Apparently nothing 2006 Polaris 600. Mikuni flatside carbs. 57xx miles. Never have I cleaned these carbs. I do run e free when it's all that's available on the trail. But it mostly see's ethanol and sits all summer with Ethanol. Dirty I'd say so. Almost 6k miles of belt dust. top side of carb has some grey slime. Pto side. water traps had "grey water" look to them. With a bunch of dirt. Bowls look good.(where all the water should sit) And no I didn't clean them yet. All this Ethanol destruction!!!!!! Off to clean the Jets and reassemble!
somewhere here I have my 026Pro carb all pitted up inside looking like it went to sea for years. course there are better and worse grades of aluminum
I’m not convinced that gas is evil in storage either. Seem to be special circumstances causing “fuel” problems for some folks. Maybe the ethanol made them worse for those people.
ethanol is hygroscopic it is supposedly mixed into the gasoline supply by the bulk fuel delivery truck at the gas station to extend the "shelf" life. The right word isn't shelf life I don't think but the concept is the same.
The mix takes place at the distributor level- not all are real conscientious abut the quantities involved- as was demonstrated by a magazine sleuth piece about a year or two ago ( forget what or where). Up shot was some were stingy while others were way over the top some exceeding 15% . It was done by buying gas at stations and then doing a chemical analysis of the fuel. Multiple areas of the states were involved not just one area. The ethanol in the fuel will separate during long term storage - that has been proven over and over again- running a unit dry is not a sure cure as the residues still attract moisture leading to corrosion of metal and of course chemically attacking fuel lines. ( personal opinion - one of the biggest scams ever foisted on the public at large by our own Govt.)
Pride comes before the fall... Some people seem to have more problems with ethanol than others for sure...but I have never known anybody that actually owns a few small engines to get away with that particular storage "technique" forever...
If I remember I'll be opening the pilot jet on my EPA non adjustable predator carb (sawmill)this spring. It gets the same storage treatment. I'm guessing it's made from recycled beer cans so it's ethanol (alcohol) resistant. I have no doubt some parts are suseptible to ethanol corrosion. Especially older stuff. The question is, the sled is an 06, I have an 03 with the same motor that's treated the same way. Its actually Used less(2 year old gas) to bang around the woods/spare sled. If something does go wrong with say a fuel line, Was it because of ethanol or because it's a 15 year old dumpy Polaris? I think %99 of "ethanol problems" are not ethanol problems. It seems like a good scapegoat though.
I have a vintage buzz saw that I restored and also a Troy Bilt Big Red tiller. I stored both at the same time, left both tanks half full of ethanol gas, but drained the lines to the carbs. When I went to use them again, the buzz saw tank was full of black crud while the Troy Bilt tank was half full of good gas. I have no idea why the black crud would accumulate in one tank but not in the other. Both were stored in the same barn shed, next to each other.
Could it be the gas line ? I had to replace the one on my dad's old snowblower not too long after we went to ethanol in gas. The carb bowl was full of black goop and the fuel was black tinted. I always blamed the gas line for black goop but it could have just been something growing in the water absorbed ethanol. Difference in vent caps ?
