Long term generator (or any small engine) storage 

Can give me an approximate amount of ATF you used..like 1 ounce...5 ounces??? Just don't want to over fill. Thanks

Was never a problem until we were sold the gas/ corn ethanol concoction. Corn farmers love it but forget it as a fuel.

This is an interesting tip and makes sense. I would *strongly* recommend that everyone watching *only* use ethanol-free gasoline for their small motors, especially ones that sit for long periods. Stabil really helped me, but I found out the hard way that spending the extra dollar per gallon for the ethanol free, and driving further to get it, saved me countless hours of fixing.

I'll go you one better. I'm 71 and have been using ATF as a fuel system cleaner most of my life. I've never yet had a problem with fuel injectors clogging up and a bonus it will clean combustion chambers of carbon buildup as well. Many years ago GM sold a similar product that was poured in the Carb. Smoked like a train till it burned off but did the job. 6-8 oz. every 6-8 weeks does quite well. Reason behind this line of thought is ATF burns at a hotter temp than gas. Got my first ASE cert in 74 working at a Pontiac/Buick dealership. An old acquaintance of my dads that worked there told me about this ATF. Doesn't matter what kind whatever is cheapest.

Lord of Junk huh? I thought that was me. Your a man after my own heart, saving the lives of countless pieces of machinery. Thanks bro.

2 stroke oil will do the same thing on 2 stroke engines, chain saws, pumps that sort of tool. Amazing!

This is A 1. You're a good teacher, just common sense.goes a long way. You're the person who will go the distance. God bless.

Good tip. For any small engine, get the ethanol-free gas if you can. It remains stable a whole lot longer than gas with ethanol in it.

Learned this from old school mechanic, put a quart of ATF in the fuel tank of your vehicle (20 gallon) every 3 to 4 months and it decarbon the engine and cleans the entire fuel system. I use this method on my motorcycle as well. Never smokes and runs fine. Apparently ATF is about a 5 to 10 weight oil and very high detergent and that's why it works so well. It really is a cheap tune up in a bottle that really works!!

I've also used Marvel Mystery oil as well, but ATF does last longer. I keep Stabil in my fuel tank, but swap it out every 6 months. With some metal gas tanks, they can rust from the inside out, since most tanks are vented. Fuel rotation is part of my spring/fall maint. routine. Good tip though. 👍🏼👍🏼

Old school is good school. Even though I had turned off the fuel valve and let my generator run until the fuel was exhausted, there still just enough fuel in the carburetor bowl to foul the cut-off solenoid and maybe other carb parts as well. This was after just 3-4 months since last use. A small amount of ATF in there is GENIUS. Thank you for this tip.

Another old timers trick is putting a little atf in the tank. It'll lubricate the upper cylinder and the rings on the piston.

Used to pour ATF down the carb of cars at the dealership back in the day. Smoked like hell but it would clean up the top end. Pour it down the gullett until it just about stalled then stop and bring rpms back up and repeat. That's how we did it back in the 1900s anyway.

Another one is to mix ATF and Chainsaw bar oil. If you have an engine that you want to store for a while, squirt a few pumps from an oil can in each cylinder. Turn the engine over a couple of times and replace the plugs. Back off the rockers so the springs aren't compressed and wrap it up good with plastic (and a sock full of kitty litter in the bags) and that engine will be good for years. Another good use is if you buy a used engine from a yard, a squirt of ATF in each cylinder will clean the cylinder and give it more sealing to start easier. When I worked at a junkyard in the 80s, we would just pour some through the carburetor. You would get an engine installed and if it didn't hit on the first spin, two or three of the guys would yell 'Give it some Compression'! That meant to give it a dose of ATF. I hope these uses are handy, John

On the older cars the transmission modulator valve when it had a busted diaphram would leak and you see white smoke galore, but it cleans the heck out of engine internally, witnessed by engine tear-down...YES ATF is great and does keeps seals soft and combustion chamber clean and also lubricates. BTW I love to go junkin too in my younger days and the wife always complained, after Hurricane Ida all my junking supplied almost everything we needed , she said she would never again complain about the stuff I keep !!! Only problem is finding WHAT you need WHEN you need it !!! LOL !!!

