or being an idle buzzard.  Clean lawnmowers, oil change and drain carbs or fill with treated gas, whichever your poison and method.  That goes for chainsaws, generators, weed wackers and least but not last, pressure washers.  Leave it outside without being drained or serviced with pump antifreeze, sure as sherlock, the pump will split.  Don't neglect the toys that make life easy for you. 

[TJQ]

I concur... im the worst.. this year, i ran everything on super and added fuel stabilizer.  lol.. i had to get alot repaired this spring!!  never again I said!

[DRIFTER_016]

Also goes for your winter equipment at the end of the season.

Augers, snowmobiles, snow blowers. 

All of my equipment/toys get stabilizer in every tank.

[BillM]

Drain fuel, run it dry, then put it away.  Hasn't failed me yet.

[captpierre]

Can’t wait for everything to go electric. 

So far just the weedwacker. 

[Fisherman]

Well when you find an electric snowblower capable of eating the snowbelt dumps, come on over and you can practice.   And when you find an electric powered generator during power outages,  well, better forget that one. ?

[Old Ironmaker]

For the little difference in price for our little gas powered toys err tools, I can't fathom why guys won't spend the extra pennies even bucks for hi test ethanol free fuel. I'll put a splash of 2+4 in each tank though, when I remember. At least at the end of the year.  Call me lucky. Many don't run the carbs dry like in the boat engines. Treated or not wouldn't the gas sitting in carbs all winter not gum up? 

[DRIFTER_016]

1 hour ago, Old Ironmaker said:

For the little difference in price for our little gas powered toys err tools, I can't fathom why guys won't spend the extra pennies even bucks for hi test ethanol free fuel. I'll put a splash of 2+4 in each tank though, when I remember. At least at the end of the year.  Call me lucky. Many don't run the carbs dry like in the boat engines. Treated or not wouldn't the gas sitting in carbs all winter not gum up? 

Luckily we don't have corn juice in our gas up here North of 60*.

It would cause way too many issues with our frigid winter temps. 

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, Old Ironmaker said:

For the little difference in price for our little gas powered toys err tools, I can't fathom why guys won't spend the extra pennies even bucks for hi test ethanol free fuel. I'll put a splash of 2+4 in each tank though, when I remember. At least at the end of the year.  Call me lucky. Many don't run the carbs dry like in the boat engines. Treated or not wouldn't the gas sitting in carbs all winter not gum up? 

Hey Iron, do me a favour and have a chat with my old man would ya? Hes got enough dough, but still has his damn dad's farmer mentality...

For a chuckle to explain the pure insanity that i deal with every day...He bought himself a brand new audi SUV...go ahead figure out the price tag...he then spent the time to calculate out exactly the cost difference of regular vs mid grade gas over the life of the vehicle due to the improved fuel economy of his new vehicle vs the last... because he can no longer put regular gas in his turbo charged car...The however much...$1,000? difference in cost over the course of 10 years? you gotta fill the damn thing up anyways!

Last week at the cottage he also gave me a hard time because i brushed my teeth while I shower and apparently the cost of the hot water it took for me to brush my teeth is too high for him to afford lmao, this is a guy speaking inside his georgian bay lakefront cottage...Good times...good times?

 

Heres the dope straight up, you can maybe get away with using ethanol gas in four strokes, but do not/never use it in an engine where the stuff has any time to sit and collect moisture. So yes, you can probably use it in your boat if you are like me and go boating every weekend, but if not, stay the hell away, the extra 10 cents per litre over the course of the life of a motor vs the cost of straight up replacing a 10-20 thousand dollar motor? pretty easy math to me.

Outright, 2 strokes and ethanol dont work..dont do it, its been proven over and over that ethanol gas is a total nightmare for 2 stroke engines...just dont do it.

The day that i take over operations up at the lake, its gonna be a ethanol free environment and the oil changes will be done and the carburators will be fogged, and the plugs will be changed every year. Simple low cost maintence that pretty much guarantees your stuff will run forever.

Edited November 15, 2018 by AKRISONER

[Old Ironmaker]

Akri, he may have grown up in the 30's or like me was the son of 2 that did. Mom grew up during the depression in NY in the city, farmers fared much better food wise. Dad during the war in Italy. I couldn't imagine what they had to go through. They could squeeze a nickel out of a penny. I picked some of it up but fight some of the silly stuff. My wife calls me cheap, I call it smart. For how little I have been using the boat I have used Esso eth. free the last few years. I hope the last tank was because I didn't go through a 1/2 tank in 2 years. Now it won't start. Off to the marina tomorrow to check it out. Due for a carb service anyway, have to look at the positive in a negative. 

Don't be too hard on him. It isn't his fault. 

[AKRISONER]

2 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

My wife calls me cheap, I call it smart. For how little I have been using the boat I have used Esso eth. free the last few years. I hope the last tank was because I didn't go through a 1/2 tank in 2 years. Now it won't start. Off to the marina tomorrow to check it out. Due for a carb service anyway, have to look at the positive in a negative. 

Don't be too hard on him. It isn't his fault. 

