About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

zimm17

zimm17

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May 12, 2010
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My boat has been on ethanol free gas since it was new. It's currently showing about 1/3 full, the fuel is at least a year old but with marine sta-bil and ring-free additives. I just changed the fuel filters (external and the one on the outboard). I have 2 spare large filters and 1 spare small one. I have to run ethanol as there is no alterntive within a 60-90 min drive from me. Prior owner suggested running current fuel as low as I can stand it before fueling to eliminate the fuel from layering. I want to just fill it up with 93 octane and go boating. The grady manual says the boat is compatible, I'm worried about varnish and crap coming loose and clogging up the filters.
 
BobGinCO

BobGinCO

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May 22, 2012
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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Lemme give you the "Ethanol Prep List":

OK, first, you're going to need a 100% WOOL baseball cap. Make absolutely certain it has NO synthetic materials! Synthetic materials can cause static electricity buildup, and Ethanol HATES static electricity.

Next, you're going to need a "Marine Rated" static discharge strap, that you should wear on your wrist at all times, while refueling - this should be attached to the ground lug on your boat's battery.

While the vote is still out on this, those with the most experience insist on shoes or moccasins with LEATHER soles. No plastic, or rubber.

OK, now of course, don't even THINK about wearing synthetic underwear during this process. Veterans of Ethanol fuel refueling prefer to go without any underwear at all.

Now some E-10 users prefer to get a set of small orange traffic cones, that come with "Marine Refueling In Progress - Stay Back 300 Feet!". Of course, you can get these at any "Marine Rated" retailer, like SouthEast Marine, or Wallye Pro Shop, even Undertons.

Now for the serious stuff. Just put the gas in. It's no biggie.
 
idonthaveaname

idonthaveaname

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

"I'm worried about varnish and crap coming loose and clogging up the filters."

That is what would worry me. As far as layering....I have the opposite problem. My tank had about 10 gallons of E10 but I switched to marine fuel (added 20 gallons and down here it's 90 octane). It ran well for about 30 minutes but I noticed what sounded like pre-detonation. It slowed and stalled and then after that I could not get off plane although it seemed the motor revved up. My advice is to displace all marine fuel and then move to E10. It may or may not make a difference, and your issue is opposite of mine, but I would not take the chance.
 
R

rbh

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Carry a couple of spare filters and a filter wrench plus a little fuel to top up the filters when you need to change them out.
 
oldjeep

oldjeep

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

zimm17 said:
My boat has been on ethanol free gas since it was new. It's currently showing about 1/3 full, the fuel is at least a year old but with marine sta-bil and ring-free additives. I just changed the fuel filters (external and the one on the outboard). I have 2 spare large filters and 1 spare small one. I have to run ethanol as there is no alterntive within a 60-90 min drive from me. Prior owner suggested running current fuel as low as I can stand it before fueling to eliminate the fuel from layering. I want to just fill it up with 93 octane and go boating. The grady manual says the boat is compatible, I'm worried about varnish and crap coming loose and clogging up the filters.
Click to expand...

Plan on swapping out the fuel filters a couple times while the ethanol cleans the crap out of your fuel system. Might need to adjust your mixture a bit if you have a carb - E10 has less energy and requires you to run a little richer to get the same performance you had on pure gas. No need to worry about mixing the E10 with 1/3 tank of pure gas - you'll have E6 ;)
 
R

rbh

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

I bet that when you topped up and went for a long drive that the fuel will mix up just right.
 
BobGinCO

BobGinCO

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

zimm17 said:
How?
Click to expand...

As I understand it, "you put de lime in de coconut, you stir em all up".

Oh, and go back and re-read that post I made. I edited in the info, which is mostly bogus, but mildly entertaining.
 
smokeonthewater

smokeonthewater

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

the thing you HAVE to remember is to remove fuel cap and insert nozzle...

Then order TWO pina coladas..... one for each hand
 
idonthaveaname

idonthaveaname

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Lots 'o advice! Best of luck, but with 1/3 of marine remaining, I would drain it. Agree with the fuel filters however...let us know!
 
JASinIL2006

JASinIL2006

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Oh, and go back and re-read that post I made. I edited in the info, which is mostly bogus, but mildly entertaining.
Click to expand...

Actually it was not mildly entertaining. It was VERY entertaining! :lol:
 
lncoop

lncoop

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

smokeonthewater said:
the thing you HAVE to remember is to remove fuel cap and insert nozzle...

The order TWO pina coladas..... one for each hand
Click to expand...

Just don't get caught in the rain.
 
H

Home Cookin'

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

1. Use the same fuel port as for the "marine" fuel, not the rod holder.
2. treat it with stabil/startron and ringfree as before.


How old is the boat? Most likely your fuel additives have kept the system clear already. Ever use sea foam? does the same thing.

My understanding, here's the problem with mixing: large boats naturally accumulate some water and gunk at the very bottom of the tank over the years, but it's neatly tucked away under the pick-up tube. Ethanol, however attacts water--not only does it grab it from the air, it mixes up that layer and suspends it into the fuel tank. So the problem isn't the E10 itself but the water already lurking in the tank.
Thus the suggestion of having filters on hand makes sense, as you may be introducing more water/sludge into the system than it's used to.
So---can you take a core sample all the way to the bottom?


The other side of E10 is that it goes bad over a number of months (depends greatly on conditions outside), especially if untreated, and the result is called "phase seperation" where you end up with a layer of gunk and water at the tank bottom. That, too, will stop your motors, But that is not what you'll encounter. Yet.
 
R

rallyart

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Oh, you also have to quit buying any corn products to the price of the fuel will not go up. No corn oil, flakes, tortillas, etc. Natural blue corn is okay as they don't use it to make ethanol for fuel.
BobGinCO, I made that mistake with a wool cap once. I knew it was safe for the fuel but someone had used a polycotton thread and not labeled it. It did not go well but my hair mostly grew back. :eek:hwell:
 
D

drrpm

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Oct 24, 2008
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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Its no big deal. I fill the boat up with 100% gasoline if its handy, otherwise it gets E10. You would never know the difference. If I fill my truck up with 100% gasoline the mileage will improve by 1 mpg.
 
smokeonthewater

smokeonthewater

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

smokeonthewater said:
the thing you HAVE to remember is to remove fuel cap and insert nozzle...

Then order TWO pina coladas..... one for each hand
Click to expand...

Don't ya hate it when you get quoted multiple times before noticing a typo...........
 
littlerayray

littlerayray

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

:lol: so you sure its not put the coconut in the lime or is that what happens after you had a few too many ?????
 
NYBo

NYBo

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Re: About to fill up with 10% ethanol for the first time- how to prepare?

Why 93 octane? Unless you have a hopped-up motor, it's unnecessary. Or are you just trying to make sure you compensate for any loss of octane in the old fuel?
 
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