Sounds good, I got like 3 gallons of slightly used mercon v sitting around. I use it for stuck fasteners, wiping down my shovels and picks etc. now I got something else! And I’m all about one man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Dude that is a brilliant tip for storing away a genny and I like your style to

This works fantastic i used this method a few years ago on my generator. pulled out my generator for hurricane Ian fresh gas and a few pulls a puff of smoke and ran like a champ. my buddies dad is an oldschool mechanic and suggested it to me and now i will continue to do this on other small engines. I like to tinker with small engines as well working on a murry rider i found in the trash after the storm.

OLD SCHOOL Is right, my family had boats back in the 1960's,cabin cruisers, at the end of teh seasonwe would "fog out" teh engine bu pouring ATF into the carburetor while the engine was running at idle until it chockedd it out, this would coat the carb and the entire internal combustion parts and in the spring it would take a shot of starting fluid but it would fire over with a puff of white smoke and be good to go. We would always clean teh plugs after the first use.

I have a harbor freight two stroke generator that l had in storage for over 12 years. It wouldn't start after that time due to a bad capacitor. I then read that it is common for capacitors to go bad if left unused. I'm just mentioning that for those who have engines in long term storage. BTW it started up and ran fine with the new cap.

It is a good trick. My grandad taught me this trick many years ago. I can still smell the ATF when I hear you talk about it.

My dad had the resources to buy just about any push mower he wanted. We used a lawn mower somebody threw out. In the beginning, it started well. By the time I was in high school, it didn't start that well although it still worked. The old farmers in the Midwest use ATF for a lot of things. They even spray it in the wheel wells and underbodies to prevent rust in the winter. I use Iso-Heet in the red bottle to store my lawn mower over the winter. It contains isopropyl alcohol and fights varnish. I will share this with my relatives that ended up with my parent's generator.

This same trick works with putting some engine oil in the gas, all you’re doing is diluting the Ethonol, & preventing it from clogging up. If you take apart a 2-stroke carburetor from a larger engine with an actual bowl since the oil is in it, & not just straight gas the oil has sulfur in it, & it’s the reason why old Diesel lasts so long, & why diesel has the insane shelf life it has. ATF has good detergents & sulfur in it making it an amazing fuel system cleaner, or stabilizer.

I worked for a Ford dealer in the late 60s. One of the top mechanics used ATF for noisy lifters .

Probably a good cheap trick but you should pull the spark plug/plugs and put a couple tablespoons full into each cylinder and spin the engine over a few times to coat the cylinder walls. Rust prevention and will help with stuck rings from storage. And if you’re from anywhere mud dauber wasps are present, wrapping the entire thing with stretch wrap (the stuff they wrap pallets with to ship) to keep them from building nests in critical parts. Something else to do for storing equipment for emergency use, keep enough oil to service it, an oil filter (if applicable) and a new air filter. Many times foam air filters will break down during storage or damaged by vermin and parts may be hard to find with an emergency on the way

My husband is driving highway trucks sinse 1990 ....and he puts 1/2 quart of atf trans.oil in his tanks every times he fuel .....with every truck that he owned.......and i recall that one of them........the engine had over 1,600,000 km.. ..no engine overhaul ....... and still pulling and working when he sold it........

I went through all our small engines this year and put a shutoff valve on every one of them. Was so sick of worrying about if the fuel would last or not, even with additives and such. Should have been made mandatory on all small engines for the sake of storage and the environment.

Class truck with 855 cubic inch cummins. Wet sleeve. Dumped all coolant out. Filled up system with ATF. Run it for 150 miles never got hot. Parked for 10 years. Put new batts. Fuel and started right up. ATF works every time.

Great video. Back in the day (I'm 70) we did similar to mowers using Marvel Mystery Oil. I grew up in northeast PA where winters are long . Now living in NC and this reminds me I need to do exactly that to my generator. Thanks

Awesome. Ain’t too many things I love better than “old school.” Like treating sore throats with Gentian Violet. Ya know? Or ballpoint ink stains with Fels Naptha.

