Posted on 08/01/2008 7:45:45 AM PDT by tobyhill
Rick Kitchings has been a small-engine mechanic for about 30 years, and he’s been busier than ever lately.
Recently, a customer came into his shop in Savannah, Ga., with a string trimmer that had barely been used. “It looked like it just came off the showroom floor, but the motor was absolutely shot, absolutely worn out,” Kitchings said.
The owner had fueled the trimmer with an gasoline-ethanol blend, which is becoming increasingly common thanks to a federal mandate to convert to biofuels.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
You shouldn't. Compared to 20-30 years ago they are more reliable, use less energy and are cheaper. And when I say cheaper I don't mean cheaper adjusted for inflation. It was not possible to buy a 25 Cu Ft S X S refrigerator 20-30 years ago for under $1000. Now you can get them for under $800 and they will use about 40% less electricity to run.
Washers.....Although the front loaders cost more a middle of the line top loader now goes for about $399, the same as 35 years ago. The new one will be more reliable however. Front loaders, although now costing more by a few hundred dollars than 30 year old front loaders, are much larger capacity than the older ones and use less energy to operate.
Most of the appliances sold my Whirlpool, GE, Frigidaire, and Maytag are still made in the USA.
Honda float bowls have a drain screw that will allow almost every drop to drain out; most have a fuel line shutoff valve so that you could just turn off the shutoff and run, then drain the remainder.
Most US carbs on small engines are Walbro made and will allow fuel to stand after the engine runs dry.
If your fuel was milky you had at least 20% water in slurry.
The Honda gas tank itself has a lerge sediment area and is best cleaned with a lint-free coth stuffed to the bottom where it will wick out all the remaining contaminated fuel.
After wicking, get a concentrated beam flashlight and inspect the interior surface, they have a high tendency to rust. Honda shops can sometimes treat these tanks and save them.
“Ethanol FUD”!
Coth should have been cloth, of course.
One other thing, often station managers fail to pump out excessive tank condensation and when they get a fuel drop a lot of water is stirred up and can easily get pumped into your gas can; I can name four stations within five miles from me where this has happened on several occasions.
If unsure about the water-free state of a fresh fill, shake the can and pour about half a pint in a mason jar and let stand for several minutes; there should be no separation line near the bottom of the jar.
If it is a 2 cycle like an outboard, it could be the type and amount of oil used. But I wouldn't think it would corrode the metal, but just leave a slime. I would have to know more details for even a guess.
Man, there is a bunch of stuff on the Internet. Google "Sasquatch" and see what happens. Take a hint, don't believe EVERYTHING on the Internet. Even here on FR. People make a living working on this crap. It's getting so cheap though, they throw them away and buy new. I would rather work on a car than a lawnmower. Lawnmowers are so simple, they are hard. Carbs are a huge problem with yard equipment. I can rebuild a double pumper Holley and even a Quadrajet and have better luck than cleaning a dirty Briggs and Stratton. One little piece of crap and she won't run at all. A loose spring, a bent screw, almost anything and it won't ever be like new again. I've got 5 weedeaters in the garage I've picked up and all have good cylinders, good spark, and should run. Every one has carb varnish. I have taken them apart and soaked them, blew them with air, swapped diaphrams, etc, but I've got 1 that will run and I about have a heart attack trying to cold start it. On the other hand I have a 5 year old chain saw that takes 2 pulls and a leaf blower that takes 2 pulls. The difference is I bought the chain saw and the blower new myself. The others I got through people knowing I work on the crap. I use E10 with a WalMart mix and drain them every year if I'm not going to use it. If I need them, it's not the end of the world to fill them and then re drain them when finish. Even if you drain it, if you disassemble the carb in 6 months, there will be drops of gooey varnish on the metal inside. A few minutes of running and it will wash away. If you leave it wet all year, you have problems.
And for a Holley double pumper?
I suppose you could pretty well drain them through the fuel ports.
That is the worst part. On top of everything else, the subsidies, the damage to fuel lines etc. ten percent ethanol reduces your gas mileage by ten percent or more! This means you are burning even more pure gasoline than you would use if there were no alcohol in it so ALL the alcohol is a waste and part of your gasoline is wasted. This is insanity.
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