Hey Iron...i dont think esso has an ethanol free gas...Even their premium has 10% ethanol. It bugs me because they offer PC points on their gas rather than to the totally useless airmiles that shell offers.

Shell V power  91 is ethanol free and Canadian Tire Premium is as well. Always safe bets

 

And yes he takes after his dad, a depression era Ukranian farmer from Alberta, same goes for my grandma, her mom (my great grandma) was 13 years old and the spanish flu wiped out her entire family so she hopped on a boat from poland by herself (can you believe that!) opened up a corner store in rural alberta.

Edited November 15, 2018 by AKRISONER

[Old Ironmaker]

Shell V power, yep. Sunoco was the hi test we used in our sports cars way back when. 360 I think. Hey I'm getting old man, give me a break. I just got my application for my Old Age pension. Can someone come over and fill it out for me please? Nice homemade Italian pasta etc. lunch included. 

[Fisherman]

1 hour ago, Old Ironmaker said:

I just got my application for my Old Age pension. Can someone come over and fill it out for me please? Nice homemade Italian pasta etc. lunch included. 

Go to your local Federal building, bring some ID and know all your kids and wife's birthday, they ask everything but your underwear size.  Other than that, pretty painless.

[ketchenany]

And Iron, I know you don’t need it but that little paper when you got off the boat is important “ no tiky no laundry”.

I went to get  5th CANADIAN passport and filled out the “short” form! NO NO it’s been over seven or so months since it has expired oops! Sir you have to fill out the LONG form, So I have been in this country for 57 years and been paying taxes since ‘68 and never collected a cent . . . 

I challenged the “wicket person” that they have my tax records and date of entry (child) for  57 years and I have been in this country more years that out Prime Minister!!! that didn’t go over well and left with the LONG FORM!

fill it out and if you  . . . Up they will contact you and keep them busy lol I had to find that “No ticky no laundry” paper from 1960. love you dad for saving it in my 1967 passport!

[Old Ironmaker]

Pissano mio.  Boat, what boat? A 747. 

[ketchenany]

When we came planes were well not that common, and they just finished the Seawy so we landed in QC. We had nothing here so my parents had two trunks!!!!!!

[AKRISONER]

15 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Shell V power, yep. Sunoco was the hi test we used in our sports cars way back when. 360 I think. Hey I'm getting old man, give me a break. I just got my application for my Old Age pension. Can someone come over and fill it out for me please? Nice homemade Italian pasta etc. lunch included. 

dont tempt me!

 

Sonoco 360? interesting, its now just called Ultra 94 and since Petro Bought them out its available now at limited petro stations. The one in georgetown south has it, i used to fill up the old mazdaspeed with the stuff, highest octane gas available without buying straight jet fuel that the boys at cayuga run. ive heard some guys have 110 octane gas there.

Edited November 16, 2018 by AKRISONER

[irishfield]

They are NOT running jet fuel. Jet fuel is basically diesel or kerosene!

The are running racing GAS... or some like me cutting their Shell / Sunoco high test with 100LL AV Gas. I just happen to have a 500 gallon tank of same.

Edited November 16, 2018 by irishfield

[Old Ironmaker]

1 hour ago, irishfield said:

They are NOT running jet fuel. Jet fuel is basically diesel or kerosene!

The are running racing GAS... or some like me cutting their Shell / Sunoco high test with 100LL AV Gas. I just happen to have a 500 gallon tank of same.

Whatever they are running I can smell it where we live, and hear them some days. I ran into Neale Armstrong yesterday at the hardware store in town. He was driving the truck he pulls his 300 MPH jet powered race car, it uses jet fuel I would think. I know it's 300MPH because it says so on the side of the truck. He's the GM at The Toronto Motorsport Speedway in Cayuga Ontario 2 hours from Toronto with zero traffic. I was working security there one  weekend and a nice lady from Ohio asked me how far it was to the Dome because they had Blue Jay tickets for that night. I told her if they left now they might make it for the 9th inning, she was not pleased. 

[Old Ironmaker]

Just now, Old Ironmaker said:

Whatever they are running I can smell it where we live, and hear them some days. OK maybe not smell but can hear them. I ran into Neale Armstrong yesterday at the hardware store in town. He was driving the truck he pulls his 300 MPH jet powered race car, it uses jet fuel I would think. I know it's 300MPH because it says so on the side of the truck. He's the GM at The Toronto Motorsport Speedway in Cayuga Ontario 2 hours from Toronto with zero traffic. I was working security there one  weekend and a nice lady from Ohio asked me how far it was to the Dome because they had Blue Jay tickets for that night. I told her if they left now they might make it for the 9th inning, she was not pleased. 

 

[jimmer]

On 11/13/2018 at 4:49 PM, BillM said:

Drain fuel, run it dry, then put it away.  Hasn't failed me yet.

Do you not have problems with seals or gaskets drying up and leaking later by draining fuel?

[Fisherman]

Ask my 49 year old Ariens snowblower.  Put in gas this morning,  one push of the starter and it runs.  The carb has never been serviced. 2 mufflers a bunch of belts and one tire tube.