Ethanol In Gas

[jay bird]

I have a question for everyone. Have heard of some people having trouble with their outboards secondary to the 10% ethanol blend that is in some of the gas. The question I have is does anyone know where to get gas with out Ethanol blend. I have heard that 91 octane does not have it in it, and that most of the marinas in the area that have gas do not have ethanol in their gas. Just wondering what everyone has heard or knows, thanks in advance.

[Pour Dennis]

I went to the Mercury site and did some checking up on the ethanol issue to see if it is ok to run in my 2003 Optimax, and Mercury states on their website that any fuel with 10% or less ethanol in the fuel is ok to run in all Mercury motors. I believe that Yamaha and Evinrude sites will say the same thing. If you have an older model motor please check the manufacturer's web site to make sure you can run ethanol based fuel in your motor, or talk to a certified mechanic for your motor.

If you are looking for ethanol free gas, Lakeside Marine in Shell Knob, which is the gas station just south of the 39 bridge sells it. It is the 87 octane.

[captmac]

It is my understandin that stste law in missouri mandates that all gasoline must be 10% ethanol, correct me if I m wrong

[Pour Dennis]

In Missouri it is only premium that does not have ethanol unless the station has a waiver to sell regular unleaded without ethanol in it. So, Places like marinas and stations like Lakeside that work on alot of boats can carry the e-free gas. There is also legislation in the Missouri house to do away from ethanol based fuels all together, due to it costing more to produce the fuel.

[captmac]

Thank you sir for the correct information on this I knew someone here would know

[RSBreth]

I know in my 2003 Evinrude manual it states that 10% E fuel is just fine. And it has been, so far. I use Sea Foam in every tank, like lot's of folks do.

[skeeter]

Amen to the Sea Foam, really does help.

Baxter Boat Dock is a source of gasoline minus the dreaded Ethanol. Passed a station in Green Forest AR yester day on the main highway that advertised no ethanol in their fuel.

Ethanol is a scam and a source of engine problems. Several of our lovable Missouri State legislators have discovered they shot themselve in the foot by "mandating" ethanol content as they are cattlemen and Ethanol drove up their feed prices 200-300 % !!! Serves 'em right for not doing their homework and listening to the well funded ethanol industry lobbyists!!!

There's plenty of oil out there, you just have to convince the extremist tree huggers to allow it to be drilled for or extracted from oil shale.

[redbud]

What sort of damage doe the ethanol cause in outboard motors? Now Im scarred of blowing up my 200. seems like the oil companies/retailers should be more clear about what they are selling. I have probably been running this stuff unknowingly since they introduced it. Are there any products that counteract the effects of ethanol? I will do some research and post any new info I may come across.

[redbud]

It didnt take long to find info on this subject. Just Googled eth. in outboards. To sum up what I have learned, ethanol is dangerous to your favorite pastime avoid like the plague.

The problems with eth.is that it is a great solvent and attracts moistire,even from the air. Boat fuel tanks are vented directly to the air.Phase seperation occurs in your tank along with the disolved particles the eth. has picked up along the way,fuel transport etc. this falls to the bottom of your tank where it is more easily picked up by your fuel system. if it gets past your fuel filter you have a problem. the longer eth is in your tank the more risk you have.eth. also disolves older rubber seals and gaskets. fibreglass tanks prior to 92 can also decompose.

DO NOT USE METHANOL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!!!

Ironically farmers are exempt from using eth. and it is banned from use in airplanes.

Most manufacturers state that 10% eth.is ok. Problem is that tested fuels are most often over the 10% some as high as 48% eth is added at the station so someone having a bad day could cost you big.

the only solution i see is to avoid it .Yamaha offers a 10 micron fuel filter you can install in your boat. test kits are available to check alcohol content in your fuel.

Ethanol will also mess up your older cars and bikes.

Anymore info on the addition of ethanol at the pumps would be apprciated. I was at the station to get robbed again when I overheard the clerk telling an impatient customer the reason the 91 octane pumps were slow because the eth. had to be added. hair on the back of my neck stood up.

I hope this helps, please excuse my grammer and typing skills.

[jay bird]

Good info above. I have done some research and asked some people I know that deliver gas to the area and they confirm that the 91 they deliver has no ethanol in it. The problem people have been having is that if they have a big gas tank like in some of the bigger bass boat and have been trying to conserve fuel and staying close to the boat ramp that fuel has a chance to do the phase seperation and break down the fuel. They say the ethanol gas has a shelf life of about 60 days before fuel breakdown, etc. So in a fishing boat with a 50+ gallon tank, little league practice, nagging wife, flooding water, the tank you filled up in April could have a problem. I did see that one of my favorite products STABIL has come up with a Marine version that states it helps keep the ethanol gas fresh, and help with the mositure issue. Just a FYI