Just FYI, last spring (after the first year I ever owned a lawn mower), I drained old gas out of my B&S engine by turning it upside down. The oil did apparently leak into the works, because for a while after that, when I ran the mower, there would be intervals where it would belch out great clouds of gray smoke. I looked like the Once-ler, from The Lorax.
At the end of the season, I was careful to use up the existing gas in the mower tank as much as possible. This spring, I had only a little old gas waiting in the tank, and I just poured enough fresh gas over it that I had no trouble starting it.
Old gasoline need not be thrown away or poured on the ground (shudder). You can mix old gas in with a much larger amount of fresh gas and all will be well. A gallon or two of old gas can be added to your car’s (mostly full) gas tank with no ill effects. So say The Car Guys on NPR, and I’ve found it to be true.
It’s a safe bet that your power equipment will last longer and run better if you prepare it for off-season storage in accordance with instructions in the owner’s manual.
Helpful hint: when tipping your mower on its side, tip it so the air cleaner is up. If you tip it so the air cleaner is down, oil may soak the air cleaner which will prevent starting until the situation is rectified.
Same here. Wouldn’t start on the stuff in the tank (I’d left it about half full all winter), so I tipped and drained it, put in fresh gas, and it started on the first pull. Magic.
Then, I mowed the side yard to get the engine nice and warm, shut it down, and did a full spring service on it: drained the warm oil and refilled it, replaced the spark plug, and replaced the air filter. Briggs & Stratton makes a maintenance kit for their engines that makes it all easy; I think they sell it at Home Depot. In one box, you get the oil, plug, and filter, plus a little tube of gas stabilizer for the winter, if you can remember where you put it. Just pick the kit that covers your engine’s horsepower rating, and you’re golden.
I was lazy this year, so I filled the nearly empty tank on my Craftsman mower with the oil/gas mixture from my snowblower. Forty or so pulls later, it started, and didn’t have any problems with the lawn. Maybe I’ll get it serviced before I put it away in the fall! 