run dry or not??

[ralphl]

I've been running my carbs dry before putting my outboards away or before long periods (1 month) of nonuse. Today, an outboard tech told me not to, or the seals will dry out. Said just use stabil and leave them full over the winter. Who's right???

 

[5150abf]

Re: run dry or not??

I drain mine with the drain screw, running the engine dry is considered a bad idea since one cylinder will run out of gas before the other and be running without oil and you never actually get all the gas out of the carbs but some guys have done it for years with no ill effects and others swear by Stabil.

No longer than the winter can be in NM I would just stabil it and be done, I am in Indiana and my winter last 5+ months.

So really any of the above are fine but if you are going to drain them use the drain plug on the front of the carbs, the "right" answer depends on who you talk to.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: run dry or not??

I used to run my F90 dry before storage then drain the rest of the fuel system manually (carbs, fuel filter housing, etc.).

Being a four stroke I don't have the oiling issue to worry about but this year a Yamaha tech told me not to do it for another reason - it is hard on the fuel pump. I did notice it would make a rather loud clicking for the last minute or two before the engine was completely starved.

So, I've amended my approach somewhat and now just drain the carbs and fuel filter housing while ensuring the fuel overall is stablized to cover anything left in the lines. It's much messier as there is much more to drain and the access to the carbs to catch the fuel is difficult. I know I don't want to be buying new fuel pumps every few years though so I'll live with it. To keep the carb seals from drying out I shoot a bit of fogging oil into the bowl of each carb before replacing the screws.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: run dry or not??

All my life, until I bought this oil injected 2 cycle engine in Dec '04 I always ran mine dry. On this one I decided not to (because of the oil injection) but I also was put in touch with Sea Foam additive (by guys on here) which I have used religiously and am throughly pleased with the fuel hygiene of my engine. I don't use my boat all that much anymore so my fuel does a lot of sitting.

One reason I wanted to drain my fuel over the years was to allow the needle valve in the carb to release from it's seat so that (in the case of rubber) it wouldn't deform.

With my current boat, the fuel syphons out over time and returns to the tank doing that for me. I know this because every time I go to use it I have a lot of pumping to do to get the bulb firm.

HTH,

Mark