How To Drain the Fuel Tank and Carburetor of a Honda Mower Engine

When a mower sits for a while (even a few weeks), it might be a good idea to drain the fuel out of the gas tank and add fresh fuel before mowing. Because of the higher ethanol content in gasoline as compared to previous years, the gas will begin to go bad even after about a week. Most of the time, this decrease isn't noticed right away, but over an extended period of time the gas will start to change internally and will also begin to produce an odor that is not pleasant (well, not that we suggest you sit there and sniff fresh gasoline all of the time either).

Here's a quick recap of the video:

Draining the Fuel Tank

• One method of removing fuel would be to siphon the fuel out of the tank. Another option (probably the easiest) is by removing the fuel line from either the carburetor, fuel pump or fuel shutoff valve and draining the fuel into a pan. Make sure you take that fuel to your local recycling center.

How to Drain a Honda Carburetor

• As seen in the video, there is a blue painted screw on the bottom of the carburetor. This allows the fuel to be drained out of the bowl of the carburetor so that fresh fuel can make its way in when you go to start the mower. Carefully loosen this screw and drain the carburetor and then carefully tighten the screw until it is snug. Remember not to over tighten!