Yours is an interesting theory, and you can't argue with success. However, it sounds

like leaving the gas in (Stabil or not) is asking for trouble as that gas will dry
up, given
enough time. You have to really have faith that Stabil will not allow a residue to
remain
behind. Besides, even the Yamaha manual tells you to run all the gas out of the
engine.
I would really like to see a definitive report from a Yamaha designed on this whole
issue,
but will probably never see it. Maybe there is another factor about your case that
would
explain your successful storage of the engine. Right now, I'm a bit skeptical about
your
methods.

Sherwin D.

Mys Terry wrote:

On Thu, 04 May 2006 01:16:08 -0500, sherwindu
wrote:

This is the second season I have taken my Yamaha T9.9 out of storage and had
problems
getting it to run properly. I took extra pains to put it away properly last
year. I used Stabil in the last tank of gas. I also ran some Sea Foam through
it. The
engine was run out until it would not start. I fogged the engine at the end and
opened
a drain plug on the carb to empty any remaining gas. The engine would barely
start
this week and would die when put into gear. I cleaned the jets, but missed the
jet
for mid-range running that was hidden under a plastic cap. My friendly outboard
mechanic
found it and showed me it was blocked. After cleaning this jet, the engine
finally ran. I am using fresh gas, so that was not the problem. I have a
filter on the
gas tank, and there is another one on the engine. It is possibly a combination
of the
newer formulas of gas and the design of these later model four strokes (mine is
a
2002 with less than 50 hours on it). Some people recommend running the engine
at
least every 3 weeks, which is not always possible, and what about winter
lay-ups?
My mechanic recommended using a Mercury product for cleaning carbs that is added

to the gas tank. I am skeptical, but am trying it any ways. I never had any
of these problems with my old two strokes. That's progress!

Sherwin D.

I have the same engine, and mine started right up and ran perfectly
after 6 months of winter storage. The difference in our methods is
that I do not run the engine dry and drain the carb. I leave them full
of gas with stabil.

You have already discovered that storing it dry led to a clogged jet.
That jet wasn't clogged when you put the engine away.