Ethanol...what do you do to prevent damage to your outboard engine?

[Baron49]

Had a fuel line literally melt from the inside out on my 2007, 150 Mercury Optimax.  My dealer said I was lucky that was all the damage I incurred.  He replaced the fuel line and bulb as well as the fuel filter and I was on my way.  He recommended using Stabil Ethanol stabilizer in my gas tank on every fill up.  Up until recently I only ran into Ethanol in gas in Florida, but now it is widespread all over including where I live in Northern NY.  I have used the red Stabil when winterizing boats, bikes, generators, etc for years.  Now have read where I need to add the Ethanol stabilizer to all of these as well.

Was wondering what everyone else is doing about Ethanol fuel in your outboards, trucks, and other gasoline powered motors? 

[Donald Garner]

I just starting putting Stabil in both of my boats this year.

The marine dealership I use told me to add it to every fill up and to keep my tanks full while the boats
in storage.

The wife has been using it in our riding mowers for a while now.  I've not put any in my truck as of yet
though.

So far I've not had any problems using it.

[Creel Limit Zero]

Same thing happened to me Baron.  I was only using the Stabil during the winter and slow fishing months, and not when I was going out 2-3 times a week.  Figured I was burning up the gas as quick as I would in a car.  I had to replace all my fuel lines, bulb, etc, drain out the gas in my tanks, etc...  Now I'm using the Stabil Marine Formula on every fill up.  It costs about $25 for the big bottle, but treats up to 320 gallons of gas.  Figure it adds almost 8 cents a gallon when using it, but I haven't had a problem since.  But I just started doing it since have the ethanol issue earlier this year...

[tsmith35]

Why don't outboard makers design their engines to use ethanol blends? It's been available for years, and pure gasoline is getting harder to find.

[guardrail]

Baron   same thing here  cost me 150 green backs  fuel line 7$ a foot  the only thing 2 fight it is stable the marine formula
at every fuel stop and 4 storage double the dose  it says right on the container you cant put 2 much of it in the fuel.
that means i cant use my fav  seafoam  but oh well

[-Joe-]

Baron   same thing here  cost me 150 green backs  fuel line 7$ a foot  the only thing 2 fight it is stable the marine formula
at every fuel stop and 4 storage double the dose  it says right on the container you cant put 2 much of it in the fuel.
that means i cant use my fav  seafoam  but oh well

Actually you can and it won't hurt anything. They are two totally different additives for different results.
I use a mixture of: 1 oz Marine Stabil (fuel stabilzer)
                            1 oz of Quickleen  ( stops carbon build up in cylinders)
                            1 oz of seafoam  (removes any moisture in injectors that may build up)
                            per 6 gallons of fuel
All of this is from one of the top mercury techs in the nation. Is it an over kill??? Don't know but for the price of another power head I don't mind spending the extra few pennies per gallon.

Joe

[tsmith35]

Ran across some stuff: alcohol resistant mercury fuel line

[biggun]

My dads been  a cert mercury techfor almost 40years he turned me onto this blue stuff called enzyme you can get it in wallmart used it all this summer and had no problems boat has set for up to 2 months and only had a 1/4 tank of fuel in it, took it out today no problems.JMO

[-Joe-]

Ran across some stuff: alcohol resistant mercury fuel line

The best way to tell if you have ethanol approved fuel lines are the writing on the lines. If its red or orange writing it is the old line that needs to be replaced, if its got blue writing it the new approved lines.

Joe

[BassBUFF]

Actually you can and it won't hurt anything. They are two totally different additives for different results.
I use a mixture of: 1 oz Marine Stabil (fuel stabilzer)
                            1 oz of Quickleen  ( stops carbon build up in cylinders)
                            1 oz of seafoam  (removes any moisture in injectors that may build up)
                            per 6 gallons of fuel
All of this is from one of the top mercury techs in the nation. Is it an over kill??? Don't know but for the price of another power head I don't mind spending the extra few pennies per gallon.

Joe

I was always under the impression that Quickleen and Seafoam did the same thing, free up and prevent carbon build-up.

[-Joe-]

Quickleen (recommended by mercury owners manual) is for the reduction in carbon build up in the cylinder heads leading to ring problems. Seafoam is used to remove any moisture in your fuel system.

Joe

[tsmith35]

Quickleen engine treatment ingredients from MSDS: alkylphenol polyoxyl alkylamine, n-propylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethyl, xylene, 1,23-trimethyl, mineral spirits, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, cumene (isopropylbenzene)

Quickleen fuel additive ingredients from MSDS: 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, petroleum distillate, proprietary additive, xylene

Seafoam ingredients from MSDS: pale oil (naphthenic oil), naphtha, IPA (isopropyl alcohol)

Star*Tron Enzyme gasoline additive ingredients from MSDS: heavy aliphatic naphtha (petroleum), proprietary organic compounds

Sta-Bil fuel additive ingredients from MSDS: heavy aromatic naphtha, additive, naphthalene
Alternate Sta-Bil fuel additive ingredients from MSDS: petroleum distillate, additive mixture

Mostly different ingredients, but I can't tell you if they do the same thing. Didn't know Seafoam contained alcohol...

