Ethanol fuel question

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fastguy91

Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2004
RO Number
14921
Messages
196
I have an older chris craft(86) with crusader inboards. Would ethanol fuel have any adverse effects on my fuel system? Aluminum tanks and water seperators.
 
One has to assume you have been using ethanol free fuel until now. If so...Yes.

If the hoses are old it may tear them up. Any funk in the tanks will be loosened up and head toward the engine. Use the smallest micron filter you engines can handle. Buy lots of them as you are going to go through them quickly. If you are running Rochester Q-jet carbs, don't forget the little filter in the carb at the fuel line entry point.

I don't know what it will do to the rubber in the carbs. I know somebody smarter than me will chime in.

Your fuel consumption will increase.
 
quote:
Originally posted by fastguy91

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The fule will give your aluminum tank a very good cleaning. Watch your filters on a regularly (read hourly basis). A Racor with a 10 micron screen would not be a bad idea.

If your fule lines are original, they are in all probability not rated for ethanol and will need to be replaced. The effects of ethanol on fuel lines can be devastating.

Use diligence and load up on fuel filters, and a lot of them, you will be going through them regularly. The first tank or two of e-10 can be adventourous, but is generally okay after that with proper diligence up front.
 
Being that it is an older boat I would'nt mind replacing the fuel lines and having the tanks flushed. I was more worried about the carbs as they were just rebuilt. My set-up has water seperators and fuel filters inline for each engine.
 
quote:
Originally posted by fastguy91

Being that it is an older boat I would'nt mind replacing the fuel lines and having the tanks flushed. I was more worried about the carbs as they were just rebuilt. My set-up has water seperators and fuel filters inline for each engine.

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Why bother flushing the tank; the ethanol will do that for you.

Unless they are 10 micron or better filters, those in-line filters wont do jack for you against ethanol, it will pass right through them as if they aren't even there.
 
I was thinking flushing the tanks woulod keep from fouling the fuel filters. Replacing the lines seems to make sense to me on a 25 y.o. boat
 
No matter how good you think you flushed the tank, ethanol will do a better job for you. If the tank is easily accessible via a coffin lid, you might give consideration to replacing it.
 
How are you going to flush the tanks? Have you weighed that cost against the cost of a bunch of filters?
 
There is a company that regularly visits my marina that will do it for $100. Boat hasnt been in the water for several years so I was planning on flushing them anyhow. New fuel lines would not be a large expense and would give me some piece of mind for safety since they are probably original. I am going to call the company that rebuilt my carbs to see if the ethanol will affect the rubber parts. I would hope the newer rebuild kits would accomodate the new fuel but dont want to assume anything. And my sea-tow is paid up. lol I thought there was a problem with the filter material falling apart but I could have mis-understood what I was being told. Thanks to everyone that replied, it is appreciated.
 
quote:
Originally posted by fastguy91

There is a company that regularly visits my marina that will do it for $100. Boat hasnt been in the water for several years so I was planning on flushing them anyhow. New fuel lines would not be a large expense and would give me some piece of mind for safety since they are probably original. I am going to call the company that rebuilt my carbs to see if the ethanol will affect the rubber parts. I would hope the newer rebuild kits would accomodate the new fuel but dont want to assume anything. And my sea-tow is paid up. lol I thought there was a problem with the filter material falling apart but I could have mis-understood what I was being told. Thanks to everyone that replied, it is appreciated.

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If it hasn't been in the water for several years then flushing the tanks is a good idea. IF the tanks are easy to get to, replacing them as ITK said is even better.
 
The fuel I siphoned out was some nasty crap so flushing the tanks is a no brainer. At 4.79 a gallon at my marina I can save over a buck a gallon with ethanol.. 1 tankful(250gals) will offset the costs of flushing and replacing the fuel lines. And I would like to use ethanol on a regular basis.
 
Why would you LIKE to use ethanol? I would go miles out of my way to get ethanol free fuel for myboat.
 
Because it is so much cheaper. If I can set my boat up to run on it safely just one tankful will offset the costs of changing the fuel lines. I was going to flush the tanks regardless.
 
Because it is so much cheaper. If I can set my boat up to run on it safely just one tankful will offset the costs of changing the fuel lines. I was going to flush the tanks regardless.
 
Because it is so much cheaper. If I can set my boat up to run on it safely just one tankful will offset the costs of changing the fuel lines. I was going to flush the tanks regardless.
 
don't get too carried away with replacing fuel tanks. I replaced an alum. tank about 5 yrs. ago, cost was about $10.00 per gal. capacity.
 
Isn't there a fuel additive you can put in your tank prior to ethanol fill up to mitigate the negative affect? I ask because there is no fuel where I have my boat. I have to go to a gas station and fill up 5 gallon tanks to get me going and I remember the yard saying something about the additive before they fill their tanks.

--Rick
 
I heard you the first time. What the ethanol will eventually cost all of us in repairs will in no way ever offset what we pay in repairs fo the damage it does. Why do you think it is so much cheaper? Because given the choice of ethanol free vs ethanol gas, most people will go the extra. My boat came from the factory certified for up to 10% ethanol and I'm expecting to start seeing problems any time now. Never saw anything in my fuel filters until started running ethanol----now I'm seeing tiny black specs which I know are coming from the fuel lines.

Rick, I put Startron in my fuel at every fill up, butnothing will negate the negative effects of ethanol. It may keep phase seperation at bay, but ethanol degrades it's octane rating in a matter of a few weeks.
 
With that logic fastguy, you'll really be happy then when they force us to use 15% ethanol.. The rest of us will be dead in the water because of it.
 
Would bet that the 4.79 fuel in your marina contains 10% ethanol.

The bare fact is, MOST people have NOT had a problem with ethanol.

Clean out your tanks, change out your soft fuel lines and change fuel filter elements as necessary.
 
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