Has everyone forgotten how to syphon gas!!

[Mike Circo]

Three neighbors have been running the gas out of their lawnmowers for nearly and hour now! They must have had a full tank of gas at the end of the season.
$2 clear plastic hose and you would be done in 10 minutes.
This endless drone of mowers in the driveways is maddening!

They should lose their man-cards.

[Myk Rian]

Take your hose over, and show them how to do it.

[Lee DeRaud]

Well, THAT

[Mike Cutler]

I wouldn't advocate using a hose to siphon gas, simply for health reasons alone.
For about $6.00 though, you can get a plastic squeeze bulb pump, and pump it out.

https://www.harborfreight.com/Fluid-Siphon-Pump-62613.html

Now if someone could tell me an effective way to get past the gas tank check valve in my cars and truck???????????

[Bill Orbine]

They probably listened to the advice of the lawnmower repair guy who charged them +$200 each to fix their mowers last spring.

[Charlie Velasquez]

A pair of pliers and pull the tank hose, 30 seconds. Part of the end of the season prep for my gas mower...
Pull the spark plug and a squirt of oil, pull the rope, inspect the plug, clean and check gap if needed.
sharpen the blade
clean the deck
touch up the paint
lube the cables
get new filters (usually on sale)

For the electric...
sharpen the blade
clean the deck
put battery in house
??
My first time with an electric..
What else should be done?

[John Terefenko]

Never emptied my mower. 4 months I will be using again and starts right up if gas did not evaporate. I usually make the last cutting count to just pick up the leaves and that takes care of just about all gas. Now the snow blower I do run out because never know from year to year if we get any snow and when.

[Jim Koepke]

Straight gas gets left in the tank.

Two cycle gas is left in the tank but the equipment gets fired up and run for a few minutes once a month to keep the carburetor from messing up.

jtk

[Phil Mueller]

Sorry, Mike, guilty as charged. I like to run out the mower/edger, etc., with treated gas. I thought I syphoned most, but must have been a bit lazy with the mower. Darn thing ran for 30 minutes.

[George Bokros]

I use a oven baster then when I have all the gas out I let run for a few minutes until it stalls. No siphoning necessary. The fuel line on some mowers is too short to be able to drain and recover the gas.

[Lee DeRaud]

I use a oven baster then when I have all the gas out I let run for a few minutes until it stalls. No siphoning necessary. The fuel line on some mowers is too short to be able to drain and recover the gas.And it adds that special piquancy to Thanksgiving dinner.

[Peter Christensen]

They could get some fuel stabilizer and put it in the tank, shake for a minute, then run the mower for a few minutes to get it in the carb.

[Michael Weber]

I've been lead to believe that it's the ethanol added to the gas that is the cause of carbs getting gummed up. Don't know if that's absolutely true but I live close to several gas stations that sell pure gas and that's what I use in my small engines and my motorcycles. Still drain my mower though.

[Tom M King]

Same here. All small equipment, even stuff that is supposedly made for corn gas, gets non-ethanol. I have way too many small motors to start everything once in a while, especially considering the cheap cost of replacement carbs these days. I've had no trouble with anything running pure gas. For things that won't get used in a while, it gets poured through a funnel with a screen back into one of the gas cans. I never liked the idea of running all the fuel out of a two-stroke because the last few revolutions will be without lubrication.

I did have to replace the carb on a 2 cycle two man auger recently, but it hadn't been used in probably 15 years, and then by someone who borrowed it.

I used to rebuild carbs, but not worth the time when carbs are 20 bucks with free shipping off ebay, and the kit 10.

[John K Jordan]

Straight gas gets left in the tank.


Same here, but I had a problem once. Left straight (non-ethanol) gasoline in a Honda generator and a few months later it refused to run. Disassembling the carb showed light through the jet. After some frustration I discovered a smooth layer of "varnish" had built up on the inside of the jet, not enough that I could see it but enough to restrict the flow. Cleaning the jet fixed it. I put stabilizer in gas now in case the engine sits for a while.