I am full time in small engines repair for the last 15 years. I agree with the concept of having some kind of oil in the carburetor for long storage. It can be ATF, or any thin oil, like 5W30, 10W30, even just 30. I would like to add that some carburetors have a drain bolt in addition to the main bolt holding the fuel bowl to the carburetor body. If so, I would drain the oil first till the fresh gas from the tank comes in, then close the drain bolt. If no drain bolt, no problem. Just loosen the main bolt gently, let us say first, 1/32 of a turn, or in 1/32nd increments, till the oil begins to seep out.

Drain the fuel tank, then drain the float bowl (usually there is a float drain screw - sometimes there is even a float drain hose). Spray fogging oil (2-stroke oil in an aerosol spray can) into the carburetor throat, then spray fogging oil into the float bowl (shoot it up the float drain hose). Tighten the float drain screw. Remove the spark plug, and spray fogging oil into the cylinder head. Crank the engine a couple times. Replace the sparkplug. DONE.

You remind me of my dad. When he died at age 91, we had the estate sale. He had 8 weed eaters, 10 lawnmowers, about four air compressors and several other pieces of equipment. He had picked them out of the garbage that his neighbors were throwing away. I can’t tell you how many of his neighbors came to his house at the sale and heard them say, “why, that used to mine and it broke so I threw it away”. Then they would tell us how it ended up in his sale….and they all worked.

that's a great idea, I've used ATF in my fuel tanks for my Peterbilt since the 1970s and it's worked wonders. so you are spot on brotha.

Cool trick for winterizing, cleaning engines. Check out some of the other comments too. I'd probably try just adding some to a little fuel ànd run it till it runs out. A shut off valve is good to put in line if possible. I accidentally discovered that with my riding mower that has a float issue. It just let's the fuel keep flowing when the engine is off so I put à shutoff in between the tank and carb ànd run it till it dies when I finish mowing. Its now over 15 years and it starts right up every season. Never had these issues before leaded gasoline was taken off the market. Aluminum/pot metal carburetors don't like unleaded or ethanol. In the late 80s we were burning MOGAS in the gasoline engines in the Air Force. I believe it was basically leaded gasoline. If you ever pull a carb apart that had unleaded left init you'll see all the whitish colored oxidation...basically Aluminum rust...clogging up everything. Nasty stuff. I left fuel in a motorcycle I had one winter and it never ran as well again. My tiller has a shut off built into the carburetor, but it gums up because its the same metal. You need a line shut off that won't get corroded by the fuel. Thanks for the great tip! The comments you got were insightful too. Long term Experienced people are a great resource. I'm sure the repair shops hate that you shared this knowledge if they are anything like air-conditioning people. They make it a practice to troll. Thanks again!

I've got a generator that's over 12 years old and starts on the first pull. Every time I use it when finished I shut off the fuel valve and let it run dry. Open the valve and pull start it easily the next year or two. I've never bothered with oiling the cylinders just keeping the carburator clean and empty. I think by the time the engine has turned over a couple of time by the starting pull there's oil available. Unless you're getting moisture into the engine it should stay clean between uses even a year or two apart. And mine has had plenty of use during power outages. The best investment I've made was around four years ago when I purchased a whole house generator. So far in that time I think we had one power outage that lasted three hours. Who knew that buing a new generator would fix power company outages.

You know, I like the peace of mind that comes with running the generator every few months.

After draining fuel like you do I just remove the drain bolt on the carb and drain fuel out of float area. All of them typically have this fuel drain bolt. I then use my compressor and lightly pressurize the main fuel tank (use a towel to seal tank) which then gets air through the carb and allow all fuel out that doesn’t come out when removing the bolt. You’ll see several drops sputtering out the hole. Done this for years. Never store gas in the generator - Stabil or not. Mine starts on the 1st pull. Great video.

Some good advice here ,ethanol free gas is best of course....another trick I always do is after the engine is stopped I always pull it through to TDC on the compression stroke to make sure that both intake and exhaust valves are closed (on a single cyl engine)

Thanks for the tip!Keep me posted with more old school tricks especially on lawn mowers.

