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Author Topic:   Outboard Motor Layup: Run Gas Dry or Not

ghh3rd posted 10-15-2005 12:28 AM ET (US)
All of my outboard motors have always been two-stroke engines, and I've always run the gas out of them before putting them away. My father drilled this into us--"always run it dry, or you'll gum up the carb with varnish."
I have an Evinrude 6-HP that's 30 years old that I've always run the gas out of before putting it away, and it just had its first carb rebuild. I've always heard arguements from both sides of the fence regarding whether to run all of the gas out of the motor or not.
Now I have a 90-HP Yamaha two-stroke on my new skiff that I've put about 15 hours on, and haven't been running the gas out of the motor. For those who have two-strokes, do you run the gas out of your motors, and why or why not?
Thanks - Randy
RocketMan posted 10-15-2005 06:34 AM ET (US)
I have a 1985 90-HP Yamaha that I have been running the gas out of for 20 years with no problems. I live in Florida, so the boat is usable year-round but sits at times. I think keeping the carb dry reduces the likelihood of any water in the fuel damage/corrosion and/or fuel gumming up or 'varnishing' as you say.
Bulldog posted 10-15-2005 07:30 AM ET (US)
I don't run the gas out my engines, I'm of the school of thought that the gas is lubricating the cylinder walls, and running the engine for that brief period as it runs out, means the cylinder walls are dry. I also have never had to rebuild a carburator nor ever had any problems with gumming up the engine. This topic is brought up every fall and I think it will shake out to 50/50 split on the way people do it. Remember when starting the engine back up that there won't be gas in the cylinders for a little bit also....Jack
RocketMan posted 10-15-2005 02:32 PM ET (US)
The Yamaha 90 is oil injected, so you're getting oil whether or not you're getting fuel. In fact, the 'winterizing' procedure in the manual calls out to disconnect the fuel line and let the carb bowls run dry. Not sure if it smokes more when restarting or not, since it smokes anyway. And, pressurizing the fuel line bulb fills the bowls, so it starts pretty quick, too.
richvi posted 10-16-2005 12:49 AM ET (US)
I took a class on marine outboard engines at a community college. The instructor had operated a repair shop for years in Newport Beach, CA. He emphazed the need to disconnect the fuel line and run it dry. Otherwise, he said repair shops like his would have the business of breaking down the carb. and cleaning out the gunk.
jimh posted 10-16-2005 11:18 AM ET (US)
I would defer to the recommendation in the owner's manual regarding this. If your engine has the Yamaha Precision-Tune feature (which mixes oil and gasoline together prior to the carburetor), you may get unexpected results if you pull the gasoline supply to the engine. Your carburetor may be filled with an overly oil-rich mixture which will make re-starting more difficult.
Tollyfamily posted 10-17-2005 12:17 PM ET (US)
Follow the owners manual, my VRO 90 manual says don't disconnect and run dry because the oil pump is still pumping oil into the carbs. I just add stabilizer to the tank before layup and run long enough to get it into the whole system.
Dan
rbruce posted 10-23-2005 05:43 PM ET (US)
I always run dry the carburetor. This doesn't mean that the motor will be dry. Some oil coats the innards of the motor always and it seeps into the exhaust ports at the lower unit of my motor. I would strongly recommend in those VRO or oil injected motors to use fuel conditioner and stabilizer from OMC or Mercury in a proportion of two ounces per 6 gallons of fuel for storage or one ounce per 6 gallons for operation, it will keep the gasoline left in your tank stabilized for up to a year and will not gum up your carburetor. Then fog the motor through the carburetor as usual for storage and perform the rest of the operation as recommended in your manual.
Dunk79 posted 10-24-2005 11:32 PM ET (US)
It's bad idea to run the fuel out of any engine these days. First let me ask?? What do you thing will gum up faster a tea cup full of fuel or a tea cup with few drops in the bottom of it? You'll never get all the fuel out of your carb bowls disconnecting the fuel line. Those few drops will gum up in a few weeks without a fuel stabilizer. Load the fuel tank with Stabil at their recommendation or slightly more. Run the engine for at least 10-15 minutes to get the stabilized fuel through the engine. Yes, you can be fogging the engine at the same time.
With all the crazy additives in fuel these day's it doesn't live like it did in Dad's day. This is why stabilizing is more important now days. Fuel smells more like bad cologne now than real gasoline.
The single best thing you can do is if you have access to the boat over the winter time is to give the primer ball a few squeezes every couple of weeks to keep the carbs full all winter long..
sosmerc posted 10-25-2005 12:55 AM ET (US)
If owners would run fuel stabilizer such as Sta-Bil or StarTron year round (at the recommended dosage) you probably would never experience fuel related problems. Trying to run the fuel out of a carb doesn't get all the fuel out...what is left is going to turn to varnish and scum if it is not properly treated. Fuel stabilizer needs to be put in whenever you add fuel to your tank...it doesn't do much good to add stabilizer if the fuel is already 6 months old!
I prefer to run my tanks low when the season is over...so that I will be putting fresh fuel on top of the stabilized fuel prior to bringing the boat out of storage. I also believe that using a good water seperator such as a RACOR is important so that you will catch and trap any moisture that may have formed inside the fuel tank during the winter.

