Dear Tom and Ray:

Last year I forgot to drain out my gas in several lawn-mower-type motors, and this spring, they all started perfectly. I know you guys have recommended a gasoline stabilizer for seasonal storage, but how come my motors started right up? I used unleaded gas without alcohol. Without the lead, can gas be stored without varnishing? -- Elmer

Ray: I can tell you're a scientist, Elmer. You've experienced an interesting phenomenon -- your lawn mower started perfectly after a winter of storage -- and now you're testing a promising theory: Can unleaded gasoline be stored without producing varnish?

Tom: And like a scientist, you're about to utter the well-worn words "Dang! Back to the ol' drawing board." The phenomenon you experienced, Elmer, was luck.

Ray: Unleaded gas still tends to varnish. And without a gasoline stabilizer, a lot of engines stored with sitting gasoline over a period of many months won't start. And worse, their carburetors may need to be removed and cleaned if you ever want to get them started again.

Tom: This is a classic application of our famous Great Unyielding Truth: It's the stingy person who spends the most. You try to save a few bucks on a can of gasoline stabilizer, and you end up having to rebuild the carburetor later on.

Ray: So you can press your luck again next year, Elmer, and you may get away with it. Or you can play it safe and take our advice: Bite the bullet, buy a can of stabilizer and ensure yourself a place next year among the great, unvarnished masses.

Wait! Don't buy another car without the mechanic's checklist that's included in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." It will help you get a good used car and avoid the clunkers. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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