Ethanol in fuel question.

[Mckillop]

Quick question about what you guys are doing about fuel. I was under the impression that gas in Washington did not have ethanol in it yet, and if it did, than the gas station had to put a warning on the pump. But from what I have heard lately, that does not seem to be the case. Where can I go in the Seattle area for fuel without having to worry about ethanol besides the fuel docks? Are you guys using any fuel additives to combat the ethanol?

[silverghost]

Don't know about your area in Washington~
But in my area the only place to get straight old gasoline is at the NE Philly airport.
This Ethanol issue is becomming more of a problem every day.

[Mckillop]

Has anyone tried or have any experience with Sta-biil
additive?

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Hey guy , Ethanol is a solvent that absorbs water like a sponge ,and to put it lightly.......... beware .

[ralph crocker]

What do we do? What problems does it cause.

[Carl C]

I burn what they're selling, no additives. 97 octane is what the 525 calls for and higher octane hurts performance and makes soot.

[Mckillop]

:angel:
Hey guy , Ethanol is a solvent that absorbs water like a sponge ,and to put it lightly.......... beware .

Thanks guy... That really helps

[450rrrr]

not a endorsement for stabil...but yes i have been running it for 2 years now.the ethanol version.im not sure if it does any good because i have used it since i got this boat..never put in a tank with out it..and i have nt had any problems
i had a really big issue with my old jet boat with water in the carbs and dont want to go through that again.
i figure its cheep enough

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I burn what they're selling, no additives. 97 octane is what the 525 calls for and higher octane hurts performance and makes soot.

Carl, I presume you meant 87 octane?
I like to add some racing fuel to my Eliminator and Cigarette with the higher performance engines along with some Stabil. Bill

[silverghost]

Ethanol attracts lots of moisture which in turn causes severe fuel system corrosion issues.
It corrodes carbs, fuel injectors, pressure regulators , fuel lines, tanks etc.
It corrodes fuel tanks, & dissolves old varnish sitting on old tank bottoms.
It also attacks some older fuel system rubber parts. It softens fiberglass fuel tanks.

Ethanol in newer fuel is a real mess in older engine parts fuel tanks, & fuel lines not built to handle Ethanol.
They plan to boost the Ethanol percentage to 15 % in the not so distant future.

[CHACHI]

Over time, a condition called "phase separation" will occur.

The ethanol and water will seperate and settle to the bottom of your tank.

It is a problem in 4-strokes, but it an engine killer in pre-mix two strokes because the oil is mixed with the gas sitting on top of the ethanol and water in the bottom of your tank.

Ken

[Carl C]

Over time, a condition called "phase separation" will occur.

The ethanol and water will seperate and settle to the bottom of your tank.

It is a problem in 4-strokes, but it an engine killer in pre-mix two strokes because the oil is mixed with the gas sitting on top of the ethanol and water in the bottom of your tank.

Ken

I think it is only likely to occur during long lay-ups and outdoor winter storage. It takes quite a bit of water to saturate the ethanol.

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Hey guys , one of the main reasons i repair Epoxy gas tanks is because .....the Ethanol eats away at the Epoxy and sometimes will wick into the core and that is a whole other ball game that become's very costly, and if you have the desire look at my thread on my Sig line .

[Carl C]

Hey guys , one of the main reasons i repair Epoxy gas tanks is because .....the Ethanol eats away at the Epoxy and sometimes will wick into the core and that is a whole other ball game that become's very costly, and if you have the desire look at my thread on my Sig line .

Fiberglass fuel tanks and ethanol is a whole different story. Donzi never used them did they?

[Pismo]

Ethanol has always been in gas, there is more now and I am sure it causes some problems, rarely, like everything else.

Ethanol has become the buzz word/scapegoat for every problem that develops in boats and I am sure it is not.

If you have things that make you more prone to problems like a Fiberglass tank then you are at risk. If you don't, you will probably go for years and never know what kind of gas you have.

All gas will give you problems if you let it sit too long.

[Sweet little 16]

in older classics the fuel system is not setup for ethanol, the rubber lines and gaskets don't hold up to it. phase seperation happens not only in your tank but the refinery tanks , transport tanks and gas station tanks. I always get a chuckle from the guy who rushes out to the marina at the begining of the season to get freah gas ????

[MOP]

+1 on the Sta-bil also WaterZorb, I also keep a plastic ziploc with extra filters in the bilge.