I don't even run the gas out of chainsaws and all three have always started even after sitting for months. The Stihl oil mix I use includes stabilizer. I'm convinced the stuff actually works.

JKJ

[Myk Rian]

I use one of these to empty the tanks. I then run the fuel out.
Been doing that for 30+ years, and have never needed to repair a carb.
To stop it from leaking, I cemented the red tube and pump end caps, and also the hoses to the fittings.

397364

[Wade Lippman]

I have an all electric garage (well, aside from the cars...). Don't have to do anything.

But I used to get gasoline out with a turkey baster. Didn't work very well, but was easy.

[Bill Dufour]

remove cap, tip engine on side so gas drains out. Run carb dry. never heard of running entire tank down? Must be a snow country thing.
Bill D.

[Ole Anderson]

Like my boats and snowmobile, I fill the zero turn with gas and add Stabil, being sure to run it until the Stabil makes it to the carb (or injectors on the snowmobile). Small engines get dumped and run dry. Well, except the power washer and chipper, they seem to start every spring no matter what I do. I stop the generator by turning off the gasoline valve to run it dry. Batteries get taken inside to avoid freezing if the run down.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Well now none of this makes any sense at all to me. As another said the mower will be used again in about 4 months. At least for the honda engine on the push mower, it seems there is no need. I just used it for the last time in the season last weekend. I will be adding fresh gas and using it again in early April.I usually do start up the equipment for a minute or two around ground hog day, just as a call to nature to hurry spring along. Same for the weed wackers etc. The chains saws get used every six weeks or so all year. The riding mower will be run from the shed over to the barn today. Will be started and driven a bit around ground hog day and then will be good until April. My roto tiller gets used twice a year. spring and fall. Rarely enough to get through a tank of gas in a year. Just something about those honda small engines I guess. It is now about 14 years old and once sat for two years without use. Still starts right up on the second pull. Never could do that with a Tecumseh or a Kohler. My old push mower years ago had a six HP Briggs. I served me for almost 20 years. Never was "winterized" The deck rusted through too many places so I gave the motor to a neighbor kid, who transformed an old lawn tractor into a go kart.

[Tom M King]

Same with all my Honda motors. I wore out an 11hp B&S on a pressure washer. My Nephew gave me a 13hp Honda for it that someone had given him 7 or 8 years before. I figured I'd have to put a new carb on it, but put it on the pressure washer, and gave it a try with fresh gas. It started on the second pull, and runs like a new one.

[Al Launier]

Simple - Stabilizer!

[Rick Potter]

I am still back at the first post. Man cards? I knew I was missing something.

Where do I get one?

[Lee DeRaud]

I am still back at the first post. Man cards? I knew I was missing something.

Where do I get one?If you have to ask, you're not qualified. :)

[Norman Pirollo]

I also used to drain the gas tanks on my mowers, riding mower, weed eater. No more. Fill with Premium no-ethanol gas , add Stabil stabilizer , run a bit, pull the plug, oil cylinder and store it away. Has worked fine for 4-5 yrs. now after several months of not running. I was sceptical at first, but the fuel stabilizer does the trick as does 0% ethanol gas.

Norman

[Rick Potter]

I am not sure they even sell non-ethanol gas here in the PDRC. Av-gas maybe, but hard to buy a gallon of that.

The ethanol is sure hard on the fuel systems of my old hot rods.

[Tom M King]

If there are any marine places around you, there should be non-ethanol. They were the first to start selling it, for boats, at most places. Being on a large lake, almost every station sells it here, and everywhere that sells gas on the water.

[Peter Christensen]

I hope those of you that advocate turning the mower on it side to dump the gas are not just letting it drain onto the ground. It is being captured to use again and not allowed to pollute the ground water is it?

