Just a heads up. BEWARE OF GAS WITH ALCOHOL!!!

[jackelope]

jackelope. Thanks for the info I will read it when I have more time. It's always good to have people like you to have conversations with.

Kris

Kris...I think if you read the stuff I posted you'll get answers to most if not all of your questions...seems like pretty common issues and looks like there's ways to work around it. Your spark plug issue is not uncommon either.

[Big D]

I've been running an oil/water separator filter on my 115 Yamaha & T8 kicker for about a year and so far have had no issues. I also add a fuel conditioner with each fill up.

If you don't have an oil/water separator on your boat motor, take a look at this video. It may help to motivate you in that direction.

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1738

[fishcrazy]

jacelope,

 Read the info. Some scary crap that ethanol is!!!

I just need to figure out where to buy boat gas in my location. I use to buy from Costco and Safeway all the time and never had any problem. Maybe I need to look into the gas and see if the reason  I never had a problem is because they don't run ethanol.

Come to think of it all the problems I have had were after buying gas from the gas station in Kalama!!!!!

I wounder where a person can get a test kit. If I were to find they had a large amount of ethanol in their gas would they be liable for damages to my motor?

[PolarBear]

It may be a little bit of a drive, and a struggle with buying fuel from the tribe but the Squaxin's have ethanol free gas at their little fuel station to the right just off of the Kamilche exit in Shelton.  Plus, with a membership card you get up to 8c off per gallon.  I hate buying from the tribe but it is good fuel and at least Gregwhore doesn't get her cut of over inflated taxes.

[jackelope]

ethanol is probably higher in fuel from costco, safeway and am/pm-76 stations and cheap places like that. ethanol is cheaper than gas so the more ethanol the cheaper the product.
try this site too... www.ethanolfacts.com
it might help you to get some more info. ethanol free gas has become the exception and not the rule anymore. it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

i guess the gut tells me that if after you got a tank of fuel your problems started, I would not relate that to the ethanol causing your problem. seems like ethanol causes problems over longer periods of time...I'd lean more towards a fuel quality issue from the tank/station you got your fuel from.

[fishcrazy]

had some time to read links from the other forum.

this one is good info!!!
http://www.fuel-testers.com/marine_additive_gas_treatment.html

Kris

[jackelope]

Some of the info is BS on that site, Kris. my truck is flex fuel compatible and I have run ethanol E-85 in it a few times. 85% ethanol that is. It is true that it gets worse MPG's but it makes more horsepower(10% more). I didn't calculate my MPG's but the 40% worse statement is not even close...I would say maybe 10% less, but it is cheaper than gas and is much more easily renewable. The reason it hasn't taken off around here is the general lack of flex-fuel compatible vehicles on the road at this time. I wanna say 2 years ago most of the new vehicles built are now flex-fuel compatible. My chevy truck is a 2002 and is compatible.

[fishcrazy]

Jackelope,

 I knew some guys that ran alcohol in race cars. They told me it does make less hp. They run it for other reasons. It has more octane, is a more stable fuel during combustion and burns cooler. They can make more hp with it because it don't have the heat that gas would. If I remember right they said they burn almost 2x more to make the same horse power. If I get some time I will look up the BTU's in alcohol vs. gasoline. One other thing that tells me I will probably find it has less power is the lower MPG issue. Diesel gets better MPG because it has 1/3 more BTU's. if I remember right.

I found another link that is good info pertaining to this topic.

http://www.e10gasadditives.com/fuel_additive_list.html

Before anybody puts anything in their tank they need to know what it is. Don't go buy what you hear or seen on TV. I'm just as guilty and that is why I'm trying to be smarter about what I have done to not have the problem in the future.

First thing I'm going to do is try and find a fuel source without ethanol.  At one time I know Costco didn't use it. I need to check it out and see if they do now.

Second thing is to know what additive is actually going to help me not hinder me. Funny how many of the popular ones are just another hit of ethanol.


