ethanol

[yrsouth]

I have heard ethanol laced gas is bad for an old outboard. Is there any kind of filter to remove it?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: ethanol

it ain't great for them, but using B1 rated alcohol resistant fuel lines is a big improvement. new motors are equipped with it.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: ethanol

agreed.

a carb rebuild and a new fuel line and you will be fine.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: ethanol

Your statement that ethanol laced fuel is bad for an old outboard is not a true statement. A better way to say that is that "older outboards were not designed to run on ethanol laced fuel. The only issue with ethanol blended fuel and older engines is that the fuel system components were not tolerant of ethanol. Ethanol is also a very good fuel system cleaner so if the fuel system has gathered years of gunk build up, E10 will clean that up and deposit it in the carbs and fuel filter thus doing you a favor that would have posed a problem down the road anyway. As suggest, rebuild the carbs with modern components, replace the fuel line and bulb, change the fuel filter and go boating. Have a spare filter in the boat at least through the first several tanks of E10 if you just made the switch.

 

[KurtG]

Re: ethanol

In addition to the outboard itself, you also need to ensure your fuel tank is compatible with ethanol. There were a number of early fiberglass tanks, and more recent and relevant after market tanks that the resins were not compatible with ethanol and they dissolve.

 

[Big Keepers]

Re: ethanol

Not to be Timmy Technical but to really clarify all the statements, older engines can run on Ethanol blended fuel and will run on ethanol blended fuel. The boats were not set up for it. I've seen really old user manuals for two stroke outboards that explicity state ethanol blended gas can be used as well as methanol blended gas. However as was stated the fuel lines and filters and stuff were not rated for ethanol blended fuel.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: ethanol

Not sure if the same applies in the US, but in Canada, 91 blend doesn't have ethenol. I was at a Shell station and regular had 10%, 89 blend had 5% and 91 had none. I'd like to know if the same holds true where you are.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: ethanol

Not sure if the same applies in the US, but in Canada, 91 blend doesn't have ethenol. I was at a Shell station and regular had 10%, 89 blend had 5% and 91 had none. I'd like to know if the same holds true where you are.

gas varies alot by state here, each state setting its own regs and only very minimal federal guidelines. Ethanol gas doesn't even need to be labeled as such in some states, and is required in all gas sold in some areas.

 

[yrsouth]

Re: ethanol

Interesting bits of info. The motor runs great now, so should I leave carbs alone and upgrade fuel lines?

82 Mercury
50 hp
4cyl, 2 stroke
~80 hrs on motor (no kidding)


Thanks for the advice.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: ethanol

As a minimum I would change the fuel filter and then run it. If you've taken care of the fuel system over the years (used a fuel system treatment and stabilized the fuel during long periods of storage) there will likely be no issues. However, if the engine does begin to act up, then it's tiime to investigate. Do not run the engine as most issues with older engines and ethanol tend to be related to lean mixture conditions due to clogging of filters and carb passages. Lean conditions will burn down an engine.