draining the gas?

[mverps]

I am planning on storing my scooter GV 250. 2009 this winter in an enclosed storage area. They require the gas be drained. Does anyone know the procedure or the best way to drain the gas? Also is there anything else I should do. The scooter will set for about 5 months.

Thanks for any help I can get on this.
Mike

[Vivo]

If you ask me, I would remove/drain the gas tank and remove/drain the carburetor and drain all fuel lines, remove the filter... and store them properly.   5 months is a long time and any little fuel that may be left will surely just become gum and varnish and will cause problems when you need to start up the engine. 

[MassScoot]

Funny....I never drain my gasoline in the Winter months. I fill it to the top of the tank so no rust can get ahold inside the tank. I simply use ethanol stabilizer, fuel stabilizer & a little Seafoam. Also a little octane booster doesn't hurt as it will be sitting for 5+ months. Run the scooter for say 3-4 miles & pack it up. Did this for 5 years with my People S200 which had a carb. & would start everytime. If you have FI, even better! 

[blue]

If you can start it up ones or twice a week you should be ok with doing nothing to it.
Just let it runn for 5 min to move the gas flow around and your all good.

[MassScoot]

If you can start it up ones or twice a week you should be ok with doing nothing to it.
Just let it runn for 5 min to move the gas flow around and your all good.

Blue: If he is going to leave gas in his tank, he'll need to prep it with stabilizers & run it for a few miles so they get into his carb, lines etc. I never started mine in the Winter (I live in New England as well) I pulled the battery & kept in on a float charge in my basement. Every Spring it would start-up on the 3rd or 4th try. Mverps: You really don't need to drain your tank, trust me. Just use the correct stabilizers & you'll be all set! 

I leave a Super 8 down @ my parents home in Florida. It sat for over 6 months. It started on the 2nd try!

[ScooterCommuter]

Mverps doesn't have a choice. The scoot is going to a storage unit and they REQUIRE gas to be drained. They won't let you put anything with an engine in there if you don't.

I would let the tank get low in normal riding (or go for one last fun run before you put it away for the winter to achieve the same thing) siphon off as much of the remaining gas as possible (around here it would then get used up over the winter by the snow blower) and then just fire up the scoot on the stand and let it run til it quits for lack of fuel.

Make sure your last tank has stabilizer in it so that the remaining residue doesn't gum anything up.

[MassScoot]

Geez...I feel like an idiot! Do you think I could have seen that he has to get rid of his gas before storage?

[08087]

I store my boat all off season and there are 3 schools of thought, all work fine. run your engine until it's dry, and let it sit, no problem just use a lupe like CRC or WD-40 to keep her lubed up.

The other is to leave some amount in the gas tank and add stable to it, done
 
And last but not least as has been mentioned, start her up every other week if you can and you won't have any problems either, with my scoot that's what I do when there is snow on the ground, other then that I ride the daylights out of her no matter what the temps are.

[Vivo]

Yes, he has no choice because the storage co. requires the scoot to be drained... and he has to leave it there for 5 months...  otherwise all other suggestions would be fine...

[AMAC1680]

I've used this to store watercraft etc. works very well and has multiple uses.

http://www.usboatsupplies.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=DEI91700F&Category_Code=PortableGasCans&Store_Code=USBS&gclid=CIGvjYjPyLkCFehxOgodZU0ANQ

Be Big,
AMAC

[mverps]

thanks everyone for your replies. I am going to try and syphon most of it out then run it dry. I will add a stabilizer before I do this.

[AMAC1680]

Remember to mix the stabizer in a gas can and mix, then add to tank and run thru motor.
Then drain. I know PITA.

Be Big,
AMAC

[wheelsoffreedom76]

   Since you have to remove the fuel, I would use fogging oil after draining the system, and pouring a can of sea foam in and letting that flow through the lines and carb. (safe for rubber and carb parts & chases out fuel residue). Spray fogging oil around inside the fuel tank by bending the straw or putting some washer hose over the end and that will preserve the tank from rust till spring. You could also shoot some through the carb vent hose, and through the carb fuel inlet hose. Pull the spark plug, bump the engine to bdc, and fog the upper end and bump the starter to spread it along the bore. In the spring you could run a quart of sea foam through the tank and fuel lines and carb before adding fuel and starting it up. That will clear the fogging oil, and fuel residue from the tank, lines and carb before you put fresh fuel in.  And remember it's going to smoke for a little bit till the fogging oil burns off from the upper end, and what didn't flush out of the tank with the sea foam.

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/other-products/cleaners-and-protectants/engine-fogging-oil/?page=%2fstorefront%2ffog.aspx

http://www.goldeagle.com/products/Fogging_Oil.aspx

http://seafoamsales.com/sea-foam-motor-treatment/why-sea-foam-motor-treatment-works/

[wheelsoffreedom76]

    I dragged this 1987 Honda Elite from my sisters garage sunday. It was ridden in there, turned off and forgot about since 1996. I pulled the spark plug and poured a cap of two stroke oil down the cylinder, rolled the engine over by hand several times. Looked in the gas tank to see it nearly full of 17 year old gas (ironically didn't smell too bad). Checked the injection oil. Put the jumper cables on it and after cranking about 5 seconds it lit right off. Aired up the tires while it was warming up (and fogging for mosquitos as it burned the oil off I had poured in). Called my sister out to take it for a spin. We spent about 30 minutes tearing around the yard on it. Anyway had to throw this short story in to the winter prep thread, or the 17 winters non-prep. lol

   I bet todays gas wouldn't hold up that well. Kinda weird to burn $1.15 a gallon gas!

[Vivo]

Shhhh.... lots of fuel additive companies might read this and will see their marketing efforts go down the drain...