Well the winter has passed and there was a ton of discussion about ethanol and keeping tanks full or empty. Opinions were all over the board. Has anyone started their engines yet and have any problems. The ones with full tanks ..the ones with empty tanks and the ones in between. I am curious to see if it made any difference how much was in the tank and file it away for next year and pull this back up to add to the discussion that will come up again next fall.
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Ethanol...spring engine startup
- Thread starter Brian
- Start date
Well I launched today with half tanks and boat and gererator ran great. Started right up and ran WOT with no problem. In fact the boat ran alot faster than normal but no doubt once we start loading up all that extra speed wil be gone.
Last spring I had issues. The tank was left half full with stabilized non-ethanol gas. The first tank ran fine.Then, when I refilled with ethanol,
the resultant gel hit the fan. About $1500 to get back to normal.
This year, full stabilized tank, and fingers firmly crossed for when she gets wet. I hope all the issues surrounding ethanol last spring have been resolved. If so, I believe it will be a result of the full tank.
the resultant gel hit the fan. About $1500 to get back to normal.
This year, full stabilized tank, and fingers firmly crossed for when she gets wet. I hope all the issues surrounding ethanol last spring have been resolved. If so, I believe it will be a result of the full tank.
quote:
Originally posted by Cobalt 25
The tank was left half full with stabilized non-ethanol gas. The first tank ran fine. Then, when I refilled with ethanol,
the resultant gel hit the fan.
Gel? Did you really get gel? What kinds of tanks did you have ? What specific problems did you encounter?
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- Apr 12, 2006
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"Cobalt....where did you get non-ethanol gas last season. I thought its been around for a few years."
At least in the RI area, last year was the first season for E-10, so based on his post, his first tank was left over from the season before, which would have made it non ethanol.
At least in the RI area, last year was the first season for E-10, so based on his post, his first tank was left over from the season before, which would have made it non ethanol.
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- Mar 12, 2004
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I stored the boat with full tanks and stabilizer over the winter. Started the engines and genset yesterday without any problems at all. I will be checking my fuel/water separator filters after a few hours of running.
Sorry for the delay in responding. I played in a hockey tournament this weekend.
Yes, I really did have gel. Problems included clogged fuel rails and the engine wouldn't run. The yard and I debated over whether we should drain the 92 gallon aluminum tank or just keep changing filters. Draining would be wicked $, so they drained what they "thought" was all the water but it wasn't. I installed a new Racor filter and kept draining junk out after every hour or so of use. They also replaced two fuel pumps.
As In The Know suggested, the new fuel was purchased in Massachusetts, and it was the first time ethanol had been introduced in the state.
Again, if it's going to show up, I believe you'll see it after your very first tank of ethanol.
Good luck, all. Peter
Yes, I really did have gel. Problems included clogged fuel rails and the engine wouldn't run. The yard and I debated over whether we should drain the 92 gallon aluminum tank or just keep changing filters. Draining would be wicked $, so they drained what they "thought" was all the water but it wasn't. I installed a new Racor filter and kept draining junk out after every hour or so of use. They also replaced two fuel pumps.
As In The Know suggested, the new fuel was purchased in Massachusetts, and it was the first time ethanol had been introduced in the state.
Again, if it's going to show up, I believe you'll see it after your very first tank of ethanol.
Good luck, all. Peter
Cobalt - very interesting. The only time I have heard of gel from gasoline containing ethanol was when it was stored in fiberglass tanks. It comes from leaching resin and plasticizers in old FG tanks.
Glad you got it fixed, and from other stories your cost was very modest -- you got to keep your tanks.
Glad you got it fixed, and from other stories your cost was very modest -- you got to keep your tanks.
Yeah, the contents of the fuel filter was quite the topic of discussion for the mechanics at the marina in early June of 2006. It was brownish and thick. It took a lot of draining to finally (I hope) get rid of it.
I don't even want to think about having to replace the tank.
I don't even want to think about having to replace the tank.
The Ethanol in Seattle has been real bad on the carbs.
Some marina's sent out a letter saying they will have to go with more
ethanol, WA State is pushing them into it.
We had to get our boat up to 4300 rpm's to blow out all the **** in the carbs. I carry a case of hi octane booster in hopes it will help
when I fill up. Everything is based on CA standards and it sucks!!!!
my 2 cents
Some marina's sent out a letter saying they will have to go with more
ethanol, WA State is pushing them into it.
We had to get our boat up to 4300 rpm's to blow out all the **** in the carbs. I carry a case of hi octane booster in hopes it will help
when I fill up. Everything is based on CA standards and it sucks!!!!
my 2 cents
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Had a quarter tank all winter & everything ran great today. I drop a quart of Marvel Mystery oil in with every 100 gallons of gas & it seems to keep everything sharp & responsive.
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2004
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Brian, not to hijack the thread but the Indy cars is running 100% ethanol this year. The future of marine engines will be which manufacture wants to sell the most engines. I would think you will see the outboard makers jump on ethanol in the very near future. There is a company in Brazil now making a device that will turn any fuel injection car into a FFV that hooks up to the oxygen probe and the fuel injectors. Check it out at. http://www.abcesso.com/
Engines will run on ethanol with some modifications to get the air to fuel mix correct and timing adjustment. The problem is on carbed engines there is no computer to adjust this. I am sure as more ethanol fuel is used the technology will soon follow.
Engines will run on ethanol with some modifications to get the air to fuel mix correct and timing adjustment. The problem is on carbed engines there is no computer to adjust this. I am sure as more ethanol fuel is used the technology will soon follow.
I was thinking today. If we are concerned about this problem what about where we get out fuel...the Marina. I am sure they have the same issue about water in their tanks. So will they be pumping that into our tanks when we fill up in the spring. Or do they have big water separators so that doesn't happen??
A Connecticut yard told me they did 4 times the normal number of carb jobs last season when we got ethanol. I had to tear down all four carbs on the Goldwing too. Expect your fuel consumption to go up too.
Draining the float bowls prior to storage helps the bikes. Does anyone know if the Starbrite additive really works?
Draining the float bowls prior to storage helps the bikes. Does anyone know if the Starbrite additive really works?
Steela, Brazil runs mostly on about E26. They have also taken 30 years to do the changeover. IF needed, you can also still buy straight gas. I'm not familiar with their climate but I think you would have to get up into the Andes to get the temp & humidity changes that we get.
Al
Al