[Brian Elfert]

Never emptied my mower. 4 months I will be using again and starts right up if gas did not evaporate. I usually make the last cutting count to just pick up the leaves and that takes care of just about all gas. Now the snow blower I do run out because never know from year to year if we get any snow and when.

I left the gas in my snowblower over the summer. The engine won't start now. I'll probably end spending a fair bit of time and some money installing a new carb because I forgot to run the gas out last spring.

[Kevin Beitz]

All you guys live in the woods? No health problems siphoning gas
Use your thumb not your mouth...

[Tom M King]

Yes, I live in the woods.

[Jim Koepke]

Use your thumb not your mouth...

Could you explain that for those of us who do not know how to make the thumb suck gas through a tube?

jtk

[Steve Clardy]

I hope those of you that advocate turning the mower on it side to dump the gas are not just letting it drain onto the ground. It is being captured to use again and not allowed to pollute the ground water is it?

They make drain pans big enough to do the job. Not to worry, I use an oil drain pan.


I left the gas in my snowblower over the summer. The engine won't start now. I'll probably end spending a fair bit of time and some money installing a new carb because I forgot to run the gas out last spring.

Oops


All you guys live in the woods? No health problems siphoning gas
Use your thumb not your mouth...

Kinda hard to do it that way when the tank is only 2" deep.


Yes, I live in the woods.

Same here. So far, that hasn't stopped me from being smart. :D

[Jerome Stanek]

I hope those of you that advocate turning the mower on it side to dump the gas are not just letting it drain onto the ground. It is being captured to use again and not allowed to pollute the ground water is it?

I only do that when I am in Canada. Actually I try to just use enough gas at the end of the season that I can let it run for about 5 minutes

[Peter Christensen]

Well I'm glad but there are a lot of twits that would read something like that, upend the mower behind the garage and dump the gas. Same as they do with oil when they do an oil chance on the car.

[Jim Becker]

It occurs to me after reading the thread title about a million times each visit to SMC that it would be very hard for "everyone to forget how to syphon gas" if the majority never learned how to do it to begin with. "Back in the day" folks did things like that, but consider that pretty much every automobile produced in recent years has security measures to actually prevent syphoning and it's certainly not something that's likely covered in school either. I personally only ever did it once in my lifetime and I'm 62 years old...it was decades ago, too. That said, knowing how to syphon or not takes a backseat to knowing when and where "bad gas" can be a problem. Not many people know that either... ;)

[Lee DeRaud]

Yes, I know how to siphon...I also know how to spell it.

But no, I don't live in the woods. :)

[Jim Becker]

Lee, apparently both your and my spelling is correct according to the spell checker. :) Gotta love English... :D

[Lee DeRaud]

Lee, apparently both your and my spelling is correct according to the spell checker. :) Gotta love English... :DThat's setting the bar pretty low, innit?

[Rod Sheridan]

I am still back at the first post. Man cards? I knew I was missing something.

Where do I get one?

Rick, to get a "Man Card" you need to do something really stupid that's starts with the statement "Hey, watch this, hold my beer", and it has to available on YouTube as a video.

Once your video is posted you'll receive your card..............Rod.

[Peter Christensen]

Rick, to get a "Man Card" you need to do something really stupid that's starts with the statement "Hey, watch this, hold my beer", and it has to available on YouTube as a video.

Once your video is posted you'll receive your card..............Rod.

You can add to that distinction with a Darwin Award if that stupidity takes you out before you've procreated. ;)

[Rick Potter]

Damn!

I guess I have no choice, but to change my e-mail from grumpyrick to girlyboy. Anybody want to swap out my tool bag for a nice stylish man purse?

[Steve Clardy]

I'm fresh out'a man purses. Sorry

[Myk Rian]

I got my Man Card. Although it's titled as a "Pass the gas permit".

[Steve Clardy]

I got my Man Card. Although it's titled as a "Pass the gas permit".



I've been looking for a "Wet Farts" card. No luck so far.