2008 500 Artic Cat and Bad Gasoline

[Gohon]

First a hello to all. First time poster as I just recently found this forum.

I have a 2008 500 Artic cat that recently had to go into the shop. Problem was the carb was gummed up from bad gas after sitting for several weeks. I always use Sea Foam and Sta-bil as a stabilizer and figured that was all that was needed but apparently not. Couple mechanics at the shop made a few recommendations for when I knew the cat would be sitting for several weeks. One was to put a fuel cutout valve between the fuel pump and carb and close it and allow the engine to run until it quits. Another recommended to just drain the fuel bowl when parking it. Yet another said high octane gas will stay stable a lot longer than the regular unleaded. Don't know if that last one is true or not. So the meat of my question is do any of you have any tricks of the trade to preventing this problem as my cat does stay parked for long periods at a time, especially during the winter months. Thanks..........................

Edited October 12, 2011 by Gohon
Changed Title

[quadnut20]

First Welcome to QC!! I`ve used stabill on mine with no issues !! I do drain my float bowl if i know I`m not riding anytime soon !! Weird :confused:Maybe something esle is going on !!

[Senator]

do any of you have any tricks of the trade to preventing this problem as my cat does stay parked for long periods at a time, especially during the winter months. Thanks..........................

Ride it more. Sounds like a sarcastic joke but I assure you it's not. Start it up, warm it up and find an excuse to ride it a little...

• 
  take it down the driveway to check the mail
  borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor
  get a snow plow mounted and keep your driveway plowed
  put a snowmobile suit on the wife and take her out for pizza
  

Seriously though, finding reasons to start and run the quad is really the easiest way around the winter fuel challenges. Running the quad more often will also prevent you from being that guy asking this question when Spring comes..."Hey guys, I let my quad sit in the shed for 9 months of winter and now I think the battery is dead. The dealer said it'll be $90 for a new one...can this be right?"

By the way, yes, that's right.

[swampcat07]

The other thing I have been doing is only putting enough gas in the tank that I will need for the planned ride. If I know I can get by with half a tank I just fill it that much and I only buy gas the day before the ride. I think the problems with ethanol mostly involve water separation. The other additives should help with the rest. I have used both sea foam and marine stabil but never used both at the same time.

[Ajmboy]

Welcome to QUADCRAZY!

Definitely start it up once in a while and leave minimal gas in it.

[Gohon]

Appreciate the advise. It's not like I don't ride it at all during the winter....just not that much. I keep a trickle charger on at all times when parked and even during those times I don't ride much I start it up every week and let it idle for a short period, sometimes only every two weeks but it's not like it is shoved in a corner and never ridden. We had a unusual heat wave this summer where temperatures were in the triple digits for 9 weeks and I'm thinking that may be the reason for the gas to go sour so fast.

Senator.....at 68 years of age I don't plow snow from my driveway......I hire someone like you to do it for me. This problem occurred during the summer months so it wasn't from not being ridden as often during the winter.

Once again, replies appreciated...thanks.

Edited October 15, 2011 by Gohon
Added comments