Kris

[jackelope]

The alcohol in race cars is not ethanol, unless they are running E-85 or E-100. I think it is methanol but don't hold me to that, I'm not a race car guy.
The difference you and I are gonna have in this discussion is that I'm thinking cars and you're thinking boats. I think the follow up to that is fuel in a car/truck rarely sits around for more than a week or 2. You fill your boat up with gas, 40 gallons lets say, then you go fish the cowlitz this weekend and then do it again next weekend...now you've used a couple gallons of fuel and the rest is just sitting for a month or 2 or 3 or however long it takes to use 40 gallons of fuel fishing the Cow...I'm just pulling a hypothetical scenario but you get the idea of what I'm getting at. You fill your truck up with fuel and then fill it up again in a week...it doesn't sit idle collecting moisture, etc.
I found this FWIW...

OKAY, Lets look at some facts.

Ethanol has a higher octane than gas. Ethanol has less BTUs but due to the higher octane it can produce more “work” in an engine than gas can. A typical gas engine has 75% waste heat and only 25% work, whereas an engine designed to run ethanol has only 60% waste heat and can produce 40% work. This is a good way to save fuel and could be considered a good ROI.

The 1,596-cc Sigma engine launches flexible-fuel here (Brazil) for Ford, initially to power the Focus. It pumps out 114bhp at 5,500rpm on ethanol and 107.8bhp at 6,200rpm on petrol; torque is 117.8lb ft and 111.4lb ft, respectively

This engine produces more horsepower at lower RPMs using Ethanol!! Higher horsepower at less RPMs = better fuel economy. The engine gets a lower fuel economy using gasoline. Detroit purposely makes low compression engines so that they can have a selling point “this car can use regular gas”.

You can look around at other web forums and see folks talking about better performance and stuff on ethanol but they're not facts, just opinions I guess.
 
My truck runs like a raped ape on E-85.
I know that from experience.

[jackelope]

p.s. nowadays issues in cars due to ethanol are non-existent.

[fishcrazy]

I think you nailed it on the head with the use of gas in a boat vs. automobile.

I'm just left scratching my head over the entire thing. I don't like having to worry about fuel in my tank and am not comfy with the hole additive idea. From the looks of it they won't be doing 1/2 of what they claim. I'm still looking for info on the hole ethanol in a marine motor.

I just need to find some local stations in WA that don't have ethanol to start. I feel sorry for the guys in Oregon. LOL


The info you posted kinda proves my point. alcohol ,ethanol or methanol has less power. You say yer trucks runs good on it but gets less MPG. That is my point. It can burn more of it to make more hp and still produce less heat and like you and I know the big thing that holds back performance in a vehicle today is the EMITIONS crap. They can burn more alcohol and not have the emittions and creat more hp. If you were to program yer truck to inject the same amount of alcohol as it would gas then I bet the power would drop.

Another little bit of info I got from some guys that were biulding a motor to run on ethanol not methanol. It likes a 13:1 compression ratio. but because our hwy vehicles need to burn both they won't biuld them at 13:1 As you know a 13:1 motor would run like crap on 87 pump gas and would not last long.

I wish I could run my boat on alcohol.LOL

Kris

[yelp]

Outboard manufacturers also have fuel stabilizer products available to deal with Ethanol. one bottle treats about 40 gallons.  I use the manufacturers personally.  Also I have seen guys that use a product Seafoam which helps clean systems too

[Shootmoore]

Here is a simple fix!  FISH MORE OFTEN     

Ahh if only that was a viable option!

Shootmoore

[fishcrazy]

Here is a simple fix!  FISH MORE OFTEN     

Ahh if only that was a viable option!

Shootmoore

Before married life and kids that was an option.


Kris

[fishcrazy]

yelp,

the problem I am having is just because the manufacture claims it don't make it right. By looking at what makes up their products it's just a hoax. many of their product are just more alcohol. LOL

I would like to think they were good but I need to do more research to figure out how dumping more ethanol in my tank is going to prevent problems.

Kris