I own three timberland properties in two states and a sawmill (with a Kohler V-twin 747cc). I have multiple chainsaws, generator, pressure washer, and brush cutter. All my engines over winter with fuel in them. I always run premium, non-ethanol in both my four strokes and two stroke engines from the day I get them. I've never had an engine not start and run fine the next year, since 1977. I do do regular maintenance like changing the fuel filters, blowing out the air filters, changing plugs and crank oil, but other than that no issues. I'm not recommending anyone doing this, just sharing my experience.

You’re a good man with a plan! Thank you for sharing that tip. You make a valid point about atf sitting in a trans for years and keeping things clean.

This is the best advice I have heard for long term storage!

Stabil has a red and a green product. Green is sold for marine applications and is better for long range storage as it actually combines with the gas. The red puts a film across the surface of the fuel to exclude oxygen. Green does that and more.

We use to add to car crank case to loosen up stuck valves pumping up the hydraulic lifters. Good trick

I've been in engine repair forever I learned something today thanks

Thanks for this video! ATF is amazing stuff..I get a long tube and and drop some ATF into the bottom of the door panels on my stored Mustang to keep them from rusting. Worked great on my Ford Escape also that's known for door panel rust. As far as storing my generator, I just use Marvel's mystery Oil in the gas and run it dry as you suggested. 8 years old and went 4 years sitting in a storage without being started and amazingly, started right up.

Good info video. I own a small engine repair shop. I always tell my customers to store a extra spark plug in a zip bag to the generator.

My method is to drain the gas and run the engine until it burns off the leftover gas. I then put a quart of ATF in the gas tank and crank it a few times. I then take the remaining ATF in the gas tank and pour it back into the ATF container (only use that container for gas, no refill transmission).

Great video. I really like hearing about people recycling stuff. I do the same with computers. People throw them away for the dumbest reasons.

This is good advice. For something that will be stored longer than 24 months, I will begin doing the same. For shorter term I highly suggest using only gasoline that is 100% gas. NO ALCOHOL. NO ETHANOL. And of course use the stabil. For 24 months I suggest a double dose. Ethanol made a horrible mess in the gas tank of a car I stored.

For small 2 cycle engines with a primer, usually pumping the primer sucks fuel from the tank, through the carb then the primer and back to the tank. Disconnect the line at the carb fuel inlet and use the primer to suck ATF into and through the carb. It will keep the carb clean and preserve the diaphragms for storage.

Dude, Your my hero. I've never tried this but will. I do drain my gas tanks and run the fuel out of the motor until it stalls but that is hit or miss. I have 3 generators now that are operational and just picked up three more from the side of the road that need freshened up and a 2" water pump. I usually rebuild them and either keep em or share them with family or neighbors as I also live in a hurricane prone area. Thanks for the tip.

Squirt the ATF into the fuel line while the engine is still running and it will smoke a lot just before the engine dies. Then continue with cranking the engine a few times to be sure the oil fills the carb. This also lubricates the valves and cylinder walls for storage.

I have heard of people using ATF in cars and trucks in the fuel tank as well as the crankcase to keep everything clean and running smooth

Basically you did what the airplane guys calls "pickling an engine". They use a special purpose oil and fake spark plugs that are simply plugs with water absorbing crystals (think silica-gel). They also plug all the air inlets to the engine (carb and vents) to prevent moisture from entering the engine. I've seen a CL-215 coming out of pickling and it was quite a smoke show.

My generator with Premium Non-oxigenated gas with Seafoam was good after 6 years. Started and ran twice a year through the 6 years, put a plastic bag on the filler then installed the cap with fuel shut off no air can enter or leave the tank. Vented is where fuel goes bad pulling in moisture as temps change. I will add some trans fluid, cause that makes sense also.

I use atf in my high pressure paint sprayer so don’t have to take it apart to get paint residue out works great!

Alright! I have all the necessary components to perform this prep. Gonna do the generator, tiller and outboard. Thanks for the tip.

Rural North Easterner here, from ice and snow country. I have had portable generators hooked up to my house for decades (I had a transfer switch installed years back) I buy a new one about every 10 years or so. I always run them at least once a month for about 15 minutes, and about 4 times a year I hook the house up and run the electricity as well. Exercise the magnates that way. They always start up for me. But if I was to leave it for a year, this sounds like a good plan.

