Best method to deal with bad fuel?

N

NY Weasel

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Joined
Jul 16, 2003
RO Number
11933
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270
Quick background, the boat is a 5.7 magnum with B3 leg. Had a 1/4 of a tank went it went into winter storage, treated with startron, approximately 25 gallons of gas.

1) Put 50 gallons of fresh fuel in
2) Ran ok, but had hestitation, in the 2500+ rpm range, would clear itself out.
3) Checked plugs and put a new cap/rotor on
4) Threw two cans of Berryman B-12 Chemtool (seafoam knockoff?) into the tank last week and ran it, felt ok, still a bit of hestitation
6) Rained like hell this week
7) Went out for a ride this morning, boat was running rough at idle.
8) hour later, hard starting, popping through the intake...boat limped back to the slip

Another guy at my marina threw a rod, had a mobile mechanic there. The mechanic was nice enough to look at my boat. He dropped the fuel separator and said that it looked like the gas was a bit cloudy, (indicating water) so he recommended that I change the filter and add E-ZORB. Bought 5 gallons of 93 octane and added about 8 ounces of EZORB. Boat now started and idled smooth. Progress in the right direction as it wouldn't even start prior.

Went to test run and it struggled to plane, but much better than before. Still far from 100%. Does the EZORB need to sit for a while and if it does not feel right tomorrow, do I add more? I now have around 75 gallons in the boat. Of course my marina said to drop it off and they will look at it, but short of pulling all the bad gas out and replacing it, what can the marina do that I can't do?
 
if its actually the gas then it needs to get pumped out or
"cleaned" by a pro. i have used 3yo gas that was treated
and my 454's purred so i would think maybe the carb needs a look at, change all the fuel filters or run it from a tank for an ob to be sure it is the gas not something else
 
I'd say we need a sticky about Bad gas from someone who can convince me that Gas will go bad in 90 days.
In cars, I'v started them on Gas that was years old. Dad told me about cutting Gas with Kerozine during the Depression.
These new engines with EFI may be finicky, but gas will burn well clear down to 40-60 octane.

Be aware that any chemical you put in your tank to absorb Water or "Maintain" the Octane rating, or just to 'clean' out something, is going to loosen up some 'stuff' in your fuel system and that will all move toward the Carb or EFI unit.
A good filter is your only defense against all those Chemical assaults

When someone says 'bad gas' I think filter, Water filter, or fuel flow inhibited by Gum etc.
A lot of times when I read these posts I sure wish I was closer so I could see for myself what the cause really is.
 
I am with Thud.

I think this "bad gas" thing is way overplayed. My lawn mowers, edgers, blowers, etc do not seem to have any problem with last years gas. This was even before I started "stabilizing" them.

I always keep a couple of 5 gallon jerry cans around each summer for hurricane season. Always dump this in my vehicles when the season is over. No problem.

George

Right now the gas in my boat is 6 months old. It starts immediately when cranked.
 
It's something fuel related, whether its the two cans of chemtool or moisture, I had major issues yesterday. Boat would not start with the old fuel separator, cranked away. Put the new one on, started up but died 30 seconds later. Drained, started, died, Drained, started, ran longer, died. Added the fuel and EZORB, ran and did not die at all. About a half hour after adding the EZORB, we went for a ride. Idle speed was smooth, but it struggled to get on plane, struggled to get over 3000 rpms, surging and pulling back the entire time. Made it back to the slip, ran at idle and 2000 rpms for good 15 minutes. Taking it for a spin this morning, hoping whatever it was workedd itself out. Didn't mention it in the original post, but it is fuel injected. I only have the fuel separator, not the newer set-up with two filters.
 
I agree with gcolton. The boat I have was 3 years in a backyard on it's trailer before I bought it. Tank was 1/2 full. I filled it up and never had a fuel related problem. Ran fine after a tune up from day one.
 
alcohol in gas has changed the equation. If as the OP seems to see you have separation then you must remove the alcohol /water. What remains is really low octane gas. Lawnmowers and model Ts would be happy with it but marine engines run at high load might well suffer detonation.
 
Bruce, I think you hit the nail on the head.

