I spent a few hours today getting a 5hp Briggs running again. It's the power unit for a pressure washer.
The photo's show what happens when you do not drain the fuel/run it dry and store the machine... just once!
The CRUD on the rag is just the stuff that was "loose" in the carburetor fuel bowl. It took 10 minutes with a scrub-pad to get the rest of the deposits knocked off and back to clean aluminum.
I used my vacuum pump & bleeder rig to suck the stuff that used to be gasoline out of the tank. The "layer" showing on the fluid is about 8oz. of former gasoline left in the tank. Make note of the CRUD floating... just waiting to get sucked up into the passages and jets.
I didn't need to pull the carb. Just removing the float bowl, float & needle, and the mixture screw allowed me to shoot some carb cleaner into the orifices and blow them out with air. After re-assembly and fresh gas the little trooper popped right off and ran like a champ.
I don't know what kind of CRAP they're putting in fuel these days, but it is advisable to (at the end of season for a given gas-powered item):
- Treat the remaining fuel with a dose of Sta-Bil
- Run the machine for 10+ minutes to get the treated fuel through the system.
- Drain the tank
- Start it and run it dry!
Hopefully whatever treated fuel is left in the system will evaporate and not leave all of this CRUD behind!!
A big part of this is the ethanol in the gas It attracts water. Ethanol is the bane of small engines and engines not designed for it.
Derek69SS said
Mar 17, 2012
I know some Model T guys that separate ethanol out of their gas by adding water to it... the water is heavier than gas, and all the alcohol is attracted to the water, so they just put it in cans and let it separate. I don't know how they get the gas back out of the can without mixing it though.
Enganeer said
Mar 17, 2012
Siphon off the gas with the hose above the water line into another container?
Lost in the 60s said
Mar 17, 2012
I only use non-oxy premium in ALL my non-highway equipment. I add Sea-Foam at the last fill of the season and haven't had any issues for several years now.
bowtie said
Mar 17, 2012
Good info there. I usually top mine off, add some Sta-Bil and call it good. Been lucky I guess.
Dave Seitz said
Mar 18, 2012
On my 2cycle stuff I try to find non Oxy now even though in the past I used Sea Form. Just so much easier to live with when you go long times between uses.
Tim H said
Mar 18, 2012
I have a glass sediment bowl on the Allis Chalmers CA. I bet I clean it twice a year. I gets water and junk in it but that may also be from crap in the tank.
Dave Seitz said
Mar 18, 2012
Tim the old CA I had it had problems with so much trash in the tank it was not funny. It got to the point of stopping every 20 minutes because the filter plugged. Finally I pulled the tank off and cleaned it with muratic acid, then used the Kreem gas tank kit for motorcycles. Never had a problem after that and it always ran great after except for the other minor stuff on old tractors.
Chris R said
Mar 18, 2012
Ive only ever used non-oxy fuel as well. Ill have to do a full fuel system clean once I get my 66 back on the road as well. Hopefully the inside of my tank doesnt look like that jar, it was non-oxy fuel though.
Tim H said
Mar 19, 2012
Dave Seitz wrote:
Tim the old CA I had it had problems with so much trash in the tank it was not funny. It got to the point of stopping every 20 minutes because the filter plugged. Finally I pulled the tank off and cleaned it with muratic acid, then used the Kreem gas tank kit for motorcycles. Never had a problem after that and it always ran great after except for the other minor stuff on old tractors.
My 49 Harley Panhead had the coating inside the tank and it worked well but my 79 Shovelhead had it as well and it did not bond to the tank to good. The fuel filter would plug every few weeks with the coating. I think the CA will stay as is I only use it every other week in the summer and fall.
I spent a few hours today getting a 5hp Briggs running again. It's the power unit for a pressure washer.
The photo's show what happens when you do not drain the fuel/run it dry and store the machine... just once!
The CRUD on the rag is just the stuff that was "loose" in the carburetor fuel bowl. It took 10 minutes with a scrub-pad to get the rest of the deposits knocked off and back to clean aluminum.
I used my vacuum pump & bleeder rig to suck the stuff that used to be gasoline out of the tank. The "layer" showing on the fluid is about 8oz. of former gasoline left in the tank. Make note of the CRUD floating... just waiting to get sucked up into the passages and jets.
I didn't need to pull the carb. Just removing the float bowl, float & needle, and the mixture screw allowed me to shoot some carb cleaner into the orifices and blow them out with air. After re-assembly and fresh gas the little trooper popped right off and ran like a champ.
I don't know what kind of CRAP they're putting in fuel these days, but it is advisable to (at the end of season for a given gas-powered item):
- Treat the remaining fuel with a dose of Sta-Bil
- Run the machine for 10+ minutes to get the treated fuel through the system.
- Drain the tank
- Start it and run it dry!
Hopefully whatever treated fuel is left in the system will evaporate and not leave all of this CRUD behind!!
A big part of this is the ethanol in the gas It attracts water. Ethanol is the bane of small engines and engines not designed for it.
I only use non-oxy premium in ALL my non-highway equipment. I add Sea-Foam at the last fill of the season and haven't had any issues for several years now.
Ive only ever used non-oxy fuel as well. Ill have to do a full fuel system clean once I get my 66 back on the road as well. Hopefully the inside of my tank doesnt look like that jar, it was non-oxy fuel though.
My 49 Harley Panhead had the coating inside the tank and it worked well but my 79 Shovelhead had it as well and it did not bond to the tank to good. The fuel filter would plug every few weeks with the coating. I think the CA will stay as is I only use it every other week in the summer and fall.