Suburban 550 28 #1 Posted May 17, 2010 After pulling my 550 and 702 out of the trailer at the Little Guys Show at Mt. Wolf, Pa. this weekend, the 702 refused to start and when it did finally fire, it would only run with the choke on. I suspected right away, it was a carburetor issue that would have to wait til' I got home to get it fixed right. Low and behold when I ripped it apart yesterday, this is what I found. After a good cleanin' and a rebuild kit, it runs like a champ. :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikesRJ 552 #2 Posted May 17, 2010 Things that make you go ... Hmmmmm! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dclarke 4,011 #3 Posted May 17, 2010 i knew you'd have it up and running in no time Ray, looks like you guys had a great time at the show, hope to get out there one of these days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimD 3,345 #4 Posted May 17, 2010 Glad ya got her back up and running Ray! :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W9JAB 156 #6 Posted May 17, 2010 :D Dilithium could be found on only a few planets in the galaxy, and was therefore a rare and valuable substance, Too bad it's not The USS Enterprise, "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" :wh: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scifi4all 6 #7 Posted May 17, 2010 Is that what sugar in the gas tank looks like or are those white grape raisins? :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 14,893 #8 Posted May 17, 2010 I have never used Sta-Bil in my gas before. So when I put the Honda walk-behind away for the winter, I added Sta-Bil to the tank. When I went to start it for the first time this spring, it would not keep running. After removing the bowl, I found what looked just like what you have in your picture. I cleaned it, and it runs fine. I will never use Sta-Bil again! Bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suburban 550 28 #9 Posted May 17, 2010 I have never used Sta-Bil in my gas before. So when I put the Honda walk-behind away for the winter, I added Sta-Bil to the tank. When I went to start it for the first time this spring, it would not keep running. After removing the bowl, I found what looked just like what you have in your picture. I cleaned it, and it runs fine. I will never use Sta-Bil again! Bob Bob, I was never a firm believer in Sta-Bil and this is the first year I used it. I don't know for sure if the Sta-Bil is the real culprit of the problem. This is not the first time I seen this mess inside a carburetor. My boss has a older zero turn Wheel Horse that never had Sta-Bil added to it and developed the same lookin' junk inside his carb, some of it was like a crystalized state and some of it was like hunks of jello. I talked to the local Wheel Horse dealer and he told me alot of people are having carburetor problems due to the ethanol in the gas. I like to know if anybody else has seen this or knows what's causing it. :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoppy 0 #10 Posted May 17, 2010 i stopped using stabil and have been using seafoam in anything i own that has a motor in it and so far so good. i dont leave gas in anything i own if its going to be out of use for awhile. seems to work good for me. seafoam can be used all the time so i just mix up 5 gallons of gas and that goes into most my machines. what are you guys running for octane? i believe that in the original owners manual for my 66' it says run 90 octane or higher. i alwasy thought the higher octanes had less ethenol and race fuel with a 100+ octane has a shelf live comparible in years. regular old junk gas will go bad in three months if not treated. thats not very long. i try to buy what i need and only fill the machines as i need them with the appropriate amount of gas. that crystal stuff is wierd. i havent seen it like that before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buckrancher 2,675 #11 Posted May 17, 2010 I have been useing sta-bil for many years in all my gas engines I have never had a problem glad you got her going Ray :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rickv1957 70 #12 Posted May 18, 2010 Im with buckrancher,stabil has worked well for me!,Rick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Save Old Iron 1,563 #13 Posted May 18, 2010 Another for Sta-Bil. I use it in everything I own for long term storage. I just disassembled a snowblower I have been using for 15 years and ZERO buildup. If I do get any accumulation, it has always been dark green goo or brown sandy textured silt :USA: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Raider12 13 #14 Posted May 18, 2010 I really only use my tractors for mowing and no winter work. So mine sit ALL winter in the shed. I have never treated the fuel left in them. And now after 20 years with my Raider, it has never failed to run perfectly in the spring. I have only ever replaced the points once in the same 20 years. Why do need this stuff (other than a long storage) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rick 215 #15 Posted May 18, 2010 Since I work on so many saws and lawn & garden equipment, and not knowing how long some of it may set before use, every can of gas has StaBil in it. I have been using it in 89 octane gas for years, and never a problem...