If you’re starting a snowblower with old gas, you know what a pain it can be. Luckily, the solution is quite simple.
Just drain the old gas, refill it with some fresh gas, and you’re good to go.
That answer is too simple, however, so let’s discuss some options. These options vary due to how old the gas is.
Starting a snowblower with old gas (relatively old)
If your snowblower has been sitting for the summer and you forgot to drain the gas, I would consider this to be “relatively” old. By that, I mean that it hasn’t yet turned into lacquer.
At this point, we can assume that it’s still fairly liquid and that it has retained most of its octane. But it still might be difficult to start.
Once it’s running, the snowblower might be able to continue running on the old fuel, but the trouble is in getting it started.
In this situation, I would recommend applying fuel or another combustible source directly to the carburetor. This should give the engine the opportunity to fire and, perhaps, continue to run.
Obviously, the answer would be to drain the fuel. But in this situation, perhaps it’s an emergency. That’s really the only time I would advocate for attempting to use the old fuel.
If there’s room in the tank, you can try to add some fresh gas to dilute some of the old gas that’s in there, and that can help your chances a bit.
The problem is that the carburetor bowl probably still needs to be serviced due to prolonged exposure to the old gas. But you can give it a shot.
Another situation for relatively old gas
Some people advocate for “treating” the gas that is in the tank for storage. They’ll usually advise on putting some Seafoam into the tank to help stabilize the fuel and prevent it from going bad.
To me, it’s completely unnecessary. The answer is to have no fuel in the tank to begin with. At the end of the season, drain the fuel.
However, if you are one of the proponents of treating the fuel in your tank, then it should be able to start as is. Chances are, you’ll have the same difficulties starting a snowblower with old gas – even if it’s treated.
The problem with this, once again, is that the carburetor bowl is sitting in the old fuel. While it might be treated, it can and will still stagnate.
Of course, you can always shut the fuel off if you have a fuel shutoff valve in line. I like to add them to any machine that I’m working on.
Starting a snowblower with old gas (really old)
If the snowblower has been sitting for a long time (several years), then you’ll have to remove it and service the carburetor.
The problem is that gasoline turns to gel over time. As it gets thicker and thicker, it will occlude the jets and passages within the carburetor.
Eventually, it will no longer work. The only remedy at this point is to remove the carburetor and service it completely.
If you’re unsure how old the gas is, go ahead and give it a whiff. Fresh gasoline smells, well, like gasoline. It has a clean scent to it. Old gas, however, stinks. It is not pleasant. Over time, you can gauge how old the gas is based on the smell and color. As it ages, it tends to thicken and turn yellowish-green.
How to prevent fuel from getting old
Remove it! At the end of the season, here is my recommendation:
Regardless of if you have a fuel shut-off or not, open the fuel line to the carburetor. It’s somewhat counterintuitive because we want to remove the fuel, but we also need to start the engine first.
Having the fuel on at this point will help us start the engine because it’s possible that there isn’t enough gas in the carburetor to sustain combustion for what we need.
So open the fuel line and start the engine. Then, go ahead and close the shut-off valve. The engine will run for some time and then slowly die when it starves of fuel.
This is what you want. It ensures that the fuel has been consumed from the carburetor and it will no longer sit in the fuel.
From here, remove the fuel line from the shut-off valve (on the tank side). Since this is before the valve, it will drain the fuel out of the tank.
To remove the fuel line, I like to use some hose pliers like these. They help in pulling old fuel lines off.
From here, you’re good to go. Put the line back on and you’re set to store your snowblower.
What if you don’t have a fuel shut-off?
The steps are similar. Since there’s no shut-off, then you know there’s fuel at the carburetor. Simply start the machine, and then pull the fuel line off either the tank or the carburetor.
The same thing will happen. It will drain the fuel and starve the engine, thus clearing out the carburetor.
This would also be an excellent time to install a fuel shutoff inline for future use. Also, replace any stiff or crumbling fuel lines while you’re in there.
Recap
There you have it; a few options for starting a snowblower with old gas. It depends on how old the gas really is. The real answer is to remove the old gas and replace it with some fresh stuff.
Prevent it from getting old in the first place by draining it out at the end of the season, and you’ll thank yourself next winter.
Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments below!
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