What to do about ethanol?

[Sandpiper32]

I have a 1984 Bayliner with twin 3.8 V6 Crusader/Chevy engines.

Our marina just started selling fuel with 10% ethanol and I'm really worried about the effect on my 26 yr old engines.

I heard that they may not run as well and the ethanol can break down rubber seals.

Anyone have experience or suggestions for additives???

Any advice helpful!

 

[Alpheus]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

http://forums.iboats.com/search.php?searchid=8463188

 

[67cuda340]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

You can use the 10% Ethanol as long as it does not sit in the tank
for an extended amount of time. You got to use it. Power will be down as well as mileage. Do not store the boat with a full tank it will seperate and turn
to a solvent. You can use a stabilizer but it is just easyer to use non ethanol. I would complain to the marina owner and everyone else in your marina.

my two cents.


http://www.boatingmag.com/maintenance/there-killer-your-boat

 

[Alpheus]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Power will be down as well as mileage. Do not store the boat with a full tank it will seperate and turn

Did you make that up or are you paraphrasing from someone else that doesn't have a clue???

 

[rodbolt]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

install a 10 micron fuel water seperator and say your prayers.
we have been reccomendinding, based on the past 2 years, not to store E fueled tanks on boats full.
lets say its like my 21 seapro, holds 65 gallons, that means full it holds 6.5 gallons or so of ethanol that doesnt like gas much and prefers the company of water.
most tanks,not mine, are vented directly to the atmosphere and that 6.5 gallons of E will try to absorb about 4 gallons of H2O, at about 4.3 gallons the water and the ethanol will fall out of solution,its called phase seperating.
little tanks dont have much problems and most autos turn over fuel fast enough but many large boats with 100 gallon o 350 gallon tanks do have issues even when almost new.

wont even preach on your tank and lines.

 

[Don S]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

If you do a search of iboats, you will find this topic has been cussed and discussed MANY times already. Not only in the I/O forum, but boat topics, outboards, you name it. Very common questions and lots of false information flying around.

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

install a 10 micron fuel water seperator and say your prayers.

What brand of filter do you recommend?

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Only issue my 3.8/229 has had, is the accelerator pump cup drying out.
I just ordered two Edelbrock #1982 accel pumps for my quadrajets - supposed to be ethanol resistant.

I have noticed no power loss.
I have had no stale fuel issues.
I have been running 87 octane E10 for 3 seasons.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

yep cussed and discussed.
any filter with a 10 micron rating and at least a 50 GPH flow rating will do you. change it OFTEN especially the first few tanks.
dont EVEN think of dumping it and screwing it back on.
some posters here think corn squeezins in the gas is most wunnerfull/ however they tend to deal with tinny's and 9.9's and portable tanks.
most all I deal with is 23" and up,twins and 200+ gallon fuel tanks.
makes a very big difference.
my tank on my 27 albemarle is 240 gallon, my seapro holds 65 and my bass boat 36.
some of my customers head out the inlet and stay 3 to 5 days fishing then head back in, then the boat sits 5 months and the cycle gets repeated.
they got twins,gensets,A/C refidgerators,coffee makers and an electric range for cooking and most have ice makers.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Been running up to 10% blend in everything I own for a good number of years with no ill effects. FWIW, my boat is an I/O....I did have to rebuild the carb last year, but contributed that to the fact that is a 1985 model, not to the fuel I was using.

 

[john744]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

I have an '86 Renken 2600 with a 55 gallon aluminum tank and though I was pretty safe. That was till I went out to the boat last week & it reeked of gas!!! Did a little research and discovered that it will attack aluminum and since the is no air exposure to portions of the tank covered with fuel, the aluminum oxide cannot reform and corrosion takes place. Will be pulling my tank as soon as Earl leaves Cape Cod. Use a quality fuel stabilizer and keep plenty of replacement filters on hand. You may experience fuel starvation as the filters load up. If you go through a lot of filters and still have a problem, check the screen at the bottom of your pick up tube in the fuel tank. My clogged up with gunk. Good Luck!

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

I was working for a outdoor equipment that sold Stihl.. Ethanol was eating up their chainsaws... So Stihl did some research on the subject... Found out the reason that gas stations put the sign "may have 10%".. Because often its more than the 10%.. Stihl said the fuel was ruining everything rubber in their equipment.. Also said the longer it would sit in there the worst it would be.. Just some tidbit info...
You would think if you pay the extra for premium fuel.. You wouldn't have to have "Moonshine" in your gas.. You would think

 

[bruceb58]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

You would think if you pay the extra for premium fuel.. You wouldn't have to have "Moonshine" in your gas.. You would think

Has nothing to do with being premium fuel. Gasoline companies are required to put an oxygenator in gasoline and that is what Ethanol is. Used to be MTBE but that is no longer used for obvious reasons.

 

[guyaverage]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Found out the reason that gas stations put the sign "may have 10%".. Because often its more than the 10%..

