Winterizing My Auger

[WalleyeDundee]

I had to spend $140 to repair my carborator this year and want to make sure I avoid any problems for next year. My auger is a Jiffy Stealth w/ 3hp Techumseh engine. What are the best steps to follow to winterize my auger? Should I run the engine out of gas? Should I use stabilizer? Storage? Thanks for any suggestions.

Rob.

p.s. I checked for a similar thread without luck.

[berke99]

I keep my auger by my lawm mower and just start my auger every time I mow my yard. This works for me and never had a problem when winter comes.

[Tim L]

I've had my Auger 15 years I just run it out of gas store it up in the rafter of my garage, Got a buddy who bought a Jiffy stealth and left the gas in it and now he has carb problems. That way when next winter comes around I know I have fresh gas in it.

[riverrat56]

Isn't it called Summerizing?

sorry, couldn't help it.

I just got my auger this year after i was done ice fishing, but i know that my dads friends just start them a few times a month.

RR56

[Dusty]

Dump the gas out, start it up and run it till it dies. put it away till next winter.

[Graywolf]

Leaving today's gasoline in engine all summer is not a good idea. The heat makes the gas evaoprate and the residue (varnish as some call it) starts to congeal. You now know how much that costs to remedy.

If possible, store engine someplace where the temperature won't get very hot in summertime. The difference in temp from winter and summer dries up the diaphram in the carb. The greater the temp difference, the sooner you are going to need a "carb kit install (better know as tune up).

Do a "Google" search for "gas stabilizer". A LOT of good reading. Following is from just one site and is the method I personally use:

Prepare The Engine (2 Cycle)

Add fuel stabilizer to fuel tank and run engine for five minutes (use either Sta-Bil or SeaFoam)

Drain balance of fuel from fuel tank

Start engine and run until the fuel in system is used up

Remove spark plug and put 1 tablespoon of oil onto of cylinder and crank engine over by hand to distribute oil, coating cylinder walls

Install a fresh spark plug

Next season when you wish to put back in service, simply install fresh fuel mix and restart the engine. It will be normal for the engine to smoke for the first few minutes as the lubricating oil in the cylinder is burned up.

Sorry for the lengthy post but ice auger engines are getting very expensive. Treated right, they will last longer than you.

[iffwalleyes]

Follow graywolf's suggestions and you will be just fine. I started to use jiffy's own 2 cycle oil mix. It costs a little more but it has two things that I like about it first it is smokeless and we all like that. Second it has stabil premixed. So you just mix the bottle with one gallon of gas and everything is mixed proper not to much oil or stabil. I have had great luck with this the past two years. It always has stabil in the tank so you don't have to worry about that. "And I said that's good one less thing to worry about." Forest Gump

[buzbunni]

Please don't apologize for the good post Graywolf, and thankyou. I was just gonna leave mine sit(I'm kinda stoopid that way). Now I know better.

[CNY Tim]

I have a 97 Strikemaster I just wipe the blades down with oil then I dump out the gas in the tank and run the rest out of it, 8 years old.

[MercMan]

Don't forget to remove the auger assembly from the powerhead, clean the stub shaft from the engine and the inside connection on the auger, lightly grease both parts and put it back together. If you neglect to do this, your powerhead might rust to the auger.

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

I have always drained the tank then run them until all gas is gone. They I fog them by putting fogging oil or just some 2-stroke oil in the spark plug hole. Pull it over a few times with the plug still out to disperse oil. store. On my sleds and outboards I take it one step further and pull fogging oil in through the intake/carbs as well as plug hole to lube the lower portion of the engine. I have never had an issue with 2-stroke storage in 13 years doing this.

[Gilles]

What do most auger company's recomend doing? I've heard its better to leave the gas in the tank so some part doesn't dry out. Also is it better to leave the spark plug out?

[lars0926]

I work for OmegaBlade (a new auger company). We recommend removing the gas for the season. There are no components that will "dry out", and as aforementioned in this post, it helps to protect the "gumming" that can shorten the lifespan of the carb.

[doubledge]

I too bought a new stealth last year, and spent big bucks to fix it this winter. The guy said it was because of ethanol in the gas screwing up the carburetor. I would suggest using hi-test gas w/stabilizer and running all fuel out of the carb.

[Anthony]

I've had the same auger for nearly 10 years and it starts every time.

I drain the gas and then choke it and run it till it dies to get the gas out of the lines.

Then I pull the plug and spray WD40 into the cylinder. Pull it over a few times with the plug out lubricates the internals. then I put the plug back in and put it up in the rafters. Has never failed me yet.

I do this with all my power equipment when it is out of season. (lawnmower, weed-whacker, tiller, snowblower, etc)

[MercMan]

One of WD-40's main characteristics is that it is a solvent, which means it has properties which dissolve oil & grease. Lots of people have had good or great luck with it, but a better solution is fogging oil, which is available everywhere. Fogging oil coats all of the internal bearings, crankshaft, cylinder walls, piston rings, and other metal parts to keep them from rusting.

Summer weather is brutal on internal combustion engines. Much more-so than winter weather is. Run the gas out of every engine that is stored longer than 30 days, including lawnmowers, chainsaws, snow blowers, & weed wackers.

[Anthony]

Merc man, can you help me with a brand name on this fogging oil? I've never heard of it and would like to check it out.

Thanks!

[cloudfisher]

There's a few different brands of fogging oil JB(JusticeBrothers), Mag 1, Eagle, to name a few. I use a Magnum III ('88?)that my dad gave to me three years ago. I use fogging oil for my sleds but not my auger and blower. We put a squirt of 30weight in the plug hole, poured the extra gas out, put some stabil in the tank, ran the rest of the gas through and stored our auger vertical for the summer. I don't use WD40 for storage because its a refined "penetrant", not a true lubricant.

[Gus]

Fleet farm also sells a few brands of fogging oil one of which is made by Stay-Bill (sp?). Saw it there yesterday. Same brand that makes the gas treatment stuff.

[MntkaFishin]

I've got a dumb question. What's the best way to get all of the gas out of the fuel line. I've tried to run it wide open but it cuts out after a few seconds, and I can still see some fuel in the fuel line.

[PierBridge]

Pull the fuel line off and drain it.

[EYEHUNTER10]

[note: please use the For Sale Forum, Thank you]