ethanol gas & winterization

i am preparing my boats for winter. i have concerns about all the ethanol gas horror stories i have read. i usually top off my tanks , treat the fuel with a stabilizer, clean,fog,grease,etc.then hope for the best! should i do someing different because of the ethanol issues? thanks! is it spring yet?!!!?

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

just make sure you use StarTron or Marine Stabil and you'll be fine.

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

Jeff has it exactly right, use Start-Tron. It is the BEST thing you can use for treating Ethanol, and it will act as a full stabilizer for the fuel also. Always use new fuel/water separators in the Spring and you'll be good.

I usually double treat tanks when winterizing, just for extra Ethnol phase separation protection.

I don't know about the filling your tank theory, as to me that means if your fuel goes bad, then you will just have a full tank of bad fuel in the Spring. It always amazed me that people worry about condensation in their tank in the winter when the air is dry as can be, but not in the summer when the air is humid and the boat is sitting in the water. It would make more sense to keep a full tank of fuel in the summer than in the winter.

I have always left all boats with whatever is in the tank when I pulled it, and double treated and have never had an issue. A full tank is just that much more fuel to breakdown over time, especially with Etanol.

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

thanks for the info. it took care of all the issues i had. hope your winters are easier than mine! Ron in upstate NY

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

SeaFoam is a very good acceptable alternative to Stabil and Startron. Do what you are doing and put it to bed.

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

remember, you can't treat old fuel; once it has phase seperated it won't go back together. So if you don't treat your gas all summer, too, it's too late to add stabilizer to what's in the tank.
If you have old (60 days) untreated gas put it in your car now. If you have a small amount in the tank, dilute it with fresh and treat the hell out of it. If your tank is empty or you empty it, it is debateable whether it is better to fill it or not.

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

Silvertip said:

SeaFoam is a very good acceptable alternative to Stabil and Startron. Do what you are doing and put it to bed.

Click to expand...

Sea Foam contains alcohol and to use it as a fuel stabilizer just compounds the alcohol problem in gas.

Re: ethanol gas & winterization

So does BRP 2+4, Mercury Fuel System Cleaner, Quicksilver Fuel System Treatment, and a myriad of others. It is NOT a problem. For the most part there is no such thing as an "ethanol problem" as long as fuel systems are kept clean and fuel is stabilized. I dislike the use of ethanol in motor fuel for a myriad of reasons but performance in my outboard is not one of them.

Let's not spout off unnecessarily, here.