too much ethanol in gas

[rocky100]

been hearing of ethanol mixture in gas as high as 35% in houston, tx area-owners are getting their engines ruined. anybody heard about this?

 

[GiMLit]

Re: too much ethanol in gas

Yes this was a topic of discussion with a local small engine repair shop. He was mentioning that we should seriously consider using Premium fuel as it contains no Ethanol.
His reasoning for numerous recent seized/damaged 2 stroke engines was oil/fuel separation. I am no chemist but I have seen it mentioned elsewhere already so maybe there is something to this.
This is no small time inexperianced shop, he is a very well known and respected repair shop.

 

[burroak]

Re: too much ethanol in gas

Yes this was a topic of discussion with a local small engine repair shop. He was mentioning that we should seriously consider using Premium fuel as it contains no Ethanol.
His reasoning for numerous recent seized/damaged 2 stroke engines was oil/fuel separation. I am no chemist but I have seen it mentioned elsewhere already so maybe there is something to this.
This is no small time inexperianced shop, he is a very well known and respected repair shop.

The problem does not arise out of a fuel/oil separation. The fuel and the oil will stay in solution; the ethanol will bond with any water and that mixture will drop out. If the tank has sat for sometime, the pick up may deliver the ethanol/water without the oil. That is not good for an outboard. A fuel/water separator will deprive the ethanol of H20 to bond with and stay in the fuel/oil mixture.