weserun

For the 3 seasons I have had the same issue when starting up my sled in the fall. At the end of the previous season, I made sure there was stable in the fuel but was unable to run all the gas out of the tank. There is no shut off valve so clearly fuel is staying in the carbs over the summer and ethonol is not helping.When I start the sled, it runs on only two cylinders and I have to have the carb(s) cleaned because the needles are stuck..this is obviously a total pain. What can I do to avoid this hassle? One year I ran it dry and it ran fine the next season. Should I have a shut off valve put in? I have a yamaha outboard 6hp that has serious issues due to ethonol and I have been told that yamaha carbs are known for this. Any thoughts? Thanks...

About done with Yamaha.

yamadad4

your issue isnt necessarily brand specific, nor sled specific for that matter. could apply to motorcycles, weed eaters, chainsaws, whatever. i learned along time ago not to believe the media hype as to fuel additives. your seafoams, stabils, and startrons arent cure alls. problem is fuels have changed, additives ddnt. the additive companies are more like snake oil salemen as they seem to have a cure all. some are better than others, but not for the extended storage.

for what its worth, heres what i have done for decades. drain as much fuel from the tank as possible, add 2+ gallons of 100LL av gas, run the sled until you can smell its distinct odor exiting the exhaust.( i like to run it a bit longer just for my personal enjoyment), and then let your sled sit.

come riding season, simply add a tank full of non ethanol fuel and you should be good to go.

i have had about a 99% success ratio with this method, exceeding all expectations from over the counter additives. not a believer in shut off valves as the oil seems to find its way in there even without fuel.

Renagade

this might sound rude, but come on guys,
just gotta clean carbs every thanksgiving
weekend. i do it every year and even if the
carb looks clean, i still use wire thru the jets.
just a maintaince project so you are "for sure"
there wont likely be carb problems during
snow season.

sorry im not preaching, although it does
read like it.
its been a rough month already!!!

__________________
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current sleds
04 rev800ho gade
95 formulaIII 600
77 olympic 340e-mint!!

yamadad4

renegade- i agree that yearly carb cleaning should be a pre-season ritual. problem is some cant do it due to lack of mechanical skill, others cant afford to pay someone to do it, and still others have too many to do and look towards a cure all.

my suggestion covers the last scenario. i run a seven sled fleet, 4 triples and 3 twins. thats 18 carbs to go through annually. on top of that theres 4 atv's and 6 dirt bikes. thats 10 more carbs. now toss in the others misc like 3 chainsaws, snow blower, couple of lawn mowers, not to mention the other yard implements and misc like compressors and generators. long story short, i have alot of carbs.

finding a storage remedy that reduces or eliminates the need to service fuel delivery issues come time to use the equipment is priceless in my opinion. yes, the fuel is a bit expensive, but the time savings cant be beat. having used all the stabils, startrons, seafoams, marvels, etc, the av gas puts me on the road and out of the shop.

99% success isnt an exaggeration, would be closer to 100% if i hadnt of shorted myself on fuel to go around.

Renagade

Im sorry, really am.
i guess i just take for granted the
mechanical skill of myself & my friends!!
i hear it all the time when my hottie asks
how my day was. i go into great detail till
i figure out that im talkig but she has no
idea whatim talking about!!!

like i said, im sorry if it sounded like i
was preachin.

__________________
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current sleds
04 rev800ho gade
95 formulaIII 600
77 olympic 340e-mint!!

weserun

Thanks for the responses. The sled is in Maine and I live in Mass, so working on it or having it worked on by the local mechanic (who is top notch great.. but I have to get the sled there which becomes a hassle for various reasons) is a pain.

I don't have the time or the ability to do it myself. I actually like having this guy check it out every year, but it is still a pain. I put 350-450 miles on it every year, I want it to run well.

Thanks all.

CCPASledder

Hi, in reading the thread I have two questions:
Where does one find non ethanol fuel? Every station in my area is at least 10%.
What is 100LL av gas and where can I find it?

Thanks

BC_Dan

If you fly a plane, you will know where to buy the av gas

If you have a bulk plant for gasoline/diesel, they may sell both the non-oxygenated gas and the av gas. Some gas stations also sell non-oxygenated, I have not seen any that sell av gas. Av gas is not supposed to be used in earth-bound vehicles because of the lead. That pesky EPA and all...

__________________
2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

yamadad4

there was a non eth locator on the web. dont have the site available but you may search it a bit. i drive out of my way to get the stuff.

as for the av, any airport. smaller fields are easier to access vs the major ones. people always look at you funny pulling a trailer full of sleds down the runway. i just take jugs up now and get them filled. quicker and easier.

CCPASledder

Thanks guys, I appreciate it!