Very good idea. ATF also works well if you have an engine that sat with water in it and locked up. Drank the old oil, and FILL up the crankcase and cylinder with ATF and diesel Let it set a month. Then slowly work it to loosen it.

The fuel/oil mix I have for my two stroke chain saw has never gone bad.

good tip as a mech back in the day i used atf to swell valve seals in motors that sat for a while just poured a few teaspoons down the carb when i got em fired up

Good video. I'm going to try it. Also A light coat of ATF fluid will bring your rubber vehicle window seals back to life. and Your rubber ball joints. Some people add some ATF to the vehicle's oil and run it for a while just before they change the oil. There are videos for all of this.

I stored a Chevy van for 3 years with a full tank and added stable. It started and ran without a hiccup. I did re add the stable annually! That's the secret. Add annually and you can store fuel filled thanks and engines for a real long time. Just my observation! Later!

I am an old school auto mechanic and I use ATF as lube in air motors and I put it in my motor oil a couple days prior to an oil change. It cleans, Lubricates and keeps the seals supple.

I used ATF in my MGCGT 4 speed manual o/d gearbox when I experienced slight slippage ,drained the 20/50 oil,filled with ATF the o/d worked perfectly left it in . It was said the Volvo P 1800 running the same box recommended ATF.not sure if that was true,but it worked in my C. Cheers Mal.

Man, I wish I had known this old-school method years ago. I could have sae myself a lot of heartaches trying to keep carbs from getting so mucked up then ultimately wanting to smash the carb with a steel mallot. This was a GREAT video and so very informative. For that, I am now a NEW SUBSCRIBER!! Thanks again.

Boat owners use fogging oil, Stabil or QuickSilver brand both work great. Spray some in the fuel hose like you did with the ATF, spray some in the carb and pull the spark plug and fog the cylinder. Protects against oxidation, and being a spray fog it coats everything pretty thoroughly. I did a four cylinder Mercury and used about a 1/4 of the can. Nothing wrong with the ATF trick though, use what you got.

Great tip. For all my small engines I choose the option of ethanol free "marine gas" at my local gas station. Basically this is the old fashioned unleaded that dont have the addition of ethanol. Ethanol has ruined several of my small engine carbs prior to making this swap. I

Another carb preservation trick that a brilliant Motor head taught me.. Put about 3 OZ of TW3 two stroke oil into 3 gallons of none ethanol gas.

Good trick to remember ... thanks for sharing. I'm about the same age as your father and one of the things I have found is to ensure my small engines never come in contact with gasoline with ethenol and a shutoff valve is helpful when storing for a long time you can simple let the bowl run dry.

i agree, Mr Junk Lord. Old fashioned = LOGIC. IF it is a 'winner' , then let us just do it. Modern business, just is into 'selling' stuff. NOT re-cycling, repairing nor saving OUR EARTH. Way to go !, some of us, are in the 'reuse' department ; which is missing completely, in this modern, cheap, chinese plastic use-once, throw-away world. I have re-done carbs, on lotsa mowers/generators; some of which i had to use the wire wheel on bench grinder, to clean off crud, from stuck needle valves/floats. And vinegar soak the rest, to remove other stuck stuff (ethanol) . Good day to A L L ! ALBERTA Canada

So to elaborate, i think this method is a solid idea. I mean i've had engines sit for years with just premium gas and they fire right up no problem but lets be real, you get some crappy gas with moisture or too much ethanol and its game over for that little carb. Doing this is basically just returning the factory oil coating on the internals of the carb before storage and tbh that little amount of atf burned at first start up isn't going to do a lick of damage to anything. this is a great tip for super long term storage no doubt and i'm adding it to my tool belt.

I use my generator anytime i need ourdoor power. (ie; trim hedges, blow leaves, electric chain saw, etc). Generator is over 20 years old and starts on 1st or 2nd pull. 14 hp b&s. I do keep sta-bil in the fuel. I mounted it on a garden wagon so it is handy to move around.

OR, you can do like me-----use STA-BIL and or SeaFoam, crank up the generator, lawn mower and any small engine once every month or two and let it run for a while. Been doing this for years and never had a problem starting the engines.

