Here Are Some Tips for Operation and Care of Two and Four Cycle Equipment
Starting Instruction For Two Cycle Engine Equipment
Starting Instruction For Two Cycle Engine Equipment
- Make sure you have fresh fuel and fresh 2 stroke oil in the fuel tank. Not last years fuel! Fuel that is not treated with a fuel stabilizer starts going bad in about 1 month from the time it was manufactured NOT when it was purchased!
- Make sure your fuel and oil is mixed to the correct ratio for your specific piece of equipment!
- Make sure that you follow the starting instructions printed on your equipment exactly as they are written. (Two stroke engines can be very temperamental and they flood very easily!)
- If there are no starting instructions printed anywhere on your equipment, then try getting in touch with the manufacture or search On-Line and see if you can find any information there regarding starting instructions for your specific piece of equipment.
- If you are unable to find any starting instructions that way you can try the following:
- If your equipment has a primer bulb, pump it 5 to 10 times. (Pumping it more then this will not hurt anything or flood the engine!) Pumping the primer bulb only circulates fresh gas from the gas tank, through the carburetor and then back to the gas tank. It does NOT prime the engine!
- If your equipment has a choke close the choke all the way.
- Pull the start rope 3 to 6 times or so until you hear the engine attempt to start.
- As soon as your equipment tries to start, stop pulling the start cord and move the choke to the half way setting. If it doesn't have a half way setting then turn it all the way off.
- If it doesn't try to start, leave the choke on and try holding the throttle lever on all the way while pulling the start rope again at the same time until it tries to start.
- VERY IMPORTANT! Again, once you hear your equipment try to start, stop trying to start it and move the choke to the half way or full off position. Continuing to try to start with the choke full on will cause the engine to flood!
- With the choke now in the half way or full off position, and with the throttle squeezed or not squeezed, whichever you were doing when it tried to start up the first time, pull the start rope again until it starts up. Once it starts, turn off the choke and give it some gas to keep it running until it is warmed up. It should be warm in about one or two minutes.
- When you are finished using it, run it at full speed for about 5 seconds to clean off the spark plug and the exhaust screen. Then let it run at idle for about 10 seconds to cool down and then turn it off.
If you have followed the above steps and it still will not start, or starts but will not keep running, then you most likely have a problem that needs to be looked at by a repair technician.
Yearly Use And Winter Storage For All Two and Four Cycle Equipment
Due to the use of ethanol in gasoline, make sure you use a Fuel Stabilizer treatment ALL year long in all of your two and four cycle engine equipment, not just for winter storage! This CAN NOT be stressed enough!! Ethanol has a very short life span and in about two weeks to a month it begins to breakdown. NOTE! This is from the time it was manufactured NOT when you purchased it! OK, here is the basic problem with ethanol. By nature ethanol attracts moisture. And when it breaks down it turns back into a watery substance. Since we live in a very humid region and during parts of the year we get a lot of rain you can see why this would be a problem. That is why I strongly suggest also using a Dry Gas treatment periodically alongside the fuel stabilizer. Dry Gas breaks downs the water into particles small enough to be dispersed back into the gas and then be burned. So, when you do not use a stabilizer the ethanol breaks down turning into a watery substance. Since water is heavier than gasoline it sits in the bottom of the carburetor bowl which is the pick up point for fuel entering the combustion chamber. When you try to start your engine it won't fire because water doesn't burn and that is why your mower won't start after it has sat all winter or for an extended period.
Put some Stabilizer and Dry Gas in your gas can before your fill it up so it mixes thoroughly, however, his is not necessary. I use STA-BIL or Star Tron. For Dry Gas I use the HEET Brand in the RED bottle. The RED bottle is for Two and Four cycle engines. The Yellow bottle is only for four cycle engines. They can be purchased at any auto parts store or Wal-Mart. Don't forget to add extra stabilizer and dry gas to your gas cans if you are planning on keeping your gas through the winter. Store your gas cans in a dry place.
For winter storage add extra stabilizer and dry gas to your gas cans and fuel tanks on your small engine equipment. (Adding extra will not hurt anything). Read the instructions on the bottle. Pour some directly in the gas tank on your equipment, then start it up and let it run for at least 10 minutes so it gets into the carburetor... this is very important!! Then start all of your equipment at least once a month and let it run for 10 minutes to move some gas through the carburetor. This is especially true for owners of Tillers, Generators, Pressure Washers, Chainsaws and other occasional use equipment!
