ethanol monster

2004,yamaha txrc, 150hp fuel filter totaly filled with junk, replaced, ran fine for a little then no go, took off carbs, cleaned and ran good for awhile, then low idle circuit seems clogged ,someone give me a clue,carbs are off and going to re clean,filter is racor, compression is 105-115 , any special attention i need to do, thanks

Re: ethanol monster

welcome to the idiotic federal mandate, thank our crazy knee jerk govt.
anyway install a 10 micron water seperator then either replace all the fuel lines between the seperator and the carbs or drag a piece of rag on a string soaked with spray carb cleaner through them. the ethanol goo will stick to the inside of the lines and continue to clog small carb jets.

its nasty stuff and will mean even more maint and less fuel economy but its the only fuel most places can get.
its good for business but aggrevating.

we just got informed that by mid june its all our are will have, hopefully the next administration will scrap this stupidity.

Re: ethanol monster

rodbolt,thanks,what is confussing is after first carb cleaning it ran fine for about 10 minutes, then started missing again,i guess there was stuff in the fuel lines,this is a p.i.t.a.,

Re: ethanol monster

Rodbolt,

Any experience with Racor's 2-micron filters - part # is S3220S? They are supposedly a direct replacement for the S3213, rated for 60GPH and initial pressure drop of < 1 PSI (~2" mercury, I think).

Wondering if this will help reduce the amount of that fine grey/silver powder that gunks up the VST and fuel injector filters.

-- Tom

Re: ethanol monster

Many of us midwesterners who have lived with E-10 for decades use Seafoam every tank. Does not take much, even Stabil if it sits unused for a while. I mix Seafoam with Yamaha Ringfree in the fuel too. You can't have fuel sitting around for months on end when it's E-10. I know folks who do and have no issues but I have always thought fresh is best.

Re: ethanol monster

update: second cleaning worked,special attention to low idle circuit, funny ,at the auto parts store for carb cleaner the clerk told me they have a treatment for ethanol, is that not a oxy-moron we pay for gas that we have to pay to treat, thanks everyone for you help, this board is priceless

Re: ethanol monster

I am really surprised that a 2004 engine (two stroke or 4 stroke) is having an issue with E10. How long has this boat sat with untreated fuel? When did you start using E10? I'm a midwesterner (Minnesota) and we have used E10 since 1997. Thats eleven years ago and lots of fuel system parts have been updated since then to handle E10 that may not have been part of fuel systems back then. The only issues we had when the E10 switch was made was older vehicles (including boats) that already had lots of gunk and debris in their tanks. E10 cleaned up these deposits and fuel filters were plugged up with the stuff. A couple of tanks of fuel and a couple of fuel filter changes was all that was need to continue merrily on ones way. Periodically a carb would be attacked (including my 1986 Chrysler New Yorker). This car would run for weeks with no problem and then all at once begin to die, stall, and if allowed to sit a bit would take off again. Carb disassembly showed it was full of a baking powder like dust. I never did figure out for sure where it came from but I suspect it was a fuel bowl sealant. Chain saw fuel tanks were coated with a sealant that was also not tolerant of Ethanol and would turn to dust. Once cleaned, it lived on very normally. My boats routinely sit from November until late March - early April with about 1/2 tank of treated fuel and they always pop off in the spring with no running issues. I use SeaFoam religiously in everything I own including my mowers and none of them exhibit any starting or running problem including my LawnBoy two stroke. My 1995 Evinrude outboard ran nearly it's entire life on E10. When I rebuilt the carbs as a preventive measure they were spotless inside. E10 gets a bad rap but unfortunately it is the latest thing to blame by unscrupulous shops. Use a good fuel treatment, keep the tank full, and E10 will not be the monster it is made out to be. If you happen to have a fiberglass tank or live in an area with extremely high humidity, you do have my sympathy. E10 does attract moisture and it does go after the resins in glass (not plastic tanks).

Re: ethanol monster

silvertip,we just got e10 in march, i am boat builder that uses his boat 11-12 monthes a year, i know you people out west have had it for some time, but we are still learning how to deal with it, i am happy my tank is is clean on a 3 yr old boat.,but we should not put food and fuel in the same equation,the goverment has made a bad move(my thoughts)ethanol will not solve anything!

Re: ethanol monster

silvertip
some of us actually leave the boat in a puddle most the year, its actually a fairly moist environmenty.
here on the east coast we are just getting this junk fuel.
its creating way more isues than it can ever solve.
its simply a feel good knee jerk reaction from an administration that is only capeable of feel good knee jerk crap.
ethanol runs well in late model stuff, however the first few tanks will create issues in older stuff.
its good for my Horse but bad for my customers.
like I say, we were informed by the fuel distributer that in mid june we will have all ethanol fuels.
I cant wait for the whineing to begin.
I see a lot of fuel system cleanings in my future over govt stupidity.
well at least my customers will have a place to spend their rebate checks .
I just wonder how much it costs to transport that etanol from the midwest to the east coast?
then store it, then blend it then make the end user deal with it.