I'm back from the run. It's idling fine, but pinging at 3000 rpms. Got it to plane once, but it was a slow struggle of bogging and clearing out. On plane it pinged the entire time, 5 minutes of running. Now what? Let it run in the slip for a few hours and add fresh fuel? Add octane booster? Between the Chemtool and EZORB, I have a lot of crap in this gas.

Thanks
 
Take some out of the tank, put it in a clear jar, a google bad fuel. You should be able to pull up some pictures to compare. As someone suggested, you could also try to run on a small tank of fresh gas to make sure it is the fuel. You may need to eventually pump it out (landscapers may take it off your hands) and start fresh. Good luck.
 
If you can find a non sparking way to pump the junk off the bottom of the tank there may not be more than a few gallons of crap.
When I had my boat high on a lift I ran an OB squeeze pump hose to the fuel line and with the can down low I was able to siphon all the old gas.
 
"On plane it pinged the entire time, 5 minutes of running. Now what?"

Plan on buying a new engine or get rid of that stale good for nothing gas!

Last week we had 600 gallons of bad phased separated watered down gas and 350 gallons of bilge water with old discarded motor oil picked up.

Again, get rid of the gas and start fresh.
 
Jeez, get some good gas in a spray bottle and shoot some in the intake when the engine is running rough or wont start.
Now you know if it's fuel related or something else.

If you feel it's fuel, go into the fuel system. It only has a half dozen parts.
 
Its at the marina, we will know by tomorrow. Hold off on the bad gas sticky thread till then.
 
I agree with what Absolute and Golfman suggest. There is no fix for phase separation other than to drain the tank entirely and start fresh. If your running E10 fuel then personally I would not be dumping EZORB or anything like that in there. It is just adding more alcohol and there is enough (too much?) in E10 already. If you have enough water in your fuel that it is causing you problems then adding EZORB to E10 is putting a band-aid on a broken leg. IMO don't have that mechanic work on your boat. That brings me to my next idea...

"6) Rained like hell this week"?? Check the o-rings/seals on your fuel fills. Your getting water in your fuel tank and those seals are a good place to start the search for how that is happening.

The new fuel formulations certainly effect how quickly fuel ages and the bad things that can happen when you add a little water to the equation. Bad in 90 days? Not without added excessive water. That said a good stabilizer is cheap insurance. You can walk away from your lawn mowers, edgers, blowers, etc a lot easier than you can from your boat offshore. Better to err on the side of caution.
 
Guys, I am working off what I know. Last week the boat ran at 85%, but was breaking apart a bit at high rpms. I thought adding some seafoam (or the knock off) to 50 gallons of gas would help. That was last Sunday at 3p. I took it out till 5p and all was well. Went out at 10a Saturday, didn't go more than a 1/2 mile and shut it down to drift. Went to start, and it was hard starting, popping, etc, limped back to the slip. Starting at the slip was hard to impossible. Mechanic said to change the fuel seperator, and it started. Eventually died, new seperator, eventually died. I don't think it is bad fuel, maybe the additives. As my pop says, "what was the last thing you touched?" That would be the Chemtool cans...no reason to add it, but Bruces's theory makes sense. I don't have the ability to drain 60 gallons of fuel as I live in a coop, but it is now at my marine mechanic. 50% of posting is to share stupidiity, the other 50% is advice, I hope that the 50% of stupidity prevails so that I can educate others.
 
Had all kinds of unhappy engine stuff on a FI OB then I replaced the fuel blew out the FI system and it was happy.
 
since you essentially know you've got water and or other contaminants in the fuel the solution is easy. call a fuel polishing service in and have them clean up whats in the tank. its fast and easy. fuel additives dont remove anything they may at best dispurse it so you can pull the junk thru to either be removed by the filter or burned with the fuel. neither is a good solution if there is alot of water/dirt in the tank.

if you cant find a fuel polishing service in your local phone book, call a fuel delievery service and ask them who they reccomend its almost a sure bet they will know who to call in your area.
 
I pulled 5 yr old gas out of a boat a couple years back, 80 gals worth. Used in my truck half and half with fresh. Not a single issue. Made it worth it to pull it and use it.
 
get rid of the gas. I had bad gas when I bought the boat. The pinging eventually blew out my head gaskets. $8K later....
 
If you have had phase separation, then you could throw 37 different "magic" chemicals in the tank & you will still have water separated out & sitting in the bottom of the tank. Only solution is to pump it out.
Al
 
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