Gas left in Carbs:
I'm no chemical engineer, but am under the impression that the gas today with it's menthanol and ethanol (alcohol) in it absorbs moisture and that moisture and alcohol can corrode the insides of a carby over a long period of saw storage. I usually run a 32/1 mix with MX2T oil. My old saws aren't worked every day and sit for days before they are started again. I fuel them up, just add a pint of fuel or so to each saw and fire them up and let them run for a few minutes when I get the urge during the summer. Usually they have gas in them, but adding a bit of fresh gas everytime they're fired up for what ever reason. During the winter months they aren't run at all. So I run them completely dry for winter storage and usually do what I described above. The gas I use is only mixed up 2 gallon at a time and when that gas reaches the 60 day old mark I end up dumping it into my truck. I keep my gas in the coolest spot I can find to store it (my garage). It isn't left out in the hot sun and i use a container that's completely air tight (metal can with screw on sealed caps and no vent). I've stored gas all winter and used it the next spring with no problems (I add fuel stabil each time I make up a fresh batch of gas), but it's still stored in a sealed container in the cold. I feel that there should be hardly no evaporation or moisture getting into the gas to mess it up (I've noticed no water or rust in the can), but the saws I run dry for storage. I feel (correct me if I'm wrong) that the diaphragm inside the carbs will be protected, to a certain extent, by the oil after the fuel has evaporated, if there is any fuel left on top of the diaphragms after the carbs have been run dry. So far I've had no problems with the old carbs that I have rebuilt and left sit over the winter months. I fuel up the saws, prime them, set the throttle and choke and they're running after a few quick pulls or after the carb picks up it fuel. The old float type carbs on some of these old saws will usually fire up on the second or third pull, best starting saws I have. Again during the summer the carbs are stored wet, but I usually am starting the saws every so often to show them to someone or for my own amusement, but during the winter they are stored dry. On the other hand, I thought I had drained the fuel from my Poulan 3400 and had it stored in it's carrying case in the back shed, which gets pretty hot during the summer. It was there for over a year and a half. When I pulled her down and went to fuel her up. To my surprise she was full of fuel and she fired right up with no problems and still runs fine today and has never had a carb kit. Got it new in 1982. Some of the newer saws, I have stored wet trying to see what will happen with todays fuel, but start them on a regular basis (every 2 to 3 weeks) during storage and have had no problems with them over the winter and summer. But at least they're started and fresh fuel is added each time they're started. So looks like it's up to one's own preference on how he wants to store their saw. My own thoughts would be to run the saws dry, fog them with oil, make sure they're cleaned up properly and crank them over every once in a while, while in long term storage. If stored for short times or at least started every so often (at least once in 30 days and throughly warmed up) they should be able to be stored wet. To each his own and only time will show up any problems. I have a couple saws where the gas tanks were full of varnish, lines rotted, filters shot and the carbs were full of something like syrup. Cleaned and repaired what was in the tanks, blew out the carbs and they took off and worked fine with the original carb parts. So go figure. Must have been the older 30 year old gas. Who knows. OK, just my 2 cents worth of rambling on. Everyone take care. Lewis.
