Clearing out old gas from the fuel system

risctaker · Post by **risctaker** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:20 am

OK Thanks. That would have helped a lot.

todd brinkerhoff · Post by **todd brinkerhoff** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:34 pm

Up here in the Nordic country, we are dealing with fuel issues during our winter storage. E10 is nothing but problems. If you have fuel that has been sitting awhile, your only choice is to completely empty the tanks and lines. Emulsifiers or additives will only result in engine damage. E10 has about 10% alcohol, which attracts water. E10 shelf life is about 2 to 3 months, depending on the environment. Once that water saturation rate has been met, you get separation, consisting of alcohol, water, and low octane fuel. Once separation has occurred, no amount of additives will fix the problem. If you use fuel/ water immulsifier, all you do is mix the fuel with all that water and send it back through the motor. Alcohol is a great cleaner, but bad on internal parts. This stuff sucks for marine engines. IF they mandate E85, you might as well hang up the gas engines for marine use.

We heavily treat our fuel with Sta-Bil, and keep the tanks full for storage. If the tank is full, it limits the amount the tank can hold, and therefore prevents excess water absorption. Also, big fuel/water separators are important. Good Luck!

risctaker · Post by **risctaker** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:04 pm

Hey Todd,

Yeah, the consensus on the forum seems to be to dump the old stuff and replace lines, filters, carbs, fuel pumps, etc. Looks like E85 has been approved for use "excepting non-highway" (i.e. boating) use, but we know how long it will take for the producers to jump that barrier!

Steve

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:47 pm

E85 is something else your thinking of E15

From the EPA

What Vehicles and Engines May Not Use E15?
All motorcycles.
All vehicles with heavy-duty engines, such as school buses, transit buses, and delivery trucks.
All off-road vehicles, such as boats and snowmobiles.
All engines in off-road equipment, such as lawnmowers and chain saws.
All MY2000 and older cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles (SUVs).

rossjo · Post by **rossjo** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:10 pm

Bottle it up and send it to the White House - they seem to love the new Corn Gas.

Geoff R · Post by **Geoff R** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:39 pm

Another point that has been missed is the fact that most fuel tanks are vented to atmosphere and breathe with the heating and cooling of the days and nights. The alcohol being the most volatile (quickest to evaporate) and a main component of the octane rating. The blend started out as a much lower grade fuel before the alcohol was added and it quickly returns to that.

rossjo · Post by **rossjo** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:32 am

The 2 ways to remove Alcohol from gas:
1) Boil it - the alcohol will boil off 1st (dangerous, not practical)
2) Add water - the alcohol will attach to the water molecules - then remove the water/alcohol

#2 is being done "for you" by mother nature, but the alcohol/water is only getting removed by your fuel/water separator (which fills up rapidly), and the alcohol/water combo is heavier so it sits in the bottom of your tank and ends up being sucked into your engine is such quantities that no gas at all is being pumped into your engine to "be burned". bad combo.

Another interesting (worthless fact) is that alcohol and alcohol beldns conduct electricity, while gasoline does not.

I drain the fuel/water separator on my 200 Yamaha every time I use the boat. Usually mostly water.

Heading out to the boat ...have a good day!

Torcan · Post by **Torcan** » Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:52 am

Here in Toronto, I noticed at the Shell station this morning that the different grades of gasoline have an indication of what the Ethanol is
Regular @$1.18/ltr gas says "may contain up tp 10% ethanol"
Bronze(mid grade) @$1.28/ltr "may contain up to 5% ethanol"
Super (premium) @$1.35/ltr has 0% ethanol

ADD about $.30/litr to above prices at the pump at the marina

So, are the gas companies/governments trying to force us into buying the more expensive Super???(Premium)
Seems like the way I see it, is the environmentalists are saying,
1)if your going to use a boat, and get 1NM/gallon, your a heavy polluter and deserve to pay more
2) if you own a boat, you can afford to pay more

There has also been a report out that food products and animal feed that use corn have been going up, a direct result of the increased demand on corn to make ethanol, thereby driving up food prices as well.