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gene_S 93 #16 Posted May 18, 2010 I run all my motors out of gas so the bowl is dry before putting them away for the winter. Even my 40hp motor on my pontoon. May not be good having a empty gas tank to rust but I've been pretty luck. Spring time comes, gas goes in and i'm off running... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Toolman 22 #17 Posted May 18, 2010 By the way fellers, sta-bil has an expiration date on it also... But I have never had any trouble in all the years I have used it...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stevasaurus 22,229 #18 Posted May 18, 2010 Another thought is the gas is mixed different for winter and summer...could be a little moisture in summer gas during the winter. Actually have never seen crystallization like that...if you saved some of it...you could send it to (like for me) the University of Illinois and they would check it out. :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Save Old Iron 1,563 #19 Posted May 18, 2010 I don't know Steve, you give something that looks like salt to the folks in Illinois, they probably sprinkle it on something like this and have a tailgate party. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikesRJ 552 #20 Posted May 19, 2010 :D Careful, you'll give him a HAAAART AHTACK! (spoken with a Chicago accent) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d32OeqbYbHg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DMK855 15 #21 Posted May 19, 2010 Welcome to the world of ethanol!!! Glad it was something simple for you!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horse Fanatic 49 #22 Posted May 19, 2010 I work at a small engine repair facility, I've seen just about every imaginable substance in a carb, including crystals like that. Fuel stabilizer does not do that to a carb. I use fuel stabilizer in everything, for short and long term storage. I recommend using it highly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linen beige 14 #23 Posted May 19, 2010 Hmmm.... You went to deeeeeeep space for that one, didn't you Chuck. I'd venture an educated guess that ethanol was behind this as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Horse'n Around 22 #24 Posted May 19, 2010 The good ole days whern you could leave gas in something for any amount of time is long gone. the other day I noticed that the gas that I had put in my 702 a month had already started to get that cruddy smell to it. I remember in 1979 when I was in High School I had a '69 Charger R/T that needed an good engine. (I sure miss that car... except when it comes to pulling into the gas station) I ended up buying a '69 Polaris from my friends Dad, it was an ex Mississippi State Trooper cruiser, it had a 440 Mag in it,and a cool air cleaner with 2 snorkels on it, anyway it had been sitting for 5 to 6 years in the back of their 20 acre field with tumble weeds grown around it and no wheels on it. Anyway I put a battery in it checked the oil and coolant and with a puff of either it started and ran, not real well, it ran rough at first and the exhaust smelled like burning paint thinner/varnish but it did run. I put a couple more gallons of gas in it and slipped on some wheels with tires on it and drove it home.The next day I pulled that wretched,anemic 2bbl 318 out of my Charger and dropped in the 440.I swapped the Carter carb for a 650 Holley and changed the oil and it ran like a striped ape (whatever they run like ) from then on. If you tried to do that these days you would have to drop the tank just to get the gas/tar out of it and clean out the entire fuel system just to try to start it, let alone drive it. The crap that theyre putting in gas has made it so that you pretty much have to use the gas right away or it turns to junk. John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
horsefeathers 15 #25 Posted May 19, 2010 Aztrooper, Thats right! They who ever "they" are? Don't want you stock piling cheap gas (when ever gas was cheap!) Love the Mopar story sounds like a page outta' my book! I was mopar when mopar wasn't cool! I use stabil, or sea foam and dont forget good ol' Marvel mistry oil! The good stuff CHEAP! And I also agree the winter / summer forumal may be the culpret here! HORSEFEATHERS! P.S. Old Iron, That salami spaceship is ready for inner gastrointestinal space travel! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites