Ethanol vs regular-gctid363229

[Guest]

Ok i want to talk about the differences between the two because im a little confused about everything, which is the best one to use because i have read that some people say that with the new tanks and the water seperators that ethanol is fine to run in a boat and on the other heard alot of people say NO that this is a big no no. what is acurate here? im totaly confused because i have a plastic tank on my truck and a plastic tank on my bayliner and with the fuel water seperator it seems that it should be fine? im worried about this because i filled my tank at a regular fuel pump that said that it contained less than 10% of ethanol, and if this is bad should i drain the tank and fuel water seperator? i understand the concept of water mixing with fuel is bad but how come it does nothing to my truck is there is similar setups?

[Guest]

And here comes the debate. Good luck on finding a pump that doens't use ethanol.

[Guest]

spikeitaudi wrote:
And here comes the debate. Good luck on finding a pump that doens't use ethanol.

im just trying to figure out what would be best but exactly like you said its hard to find a pump that doesnt have ethanol in it. if i have to use it should there be an addative i should use with it?

[boatworkfl]

I have no problem using ethanol in my boat with 2 350 GM carbed engines, filters; I believe that all boats should have a water seperator type filter and should be checked prior to each trip.

On older boats, you need to consider the hoses, on the new USCG hoses there is a plastic barrier liner inside the hose, all boats that use ethanol gas should have the new type hose as ethanol can affect the hose inside over time.

[Guest]

So glad I run straight gas

[Guest]

boatworkfl wrote:
I have no problem using ethanol in my boat with 2 350 GM carbed engines, filters; I believe that all boats should have a water seperator type filter and should be checked prior to each trip.

On older boats, you need to consider the hoses, on the new USCG hoses there is a plastic barrier liner inside the hose, all boats that use ethanol gas should have the new type hose as ethanol can affect the hose inside over time.

i have a 03 175 and i have looked at the hose and seems to have almost like a DOT type hose that you would use on an automobile. so should i drain the tank and run regular what should i do? also im running the boat just about every weekend so the fuel isnt just sitting but i am worried about the water fuel mixture

[Guest]

garywoods wrote:
i have a 03 175 and i have looked at the hose and seems to have almost like a DOT type hose that you would use on an automobile. so should i drain the tank and run regular what should i do? also im running the boat just about every weekend so the fuel isnt just sitting but i am worried about the water fuel mixture

Your probably just fine tbh, I have ran all my boats on ethenol with minimal issues, and they were older then yours and not coverted for it. Running it alot is better, it will help alot more. Use normal non-ethenal gas if possible.

[boatworkfl]

garywoods wrote:
i have a 03 175 and i have looked at the hose and seems to have almost like a DOT type hose that you would use on an automobile. so should i drain the tank and run regular what should i do? also im running the boat just about every weekend so the fuel isnt just sitting but i am worried about the water fuel mixture

A Racor filter with the metal fuel bowl will solve any water in the fuel issue, there are also screw on water blocking filters to fit many of the factory type fliter housings, if you only have a one of those small in the line filters they do not block water.

The hose can be marked USCG A-1, but the new versions are Marked A1-15 I believe.

What the ethanol does to older style hose is to deteriorate the inside very very slowly, it does not seem to soften the hose.

If you have not had any problems yet don't worry about it, put some fresh gas in it, regular or ethanol and you will be just fine.

[Guest]

Nobody has mentioned Stabil Ethanol treatment.

Don't most of us that, or similar? I spent almost $30 on it last year as I ran almost 300 gallons.

I did fill about 60 gallons at one Marina w/ethanol free gas - a Treat for my baby

It was also the lowest price I paid all year on the water - $4.21 That was a terrific marina price last year

And I kinda thought that a boat was better equipped to deal w/ water in the gas,,,,cars have no such water separator,,,,right?

[Guest]

I think the whole ethanol-water situation is blown out of proportion.

Water-separating filters are largely useless with managing ethanol's characteristic of absorbing water, but it's not the particularly large issue with ethanol anyway. With petroleum products, water separates and sits on the bottom while the lighter petroleum products sit on top. A certain amount gets "mixed in" but as they say oil and water do not mix, they are still free water droplets in the fuel which can easily be pulled out by water separating filters.

