GM said:

"Dioclese" NONE wrote:

. . . However, in those cases, running the mower till the tank is empty
is not recommended. Reason being is the empty gas tank is more prone to
rust internally.

Well, my lawnmower's gas tank (and most others I know of) are plastic, so I
don't see how running the engine dry will cause it to rust. Last I checked,
plastic does not rust. Most internal parts tend to be aluminum or a
non-rusting metal.

I agree that rust won't be the problem. Condensation will. Varnish will.
Closing the shutoff valve, and running the engine until the /carb/ is
empty, and then filling the tank completely with fresh gasoline [1] will
help with both.

Are you talking about a riding mower? The OP was not.

Irrelevant. The engines require the same treatment.

I have run my mower dry before winter storage for 14 years and never used
any kind of gas stabilizer.

If you 'run your mower dry', why would there be any need for a fuel
stabilizer? There's no longer any fuel left to stabilize, duh.

This same LawnBoy mower has started on the
first or second pull every year. Works great for me, but I just have a
simple, self-propelled, 4 stage LawnBoy.

. . . Yes, a hot engine reduces the viscosity of the oil, and, assures
more drainage of same. That's more important in colder climates. But, the
ambient temperature from Maine to Texas in late summer is not variant
enough to worry about a hot engine before draining the oil. The resulting
difference in volume of oil during drainage is extremely negligible vs. a
hot engine.

If you know that you're going to be changing the oil in your mower, why not
do it after you've mowed the lawn when the viscosity will be lower? It
takes no more effort than to change the oil when it's cold. And I disagree
that the drainage difference will be insignificant between "hot" and "cold"
oil. I've seen oil in both states and the "hot" oil is much thinner and
better draining. But let's say for sake of argument that only 2 additional
teaspoons of oil drains out when it's "hot". I would want the 2 additional
teaspoons of old/bad oil out of the mower, especially when it took me no
more effort to do so. Also, I don't buy your "Maine to Texas" warm climate
argument as far as viscosity not being that much different. Even in hot
Texas temperatures, oil sealed and capped in a resevoir will be cooler than
the ambient air when the mower is "cold". 95 degree ambient temperatures
will not translate to "95 degree" oil viscosity.

Again, we'll agree. Warm oil is much quicker to change than "cold" oil. =)


[1]. Condensation: "atmospheric moisture that has condensed because of
cold"

The *key words* a "atmospheric" and "cold". You can't have the former in
the gas tank, by definition, without having air in the tank. Filling the
tank as full as possible with fuel, prevents condensation from even having
an environment in which to form. And, unless the mower is stored over the
winter in a heated room, there's not a lot you can do about the cold temps.
Eliminating a place for the condensation to form eliminates the need for
worrying about the cold temps doing bad juju to your gas. =) I add
stabilizer to my full tank only to help eliminate any condensation that may
form in the lines or carb over the winter. It gets applied when I open the
valve in the spring, and it's probably over-kill, but old habits die hard.
=)
--

Eggs

-Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before
you need it.