For years, I have used StaBil in 100% ethanol-free fuel for all my equipment. As for my generator, I leave a small amount of fuel in it and start it up once a month, letting it run for a few minutes, Then I shut the fuel valve and let it run until it dies. I've been doing that for 6 years now. Last summer I needed the generator for the first time, and it started up on the second pull and ran perfectly for 60 hours until we got our power back.

This is a great tip about using the atf as a carb preservative. That said, I run nothing but eth free in my small engines. At the end of the mowing and snow blowing seasons, I drain the carbs and put stabil in the gas. No problems. Start on first pull at the beginning of season.

One other step that I do when running the gas out.......When the engine starts surging and just before it quits, I flip the choke on and get the rest of the remaining gas out of the carb. You'll be surprised how much it can run before finally dying out. I also run Non Ethanol gas in all of my small equipment. I'll try this ATF trick for sure. Thanks for sharing this great tip. Stay well and God Bless.

This works great .. but I like to use 2-cycle oil in the same way .. usually cheaper and burns off easily .. and I always mix a little bit in the gas for every small engine I have .. keeps all seals and rings lubricated.

As old as I am, I've never heard this before. But it sure makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing this info! 👍👍 Sta-bil works good, but it's not the cure all for long term small engine storage. Today's gas is made so cheap because profits and corporate greed in America are top priority over quality of anything. Gas doesn't last long at all like it used to years ago. Another tip, DON'T USE GAS WITH ETHANOL IN IT FOR ANY SMALL ENGINE, even if you run it regularly, UNLESS IT SAYS YOU CAN.

Thanks for the tip. I’m always looking for better ways to store Small engine equipment. Good vid.

Marvel’s mystery oil does the same thing… it’s kerosene based and is great for fuel lines but horrible for an oil additive. I’ve been using this on my small motors for close to 25 years and 95% of my oldest motors start without any issues with carburetors. I don’t use stabil but I use starbrite enzyme as the second additive. This combo has served me well. The other mistake that most make is to use low test gas… I only use high test . My dad used low test and had many issues even with stabil. Once he started using my combo and high test gas.. he never had an issue. Also change your fuel filters every two to three years….that also helps.

Not in a hurricane zone, but I AM in Texas - a place not known to be able to keep the lights on when Jack Frost brings Northern Canada down here for a visit. So my gen does a LOT of sitting around. I run it for about an hour every 3 months, but this will be a good way to save me that time and have it ready when I need it. You earned a subscriber.

I’m outside of Houston, been through a few storms myself. First I’ve heard of this trick. I’ve become the small engine guy at my church. Will pass this on, I’ll end up doing it anyway. In exchange for dinner at a dive.

Great tip. I'll be checking out the rest of the channel. Maybe not the best example of knife safety, LOL. Cut that tip before screwing onto container... I keep a couple recycled syringes, with and without needle, in the garage for applying MMO to small bearings or measuring out 2-cycle oil; will probably use that or tiny funnel for the ATF.

A little ATF in the cylinder can supposedly free up some stuck rings also

awesome video. never thought about storing small engines with ATF. That's a damn good tip.

I was talking to my neighbor yesterday about his generator and now I’m getting this.

Makes sense, can't damage anything, so I'll give it a try. ATF can also be used as a safe, effective engine flush as well. For this, I add half quart of ATF to my cars' oil about 100 miles or so before a planned oil change. It's one of the many tricks I learned from my 10 years working counter at Autozone.

On my generator, turned off the fuel, ran the engine till it died. Drained the tank, and changed the oil. When Ian arrived, I just added fuel to the tank, and it started on the first pull. This generator I bought 15 years ago. I only use ethanol free fuel with Stabil fuel additive.

I started using NON-ETHANOL GAS only in my small engines along with Stabil. Setting over the winter has not been a problem for me. A couple pulls on the cord and it's running next spring. I read somewhere that gas with Ethanol eats the aluminum and pot metal that small engine carberators are made out of. Be safe my friends.

