It’s National Gasoline Stabilization Day

Oildepot declares today to be National Gasoline Stabilization Day. As lawn mowers, motorcycles, ATVs and other equipment with small engines are about to be put away for winter storage, now is the time to give them a run with gasoline treated with fuel stabilizer. Storing small engines with untreated regular-unleaded gasoline is asking for fuel system deposits and possibly expensive repairs next spring.

Here’s what to do.

• Buy a batch of fresh premium grade gasoline and treat it with gasoline stabilizer. Why premium gasoline? Regular and mid-grade gasoline contains ethanol. Ethanol absorbs moisture and when this mixture degrades, the result is fuel system-clogging deposits.
• Run your engine. If this is for your lawn mower, mow your lawn one last time or use it to bag up leaves.
• Just prior to storage, fill the gas tank so that there is no area for condensation to form.
• Change the engine oil so that your engine internals are protected with fresh motor oil.
• If you are really particular about maintenance, buy a can of fogging oil and spray a few shots into the (running) engine through the carburetor with the air cleaner removed. Shut down the engine, remove the spark plug and spray a few shots into the cylinder (s) and turn over the engine a few times. Reinstall the spark plug and put the machine away for the winter.
• If your machine has a battery, be sure to remove it for the winter and store it in a safe location where it will not freeze.

With this regimen, you will never have problems with powersports and lawn/garden equipment not starting in the spring.