I am often asked whether it is better to run the gas out of the fuel system for winter storage or use a fuel stabilizer. This always makes for a good discussion, argument or debate. However, here is my personal and professional opinion... I prefer to use a fuel stabilizer and here is why.... When you run the equipment out of fuel you will never get every bit of gas out of the carburetor or the fuel tank or fuel lines. The jet openings in a carburetor on small engines applications are very, very tiny only a little larger then a hair on your head and it only takes a little bit of old dried up untreated gas to clog up and corrode those jets and then you have a problem. Also, once a carburetor is wet with fuel it is best to keep it wet so that the rubber and moving components don't dry out and get stuck from corrosion which forms when air and moisture is present in a carburetor which has no fuel in it. In short, these engines were manufactured to run not sit around. So, my recommendation is to add fuel stabilizer and run them for a few minutes every few weeks during the winter or down time and you shouldn't have any problems. I hope that helps you.
A Battery Tender is also a must have for maintaining your battery when your equipment is not in use. Use it all the time when your equipment is not in use. It will greatly extend the life of your battery! If there isn't electricity in your shed or storage facility then purchase an extension cord as its is well worth the investment.
Here is the problem...most people only use their riding mowers on average about once a week. If you have a small yard like most people it only takes you about 45 or so minutes to cut your grass. Then you put the mower away and it sits for 6 days and 23 hours until the next weekend. The only time the battery gets charged is while the engine on the mower is running. When you charge your battery its like giving it food. So, its as if your battery goes without food or charging for 6 days and 23 hours and that is why those little batteries only last about a year or so. Plus the winter cold is also very hard on them. We drive our cars almost everyday and sometimes several times a day and the batteries in our cars get charge up very often and that is why they last so long. After you finish cutting your grass your lawn mower battery is well charged. That is the best time to use your battery tender as they do not put out enough current to recharge a dead or low battery they only maintain it. Using a battery tender is like hooking up an I V drip. It keeps giving the battery a little nourishment and keeps the charge topped off during those 6 days and 23 hours. If we went without eating for 6 days and 23 hours we wouldn't last very long either.
Put some Stabilizer and Dry Gas in your gas can before your fill it up so it mixes thoroughly, however, his is not necessary. I use STA-BIL or Star Tron. For Dry Gas I use the HEET Brand in the RED bottle. The RED bottle is for Two and Four cycle engines. The Yellow bottle is only for four cycle engines. They can be purchased at any auto parts store or Wal-Mart. Don't forget to add extra stabilizer and dry gas to your gas cans if you are planning on keeping your gas through the winter. Store your gas cans in a dry place.
For winter storage add extra stabilizer and dry gas to your gas cans and fuel tanks on your small engine equipment. (Adding extra will not hurt anything). Read the instructions on the bottle. Pour some directly in the gas tank on your equipment, then start it up and let it run for at least 10 minutes so it gets into the carburetor... this is very important!! Then start all of your equipment at least once a month and let it run for 10 minutes to move some gas through the carburetor. This is especially true for owners of Tillers, Generators, Pressure Washers, Chainsaws and other occasional use equipment!
Running The Gas Out Of Your Equipment VS Stabilizing Your Fuel
I am often asked whether it is better to run the gas out of the fuel system for winter storage or use a fuel stabilizer. This always makes for a good discussion, argument or debate. However, here is my personal and professional opinion... I prefer to use a fuel stabilizer and here is why.... When you run the equipment out of fuel you will never get every bit of gas out of the carburetor or the fuel tank or fuel lines. The jet openings in a carburetor on small engines applications are very, very tiny only a little larger then a hair on your head and it only takes a little bit of old dried up untreated gas to clog up and corrode those jets and then you have a problem. Also, once a carburetor is wet with fuel it is best to keep it wet so that the rubber and moving components don't dry out and get stuck from corrosion which forms when air and moisture is present in a carburetor which has no fuel in it. In short, these engines were manufactured to run not sit around. So, my recommendation is to add fuel stabilizer and run them for a few minutes every few weeks during the winter or down time and you shouldn't have any problems. I hope that helps you.
Batteries
A Battery Tender is also a must have for maintaining your battery when your equipment is not in use. Use it all the time when your equipment is not in use. It will greatly extend the life of your battery! If there isn't electricity in your shed or storage facility then purchase an extension cord as its is well worth the investment.
Here is the problem...most people only use their riding mowers on average about once a week. If you have a small yard like most people it only takes you about 45 or so minutes to cut your grass. Then you put the mower away and it sits for 6 days and 23 hours until the next weekend. The only time the battery gets charged is while the engine on the mower is running. When you charge your battery its like giving it food. So, its as if your battery goes without food or charging for 6 days and 23 hours and that is why those little batteries only last about a year or so. Plus the winter cold is also very hard on them. We drive our cars almost everyday and sometimes several times a day and the batteries in our cars get charge up very often and that is why they last so long. After you finish cutting your grass your lawn mower battery is well charged. That is the best time to use your battery tender as they do not put out enough current to recharge a dead or low battery they only maintain it. Using a battery tender is like hooking up an I V drip. It keeps giving the battery a little nourishment and keeps the charge topped off during those 6 days and 23 hours. If we went without eating for 6 days and 23 hours we wouldn't last very long either.
