Best way to prevent carb from gumming up

[wagonmaster]

Looking for some advice on how to prevent the carb on my Yamaha 8hp (2006) from gumming up during the off season. I'm losing faith in using fuel stabilizer as that does not seem to be the answer. I have tried a few brands and none seem to work. Last year I used Crappy Tire's brand which may have been a mistake. I try to run the motor every four or five weeks during the winter but no joy. Does anyone unplug the fuel from the main tank and then just run the motor until the carb is empty and it simply shuts down? Would just removing the drain screw be enough? Suggestions?

 

[Pearl dog]

I detach the fuel line and run it dry every time I use my carbureted 8hp kicker. It’s worked for 1000 hours and many years so far. I also use sea foam in every single tank.

 

[wagonmaster]

Thanks Pearl dog...thinking that may be the way to go.

 

[Reelin In The Years]

I turn the valve off on my Suzuki 140 after every use. Do the same with my 9.9 Yamaha kicker if I use it. Also put seafoam in my lawnmower and drain it every time. Wish I could turn off my chainsaw fuel and drain it. I think everything that could sit for a week or so should be run out of fuel and use Seafoam as much as possible. Run everything till they are out of gas and quit.

 

[seachicken]

Run Aspen fuel before parking. Drain if you want or don't. It's a 4 year shelf life fuel. Not your average pump gas.

 

[BC Coast Pilot]

Chevron 94 octane supreme plus as a base then add a stabilizer additive, I use stp

 

[ship happens]

Don't leave gas in it.

 

[sly_karma]

I've switched to Aspen fuel for all my small engine tools at work, and at the cabin - generator, too. Amount of fuel used is small in the overall picture. Yes, $6/L is expensive, but cheaper than carb kits and time lost to tools that don't run when needed. Using Aspen 2 premix saves time, is more stable, and eliminates risk of running a 2 stroke without oil.

This fall I'll do a carb cleanup on my 9.9 and then devise a way of running some Aspen 4 into it for the winter. Probably will McGyver an empty 5L Aspen jug into a temporary fuel tank for the kicker and use that for the last outing.

 

[Pineapple Express]

I've switched to Aspen fuel for all my small engine tools at work, and at the cabin - generator, too. Amount of fuel used is small in the overall picture. Yes, $6/L is expensive, but cheaper than carb kits and time lost to tools that don't run when needed. Using Aspen 2 premix saves time, is more stable, and eliminates risk of running a 2 stroke without oil.

This fall I'll do a carb cleanup on my 9.9 and then devise a way of running some Aspen 4 into it for the winter. Probably will McGyver an empty 5L Aspen jug into a temporary fuel tank for the kicker and use that for the last outing.

Yes, I do this for my small yard tools and also my jetboat. For the jetboat I just pull the fuel line off the tank and jam it in to a jug of the Aspen fuel (or whatever the equivalent is that I buy at Lordco). Been working well for me for the last few years.

 

[sly_karma]

Yes, I do this for my small yard tools and also my jetboat. For the jetboat I just pull the fuel line off the tank and jam it in to a jug of the Aspen fuel (or whatever the equivalent is that I buy at Lordco). Been working well for me for the last few years.

Yeah, that would work if I removed the bayonet fitting and just put the hose directly into the fuel. 9.9 only gonna take a cup to fill the entire fuel system.

 

[brutus]

Take it the way you want,I own a s… load of gas tools, and equipment, I run seafoam and stabilizer in all my Jerry cans, chevron 94, I never drain any of them, been told by one of the best small engine repair guy, don’t drain them , run them at less once a month to circulate the fuel, haven’t had any issues since, use to drain them and always had issues, now almost never, have any issues. But whatever works for you

 

[Srthomas75]

To the OP: how long is your off season? My last boat of about 5 years had that same motor ( 8hp Yamaha ) and I didn’t do anything special to it. ( longest downtime might have been 10-12 weeks over winter ?) Sometimes I’d put a bit of crappy tire stabilizer in the main tank ( shared with the 150hp) It was always Coop marked fuel too if that made a difference.
The 8hp never skipped a beat. It never got fancy fuel or was run dry.

 

[seachicken]

Take it the way you want,I own a s… load of gas tools, and equipment, I run seafoam and stabilizer in all my Jerry cans, chevron 94, I never drain any of them, been told by one of the best small engine repair guy, don’t drain them , run them at less once a month to circulate the fuel, haven’t had any issues since, use to drain them and always had issues, now almost never, have any issues. But whatever works for you

Don't get me wrong, I do agree with you on sea foam. One of the places I used to work at had single cylinder 5hp hondas on herman nelson heaters with 20ish gallon tanks used to sit for at least 9 months, maybe 2 years, completely neglected. Come the following winter (or 2) they were brutal to get going again but sea foam made that old rotten gas like new again. That sold me on it however I think the Aspen fuel (and similar brands) are a couple steps up from anything you buy at the pump.

 

[brutus]

Don't get me wrong, I do agree with you on sea foam. One of the places I used to work at had single cylinder 5hp hondas on herman nelson heaters with 20ish gallon tanks used to sit for at least 9 months, maybe 2 years, completely neglected. Come the following winter (or 2) they were brutal to get going again but sea foam made that old rotten gas like new again. That sold me on it however I think the Aspen fuel (and similar brands) are a couple steps up from anything you buy at the pump.

Ya won’t even look at it lol, 6$ a litre I would go broke, on job sites 5g a week, at my shop 5g every 3 months, in Renfrew 5 gallon a season (weed, wacker, chainsaw and gen set if the power goes out

 

[Samnjoe]

I had an 06 8hp Yamaha that I just replaced this year. Run marine fuel almost exclusively.
Carb never gummed up once in all these years.
Never used stabilizer, ran It dry or even disconnected the fuel line.

 

[ClintR]

Geez, seems like I’m doing it wrong but 10 year old Yamaha 8hp motor only once had carb problems and that was water in my fuel. I run pump gas, shot of sea foam in every tank and never run it dry. Sometimes it’s sat for a month and a half and fires right up.