motor trouble

[gmerrill]

i have a legacy with a 4 stroke yamaha.  the motor perform great first time out.  ran gas out of motor when i finish but left gas in tank.  had to take carburator apart 3 times and remove gum/varnish after i finally figured out the gas with ethanol does not have any shelf life at all.  most season sailors out there probaly already know this.  dump my leftover gas in my truck get new gas every trip no problems since hope this helps someone out there

greg
mississippi man

[Bob23]

Greg:
   Try using premium fuel. I hear there is less ethanol in premium than regular. Also, try adding either Startron or Stabil fuel additives which stabilize the fuel and extends it's life. I use very little gas in my 1988 Nissan 8 hp 2 stroke and have never had a problem. Because I use so little, some of it is 2-3 months old.
Bob23 in NJ

[ontarioSuncat]

I used Seafoam all this season and both my Nissan 5 and suzuki 2.5 ran real smooth. Prefvious years the Nissan would run a bit rough and idle poorly.

[Salty19]

I feel lucky as my area does not require ethanol.  It's at 90% of the stations, but a few do not.  Namely Shell.
No problems this year with premium shell gas (nitrogen enriched).    Check out your closest Shell station and look for the ethanol sticker on the pumps.

Stabil now has a marine blend that is supposed to help with ethanol.   Also use the gas up in the carb after each use (close gas valve and run until it stalls). Close the gas vent tight when not use.

[CaptRon28]

What are we going to do next year? The EPA recently approved E15. But I think the gas stations also have to carry E10 as well - for older cars, etc.  This should make many gas station owners "happy" - having to buy a few more pumps and tanks to handle the new _____ (insert your own word). More of us should have complained about this. I must have sent out a dozen emails thru BoatUS to senators and congressmen in both of the states I live in. The ethanol industry was able to force it thru the EPA. Wonder how much that cost them?

I would strongly recommend that you do not use E15 in your outboards. It's a disaster waiting to happen. For that matter, try not to use E10 if you can. There are gas stations in most states that sell non-ethanol. I'm lucky - there's one in Punta Gorda not too far from my house.

[BobK]

I have found this web site to be helpful.
http://pure-gas.org/
BobK

[gmerrill]

thanks for the input guys.  i do put the stabilizer in my jetski because i have to leave the gas in there longer.  i also run all the gas out of my motor including drain the bowl and auxillary tank.  i am not sure but i think my owners manual recommended not using premium will ck on that and we have a shell station right down the road but it carries only ethonal.

thks
greg

[mrb]

Yamaha makes an additive kind of like stabilite but made for marine use.  As long as you have a Yamaha that is what I would use.  Also for 15 dollars or so you can find a small in-line fuel filter that has a clear body.  Add one between tank and bulb.  If you mount it so that the inlet side is always lower than the outlet it will collect any water (small amounts) with the added benefit of you being able to see what the fuel looks like before it enters engine.  Nothing like seeing nice clean fuel.  I just installed one on my fuel line following advice from motor dealer and it works perfect. 

The next thing to do is look for a gas station that sells non ethanol gas.  Arkansas which is trying to become a leader in ethanol production is starting to have more dealers switch back to pure gas as more people are having trouble with ethanol.

Good luck with your motor and fair winds
mrb

[CaptRon28]

If you've got to use ethanol (E10 - don't even try E15!) then the secret to avoiding motor damage is to not leave it in the carburetor or tank for more than about 2 or 3 months. A good stabilizer could help a drop, but it's NOT a long term answer (been there, done that). If you've still got some fuel in the tank and carb after 2 months, then empty the small fuel tank into your car or truck and drain the carb (probably better to run it till motor stalls if you can). The small external gas filters work great, but they will let ethanol into the carburetor to do it's damage later.

[David]

100 gallons of E-10 has the potential to absorb 1 qt. of water from the atmosphere.  The problem with E gas is that the gas and water separate, they will not stay mixed like fuel w/o ethanol in it, thus you collect water in the tank.  Besides the fact that ethanol attacks the rubber and plastic components of the fuel system.

One last resort for pure fuel is your local, general aviation, airport.  Most Fixed Base Operators the name given to business that rent and service planes at the airport will be glad to sell you 5 gallons of fuel.  Be forewarned that it is not cheap.  Currently about $3.25 to $5/gal. depending on your area.  After a while and friendships established, they will sell you a lesser quantity especially on a Sunday when things are dead slow.  Take your child with you as it is a great experience for them to get introduced to aviation.  Go to youngeagle flights or ask about one in your area.  Children will receive a free half hour introduction ride and get a certificate of flight.

Go to this site and plug in your zip code :  http://www.airnav.com/fuel/       Click on 100LL gas.  Note:  this fuel contains lead, it is old fashion gas from yesteryear.  It runs fine in my 1990 yamaha 4 hp. 4 cycle motor.  Use at your own risk.  I think lead is good for valves.  Call first, as most really small airports have no one there during the day or on weekends.
.  
Their MoGas does not contain ethanol either.  For the heck of it, I run 100 octane, as that is what premium was when I was a kid and it cost $ .29/gal.

[Bob23]

This is a sort of thread hi-jack. Sorry.
  Capt Ron: I see that you live in Punta Gorda. My daugher is moving there in a week or so. May I email you to get more info about the place? We are planning a visit down there in early December...maybe we can go out for a sail and a beer? You supply the boat. I'll supply the beer!
Bob23
And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

[CaptRon28]

We are planning a visit down there in early December...maybe we can go out for a sail and a beer? You supply the boat. I'll supply the beer!

I'd like that. But - I recently had shoulder surgery (rotator cuff) and December may be a little too early to get the trimaran back into the water. I was hoping for January. I'll know better after another month or two of physical therapy. When I can sail it - I'll get some friends to help launch and rig it.