Ethanol gas and small engines.Lawn mowers. Easy fix for lawnmowers, tillers, many small engines.

It's the hose. The fuel line deteriorates from the ethanol.

A new line does the same because it is made of the same materials.

I caught on the third time I cleaned my carburetor.

I needed a way to filter the gas in the fuel line.

Here's how.

Get a foam air filter such as are used on many fine BRIGGS engines.

Cut a small piece maybe half an inch long and the diameter sufficient to go into the fuel line snuggly.

It's not a 426 hemi, so the engine will still get plenty of fuel for its needs.

Detach the fuel line at the carburetor.
Let a little bit of gas flow through it in a futile attempt to clear the line of debris.

Jam that bit of flexible, porous, filter material into the fuel line at the point where it attaches to the carb.
Don't push it up the line. Just far enough to be able to get the line back on.
A reasonable amount of fuel should still be able to drip out. It doesn't take much to run a little engine.


Attach the line to the carburetor with the bit of foam inside the line acting as a flexible mini filter.

Put everything back together, using the right clamps and cleaning up spilled fuel to prevent a fire.

Be appropriately safe.