Clean the air filter before winter storage

Clean the air filter before storing — a dirty one won’t protect against moisture, it just traps water against the carburetor.

The “leave it dirty to block moisture” idea sounds logical but fails in practice. An air filter is porous, not a seal. A slightly oily or dusty filter actually holds onto humidity, which can rust the carburetor and internal parts over months of sitting. Clean filters breathe better and stay dry.

Moisture protection comes from the things you actually do for storage: stabilizing the fuel, fogging the cylinder with oil, and sealing the intake/exhaust. The filter isn’t part of that equation.

So wipe any debris off, wash or replace the filter, and let everything dry before putting the cover on. Future-you gets an engine that starts instead of a carburetor rebuild.