TO: ALL WEST VIRGINIA ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM WV SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WV ARES BULLETIN NR 10.01 DATE: January 3, 2010
SUBJECT: PARK IT ON COMPRESSION
After you use a gasoline powered motor device, how do you get it ready for the next time you need to use it?
If you use a gasoline powered tool such as a lawnmower, riding tractor, generator, or other device, how do you shut it down when you're finished? What else should you do? There are a few things that you can do that may help keep your gasoline driven device ready for the next time you need it.
When shutting down the device, it would help to turn off the fuel going to the carburetor. By turning off the fuel, it lets the engine pull all of the fuel out of the carburetor, leaving it dry, and helps prevent the gasoline from turning into varnish. Varnish can get on the needle valves, and it plugs up the very small holes in the carburetor. The next time you get ready to start the device, it may not want to start, and you'll have to clean up the carburetor.
Here's another thing that you can do on a single cylinder engine to help protect it from damage and causing it to wear out sooner. Keep the cylinder walls dry from moisture while it is waiting to be used again. If you can turn the motor by hand , rotate the shaft until you feel the piston reach the compression stroke. When the engine is on the compression stroke, the input and output valves are closed, and no moisture can get into the cylinder. This will keep the cylinder walls from rusting and wearing out the engine. This may also keep rust from building up on the spark plug, causing it to short out, and not be able to spark.
Mixing a stabilizer such as Sta-Bil with the gasoline will keep the gasoline fresh a lot longer and may also make the engine start and run a lot better.
These things may not make your gasoline engine last forever, but they may help the engine start easier when you need it, especially your generator, and your commercial electric power is off.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV
WV ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
WV ARES District 3 Emergency Coordinator