Ethanol fuel

[texasvet54]

I have a 1999 305V8 I/O Mercruiser on my houseboat that remains in it's slip through the winter in central Texas. Since I solved my carbureator problem a couple of years ago by putting a new one on, I've been using fresh gas on the few outings per year by using a 6 gallon external gas can with quick disconnects on it. It's a PITA but I don't like using the older gas that I have in my 100 gallon tank.

So, am I being too conservative by tring to always use fresh gas or will the Stabil that I put in my 100 gallon tank really keep my gas fresh, especially through the winter?

Also, I do have a fuel filter and a water separator in the fuel line?

Thanks,
Texasvet

 

[GA_Boater]

How old is the sludge, I mean gas in the big tank. Old gas is old gas no matter what is put in it, either at the refinery or from a bottle. Warning - This is my opinion.

 

[thumpar]

I have gone over winter with no additives and been fine. Now I use the green Stabil with the EFI just to make sure.

 

[alldodge]

I have a 1999 305V8 I/O Mercruiser on my houseboat that remains in it's slip through the winter in central Texas. Since I solved my carbureator problem a couple of years ago by putting a new one on, I've been using fresh gas on the few outings per year by using a 6 gallon external gas can with quick disconnects on it. It's a PITA but I don't like using the older gas that I have in my 100 gallon tank.

So, am I being too conservative by tring to always use fresh gas or will the Stabil that I put in my 100 gallon tank really keep my gas fresh, especially through the winter?

Also, I do have a fuel filter and a water separator in the fuel line?

Thanks,
Texasvet

Agree with GA about if gas has gone bad, it's bad, need to remove it. If it has not gone bad then stabil or other such things will help it from going bad. So use it before the gas goes bad. That said, if you can find and use non-ethanol gas then there is a much longer non-use time. Being in Texas you may have to deal more with humidity then some of us. With more humidity there can be more moisture collected via condensation in the tank. So keep your tank filled to within 90 percent if your in the costal areas, if not maybe stabil and use the tank to as low as possible prior to adding more. Also keep track on your water separator filter.

If all else fails you could remove the 100 gallon and install a smaller one

 

[robert graham]

A heavy dose of Stabil Marine and a full tank of fresh gas and you should be fine....Stabil is a lot cheaper than a new carb or other fuel delivery problems....

 

[bassman284]

To each their own I guess. I bought my boat new in 2001 and the salesman recommended that if I wasn't going to burn a tank of gas every month and a half or two months, I should use Stabil all the time. My boat has a 19 gallon tank and I'm running a 60hp Merc 4 stroke EFI. I boat almost entirely in no wake lakes (~2000 rpm) and found that 19 gallons could last me 2 years or more so I used Stabil from the git go. About 7 years or so ago, I came into spring with about a half tank of gas I knew to be at least 18 months old. I thought about siphoning it out and burning it in my Jeep but that would have been a pain. I decided to take it to the lake and see what happened. I hit the starter and the Merc purred and ran like a champ. I decided to burn that tank off so I put a gallon in a gas can and took it with me next time out. I went to the one go fast lake near me and planted the throttle for a couple of hours - up down back and forth. I finally got tired and ran out of beer so I did the same a couple of days later. Finally ran it out and dumped in the spare fuel and went home.

Point being, I found that the Stabil was clearly good for a year and a half. But more importantly, I always used Stabil at every fill up, not later on when I thought it might be going bad. Stabil will preserve good gas, but will not revive bad gas. If you have any reason to believe your gas might have to last for a while, use Stabil when it's fresh, not when you think it's going bad.

 

[texasvet54]

Thanks for the replies.

In the summer of 2013, I emptied the 100 gallon tank and found all kinds of red crud like the surface of mars in the bottom of the tank. I had to use a flashlight and look through the fuel level sensor hole which was only about 2 inches in diameter to see it. I then sprayed POR-15 Marine Clean in the tank and let it sit overnight. I then filled the aluminum tank with water and then pumped the crap out. I then repeated the procedure. The second time, the pump out was pretty clean. I did it a third time and both the pump out and the tank looked much better.

I then put the blower side of a dry-vac in the fuel level hole and let it blow for a couple of days. I then put new in-line filters on the fuel line and put about 20 gallons in the tank and all has been well so far, but I only use that large tank for my 12.5 kw Westerbeke. I don't trust the fuel doc at my marina because it doesn't pump much gas each month, so I take two or three 5 gallon jugs and fill them with the appropriate amount of Stabil and then pour them into the tank myself. Still, since I had to replace a totally gummed up carb when I bought the houseboat, I don't trust fuel that has been sitting for months, so I use a 6 gallon portable tank on my Mercruiser when I go out. I never use more than 3 or 4 gallons of fuel because we usually just go out a little ways and anchor. We then hang out, use the jetskis, jump off the top of the boat, cook some lunch, etc.

EDIT - No politics. Mod Team

 

[smassey22180]

For me this changed when I moved. In FL we could get ethanol free 89 on the street for less than 50 cents a gallon more than regular car gas. The boat never sat unused for more than 2 months so I did not stabilize. In CA we can only get 87 marine fuel at the dock for $1.50 more than regular car gas. My engine likes premium so I use that with stabilizer.