Should I Use a Fuel Stabilizer

There is no shortage of products that claim to revolutionize the performance of your engine. Mowers and small engines are no different. You can get everything from antiknock agents that increase fuel’s octane rating, to additives with specially formulated enzymes designed to clean the entire fuel system. Many products falsely claim to be the silver bullet for your engine’s problems, but few are as helpful as fuel stabilizers.

Fuel stabilizers are important because of the increasing amount of ethanol found in gasoline sold across the country. While the addition of ethanol makes fuel burn cleaner, it can have adverse side effects if not used properly. The problem is that the ethanol draws moisture from the air over time. This moisture collects in the bottom of your gas tank and can wreak havoc on your entire fuel system. If left sitting long enough, gas can experience phase separation – a process by which the accumulated water separates from the rest of the fuel in the tank. Once completed, phase separation cannot be reversed. You’ll have to take your machine to a nearby small engine repair center and have it professionally drained. Avoid this hassle altogether by using fuel a quality fuel stabilizer.

Stabilizers work by breaking up water molecules that have accumulated in the tank, and allowing them to mix with the rest of the fuel. Check this out yourself by pouring some stabilizer into a cup of water. You can see the stabilizer go to work as the water begins to form tinny beads right before your eyes. This is the same process that allows your machine to easily burn through gas that would otherwise be problematic.

Fuel stabilizers don’t just help your engine burn through gas that has accumulated water over time. They also extend the life of your machine by reducing the amount of strain it is put through. You see, just because your engine is running, doesn’t mean water hasn’t accumulated in the system. Small engines are tough; they are capable of operating with a little bit of water in the line, it just takes a bit more work. This additional strain wears out the components of your engine. Additionally, constant exposure to watered-down fuel contributes to the corrosion of your carburetor, fuel injectors and other small engine components. Fuel stabilizers address all of these concerns.

When it comes to cars, like many other things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By increasing efficiency and reducing the levels of corrosive elements inside the engine, using a fuel stabilizer just twice a year has been shown to boost performance and extend the life of small engines.

By: Kyson Crowell

Ethanol vrs Straight Gasoline

Ethanol has been used as a gas substitute for years. The alternative fuel produced from corn has been added to gasoline at pumps across the country, but in recent years many have begun to question its effects on small engines.

Gasoline containing up to 15% ethanol (E15) has been approved by the EPA for use in cars produced since 2001, but not in small engines like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. They found that the fuel caused small engines to run at higher temperatures than straight gasoline, which caused a number of problems including component failure.

While E15 is prohibited for use in small engines, its diluted counterpart E10 is not. Gasoline with 10% ethanol content can be found just about anywhere. The FDA has given it the go ahead with respect to use in small engines but many in the industry are not quite convinced. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the trade organization for the industry, has indicated small engine repair shops everywhere are reporting the same problems caused by E15 in engines that only use E10. I have seen these issues first hand at my shop, Crowell’s Flying Wrench Mobile Small Engine Repairs.

Proponents of higher ethanol content refute these claims, pointing to a go-cart race park that runs its entire fleet on fuel containing a whopping 85% ethanol. An operation like that puts an incredible amount of stress on their engines; if a higher ethanol content can be linked to increased wear and tear, they should be able to reproduce these negative effects. Al Novstrup, owner of Thunder Road Family Fun Park, has been running his fleet of 135 go-carts on E85 gasoline for over 7 years and has yet to see any of the problems described in the FDA report.

Whichever side of the fence you land on, it is still best to heed the FDA guidelines and not use E15 gasoline in your small engine equipment. Particularly cautious individuals can buy specialty gas at home and garden stores and small engine dealers everywhere. You will certainly pay a higher price for this type of fuel but for many, the piece of mind is worth the extra money. If you prefer not to go this route, you can minimize the risk of damage by trying to run through the gas in your mower as quickly as possible during the summer months. This gives less time for the ethanol to draw water into the fuel system.

By: Kyson Crowell

How Do You Know If You Need To Change Your Oil?

Recently, we posted an article explaining how to change the oil in your small engine, but how do you know if you need do it? First, you should make sure your machine even requires oil changes in the first place. If you have a two-cycle engine, where you mix the oil with the gas manually, you don’t need to worry about it. If oil is added separately, however, you will want to change the oil periodically.

Recommendations can vary when it comes to the regularity of oil changes in small engines, even from the same manufacturer. Small Engine giants Briggs & Stratton recommend changing the oil after every 25 hours of operation at one place on their site, and every 50 hours at another. To be safe, you should check the owner’s manual for your specific machine for specific service intervals.

For most people this means one oil change a summer, but that is assuming the machine was operated under relatively mild conditions. If you have a habit of mowing through wet grass, or letting it grow to the point that your mower can barely make it through, you will need to do this more regularly. Other conditions that can cause you to go through oil more quickly are if you are consistently working in extreme heat, dusty conditions, or operating over rough and hilly terrain.

Any scenario that causes the engine to work harder or run at unusually high RPMs for extended periods of time will require more regular maintenance in all areas, not only engine oil. Changing the oil is an easy thing you can do to increase the life of your machine, so you aren't needing to call for a snow blower repair in the middle of a snow storm! If you aren’t particularly mechanically inclined, you can easily find a nearby small engine repair mechanic to take care of everything for you.

By: Kyson Crowell