If I leave my gas engine in the plane during the winter months , should I

a) Empty tank & run the engine dry
b) Leave gas in tank
c) If b) do I need to add some gas stabilizers?

Any other suggestions?

Tks

Some where in the engine conversion section there is a thread about running Colman fuel before storage.
Mix up a batch of Colman fuel with an oil that has fuel stabilizer in it. Run you engine till you can smell the Colman fuel then pull off the fuel line off the carb and run the carb dry. That's about all you can do.
OR you could just fly all winter

sportflyer-RCU,

When I'm done for the season with my gassers all I do is drain the fuel tank and thats it. About the same thing you do with you weed eater or chain saw. Never had a problem the next season.

Here ya go: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_84..._1/key_/tm.htm

Works for me!

AV8TOR

i keep gas in my tank as i seen tanks lines get very hard when dried. if you replace your fuel lines during this time this will be the option to make sure they do not dry out

For my weedeater and blower , some times I drain the tank other times I leave fuel in it without stabilizers for the winter months and they work fine next season. Never had a diaphragm problem . The gas I use is from Arco and definitely has ethanol in it.I guess I will treat the the airplane engine the same way . I will leave fuel in the tank to keep the fuel lines from hardening. I will use fresh fuel when I start the engine next season. Tks

I leave the gas in my weed eaters and chain saws and I've never had any trouble for more than 12 years with them

My models, I drain the tank but do not run the engine dry. I replace the tubing every year on the planes

It may be a regional fuel thing, but I all of a sudden had diaphragms going bad in as little as four to six weeks. That's why I came up with this storage fuel idea. So far no problems encountered since I switched to doing this as outlined in the other thread.

AV8TOR

I simply put them away until the weather clears up to fly again. Never drained the tank or used fuel stabilizer. I watch the batteries about once a month to make sure they are not losing charge, but other that that they sit wuth fuel in them. I store them in my basement, which stays at about 65 degrees. I have never had a problem.

Well I just put my planes away, a PAU 540 Edge, Lanier Extra 330, and my newest bird, Miles Reed designed Weeks Special.

For the last 3 years, my procedure has beenFill the tanks, plug the vent tubes, set the timer on the batteries for 6 hr. trickle charge every 24 hrs. and shut the door on the trailer.

I have not had to touch the fuel lines, or the carburetors on any of the planes I have started doing this to.

When spring comes, I drain the fuel back into my fuel can, fill them back up with fresh gas, and so far: Go Fly.

I must tell you, when I put the engine in the Weeks, I rebuilt the carburetor, knowing the engine had been setting for 3 yrs. it probably would be wise. Well, I proceded to fire it up, but it would take the throttle, so I shut it off, changed the float diaphragm, and was suprised the new one I had put in was crackling like an old one, even though I had just taken it out of the package. Went in and got another diaphragm, and it has run great, and I didn't even touch the needles.

My motto, just do what works for you.

Dale