Ethanol and Outboards

[otolith]

I have to think this topic has been covered here before, if so, I hope you'll bare with me.

I haven't been concerned about ethanol before because I buy gas for my Yamaha F250 in Baja where there's no ethanol; however I'm considering a twin outboard for use here in CA. There is no way you can get a boat through a winter without having ethanol issues.

Am I worried about nothing?

Is it a real issue? (It has to be.)

What are you guys doing with your outboards and ethanol. Well, for that matter, what are you doing with your inboard gas engines and ethanol?

 

[DaleH]

Keep no more than you WILL use in 30-days and leave tanks empty ...

 

[otolith]

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew how much fuel we were going to use each time out?

How in gawd's name do you keep your tanks MT?

What about condensation?

 

[Badfish]

For what it's worth, here's my experience with this:

A few years back, I had two boats: One had a Honda outboard with carburetors, the other had a high performance inboard gas engine with fuel injection. I had to have the carbs on the outboard boat cleaned almost annually because they were constantly getting fouled. The mechanic blamed ethanol. Using non-ethanol fuel, combined with StaBil, seemed to help. On the other hand, my inboard boat would sometimes sit for months with the same fuel in the tank (92 octane, with ethanol). That boat never had a problem during the 7+ years I owned it. I assumed it was because it was fuel-injected.

Now: I've had my current skiff for over a year now. It has a Honda outboard with fuel injection. I run regular octane ethanol gas in it all the time. And it's probably sat for several weeks with gas in the tank last winter. That engine hasn't given me a lick of trouble. (Yet.) I do use the StaBil ethanol blend as an added precaution, but don't really know if it helps. I guess that's a topic for another debate.

So, my uneducated opinion is that the concerns over using ethanol may be overblown, at least in the newer fuel-injected engines (which should be designed now to handle this fuel, right?).

 

[DaleH]

For most, I believe that it was the CHANGE from MTBE fuels to E10 fuels, or the mix thereof, that caused most of the problems.

But then I'll hear about 1 or 2 guys each Spring w/ full tanks of bad E10 fuel or that which has phase separated. That's why I run or drain mine almost empty. If/when I ever have a problem, I'd rather have a 10-15 gallon problem vs. a 100 gallon problem!

For use .... uhhhhh, I ferry my own fuel, at least up to 20-gals, so if I know I'm headin out for toona, I may add some at the local gas dock (or ferry more) the night or day or two beforehand, whatever I need.

And fuel injected motors succumb to ill-effects of E10 fuels worse than carb's motors. Stabil works! So keep using it!

 

[TWOBOATER]

During the season add Yamaha (or some other good) fuel conditioner and Yamaha Ring-Free at each fill-up. As Dale mentioned, keep your fuel levels on the lower side unless of course you're headed offshore. it keeps the fuel in your tanks fresher and you carry less weight= better trim= better fuel economy. At season's end run the fuel down as low as you dare and store the boat. That way in the spring you have much less low-octane fuel to boost back up with fresh gas. (ethanol loses octane much quicker than MBTE mix). Knock wood, my carbureted Mercruiser hasn't had an issue with stabilized ethanol but carbureted outboards can have real troubles.

One more thing to consider with outboards is that they can be severly damaged by using gas with lower than spec octane through pre-detonation. That's why you don't want to fill your tanks in the fall. I saw 2 Yamaha 150's destroyed by running them on old MBTE gas that had lost octane in 2 yrs storage.

 

[Reelysalty]

During the season add Yamaha (or some other good) fuel conditioner and Yamaha Ring-Free at each fill-up.

and don't forget the Yamaha big blue 10 micron filter.

 

[warthog5]

and don't forget the Yamaha big blue 10 micron filter.

There is better stuff than that.

Stainless mount....Racor filter w/ water separator and drain.


http://www.surplusunlimited.com/mm5/mer ... y_Code=625

 

[Megabyte]

Back when the E10 fuel first came on the scene, many people had trouble due to the 'scrubbing' effect that ethanol has on your fuel system.
Tanks that had been in service for a long time developed the normal fuel related varnish on the inside that the ethanol dissolved, then introduced into the fuel system.

Many of us that prepared for the changeover to E10 did so by installing 10 micron fuel filters of the type that Bobby has shown.
I used the Racor in the photo for the first couple of years, but never discovered water in my fuel, so I switched to the 'big blue' 10 micron Yamaha filters (which I still use).
I replace that 10 micron filter every spring, and then again about half way through the season.

To avoid fuel related problems in regular use, I add RingFree, Star*Tron, and StaBil to my fuel tank at every fill-up at the rate of 1 ounce of each product per every 10 gallons of 89 octane gas.
Since using this regimen, I've never experienced a fuel related issue, even when using 'leftover' fuel stored in my tank over the winter layup.

 

[Reelysalty]

and don't forget the Yamaha big blue 10 micron filter.

There is better stuff than that.

Stainless mount....Racor filter w/ water separator and drain.


http://www.surplusunlimited.com/mm5/mer ... y_Code=625

This is nice, but not approved for below deck install,
and not approved by Yamaha.

 

[Megabyte]

This is nice, but not approved for below deck install,

Inside the motor box of an inboard or I/O powered boat, that would be true... but perfectly acceptable in an outboard powered boat.

 

[Reelysalty]

http://www.iboats.com/Replacement-Bowl- ... id.1183622

Metal Bowls: with a drain plug for inboard applications. UL listed and USCH accepted. USCG regulations require the use of flame resistant metal bowls below deck.
Clear Bowls: reusable bowl with a self-venting drain. Use for outboard and above deck installations.

 

[Megabyte]

Clear Bowls: reusable bowl with a self-venting drain. Use for outboard and above deck installations.

That is correct. Below deck in the motor space, non combustible (metal) bowls only.
If mounted above deck (outside of the motor space) on an inboard, the plastic bases are acceptable.
In an outboard application, plastic bases are acceptable both above and below deck since there is no ignition source present from the motor in an outboard application.

If in doubt, talk with your local USCG Aux VSC inspector.
http://cgaux.org/vsc/

 

[B-Faithful]

I use the Racor shown above in this thread with my Honda and over 1400 hours without issue on e10 fuel. My boat doesn't sit too long though. (racor mounted under my washboard by the transom)

 

[warthog5]

This is nice, but not approved for below deck install,
and not approved by Yamaha.

Yamaha wants you to keep buying their high dollar filters too.

 

[Reelysalty]

This is nice, but not approved for below deck install,
and not approved by Yamaha.

Yamaha wants you to keep buying their high dollar filters too.

I use only 1 or so a year so 5 bucks either way is not a deal breaker
and I understand Yamaha has never been a "price point" product.

If you use a lot, and have a friend in the marine business
for discounts you might save even more with these.

http://www.sierramarine.com/pdfcatalog/ ... hmain.html