alcohol fuel problems

[TollyWally]

I am having filter clogging issues after putting in 80 gallons of the new alcohol enhanced fuel in my boats. I have inline filters upstream of a fuel filter/h2o seperator and screens at the carb. I am clogging the inline filter at 6 gallon intervals.

Back at the dock I swapped out all filters and found crud all the way through to the screens. My tanks are aluminum and 40 years old. Swapping them out is out of the question without major surgery.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

How much fuel was in the tank before you started and how old was it? I am wondering if you had phase separation of your fuel due to a lot of water. You may want to pump the fuel out of the bottom of your tank to get rid of water that is at the bottom along with any crud that is down there.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

If this is a "one time good deal", it appears that you may have just gotten a large slug of water/debris from the fuel dock.

Is this a trailer boat? If so and you can get to your tank gage sender, remove the sender and use clear hose to siphon out the fuel and "vacuum" the water and debris out of the tank. You may have to also remove the fuel pickup to clean the screen too.

btw, there's nothing "new" about alcohol enhanced fuel. It's been around for a LONG time. (unless you're using E-85....then you need to remove it all!) Most "Summer" fuels are not oxygenated.

 

[TollyWally]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

It was a fresh load of fuel at the marina, it came in that morning. The state mandated alcohol added fuel starting sometime in June. The old fuel wasn't more than a month old. I've heard guys with fiberglass tanks are REALLY having problems.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

It's far more likely that that new batch of fuel stirred up the debris in the suppliers tank and you got a slug of it when you refueled.

10% ethanol just isn't enough to cause problems in most boats. I've been running it for years in everything I own (that uses gas) and have never had a problem with it...

 

[JustJason]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

just curious.... you say its 40 years old and an aluminum tank???

most boats up my way (new england) of that vintage all have steel tanks......

are you pulling rust out of your filters???

Try and Identify the clog... as in what is it???? if it's not rust then what does it appear to be.... slime??

 

[TollyWally]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

The state just mandated an increase in the alcohol content of the gasoline. The concencuss is that it is varnish. I guess the guys with fiberglass tanks are having real problems.

 

[hard-3]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

try cutting open the fuel filter and check the filter material for what is contaminating. The reason e85 cannot be used is that the ethanol disolves some components,Ie: fuel hoses, intank electric pump impellars , composite materials such as fiberglass and some plastics also. If you have a lot of varnish in your tanks, 40 years oh yeah you do, the higher level of ethanol is desolving it from the walls. A lot of paint thinners have alcohol in them. If it is water in it it may be carried to the filters-water seperator also. That is what those HEAT type products do to de-ice in the winter. The old adage of fueling up after they get a new load is not bunk. If the fuel tanks at the marina were empty and they delivery dumped in a large load , the sedament in the bottom is put into suspension . Any water , goo or foreign liguids are now in suspension waiting to be pumped into your boat. Fuel pumps generally are submerged pumps but don't suck al the way to the bottom of the storage tanks. If possible let your tank settle a few days and try to siphon any sediment or goo from the bottom with one of those hand siphon pumps with a squeeze bulb. Unless there was a screw up from the fuel delivery company there should not be that high of ethanol percentage enough to cause this kind of problem. I guess that it is contaminated fuel. it is possible to even be diesel or jet fuel . Some transporters are not as good as others of getting all one product out before loading a different one. I once worked at a gas station where the delivery guy screwed up and dumped 5000 gal of diesel in the unleaded tank. They pumped it out but not completely.. .
You think as much as they are charging , it would at least be good stuff!!
my 2 cents worth
Jeff

 

[rodbolt]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

welcome to the crazyness.
this federally mndated ethanol is crap but its all we have.
we just switched to all E-10 june 15th and the issues are nuts.
its frustrating but I am making a lot of money off of it.
other than trying to clean the tank there isnt much that can be done about it.
ethanol is a very efficient organic solvent, not only will it start dissolving any old varnish deposits and oxidation you will most likly find your rubber fuel system components are going to start disolving from the inside out as well.
we are seeing plstic draw tubes on 2 year old boats dissolving, if you have a whaler with the original fiberglass tank older than about 85 stand by, it dissolves the tank and places semi cured resin in the fuel system and intake and piston crown and rings, dont ask how I found it.
in small quantities and cars E-10 isnt much noticable other than a drop in power and fuel economy, in large quantities,60 to 300 gallons at a time and vented to the atmosphere E-10 is nasty stuff.
biggest drawback is ethanol can hold almost 2/3rds its volume in water, means out of 80 gallons you have 8 gallons of ethanol that can hold about 2.5 gallons of water in suspension that the water seperator cannot stop.
however we are finding the heat in the fuel bowl will seperate that water and it wont pass through the engine fuel system.
why ya think ethanol fuels are NOT FAA approved for use in aircraft?
so other than trying to clean the tank prior to adding E-10 to older tanks about all you can do is keep changing filters and pray.

 

[Bondo]

Re: alcohol fuel problems

means out of 80 gallons you have 8 gallons of ethanol that can hold about 2.5 gallons of water in suspension that the water seperator cannot stop.

Ayuh,.... Great,...... Water at $5.00 a Gallon.....