I just got back from an 1800 mile roadtrip through the southern US, and every sticker I saw said "may contain UP TO 10% ethanol".

I could be wrong but I think the federal limit is still 10%, with legislation pending to increase it to a 15% maximum later this year.

 

[JoLin]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

I have an '86 Renken 2600 with a 55 gallon aluminum tank and though I was pretty safe. That was till I went out to the boat last week & it reeked of gas!!! Did a little research and discovered that it will attack aluminum and since the is no air exposure to portions of the tank covered with fuel, the aluminum oxide cannot reform and corrosion takes place. Will be pulling my tank as soon as Earl leaves Cape Cod. Use a quality fuel stabilizer and keep plenty of replacement filters on hand. You may experience fuel starvation as the filters load up. If you go through a lot of filters and still have a problem, check the screen at the bottom of your pick up tube in the fuel tank. My clogged up with gunk. Good Luck!

Are you saying that you just started using ethanol fuel this year?

Even according to NMMA, ethanol concentration up to 10% is not an issue for aluminum tanks. I contend that your problem is due to the fact that your metal tank is used in a salt water environment, and is 24 years old.

My .02

 

[rodbolt]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

the ethanol isnt the only culprit and as it phase seperates from sitting it becomes very acidic, thats when the issues start.
its also why its blended at the terminal and not the refinery and isnt piped but trucked.
it can be corrosive so they cant pipeline it.
its the biggest costliest scam since WMD's in iraq thats ever been shoved down our throats.
however I have made a killing on fuel system cleaning and component rebuilding or repaing .

 

[Brewman61]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

The local marina has an interesting visual on their counter. In one clear glass jar is a quantity of standard 10% ethanol. In the other jar is the same amount of ethanol free gas. The non ethanol looks fine, the ethanol was seperated into layers, and looked horrible. Not sure how much, if any, chickanery was involved, but it was a pretty powerful demonstration to those who have issue with paying $4/gallon vs the $2.75/gallon for the street gas.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Not sure how much, if any, chickanery was involved, but it was a pretty powerful demonstration to those who have issue with paying $4/gallon vs the $2.75/gallon for the street gas.

$4 vs $2.75 "Not sure how much, if any, chickanery was involved,"

It's pretty easy for me to see.......


They took some fuel and dumped some water in it to show what phase separation looks like.


I have run the current oxygenated fuel in everything I own as long as it's been available. It has "not been a problem"

Most of the fuel out there has less than 10% ethanol in it and you cannot tell the difference in consumption or power output. (the total difference in BTU output is not significant)

You would think if you pay the extra for premium fuel..

Grade of gasoline has nothing to do with the amount of oxygenate in it. ALL gasoline is mandated by EPA to have "up to 10%". The current limit is 10% Most gasoline has less....especially in summer months.


MTBE is gone. Banned around 2000 or so.....

If it REALLY bothers you and you need to know how much is in the fuel, get a fuel test kit from EAA, AOPA or Peterson Aviation.... or do the simple test illustrated here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2143193_test-fuels-alcohol-content.html


If you have a fiberglass fuel tank, drain the fuel out of it EVERY year when you winterize. (I wouldn't run the current fuel in ANY fiberglass tank.....in fact......I wouldn't have a boat with a fiberglass tank!!!)


If you have an aluminum (or if you're British, aluminium ) tank, store it at 1/4 tank and fill it up next Spring when you're going to use it.


I don't worry much about condensation either....... water in a fuel tank usually comes from from somewhere else......(like the lake!!!!)


Don said it best......... the E10 issue has been BEATEN TO DEATH here and on just about EVERY other engine, car, motorcycle, leaf-blower, lawn mower, and edger site known to man (and women)..............



Cheers,


Rick

 

[Lou C]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Yeah beaten to death is right, and the best advice I can give is stock up on 10 micron fuel/water separtor filters, make sure your deck fill gas cap does not leak water, do not use fuel additives that have ethanol in them (like dry gas) and keep an eye out for hardened fuel lines that might start leaking, an issue in any old boat E-10 or not. We got it a few years back, some had lots of problems, I found a red ring of gunk in the filter the first year, and had a corroded anti siphon (not sure if that was ethanol though) then after that no issues. I have had to get the Quadrajet rebuilt 2x in 8 years, had a Q-Jet on a 75 Olds 88 for 14 years run on straight gas never had to be rebuilt.

Now the corn lobby is not making enough $$ on E-10 so they are strongly lobbying EPA to let it go to E-15. When that happens, (and it will because no matter what the public wants its shoved down our throats) we will be SOL because pretty much all boat engine warrantees and small engine warrentees say UP TO BUT NOT MORE THAN 10%...so the EPA caving in to big biz will cause all of us to voilate our warrantees, and have no coverage...wonderful...

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: What to do about ethanol?

Now the corn lobby is not making enough $$ on E-10 so they are strongly lobbying EPA to let it go to E-15. When that happens,

Yeah....that's gonna be bad. I'll be mixing avgas with mine when that happens to get it below 10%.....