# Best practice question - fuel



## Graddy-fied (4 mo ago)

Hello all. I am a new owner of a old tractor - 1948 8n. On our old boat with outboards and external fuel tanks, my dad would always disconnect the fuel line once the boat was on the trailer and let the engine burn off whatever gas was in the system until it died. Should I do the same on the tractor by closing the screw/valve above the glass bowl and letting the tractor run until it runs out of fuel? Would that help to prevent gummed a gummed up carb, etc? The tractor will likely get use once every few weeks all year long.


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## HarveyW (Sep 15, 2014)

I drain the fuel and run the engine out of gas on machines I don't use very often, like my tiller and gas powered generator. Other items like chain saws, pole saw, get the same treatment if I remember to do it...

If you run your tractor on a monthly basis long enough to replace the gas in the tank, that is your decision. You could also add a fuel stabilizer to the tank to extend the fuel life, but the critical thing is to not allow the fuel in the system to get too old.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

You should always shut the fuel valve off when you are done with the tractor for the day. It's a gravity feed system, and if there is any internal leaks in the carb, fuel can flood up into the engine and possibly percolate down into the oil pan.
I put a fuel stabilizer in my fuel cans prior to filling them up. I also add a bit of Sea Foam to the fuel tank to keep things clean and clear. 
I do shut the fuel off on the old tractors and run them dry if they are going to sit for a long time.


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## Graddy-fied (4 mo ago)

I definitely do shut off the fuel when done. Sounds like doing that before killing it and letting it run dry might make sense too. Thanks for the input.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Graddy-fied said:


> I definitely do shut off the fuel when done. Sounds like doing that before killing it and letting it run dry might make sense too. Thanks for the input.


It does make sense to close the valve and let it run dry..... but don't get distracted and forget to turn the key off or you'll end up with a dead battery and burnt points! LOL. Ask me how I know.


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## Joe.S.AK (Nov 26, 2020)

Hey - it's me over here in the corner and I wanted to say some things.

1. About shutting off fuel at the end of the day or before sitting for a few months. When Sally came to live here her carb was a mess. In fact so was the electrical system. Previous owner advised me to shut off the fuel at the end of the day and pull the battery cable lug. Of course, none of us do that with our cars or trucks and my thinking was "HECK NO!" I meticulously rebuilt the carb and it hasn't leaked one drop at all yet. Parallel thing with the electrical system and the battery lug "advice".

2. Tank and in-carb fuel. All fuel tanks have a daily temperature cycle causing expanding and contracting of the air inside the partially full tank. When contracting, the incoming air brings in with it water vapor - usually condensing on the tank's walls in the cold night air and diving to the bottom of the tank. If you're using Ethanol laced fuel the Ethanol is MUCH happier 'eating' that water than staying inside the gas. Bottom line is Ethanol water in the bottom of your tank.
The next morning you fire up The Ol'e Girl and the fuel starts to go to run through the Carb. The sediment bowl is designed to catch the sediment and "water" in the passing fuel. A tiny bit of water sometimes manages to sneak past the sediment bowl in the gas and makes it's way to the lowest point in the fuel system - the float bowl in the carb. Unless the water (or Ethanol water) is periodically drained off there will be a lot of corrosion or, OMG, "Trying to burn water" instead of gas.
To break the cycle you can drain every bit of fuel out of the tank (INCLUDING the reserve fuel few think about), then the sediment bowl and then just run yourself out of the residual fuel by running the tractor until it just dies (and draining any water from the float bowl in the carb
An alternative is to top-off the tank after using the tractor. No room for air migration = no water vapor = no water in the system. The problem with that is that *No One* wants to do that - just too much trouble.
What do I do? I try to keep the fuel as high as I can, periodically check the glass sediment bowl and once a year drain the carb float bowl.

Pogobill is very right when he mentioned that leaks of any sort in the carb will drop fuel on the floor. Yes, you can turn off the fuel every time you're done - or - just fix the leaks. Leaks of fuel out at night MIGHT end up as leaks of air into the carb during running - with the possibility of too much air mixing with the fuel. That could end up as rough running, but, in a bad case, end up as a valve problem. 

Now - it's YOUR tractor and you will do what you think best but for me I took the extra time and trouble to get things running 98% right and letting Sally (for the unknowing - a 1940 9N) sleep and dream undripping *and* with a full battery.


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## Lodgepole (Dec 22, 2019)

For what its worth - I have 5 or 6 items with small engines and I did have an 8N and a TO-35 Massey. I made sure I only used ethanol free fuel and I always added fuel stabilizer. Some of the smaller engines would be idle for close to a year and I never burned the gas out of the carbs before putting them up. Prior to that I would try and empty the carb after use and for storage and when attempting to start after a long idle period, I would often have to have someone clean the carbs. Since I started using ethanol free and Stabil I have not had any problems starting them. (I probably just jinxed myself with this post).


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Lodgepole said:


> For what its worth - I have 5 or 6 items with small engines and I did have an 8N and a TO-35 Massey. I made sure I only used ethanol free fuel and I always added fuel stabilizer. Some of the smaller engines would be idle for close to a year and I never burned the gas out of the carbs before putting them up. Prior to that I would try and empty the carb after use and for storage and when attempting to start after a long idle period, I would often have to have someone clean the carbs. Since I started using ethanol free and Stabil I have not had any problems starting them. (I probably just jinxed myself with this post).


Hope not! I do the same!!


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