eyedabassman Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 The blends burn hotter than ethanol free. And ethanol will separate after it sits for along time.I was told it will burn your pistions! A good friend of mine who knows alot about engines told me this so I always buy ethanol free for my boat engine ,lawn mower. Boat engines and small engine's have a high RPM vs cars!
Members BiteMeBaits Posted February 28, 2014 Members Posted February 28, 2014 When we bought our Mercury 150 4-stroke the tech said up to 10% ethanol is safe in the 4 strokes. He also said Mercury recommends Stabil marine whether the fuel has ethanol or not. They are basically a car motor, I wouldn't run anything higher than 10% in my vehicles either, unless it was designed for it.
Bill Babler Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 My mechanic told me that every system on the 2 and 4 stroke Mercury engines are designed to burn and run without any problem or warranty issue with ethanol blends in 87 octane. Anything other than that and you are the one creating the problem. I was told exactly the same thing when I was running Yamaha. I usually sell my boats after the 2nd. or the 3 yr. of use and I have never had a fuel related problem. I mostly sell them to good friends that keep them another 2 or 3 yrs. and none of them have had problems. IF you feel you need to buy 91 or 93 octane by all means spend the money, I'm gong to keep mine in my pocket to buy more gas. Good Luck http://whiteriveroutfitters.com http://whiteriverlodgebb.com
TRRANGER Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 The problem is phase separation in ethanol fuels from the alcohol. It absorbs water, water and oil dont mix therefore you engine gets water injected into the cylinders. Alcohol also requires different hoses as the rubber in older boats was not designed to carry it so it breaks down and will fill carbuerators with particles and varnish. Its storage life is greatly diminished as well. And yes new engines are designed for it older motors are not.
bobby b. Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 As an engineer I did allot of research on this when I bought a new Yamaha 4 stroke 3 years back. If you use allot of fuel, 10% ethanol is just fine unless you have a very high compression motor (customized). This is true of both cars and boats. So during the spring to fall boating and fishing season when lots of fuel is being consumed I use the 10% ethanol in my Yamaha 4 stroke, my old 15 hp Evinrude, PWCs, lawnmowers, vehicles etc. As the winter approaches I switch to the ethanol free such that they are all purged of the alcohol during the idle time. Also put in some Sta-bil. I did have trouble with some rubber hoses on an old PWC from the ethanol. As previous entries indicate, Fast Freddy's Phillips and the Conoco at 76 and 13 in Branson West offer it. Some Walmart Murphy station offer ethanol free but not in our area. There are Federal government regulations regarding how much ethanol must be added. Missouri has been under some pressure to up its consumption so we may have trouble getting it in the future. So you guys that are lucky enough to be on the lake most days, don't worry about the ethanol - I hope to retire soon and be there too.
fishinwrench Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 IDK for sure but I think most new motors are designed to run ethanol blends. I have a 40hp mariner two stroke, its a 98, and ive never had any issues using the blends. Dont all cars run ethanol blends? Ive heard that before about ethanol not burning completely, or dissolving gaskets, or hoses and seals. I just dont buy it though....ethanol is no better a solvent then the additives already in gasoline, which there are many. Also....if you run any sort of Sea-Foam or injector cleaner stuff those are much much much more aggressive solvents. Im certainly no mechanic though, so I could absolutely be wrong. I just dont see it.... I'm not entering this discussion AGAIN, but ...^^^, Exactly. You are not wrong at all.
Bill Babler Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 Wrench, it seems we have this topic about 5 times a year. Thanks for your contributions then and now and the next time. Folks. this is not a sleep loss thing to worry about. Use the 87 octane and add the once or two of ring free or the Mercury product quick kleen per tank. If you are going to store it or not use it for a month or two at a time, completely fill your tank with fuel to prevent condensation and put in a fuel stabilizing product. Buddy of mine that just read this thread is running my 08 merc and he just uses 87 with no additives and that motor is still running perfect with any failure. He does use it almost everyday, when Lake O is not frozen. It has been running fine for 7 years on 87 Octane I got the motor in the fall of 07 new off the presses. Absolutely no need to pay 1/2 a buck to a buck more per gallon ever time you fill that tank on the injected engines. Good Luck http://whiteriveroutfitters.com http://whiteriverlodgebb.com
denjac Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 The Yamaha SHO manual shows these fuel requirements. FUEL AND LUBRICATION Recommended Fuel VF250 (Min. PON 89) (for best performance) VF225 (Min. PON 89) VF200 (Min. PON 87) It also suggests to use ethanol free when available. The Yamaha rep told me you can run 87 octane but you will not get the HP out of the motor because it has knock sensors that will retard the timing when it senses a knock thus reducing HP. Dennis Boothe Joplin Mo. For a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." ~ Winston Churchill ~
fishinwrench Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 That's should serve as a sign that the manufacturers themselves don't trust the 200+ engines. A liability release of sorts.... "Ah yeah, these failures happen because customers are running sub-standard fuel". But it's ok for the 150's ? Puleeeeze!
denjac Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 Whatever. I am going by the owners manual on mine! Dennis Boothe Joplin Mo. For a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." ~ Winston Churchill ~
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