Why Small Engines Will Not Start in Spring
Stale fuel is why most mowers, strimmers and generators fail after storage. What happens inside the carburettor, and the two storage methods that prevent it.
Guide
Outdoor machines · OM-08
Outdoor Machinery Winterising Checklist
A free printable winterising checklist for petrol machinery — fuel, oil, batteries and storage for every machine, on one table.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Do one pass through everything with an engine before the cold, so nothing needs a carburettor rebuild in spring.
Who it is for
Anyone with more than one petrol machine — mowers, saws, washers, generators, strimmers, tillers.
How to use it
- List every machine you own in the left column.
- Decide per machine: run it dry, or treat the fuel. Half-measures are worse.
- Change oil before storage, not after.
- Take batteries out and keep them charged.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: One pass through every petrol machine you own before the cold, so that none of them needs a carburettor rebuild in spring.
Fuel is the whole problem. Stale fuel is the single most common reason a machine will not start in spring. Either run it dry or treat the fuel — half-measures are worse than either.
Table, 13 rows: Machine · Fuel drained / stabilised · Oil changed · Cleaned · Battery out · Blade / chain · Stored where · Done
Page 2
Also before the frost
- Outside taps drained and isolated; hoses disconnected and stored
- Pressure washer pump drained and protected
- Water butts partly drained so ice does not split them
- Fuel cans stored safely and labelled with the date filled
- Two-stroke mix used up rather than stored — it separates
- Battery chargers and trickle chargers located and working
Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours
Questions
Run dry or add stabiliser?
Either works; doing neither does not. Running dry suits machines you will not touch for months; stabiliser suits machines you may need at short notice, like a generator. What causes trouble is leaving untreated fuel sitting in a carburettor.
Read next
Winterising Your House and Outbuildings
Frost damage is a drainage problem more than an insulation problem. What to drain, what to isolate, and how to leave a property that will not burst.
Guide
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Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
Outdoor Equipment Maintenance Log
What was done to each machine and when, in one place instead of a drawer of receipts.
GD-46 Log PDF Excel Online