With ethanol, the water is absorbed by the ethanol and is no longer "free", so it's much harder for conventional water-separating filters to get out. This is a relatively low volume of water, so in the scheme of things not a terribly big deal... but the octane rating also drops, which with the engine running at the higher load marine engines see, may or may not be an issue... depending. (Like putting high octane fuel in an engine that requires 87, there is no advantage to having a higher octane unless you need it.) Once too much water has entered and the ethanol is saturated (or whatever the scientific term is), the water will then separate easily with the water-separating filters because ethanol, once saturated with enough water, stops attracting water and acts rather like gasoline. The water separates and sits on the bottom just like with gasoline.

Where ethanol causes the most problems is the fact it's an excellent solvent, and removes all the gum and varnish from your hoses, fuel tanks and carburetors, and attacks the stuff (fuel hoses and gaskets) not made to tolerate the ethanol (alcohol) content. There's also lower energy content than regular gasoline.

We have 2 gas stations on the way with ethanol-free 87 at the same price, so I'll hit it if it's convenient, for a day out on the water if it's not on the route 87 + 10% ethanol will do... I'm just getting less energy for my money.

[boatworkfl]

How many here have ever used a can of heat during the winter as an additive to prevent the water from freezing in the fuel line? That can of alcohol absourbed the water and the engine ate it.

In consideration of the OP's original question, water is the issue, a Racor filter, either as a filter that may fit an existing screw-on type housing, or as a complete assy. would solve the issue.

Most water in fuel tanks does not come from the ethanol absoutbing it from the air, it comes from a leaky filler, or the tank at the gas station.

My father used to drive truck for Indianhead out of MPLS. for years, he said: "Never buy gas at a station that a tanker is dropping gas off, it stirs up the water in the bottom".

Not much of a problem now with the new fiberglass tanks.

This is just an add on, something the OP does not need to be concerned about.

Info link on condensation/water in fuel tanks.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...gUu2qgTJeDQw_A

Ethanol has 2/3 the energy of gasoline, but only for the amount of ethanol per gallon, if the gas has 10% ethanol, then only that 10% per gallon affects the mileage, you can calculate from there.

[yachtman]

Ok time to stir the pot a little. Now.im not saying that a good filter and a water separator wont help for some instances. Here is the question....... what happens to alcohol when it comes in contact with water?? Answer.... the alcohol absorbs it and they become one.

Soooo unless there is a greta amount of water there is no way a water separator filter is going to remove any water.

What's more likely to happen is that the gasoline will become degraded and the engine will run poorly. If its an injected engine the water can turn to steam and damage the.injectors over time.

The real problem with ethanol fuel.is the rubber hoses and gaskets in the carbs. It can make them leak and deteriorate and make them brittle. If you have a newer boat it would have been resolved at the factory. An older boat you probably wont have a problem either. A serious problem really doesn't occur until you have 20%+ ethanol content and we don't have that.

Besides the rubber the real problem is that ethanol fuel deteriorates faster than straight gas.

Sarah really called it best. Keep it treated if its going to be more than a few weeks. Don't store large amounts for long periods and you will probably never have any problems.

[RGrew176]

spikeitaudi wrote:
And here comes the debate. Good luck on finding a pump that doens't use ethanol.

That is not so hard to do around here if you buy your gas on the water. Only a very few and I mean very few marinas in my immediate area are using ethanol fuels. One marina owner last year switched brands because the brand he was selling did have ethanol in it.

Supposedly all the newer boats can run on the 10% blend. I would prefer not to use an ethanol blend.

[MidnightSun]

I would not have a problem with ethanol laced gas during the season and during regular use however when layup time comes I strongly suggest you try to get regular gas for the storage period and treat the stuff regardless. As mentioned, ethanol absorbs so some is run through your system but also creates excess water and therefor replacing the separator on a regular basis becomes very important. See this video which in layman's terms really gets to the point. The last portion is really what you should see. The whole ethanol thing is a total screw up IMHO, the consume more water and energy to create it and therefor it is a total flop. In fact I know of several huge areas in the mid west (USA) where humungous ethanol plants were supposed to be built but now all that is cancelled due to people (mostly government who subsidize through the wahoo) finally opening up their eyes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOWYSIl3DsU

[Guest]

biohazard wrote:
So glad I run straight gas

I have heard that Beano will fix that