What can happen to your engine if fuel is left in the tank?

Petrol can go stale in as little as 15 days, this can be caused by various factors such as air volume, warm storage as well as high humidity and varying temperatures. Therefore this can lead to performance issues such as fading or power loss.

The Effects of Ethanol

Honda recommends using regular unleaded 98, 95, E5 (5% Ethanol) or E10 (10% Ethanol). Anything higher may cause damage to the parts and components.

Ethanol attracts water particles that sink to the bottom which forms bacteria creating corrosion. As a result the carburettor, fuel pump or valves may need to be replaced. Although with good maintenance this should prevent issues from developing.

How to use Fuel Stabilisers

If your machine is used frequently for example more than 4 weeks between each use, you can treat and preserve the gasoline with fuel stabiliser.

Measurements:

• Long-term storage: 10ml in 3 litres of fuel
• Infrequent usage: 10ml in 10 litres of fuel

When using the stabiliser for the first time, run the engine outdoors for 10 minutes to flush out the untreated gasoline throughout the fuel system. If you regularly add fuel stabiliser to your storage container when refilling, you may skip this step.

Stabiliser does have a shelf life and with time the performance will deteriorate. Once opened it has a maximum usage of 2 years. This is only to be added to fresh petrol and will not restore stale petrol.

General Maintenance

• If you are not using the machine for more than 3 months, let the machine run long enough to empty all the petrol
• Store gasoline in a clean plastic sealed container away from sunlight. If storing in a steel container make sure there is no corrosion
• Service the air filter properly as this can cause starting problems
• If storing for longer than 30 days read your users manual for correct storage