Good video Lord, also, you can add atf and or engine oil to the gasoline. I routinely add any engine oil (10W-40, 20 50 0W30 , 5W30 30W, it doesn't matter. any engine oil will work) i have to my gasoline in my 4 stroke engines.. roto tiller, lawn mower, dirt bike street bike ( assuming no cat converter ) pressure washer, generator string trimmer etc. Think of how you do this to a 2 stroke engine, but in the case of a 4 stroke, it's not necessary, but still beneficial. It lubes the piston, cylinder, and carb. I'm a dirt biker and that's how I stumbled onto this knowledge. After years of tinkering and using small gasoline engines, i realized I had better luck w/ my 2 strokes in rarely having carb issues after the machine sat unused for a time n figured out it simply because of the oil added to the fuel. I also feel the oil helps stabilize the fuel over time, whether or not the fuel is in the carb or the fuel tank. no need to measure it out, just throw a couple ounces in your fuel before you fill with gasoline. Think of the manufacturer ratios you'd put in a 2 stroke.. 20:1 32:1 50:1 100:1 etc. but again the ratio isn't critical as it is w/ a 2 stroke. You can measure it if you'd like, but it isn't necessary for the idea I'm trying to get across here. Also FYI, it's a good idea to avoid ethanol fuel if possible. E-0, clear fuel or 'Ethanol Free' as it's called is better for your engines than the ethanol garbage which is widely sold nowadays. Ethanol based fuel is hydroscopic and attracts water. Bad idea for carbs and fuel systems. If your cheap or on a tight budget, it's acceptable to run ethanol garbage, but absolutely DON"T STORE ETHANOL BASED FUEL IN YOUR MACHINE IN THE OFF SEASON! This is especially true for folks in areas of the U.S. where Ethanol is higher than 10% . Upper Midwest for example. Adding said engine oil or ATF to your gasoline will likely cause some smoking while operating, depending on how much oil you add, but if that bothers you, then cut back on how much oil you add or simply don't add any, but it works for me and I get extended life out of my small gas engines and I no longer have carb issues when I'm starting to run my machines in the beginning of the season.

I just start my generator once a month and run it for a couple of minutes. Never have had a bit of trouble. This not only runs good gas through the fuel system and gets oil up into the workings.

This man speaks the truth. It works and you should do it. You don't want to be replacing all the carb seals in your chainsaw every year.

the marine stabil stabilizer protects for 2 years …. so is sea foam !but atf lasting 4-6 years is flat out amazing! I used to be a lube, technician straight out of high school, and we serviced a fleet of tow trucks with international engines, and the owner would come over and help us fill the fuel filters up with the clear power steering fluid. Then we would fire the engine up and hold the gas pedal down about halfway until it cleared it out. If we let our foot off the gas before cleared it out, it would die and although it never happened to me or on my watch, the owner would have to flush the fuel System out with diesel fuel to get it to fire up ! also i serviced an old 300z that was in immaculate condition and the owner would stand around an watch me fill motor oil up 90% of the way then top off with a 1/4 qt of atf …. that was 25 years ago and if id guess that 300z is still on the road somewhere

This is similar to Fogging oil used in marine engines! Have had outboard engine(s) stored upwards of 15 years and they still run fine after a good fogging. I have also used ATF in small Radio Controlled nitro engines for storage as well and like you said, they run fine afterwards!

I do the same thing with lawnmowers and weed eaters to. The atf does more than just keep gas from gumming up the carb. But it also keeps the Internal pump diaphragm in some carbs from hardening as well

Aviation fuel, 100LL, is something I've used for years with small engines. The qualities that make it good for demanding aviation applications (purity, volatility, and stability) make it great for old air-cooled engines that sit around.

This used to be a lot more common. They called it after run oil, are used to use this in two strokes. I’ve never gone as far as to drain the gas tank. I usually just throw some Stabell in it and once a year or so go out and get it started and let it burn through some fuel And then refill it, but I’m gonna let something sit for a while. I always cut the gas off and let it run the carbs dry, but if I’m going to store, it are usually squirt a bunch of ATF in their end. Turn it over a few times. Another thing you can do is run it on carb cleaner like a starting fluid and that helps burn a lot of the fuel still in the car bout guess everything shot of cleaner and that evaporates much better than fuel. But I really don’t want other people to do this because it’s a great way to buy power equipment and motorcycles when people don’t do the maintenance and then can’t get them started they so much cheaper.😅😂