Shut-Down Procedures For Four-Cycle Auxiliary

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Author Topic:   Shut-Down Procedures For Four-Cycle Auxiliary

ukuslayer posted 05-08-2009 05:25 PM ET (US)
I have a 18-HP four-cycle Tohatsu as a kicker on my Guardian. What is the best [shut down] procedure at the end of the day? Should I just run the engine on the muffs and be done with it? Should I run out the gas until the engine stalls? The Tohatsu is a 2003 model and the manual says it is ethanol compatible. I would appreciate any insight.
On my Optimax I was told to just leave the fuel in the system because it could be difficult to get the fuel system primed again, so I'm not worried about that engine.
Sean
handn posted 05-08-2009 06:29 PM ET (US)
I have a Tohatsu 9.8-HP. I use the muffs and flush with fresh water after every saltwater use. If I am not going to use the motor for a week or more, I drain the fuel because the carb has little passages and dried gunky fuel can clog them up. The engine is not difficult to prime, a couple of squeezes on the fuel bulb and a few seconds of cranking with the choke lever pulled out and it starts right up.
20dauntless posted 05-08-2009 06:46 PM ET (US)
I agree with the above. I had a 5hp Mercury (same as Tohatsu) that I used on a dinghy. I got in the habit of unplugging the fuel line and running the engine out of fuel whenever I was done using it for the day. It was never difficult to prime and the carbs never gave me any trouble. Flushing with freshwater after running in saltwater is a good idea on all raw water cooled engines.
jimh posted 05-08-2009 08:06 PM ET (US)
If you use an engine on a daily basis it is not necessary to run fuel out of the engine. If the engine is a fuel-injected engine it is not necessary to run fuel out of the engine, nor is it generally recommended. If you have a carburetor engine and you will not be using it for a long period of time, it is often recommended to remove fuel from the fuel system. A simple way to do this is to run the engine out of fuel.
My own practice with my carburetor motor (with six carburetors) is to make sure the fuel system is completely primed and the fuel bowls of the carburetors are full after shut down. I do not tip the engine up in storage.
If you tip the engine for storage, you may find that fuel runs out of the fuel system from the carburetor bowls, depending on how they are designed.
jimh posted 05-08-2009 10:26 PM ET (US)
On carburetor engines with automatic fuel and oil mixing, if you disconnect the fuel line you will risk filling the fuel system with just oil. This can lead to very hard starting.
ukuslayer posted 05-09-2009 03:49 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the replies. My kicker does tend to sit for a while so I think I will start to run her out of fuel after I flush.
Sean
R T M posted 05-09-2009 06:39 AM ET (US)
I disconnect the fuel hose out of habit, on my 25 Merc/Tohatsu 4 stroke FI. Running at 2000rpm it takes 10 minutes to run the fuel out. At idle, I don`t think it would ever run out of fuel. LOL
rich/Binkie
gnr posted 05-10-2009 09:53 AM ET (US)
Many folks believe that running the gas out of the carb before long term storage can be detrimental in that all the gas will not be removed from every single place it can settle. The little bit of remaining gas is more likely to gum up the works over time then if the systen was left full of gas.
I used to run the gas out of my equipment. The last 7 or 8 years I've been just making sure I run the engine long enough to ensure stabilized fuel has reached all parts of the system.
My experience has been that leaving the system full of fuel is the better option on carbed 2s and 4s engines.
I pulled my Honda 4s kicker out of the shed and hung it a few weeks ago. This motor had not been started in two years.
I expected to have trouble but it started on literally the first pull.
Plotman posted 05-11-2009 09:12 AM ET (US)
At our fish camp we have a 1966 Evinrude that our family has owned since it was new. We run the boat 12 to 15 days a year, and every time we put it away between trips, we disconnect the fuel line and run it dry.
It starts on the second or third pull every time. It lives on a lift in a boathouse, and winterizing consists of running it dry. Every 4 or 5 years we change the plugs and the impeller.
I'd say over 40 years of doing it this way says a lot.
Ridge Runner posted 05-11-2009 10:09 AM ET (US)
On my 2005 Yamaha 50hp and 2007 Yamaha 90hp two cycle carbureted engines I always disconnect the fuel lines and let the engines stall for lack of fuel. Jim’s comment about the system filling with oil is interesting as both of my engines need a shot of starting fluid to fire up again.
tedious posted 05-11-2009 10:36 AM ET (US)
On a 2-stroke engine with multiple carbs, they don't all necessarily run out of juice at the same time. That means you may be running some cylinders "dry" while the others are using up the last bit of gas/oil mix. That would not be my choice.
Tim
Tohsgib posted 05-11-2009 11:24 AM ET (US)
I used to run mine dry if it was going to sit. With my other boat I run marina fuelwhich has Valve-teck or Valve Tech? in it and is supposably stabilized for a year along with no ethanol.
handn posted 05-11-2009 06:57 PM ET (US)
Draining the the fuel out of the Tohatsu involves running the motor out of fuel and draining the float bowl of the carb by unscrewing a drain screw on the bottom of the bowl, simple after you have done it once.
While I haven't gunked up my Tohatsu yet, I did so several times with a 2.5 Yamaha 4-stroke outboard I owned.
The carb of a small 4-stroke outboard has very tiny fuel passages and gunks up easy with fuel that is left in it for several months.

