Fuel Stabilizer Loosening Up Crud in the Tank?

Drydocked

Cadet
Joined
Jul 10, 2001
Messages
24
I have center console with a 45 gallon tank. I've had the boat about 4 years. Always kept the tank completely full after use, run it about once a month, have run it almost completely empty at least 3 times over the years, usually add between 15 and 25 gallons per trip. I have a water separator filter between the tank and the engine.<br /><br />In November of last year I repowered. I had never added gas stabilizer to the tank until about 3 months ago, when, on the advice of the new motor's dealer, I decided to start adding the Evinrude fuel stabilizer product.<br /><br />Anyhoo...now I am seeing a fair amount of fine sediment appearing in the water separator filter cannister. Not a huge amount, but enough to be noticeable. Enough for another mechanic to be concerned about the impact on the new motor's fuel pump and injectors.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I also changed the gasoline station that I fill the boat up at in the same timeframe. I'm inclined to suspect the gas station over the stabilizer as the cause of the problem.<br /><br />Any thoughts? Also, what's the best way to get rid of the crud, short of hiring someone to "polish" the fuel?
 

Solittle

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 28, 2002
Messages
7,518
Re: Fuel Stabilizer Loosening Up Crud in the Tank?

I would suspect the gas station. I would not do anything to the fuel in the tank other than to change the filter frequently. It should stop the crud from getting to your engine and will hopefully filter out the crud.
 

Moody Blue

Captain
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
3,136
Re: Fuel Stabilizer Loosening Up Crud in the Tank?

Maybe not related, maybe it is. I bought an older car some years ago in showroom condition. Literally driven by a litle old lady to church and shopping once a week. Anyways, the car was 15 yrs old when I bought it and ran like a top UNTIL I decided it would be a good idea to put some injector cleaner throught the system to "clean it out". Well it sure worked well !!! About $600 later it was found that the injector cleaner had loosened YEARS of crap from the gas tank which proceeded to plug everything from the tank to the injector. Problem first presented itself with random stalling which proceeded to get worse and worse. After alot of ****ing around the problem was discovered. Tank had to come off and be flushed, all fuel lines flushed, new filter, new injector etc etc. I wouldn't have believed it but I saw the lines and filter, full of sh!t. Car has been running flawlessly for the last 4 years now.
 
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