Best Fuel Input

[FreeMe]

Lots of people state that fuel is the root cause of many problems. Many suggestions to use good fuel, etc.

Oil is a no-brainer, buy the highest quality synthetic recommended by engine manufacturer.

But what about fuel? Should you always run premium even if not called for by engine manufacturer?

Which premium? 89, 91, or 93 octane?

Really lower octane fuel contains more power per charge, higher octane lowers flash point and prevents premature detonation from hot spots or high compression.

So if an engine isn't labor knocking does higher octane = better fuel?

Any particular brand like Shell better than others?

Do additives like Sea Foam or Stabil help or hurt?

Any need to add additional fuel filters to fuel supply line?

Maybe someone can shed some light on what is meant by using quality fuel.

 

[brantly]

Re: Best Fuel Input

i run regular (87oct) in my boat. no problems yet. been running it for a few years. the only thing i know for certian is to stay away from ethanol additives! it will gum your carbs up and leave buildup in your engine. just had an issue with running ethanol in my buddies boat. gas stations these days have up to 10% ethanol added to fuel. dont fill up there. hope this helps!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Best Fuel Input

Another bunch of BS about ethanol. One tank of ethanol in your buddies boat did not gum up the carbs and will not and did not leave buildup in the engine. Prior fuel system neglect did that. SeaFoam, Stabil, or any other fuel system addititve will also not leave "build-up" in the engine. Since you are offering advice (albeit unfounded) just what was this "build-up" you experienced? In fact SeaFoam just happens to be an excellent decarbonizing agent and is routinely used by probably half the members of this forum and they will atteste to it's qualities. If the engine manufacturer calls for 87 octane gasoline there is absolutely no benefit to burning premium. It is not "better" gasoline.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Best Fuel Input

Unless you have a high compression motor that specifies a higher octane fuel then you're fine with 87 octane, install a fuel/water separating type filter(Walmart $27), use Stabil or Seafoam all the time, more for lay-ups of several weeks or months, buy your gas from a high-traffic gas station so hopefully your fuel is fresher. Learn to drain your carbs from time to time(especially during lay-ups) to ensure no water/debris in the float chambers. Check/clean/replace your fuel filters on a regular basis. Don't worry about the ethanol. Good Luck!

 

[5150abf]

Re: Best Fuel Input

High octane fuel is for high compression engines, you don't say what engine you are running but if it is a 2 stroke it is not a high comp engine and anything but regular unleaded is a waste of money, higher octane fuel is actually slower to burn.

You are way overthinking this, run regular unleaded, if you want throw some Sea Foam in it and run Stabil towards the end of the season.

If your gas line is more than 5 years old replace it with alcohol resitant and don't forget the bit under the cowl, get an inline fuel filter on it to and you are good to go.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Best Fuel Input

Run regular 87 octane from your local auto gas station. Use the manufacturer's recommend oil if its a 2-stroke. If the boat will sit more than a week or 2, add Stabil when you add the gas to the tank. Take enough gas with you so you don't have to fill up on the water. If you are on vacation and keep the boat in the water for the week, take a few 5 gal gas cans with you to fill up from the local gas station. Don't mix (high priced) "non-ethanol" gas from a local marina with your already ethanol laden gas in the tank. Keep the boat covered and dry, and keep the tank capped so moisture doesn't get in the tank.

The tanks in my 5 boats are clean as a whistle and when I change the fuel filters and cut them open I find that they didn't need to be changed anyway. My water separators have no water in them.

Ethanol is probably a potential issue, but the root cause is sloppy owners.