Mower Won't Start? It May Be Your Fuel!
Small engines found on mowers, trimmers, and tillers, are very familiar to most of us in the summer months. So is the frustration of a machine that won't start! At Shores NAPA we see these engines everyday. We service and sell Briggs and Stratton engines and other powered equipment. The first thing we always check when an item comes in for service or repair is the condition of the fuel. Gasoline containing ethanol is extremely common in today's world, and it's the most common issue we see in small engines. Many modern vehicles operate on blends containing as much as 85% ethanol. By mandate small engines sold today are required to run on at least 10% ethanol. Even fuels that are not labeled to contain a blend can contain as much as 15% in the state of Kansas. This spells BIG trouble for the world of small engines.
Although required to accept this 10% blend, small engines do not run well on this fuel. In addition to operating issues ethanol attracts engine damaging moisture. Small engine carburetors can be ruined quickly by small amounts of water trapped in the fuel, and any blend above 10% can cause these engines to not run at all. One solution is purchasing prepackaged non ethanol fuels, available from many retailers. Although a very expensive option these fuels do provide traditional non-blended gasoline. The less expensive option when combating poor preforming fuels is to use treatments designed to lessen the negative effects.
Fuel treatments should be used for storage as well as for daily maintenance. Adding long lasting treatments, such as Briggs & Stratton 5-in-1, protect against all of the potential hazards of modern gasoline. This additive is the best solution we have found and we use it in every engine we service. Properly treated fuel can combat fuel related starting and storage problems and promote trouble free operation. Ethanol is the enemy of small engine power equipment, Shores NAPA has the solution.