Winterization ?

dkirk · Dec 31, 2020

Just a couple of things to ponder. Leaving gasoline in the carburetor can be problematic in that these carbs are vented to atmosphere. The light ends of the fuel thus evaporate and the gravity feed tank keeps supplying gasoline to the float bowl. Over time, this results in a bowl full of "soup" that only extended cranking can purge. I always shut fuel off at the fuel petcock, run the carb dry, then fill the tank with a fuel stabilizer. Starting in the Spring is quick and easy.

Winter gasoline blends make for easier starting in the cold weather. The higher vapor pressure requires less cranking to get a reliable start.

Non-reformulated premium (91 octane) is the preferred fuel for all small air-cooled engines.

These are my thoughts - not trying to tell anyone what to do. Your mileage may vary.

mgonitzke · Dec 31, 2020

Why 91 octane? Kohler (and I'd guess other manufacturers as well) specify a minimum of 87 octane. What is the benefit of higher octane on these low compression engines? Am I missing something?

digger · Dec 31, 2020

mgonitzke said:
Why 91 octane? Kohler (and I'd guess other manufacturers as well) specify a minimum of 87 octane. What is the benefit of higher octane on these low compression engines? Am I missing something?

Probably because they don't make 87 octane non-oxygenated gas and I doubt that these old Kohler's care about 4 points in the rating, especially since it's ethanol free. :cubwinker:

Greg Riutzel · Jan 1, 2021

Thanks for posting !!

You're welcome. A lot of it is over my head too. What it did do for me was clear up a lot myths and a new insight on lead.

gpapa · Jan 4, 2021

The Truth About Why Gas Station Fuel Is Bad For Small Engines - Video - YouTube

Thought this might be interesting.

awoloch · Jan 5, 2021

Thank you David Kirk for your good advice for winter storing lawn mower engines (i.e., shutting the fuel off the fuel petcock, running the carburetor dry, and filling (adding to) the fuel tank with fuel stabilizer for winter storage). I use the same 87 octane gas station gasoline for my 1998 Honda Accord EX Coupe (240,000+ miles since I bought it new) and my 1987 Snapper commercial lawn mower. When I'm done for the season using my lawnmowers, I dump the remaining container gasoline into the Honda Accord and start with fresh gasoline for the lawnmowers in the Spring. Thank you gpapa for sharing the interesting You Tube video.