2 stroke jelly

[snowleopard]

Whenever I leave my 2 stroke outboard (Mariner 3.3) for more than a few days it won't start and I invariably find the float chamber has a jelly-like substance that gums up the float mechanism and lets it flood. Garden equipment like strimmers can be left all winter and will happily start and run in the spring.

Is it something to do with the design of outboards or the quality of 'marine' oil?

I normally use fresh oil but I tried to pour some oil from a bottle of marine 2 stroke that had been sitting on the shelf for a few years and found the whole thing had turned to jelly.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
the whole thing had turned to jelly

[/ QUOTE ] I have had this happen once. Only once in the 30 years I've been using outboard oil and then it was just a small quantity left in the bottle for a longish period. Only once have I had trouble with the fuel/oil mix even although I often keep it from one year to the next. It was, I think, made up from the same bottle of oil that eventually turned to jelly.

I think you should run your outboard carb dry whenever it is going to be idle for more than a few days.

I think you should you should clean out the cans you use and the tank. If you store fuel from one year to the next you should store only full cans (minimum air space) and use steel cans, not plastic. I always filter stored fuel before use and use it 50:50 with fresh. That one time I had trouble was the one time I did not bother to filter it.
I now always use Quicksilver oil. I don't remember what brand it was that went funny but it was not Quicksilver

I wonder if there is a"bug" of some sort involved, but i do not know. If there is then you might have to clean everything through with a batch of fuel containing a biocide.

 

[charles_reed]

I'd lay 10:1 that you have an infection in the tank, of fuel-bug.

Only real answer is to drain and steam clean the tank.

 

[snowleopard]

I've heard of the bug in diesel but do you get it in petrol too?

 

[trouville]

In France they now sell anti bugs for petrol about 9 euros i think??Lots of new products on the shelves as new bio fules cause problems so new that a main garage normally very expensive had the same for 5€

On costs, a Renault garage asked 58€ for a tin of contact cleaner spray!I bought the same size tin from conrad (not cheap)for 9€

 

[charles_reed]

Yes

especially petrol/oil mixture.

They need water to live, so draining the tank and making sure it dries thoroughly, usually removes the problem.

 

[Drascomber]

Re: 2 Stroke Jelly

How old is the petrol?