Ethanol Problem Solution

[gdombroski]

Just saw this new product http://mystarbrite.com/startron/ in a West Marine ad for 13.99 for 8oz. bottle. Went in my marina store and they had it for 11.99. If it does all as advertised it might be the solution. 8oz treats 128 gallons of gasoline. Diesel is 256 I think. First use your supposed to double up. Did that in my tank and also added it to the 6 gal. plastic kicker tank. Ran that for about 8 hours and did notice less smoking. Hoping it does similiar for the V8's. Going to check Walmart out as it is listed as a reseller.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

Just saw this new product http://mystarbrite.com/startron/ in a West Marine ad for 13.99 for 8oz. bottle. Went in my marina store and they had it for 11.99. If it does all as advertised it might be the solution. 8oz treats 128 gallons of gasoline. Diesel is 256 I think. First use your supposed to double up. Did that in my tank and also added it to the 6 gal. plastic kicker tank. Ran that for about 8 hours and did notice less smoking. Hoping it does similiar for the V8's. Going to check Walmart out as it is listed as a reseller.

If it does all as advertised it might be the solution

What is the problem?


I have been running gasoline with "up to" 10% ethanol in it as long as it's been available and I have had no "problems" with all the 4-stroke & 2-stroke engines I have.

All my fuel tanks are made of plastic, aluminum and steel.

I even removed the fuel tank from my 20 year old Fourwinns thinking it needed to be cleaned out after 20 years of unleaded & reformulated gas from California, and sitting for 2 years half full, (or half empty for you pessimists) it was absolutely pristine clean!

Now if you have a fiberglass tank, you might need to do something. But if you don't have a fiberglass tank it doesn't appear to be a problem.......at all.

Here's what Mercury Marine has to say about it...


Regards,


Rick

 

[gdombroski]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

What is the problem?

My read of this (and a ton of other posts) says that there are alot of them and pretty serious at that.http://www.boattest.com/Resources/view_news.aspx?NewsID=3345

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

Well,

Your results may vary....

I have noticed that using E10 (fuel in the US can be 10% ethanol or less but not more at this time except for E85) made no difference or no detectable difference and I have never used any sort of snake oil in my fuel. (I'm not really telling the truth here.....I've tried several of them, but have never been able to detect a difference)

I also don't ensure that the fuel tank is full before winter layup. ...... I also keep my boat in an enclosed garage too.

Condensation is not something that seems to be a problem either. There's even a guy that tested the condensation theory... http://www.yachtsurvey.com/myth_of_condensation_in_fuel_tanks.htm

Fuel additive companies are very quick to claim a problem because it increases their sales..... The oil additives are not sold like they used to be since automotive companies have pretty much indicated that they will void warranties if they catch people using them and they have an oil related failure....

I think the snake oil salesman are trying to make up sales with fuel additives.....

My read of this (and a ton of other posts) says that there are alot of them and pretty serious at that.http://www.boattest.com/Resources/vi...px?NewsID=3345

That article actually says that fuel with 10% or less is "safe to use in a marine engine" Mercury says the same thing.

They're warning more about possible plans to up the percentage in gasoline to 15% or more.

That would be bad. Especially for boats that have fiberglass fuel tanks made before about 1991 or so (according to Mercury)

I wouldn't have a boat with a fiberglass tank no mater what the year for a lot of reasons fuel being one of them.

Anyone who feels better using fuel (or oil) additives should use them. The placebo effect is real.

It's just never worked on me....


Regards,

Rick

 

[gdombroski]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

The placebo effect is real

Yes it is. I look at not doing it as potentially a "penny wise pound foolish" type of issue when I'm filling up (not recommended for E10 without additives if it sits for a while) for over $200 and another $12 makes me feel better and better yet might actually do something positive for my twin 89 vintage engines and fuel system.

 

[David Greer]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

Unless you turn your fuel over every month or so, treat it. And keep it full. Startron is good stuff. dump some in your car, too.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

Please do dump all sorts of additives in your fuel. Go ahead, throw some whiskey in too.It will help the economy moving forward again,heck it may even blow up your engine in which case you will buy a replacement which helps the economy even more.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

I know alot of guys in northern climates don't believe there's an issue with E-10 but way down here there is, maybe because it's been a recent introduction and is loosening all the crap in the fuel systems, maybe because of the high humidity, who knows but the problems are real. Startron is commonly used here with good results.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

I think those who feel the so called snake oils are useless feel that way because they didn't see any difference in the way their engines run. If there isn't a problem, adding snake oil won't obviously make a difference. However, using snake oils (such as Stabil, SeaFoam, Startron and a host of others) are primarily intended to keep the fuel system clean and in the case of SeaFoam, it is an excellent decarboning agent for two stroke engines. These additives also prevent fuel from going bad during long periods of storage. Use of these additives has nothing to do with E10 and everything to do about keeping the fuel system in good condition. E10 causes issues in older engines because it is an excellent fuel system cleaner. So all the gunk build up from neglect and long periods of storage without the use of fuel stabilizer, is suddenly loosened up and fuel filters and carbs get clogged. People continue to run this "lean running" engine and in the process have problems. Problems that they would have likely had down the road a bit anyway whether or not you use E10. We in the upper midwest have used E10 since 1997 and have little problem with it. Condensation is an issue with the very large fuel loads typically carried on the bigger off-shore boats or boats that spend lots of time on the coasts. If you do have fiberglass (not plastic) tank you do have my sympathy as ethanol will attack the resins.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

I know alot of guys in northern climates don't believe there's an issue with E-10 but way down here there is, maybe because it's been a recent introduction and is loosening all the crap in the fuel systems, maybe because of the high humidity, who knows but the problems are real. Startron is commonly used here with good results.

We had the same type hysteria when we went all E-10 3-4 years ago. Those that heeded the warning and drained their tanks of water and old MTBE fuel before switching to E-10 have very little if any problems after a tank or two of fuel and a couple of fuel filters. Those that filled up with E-10 without any preventative measures paid for it.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

I will not speak to fuel additives.

I will say that at least in parts of Missouri, E-10 may be anywhere from E-5 to E-20 because of the various methods of mixing ethanol and gasoline. Pumps are not required to state the ethanol content, even though E-10 is mandatory for road use. A vast majority of the marinas do not sell ethanol blended gas, at least those on Lake of the Ozarks.

You may want to check with local marinas in your neck of the woods as they may do the same.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

I went to the gas station to fill up today and was surprised by what was stated on the pump. It was a Shell station and bronze was 10% ethenol, silver was 5% and gold was 0%. I don't know if the same hold true in the U.S. I suppose we can pick the percentage we can live with, we are just forced to pay more for it. We can add in snake oil or pay at the pump.

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Ethanol Problem Solution

I went to the gas station to fill up today and was surprised by what was stated on the pump. It was a Shell station and bronze was 10% ethenol, silver was 5% and gold was 0%. I don't know if the same hold true in the U.S. I suppose we can pick the percentage we can live with, we are just forced to pay more for it. We can add in snake oil or pay at the pump.

Huh, I never noticed that, I'm going have to check the pumps the next time I'm out. The US regs are little different then ours, and do vary state to state. Our gasoline formulas are fairly strictly regulated federally. I wasn't aware of the difference in ethanol though...I typically run mid in my truck (gets much better fuel mileage...a lot better..dunno why) and premium in the boat with stabilizer as a tank lasts me most of the summer.

Ian