Gunk in Onan Marquis 7000 carb
Rebuilt the carb and cleaned it in a sonic cleaner. I can't believe the amount of gelled gas that was in the bowl. The unit ran fine until a couple of weeks ago it would stall under load. Cleaned c...
Forum Discussion
I disagree with draining the fuel from any engine when shutting it off. My experience has been, if you drain the fuel and the fuel system fuel vaporizes, the it leaves small deposits that solidify. Over time they build up, and the result they typically looks like those in the photos. When you drain the system for storage, it creates another potential problem. Without fuel, the plastic/neoprene/rubber type parts dry out and become less flexible, and often will not work. Carburetors on small engines have more of a problem with being stored dry, than carburetors on autos. A new carburetor, or just rebuilt, that is stored without fuel does not experience either problem.
As most of us know, if we leave the fuel in any container for a long period of time, it will go bad. This is especially true with ethanol added fuel, in my opinion. In small engines, I use Stabil. It helps extend the storage time. If you store an engine for a long time, my experience is the leave the fuel in the system, and drain and refill it before starting the engine.
Ethanol draws moisture from the air, and fuel containers and fuel tanks condensate. The stuff in the photos was small enough to pass through the fuel filter/s, but will accumulate over time, and much quicker if you drain the fuel system due to the deposits drying in the system.
Read the container if you use Stabil or SeaFoam. These companies make products for different applications. You want to use the correct one for your application.
I will add, over the years and as recently as two weeks ago, I have talked to small engine repair mechanics. The guy a talked to two weeks ago said 95% or more of their repair business was related to fuel issues. He also volunteered you should not drain the fuel to store a small engine, if you have a choice.
Wayne
As most of us know, if we leave the fuel in any container for a long period of time, it will go bad. This is especially true with ethanol added fuel, in my opinion. In small engines, I use Stabil. It helps extend the storage time. If you store an engine for a long time, my experience is the leave the fuel in the system, and drain and refill it before starting the engine.
Ethanol draws moisture from the air, and fuel containers and fuel tanks condensate. The stuff in the photos was small enough to pass through the fuel filter/s, but will accumulate over time, and much quicker if you drain the fuel system due to the deposits drying in the system.
Read the container if you use Stabil or SeaFoam. These companies make products for different applications. You want to use the correct one for your application.
I will add, over the years and as recently as two weeks ago, I have talked to small engine repair mechanics. The guy a talked to two weeks ago said 95% or more of their repair business was related to fuel issues. He also volunteered you should not drain the fuel to store a small engine, if you have a choice.
Wayne