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Author	Topic: Outboard Motor Layup: Run Gas Dry or Not
ghh3rd	posted 10-15-2005 12:28 AM ET (US) All of my outboard motors have always been two-stroke engines, and I've always run the gas out of them before putting them away. My father drilled this into us--"always run it dry, or you'll gum up the carb with varnish." I have an Evinrude 6-HP that's 30 years old that I've always run the gas out of before putting it away, and it just had its first carb rebuild. I've always heard arguements from both sides of the fence regarding whether to run all of the gas out of the motor or not. Now I have a 90-HP Yamaha two-stroke on my new skiff that I've put about 15 hours on, and haven't been running the gas out of the motor. For those who have two-strokes, do you run the gas out of your motors, and why or why not? Thanks - Randy
RocketMan	posted 10-15-2005 06:34 AM ET (US) I have a 1985 90-HP Yamaha that I have been running the gas out of for 20 years with no problems. I live in Florida, so the boat is usable year-round but sits at times. I think keeping the carb dry reduces the likelihood of any water in the fuel damage/corrosion and/or fuel gumming up or 'varnishing' as you say.
Bulldog	posted 10-15-2005 07:30 AM ET (US) I don't run the gas out my engines, I'm of the school of thought that the gas is lubricating the cylinder walls, and running the engine for that brief period as it runs out, means the cylinder walls are dry. I also have never had to rebuild a carburator nor ever had any problems with gumming up the engine. This topic is brought up every fall and I think it will shake out to 50/50 split on the way people do it. Remember when starting the engine back up that there won't be gas in the cylinders for a little bit also....Jack
RocketMan	posted 10-15-2005 02:32 PM ET (US) The Yamaha 90 is oil injected, so you're getting oil whether or not you're getting fuel. In fact, the 'winterizing' procedure in the manual calls out to disconnect the fuel line and let the carb bowls run dry. Not sure if it smokes more when restarting or not, since it smokes anyway. And, pressurizing the fuel line bulb fills the bowls, so it starts pretty quick, too.
richvi	posted 10-16-2005 12:49 AM ET (US) I took a class on marine outboard engines at a community college. The instructor had operated a repair shop for years in Newport Beach, CA. He emphazed the need to disconnect the fuel line and run it dry. Otherwise, he said repair shops like his would have the business of breaking down the carb. and cleaning out the gunk.
jimh	posted 10-16-2005 11:18 AM ET (US) I would defer to the recommendation in the owner's manual regarding this. If your engine has the Yamaha Precision-Tune feature (which mixes oil and gasoline together prior to the carburetor), you may get unexpected results if you pull the gasoline supply to the engine. Your carburetor may be filled with an overly oil-rich mixture which will make re-starting more difficult.
Tollyfamily	posted 10-17-2005 12:17 PM ET (US) Follow the owners manual, my VRO 90 manual says don't disconnect and run dry because the oil pump is still pumping oil into the carbs. I just add stabilizer to the tank before layup and run long enough to get it into the whole system. Dan
rbruce	posted 10-23-2005 05:43 PM ET (US) I always run dry the carburetor. This doesn't mean that the motor will be dry. Some oil coats the innards of the motor always and it seeps into the exhaust ports at the lower unit of my motor. I would strongly recommend in those VRO or oil injected motors to use fuel conditioner and stabilizer from OMC or Mercury in a proportion of two ounces per 6 gallons of fuel for storage or one ounce per 6 gallons for operation, it will keep the gasoline left in your tank stabilized for up to a year and will not gum up your carburetor. Then fog the motor through the carburetor as usual for storage and perform the rest of the operation as recommended in your manual.
Dunk79	posted 10-24-2005 11:32 PM ET (US) It's bad idea to run the fuel out of any engine these days. First let me ask?? What do you thing will gum up faster a tea cup full of fuel or a tea cup with few drops in the bottom of it? You'll never get all the fuel out of your carb bowls disconnecting the fuel line. Those few drops will gum up in a few weeks without a fuel stabilizer. Load the fuel tank with Stabil at their recommendation or slightly more. Run the engine for at least 10-15 minutes to get the stabilized fuel through the engine. Yes, you can be fogging the engine at the same time. With all the crazy additives in fuel these day's it doesn't live like it did in Dad's day. This is why stabilizing is more important now days. Fuel smells more like bad cologne now than real gasoline. The single best thing you can do is if you have access to the boat over the winter time is to give the primer ball a few squeezes every couple of weeks to keep the carbs full all winter long..
sosmerc	posted 10-25-2005 12:55 AM ET (US) If owners would run fuel stabilizer such as Sta-Bil or StarTron year round (at the recommended dosage) you probably would never experience fuel related problems. Trying to run the fuel out of a carb doesn't get all the fuel out...what is left is going to turn to varnish and scum if it is not properly treated. Fuel stabilizer needs to be put in whenever you add fuel to your tank...it doesn't do much good to add stabilizer if the fuel is already 6 months old! I prefer to run my tanks low when the season is over...so that I will be putting fresh fuel on top of the stabilized fuel prior to bringing the boat out of storage. I also believe that using a good water seperator such as a RACOR is important so that you will catch and trap any moisture that may have formed inside the fuel tank during the winter.