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Author	Topic: Shut-Down Procedures For Four-Cycle Auxiliary
ukuslayer	posted 05-08-2009 05:25 PM ET (US) I have a 18-HP four-cycle Tohatsu as a kicker on my Guardian. What is the best [shut down] procedure at the end of the day? Should I just run the engine on the muffs and be done with it? Should I run out the gas until the engine stalls? The Tohatsu is a 2003 model and the manual says it is ethanol compatible. I would appreciate any insight. On my Optimax I was told to just leave the fuel in the system because it could be difficult to get the fuel system primed again, so I'm not worried about that engine. Sean
handn	posted 05-08-2009 06:29 PM ET (US) I have a Tohatsu 9.8-HP. I use the muffs and flush with fresh water after every saltwater use. If I am not going to use the motor for a week or more, I drain the fuel because the carb has little passages and dried gunky fuel can clog them up. The engine is not difficult to prime, a couple of squeezes on the fuel bulb and a few seconds of cranking with the choke lever pulled out and it starts right up.
20dauntless	posted 05-08-2009 06:46 PM ET (US) I agree with the above. I had a 5hp Mercury (same as Tohatsu) that I used on a dinghy. I got in the habit of unplugging the fuel line and running the engine out of fuel whenever I was done using it for the day. It was never difficult to prime and the carbs never gave me any trouble. Flushing with freshwater after running in saltwater is a good idea on all raw water cooled engines.
jimh	posted 05-08-2009 08:06 PM ET (US) If you use an engine on a daily basis it is not necessary to run fuel out of the engine. If the engine is a fuel-injected engine it is not necessary to run fuel out of the engine, nor is it generally recommended. If you have a carburetor engine and you will not be using it for a long period of time, it is often recommended to remove fuel from the fuel system. A simple way to do this is to run the engine out of fuel. My own practice with my carburetor motor (with six carburetors) is to make sure the fuel system is completely primed and the fuel bowls of the carburetors are full after shut down. I do not tip the engine up in storage. If you tip the engine for storage, you may find that fuel runs out of the fuel system from the carburetor bowls, depending on how they are designed.
jimh	posted 05-08-2009 10:26 PM ET (US) On carburetor engines with automatic fuel and oil mixing, if you disconnect the fuel line you will risk filling the fuel system with just oil. This can lead to very hard starting.
ukuslayer	posted 05-09-2009 03:49 AM ET (US) Thanks for the replies. My kicker does tend to sit for a while so I think I will start to run her out of fuel after I flush. Sean
R T M	posted 05-09-2009 06:39 AM ET (US) I disconnect the fuel hose out of habit, on my 25 Merc/Tohatsu 4 stroke FI. Running at 2000rpm it takes 10 minutes to run the fuel out. At idle, I don`t think it would ever run out of fuel. LOL rich/Binkie
gnr	posted 05-10-2009 09:53 AM ET (US) Many folks believe that running the gas out of the carb before long term storage can be detrimental in that all the gas will not be removed from every single place it can settle. The little bit of remaining gas is more likely to gum up the works over time then if the systen was left full of gas. I used to run the gas out of my equipment. The last 7 or 8 years I've been just making sure I run the engine long enough to ensure stabilized fuel has reached all parts of the system. My experience has been that leaving the system full of fuel is the better option on carbed 2s and 4s engines. I pulled my Honda 4s kicker out of the shed and hung it a few weeks ago. This motor had not been started in two years. I expected to have trouble but it started on literally the first pull.
Plotman	posted 05-11-2009 09:12 AM ET (US) At our fish camp we have a 1966 Evinrude that our family has owned since it was new. We run the boat 12 to 15 days a year, and every time we put it away between trips, we disconnect the fuel line and run it dry. It starts on the second or third pull every time. It lives on a lift in a boathouse, and winterizing consists of running it dry. Every 4 or 5 years we change the plugs and the impeller. I'd say over 40 years of doing it this way says a lot.
Ridge Runner	posted 05-11-2009 10:09 AM ET (US) On my 2005 Yamaha 50hp and 2007 Yamaha 90hp two cycle carbureted engines I always disconnect the fuel lines and let the engines stall for lack of fuel. Jim’s comment about the system filling with oil is interesting as both of my engines need a shot of starting fluid to fire up again.
tedious	posted 05-11-2009 10:36 AM ET (US) On a 2-stroke engine with multiple carbs, they don't all necessarily run out of juice at the same time. That means you may be running some cylinders "dry" while the others are using up the last bit of gas/oil mix. That would not be my choice. Tim
Tohsgib	posted 05-11-2009 11:24 AM ET (US) I used to run mine dry if it was going to sit. With my other boat I run marina fuelwhich has Valve-teck or Valve Tech? in it and is supposably stabilized for a year along with no ethanol.
handn	posted 05-11-2009 06:57 PM ET (US) Draining the the fuel out of the Tohatsu involves running the motor out of fuel and draining the float bowl of the carb by unscrewing a drain screw on the bottom of the bowl, simple after you have done it once. While I haven't gunked up my Tohatsu yet, I did so several times with a 2.5 Yamaha 4-stroke outboard I owned. The carb of a small 4-stroke outboard has very tiny fuel passages and gunks up easy with fuel that is left in it for several months.