[BassBUFF]

Quickleen (recommended by mercury owners manual) is for the reduction in carbon build up in the cylinder heads leading to ring problems. Seafoam is used to remove any moisture in your fuel system.

Joe

Understand that Merc recommends Quickleen as it's their product, just like GM recommends AC Delco products.

The Seafoam site lists 5 things it does:

1.Lubricates upper cylinders, fuel pumps, turbochargers, drawn-through superchargers, and related fuel system and exhaust system components.
2.Dries fuel system moisture.
4.Cleans carbon deposits from combustion chamber.
5.Stabilizes fuel.

So it looks like it's designed to remove carbon build-up too. I've had great results with it. Bottom line, use what you and your mechanic feel comfortable with.

[nmanley]

Why don't outboard makers design their engines to use ethanol blends? It's been available for years, and pure gasoline is getting harder to find.

Though I'd clarify this for you tsmith. The problem is not the engines as they can run the crap fuel fine, the problem is the deterioration of the fuel lines that clogs up the fuel filters and starves the engine at a bad time. Like a wide open and causes a lean run. That burns up the engine. 

[spetro]

Don't Use blended fuel!  Most marinas will carry unblended gas.  You'll pay .50 more per gallon, but problem solved. Ask before you pump though.

[kevin dye]

   I have 2 or 3 station in my home town that sell gas with no ethanol in it. Now I started running that gas a month ago and can tell a difference. This may sound stupid but do I still need to use my sta-bil treatment?

[tsmith35]

Though I'd clarify this for you tsmith. The problem is not the engines as they can run the crap fuel fine, the problem is the deterioration of the fuel lines that clogs up the fuel filters and starves the engine at a bad time. Like a wide open and causes a lean run. That burns up the engine. 

So the only problem is with the fuel line? I remember a few years back some folks were having problems with alcohol eating up the floats in their carbs, or melting fiberglass fuel tanks, but I guess most of that is in the past. There's plenty of good, alcohol-resistant fuel line out there. Seems like the manufacturer would have used that instead of cheap fuel line hose.

[-Joe-]

   I have 2 or 3 station in my home town that sell gas with no ethanol in it. Now I started running that gas a month ago and can tell a difference. This may sound stupid but do I still need to use my sta-bil treatment?

I would use stabil in anything that had gas set in it for over two weeks at a time. It only takes that short two weeks for fuel to start breaking down. Once it does then you end up with the mess in your fuel system.

Joe

[Baron49]

I was using Stabil in my boat's gas tank in the winter time and also was adding the Ethanol treatment from Stabil on top of that.  My Mercury dealer has been going nuts with all the problems with Ethanol gas as it is fairly new here in Northern NY.  What he has recommend to me is a product called CRC Phase Guard 4 It does everything that the two different Stabil products do, plus has a cleaner and protectant for everything that gasoline touches in the boat and engine.  1 oz treats 10 gallons, the 1 pint bottle I purchased for $10.29 will treat up to 160 gallons. 

[Stump bumper]

As for my truck it is flex fuel and I run E85 most of the time. I have a 2004  Merc and never add anything to the fuel, besides replacing bulb for normal maintaince I have had no problems. But this takes me back to leaded vs non leaded a few years ago, and sounds like boat manufacters need to get their stuff together ,this kind of thinking is why the Japenese were able to beat us so bad in the auto industry for so many years.

[bassn1]

I go out of my way to find regular fuel ( non-blended ), Increases gas mileage ( 2.2 mpg in my pick up), and it will not ruin diaphrams in small engines ( lawn mowers, snowblowers, trimmers and outboards). After my problems with the snowblower the mechanic recommended not using ethonal blended fuels. BTW, when I started using ethonal every one of the cars that I brought with me from Wisconsin to Iowa lost fuel guages. A coincidence? I think not.

[AndyFender]

The best way to tell if you have ethanol approved fuel lines are the writing on the lines. If its red or orange writing it is the old line that needs to be replaced, if its got blue writing it the new approved lines.

Joe

Startron is the name of the product. I also use it.http://mystarbrite.com/startron/

[spetro]

The blended fuel really messes things up when it sits for an extended period.  The  Ethanol in it also attracts moisture. Plus it has a tendency to separate from the oil mix.  I have a buddy in the Navy that had it tested for their stuff.  It received two thumps down based on the tests they did.

If you are intent on using it better install a water separator on top of all the additives. 


Forget about it!

[RedTop]

Ok....

I know I am about to sound stupid...but are you all talking ethenol of anykind here? Or is it like 10 percent in the gas ....what are we talking here.

I know where I get gas at there is a smallllll amount of ethenol in the gas and I just put like 15 gallons in the boat. Actually its the forst time I have put gas in it....and I've had it out one time since I put fuel in it.

It has right at a half a tank in it now....should I put something in there as an additive?

( First time owner here and dumb as a box of rocks about some things.)

[-Joe-]

yes, we're referring to gas with the 10% (usually 5-6% actually) of ethanol. Its that tiny amount that causes so many problems.

Joe