Has anyone actually seen ethenol ruin anything?

[Bman1337]

So I've always heard the whole don't use ethenol it'll ruin everything story. Eat the gaskets. Kill the fuel line/primer. Etc. Countless times told to only use 100%. I've had my main boat for several years at this point. It's just running a 1993 70hp Johnson. Fresh rebuild when I got it. And for a time I stuck to 100% gas. But shortly after I switched to just ethenol pump 87. And still everything is tip top. No carburetor issues. No fuel line issues. Runs just as good as the day I got it. I've even let the boat sit months at a time over winter and every spring it always fires right up and runs perfect. I pulled the carbs apart this last spring because i was giving the whole engine a full health check up and all the gaskets looked great. So I'm just wondering has anyone here actually seen or had ethenol gas cause any harm? or is it just a superstition? Unless when this engine was rebuilt the gaskets and seals used were better suited for ethenol use than the OEM stuff. Is that a thing?

 

[racerone]

What color were the carburetor bowl gaskets?

 

[roscoe]

So I'm just wondering has anyone here actually seen or had ethenol gas cause any harm? or is it just a superstition? Unless when this engine was rebuilt the gaskets and seals used were better suited for ethenol use than the OEM stuff. Is that a thing?

Yes, many of us have seen the fuel line delamination and subsequent clogged fuel system, Clogged carbs can cause lean running condition.
And non E resistant fuel pump diaphragms kind of dissolve.
Have also seen the fuel go gooy.

 

[dingbat]

Been running nothing but E-10 since 2000.

Done nothing except swap out carb gaskets (brown) on the 1997 Ocean Pro in 2005.

Ironically, the carb stack currently on the motor (1998) never had the gaskets updated. Just now starting to leak bad enough to need replaced.

 

[Lou C]

I have run nothing but E10 (nothing else available here) since 2004/5 and the only thing I saw was red gunk in the filter that first year, I guess that was the cleaning out of the fuel tank. I have had my Quadrajet apart a few times and posted it here as well, it was pristine inside. And, the boat has the original 35 year old alu tank! So I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I haven't had it on my boat. I do drain my small engine carbs or run them out of fuel though. Corrosion? Only thing I've seen is a slightly corroded fuel cap on our Suzuki DF 2.5 I have to replace. That's it. Only exception to drain/run out of fuel is the older Briggs engines I had with the integral tank, these tanks will rust if drained. My 36 year old 3.5 hp lawn mower fires up on the 3rd pull each spring.

 

[racerone]

My lawnmower ( 2 stroke Lawnboy ) fired up on the first pull this spring.----Left outside under snow all winter.

 

[ejnichol]

I haven't experienced significant problems with e10.

Was a user of non ethanol in all my off road engines and boats The challenging and costly hunt for non-ethanol pushed me more to look into e-10.

A study done by mercury marine has lessened my concern about e-10.

I use up my e-10 within 6-9 months and treat it as well.

 

[ahicks]

No.

 

[aspeck]

Yes. Have seen several engines with gummy fuel lines, clogged carbs, and separated fuel. However, I have also seen many an engine that has been just fine with E10. Personally, I will use E10 in all my stuff from May through August. When I get to the point where I will not be using things and they will be sitting most of the winter I will switch to Non-ethanol to make sure I burn all the ethanol out of the system before the engine gets "put to bed" for the winter.

Just because you use E10 does not mean your engine is going to gum up right away ... or ever. But it does seem the chances are higher with E10 that with non-ethanol.

 

[airshot]

You must ve sure your equipment is set up to run E fuel! On my old marine engines, I thoroughly cleaned the system, changed gaskets and hoses to be E rated and never had an issue. When being stored for more than a couple months I add stabilizer, never an issue... Been using E fuel since it came out, no issues !! In most cases, the issues come from fuel systems that haven't been maintained properly. The alcohol is a cleaning agent and ckeans/ dissolves all the crud inside and eats away at not E rated hoses. The truth is...if your engine is properly set up to run E fuel, it makes more power....proven thru the NHRA and Nascar engines.
Preparation is everything !!

 

[Bman1337]

Cool to see a few people sharing my experience. For the most part I do end up using the fuel fast enough to keep it fresh. But I have let it set for long periods in the winter with the same tank of fuel. Just always surprised me it literally never gives me an issue. I have noticed one thing though. And I keep telling myself that it has to be in my head, but I swear it runs a bit better on the e10 than 100%. Sometimes I do still throw some 100% in when it's not too much higher than the ethenol and it always felt like it just didn't run as good on the straight gas.

 

[JimS123]

I have outboards that I run regularly that date back to 1952. Naturally I have replaced fuel lines because they don't last that long anyway. Other than that normal maintenance, they all run like a top.

I had a 1984 Mercruiser that I owned for 35 years and NEVER changed anything, ever. It ran like a top all those years.

The ONLY ethanol related problem was with an OMC 1960's vintage outboard gas tank. The float for the gas gauge was cork impregnated with lacquer. It sank, and thus the tank always registered zero. Replaced the cork with neoprene rubber stopper and back in business.