Fuel stabilizer and E-0 advice needed

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isaksp00

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Who has any experience or research knowledge on the best fuel stabilizers? Seafoam, Stabil, StarTron, etc. and the various variants of each. I have used the "regular" (that is, not the marine variant) red Stabil in my 8HP Honda, about an ounce per 2.5 gal fillup. I wonder if using say that plus Seafoam, or any other additive, may be better. Are they all basically the same? I have no worries about tank rusting as I have a plastic 3 gal tank, and I run the engine dry at end of season (actually, after each use), store it in a basement, and add Stabil before the winter (I usually dump what's left into the car in the spring and then fill with fresh). Also, there is a new gas station near us that sells E-0, at about $1 per gal premium. I use so little gas (sailboat) that I am not worried about the cost - but is it really better?
 

flyingscott

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Here is my experience I run a 1986 Evinrude 70 hp and use the BRP 2+4 Fuel stabilizer and run 87 Octane with 10% ethanol all the time. Since my VRO is hooked up and I don't drain the carbs for extended storage it has always worked great. Another reason I use the BRP 2+4 is because in my gas trimmer with sta-bil I would always have problems with fuel issues and bad running after the winter with the 2+4 I no longer have those problems. Look in your owners manual for the minimum octane rating for your motor and run that. Most outboards can handle the Ethanol.
 

robert graham

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I use the red Stabil all the time and Ringfree all the time in my 1999 C90 Yamaha....never had a problem so far!...
 

alldodge

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I use E-0 in all the boats and don't use any additive in anything except something that I think "might" sit for a year. For long sitters I try to remember to drain it, the additive is just incase I forget.

I suffer from CRS, what was it we were talking about?
 

robert graham

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Gas will sit for a year without adding anything, easily.

I wouldn't want to count on it!....if you gas up and run your boat every day or every week then maybe....but lots of boaters do leave their boats sitting for extended periods and I believe that gas can degrade in a few weeks.....A dose of Stabil is a whole lot cheaper than plugged carb jets, lean mixtures, burned pistons, etc....heck, just a carb cleaning can cost a good bit of $$$!....Why roll the dice on preventive maintenance?....
 

bruceb58

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I have even used 1 year old E10 fuel many times with no issues and no Stabil. E10 is not the bugaboo that people thing.
 
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robert graham

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I have even used 1 year old E10 fuel many times with no issues and no Stabil. E10 is not the bugaboo that people thing.

I'd say you got lucky on that year old fuel.....that said, I've been running the E10 for years with never a problem.....think I'll keep my Stabil anyway!....
 

ondarvr

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I use E10 and no miracle in a bottle snake oils and have no issues, but that's only in about 25 years of using E10, so maybe with time that will change.

These companies would love to make you think that the world will come to an end if you miss even one tank of fuel without using their stuff. The truth is these products "may" help in some situations, they aren't required all the time, if you don't plan to use the fuel in a few months (that's several, not one) they could help.
 
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Silvertip

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Ethanol is produced in copious amounts in Minnesota and I use plenty of it. I even use E85 in my car when the price vs MPG difference makes it worth my while. It is simply not the devil fuel folks tend to believe it is because it so easy to blame by so called "techs" who hardly know which end of a screwdriver to hold. What Ethanol is -- is a fantastic fuel system cleaner. So if you put it into a vehicle or boat that has a neglected fuel system, the Ethanol will clean up the mess and deposit the gunk in the filters and some may get past the filter and into the carb or injectors. That's not an ethanol problem. It is a neglect problem and the running issue would have happened a bit later with the likelyhood of much more serious consequences.
 

bruceb58

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I'd say you got lucky on that year old fuel.....that said, I've been running the E10 for years with never a problem.....think I'll keep my Stabil anyway!....
I guess I have gotten lucky multiple times then!

My friend who is a chemical engineer for Chevron thinks its fine too.
 
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JimS123

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My first outboard was a 1955 Mercury. The owner's manual said to use fuel stabilizer on the off season, so I've been doing that for about 50 years. Maybe I didn't need to , maybe I did. I think I'll continue to do so starting in about October of each year, as we appropach Winter.

I used to use carb cleaner, some times had to rebuild carbs. Since the inception of E10 I have not had to do maintenance at all. When I replace my fuel filters (did so this year) I am always PO'd because they were clean and it was an unneccessary PM.

Yes, the E10 has reduced my fuel economy, but upgrading to E free is not cost effective from a mileage standpoint, and the lack of carb rebuilds is a cost savings anyway.

IMHO E-10 bashers have that opinion because they fail to care of their equipment and need something to blame it on.
 

robert graham

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I guess I have gotten lucky multiple times then!

My friend who is a chemical engineer for Chevron thinks its fine too.

Whatever works for you is fine.....but with the prices of outboards/repairs/parts/labor I prefer preventive maintenance.....my 1999 C90 has run perfect all these years without so much as a carb cleaning....and I like that!....
 

ondarvr

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This is one of those topics where you'll get ten different opinions and methods, the thing each person says is "and I don't have any problems". Sort means it doesn't make that much of a difference what you do, when that happens I use the simplest and lowest cost option.
 
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bruceb58

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Whatever works for you is fine.....but with the prices of outboards/repairs/parts/labor I prefer preventive maintenance.....my 1999 C90 has run perfect all these years without so much as a carb cleaning....and I like that!....
Ditto with my 1998 Wellcraft and every boat I have owned before that. Never used Stabil.
 

robert graham

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This is one of those topics where you'll get ten different opinions and methods, the thing each person says is "and I don't have any problems". Sort means it doesn't make that much of a difference what you do, when that happens I use the simplest and lowest cost option.

Yep, sorta endlessly debatable, but a few ounces of a Stabil type fuel stabilizer gives me some peace of mind, especially when my wife and I are 50 miles down the river somewhere and the last thing I need is a plugged carb jet to ruin our trip/vacation....
 

ondarvr

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Yep, sorta endlessly debatable, but a few ounces of a Stabil type fuel stabilizer gives me some peace of mind, especially when my wife and I are 50 miles down the river somewhere and the last thing I need is a plugged carb jet to ruin our trip/vacation....

And that's exactly what the goal of their marketing plan is.

Again, I'm not saying these products don't work, only that they get overused as a feel good, "I did something" action.
 

JimS123

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And that's exactly what the goal of their marketing plan is.

Again, I'm not saying these products don't work, only that they get overused as a feel good, "I did something" action.
I have used gas stabilizer in every engine I have ever owned that was put away for Winter. My Dad always refused, but he always drained the tanks.

We have a mountain cabin that has a lawnmpwer, wacker, tractor, etc. and that all gets stabilized as well. One year I forgot to take the Stabil with me on our last campout, so I didn't do it. The next Summer nothing would run right until I drained and replaced all the gas with fresh. In contrast, I have the same stuff at the house and it DID get Stabil and it all ran fine.
 

ondarvr

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Please re-read the last line of what you quoted me saying.
 
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Sea Rider

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Going back to OP original post, you should whenever possible run non E fuels, up to you if wanting to stabilize small portions of fuel leftovers on portable tank while winterizing. I personally like running fresh fuel as generally consume most of it for that particular outing. E fuels distorts fuel filters cup o'rings as well as thin diaphragms, which are ballooned after short period use.

This is a Tohatsu's fuel pump diaphragm completely distorted with only 50 metered worked hours while using E8 fuels. If winterizing run fuel lines, fuel filter, fuel pump and carb dry if wanting rubber parts, o'rings to last longer.

E8 Fuel.JPG

Happy Boating
 
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