water in gas

[mygrady]

I've discovered water in my below deck tank. I drained a jar full and it was very cloudy. After an hour it cleared up with a layer of milky fluid on the bottom of the jar. I assume this to be water. Of course the reason for my looking at this is the engine will not fire.
Can this clear gas be used or has it become too contaminated. I hate to waste 40 gallons of nonethonol gas. Did I read somewhere that there an additive that will assorb the water.
Thanks for any advice

 

[tazrig]

Re: water in gas

Firstly, how old is the gas?

 

[mygrady]

Re: water in gas

One month. 89 oct with marine grade stybil. I had 2 inboard tanks. The original tank developed a leak so I switched to the secondary which I had not used in a bunch of years. I pumped some of this gas into a jar. BTW I also had a brand new fuel/water sep. which I'm sure is trashed now.
Motor is 94 yama 225TLRS.
I just bought 2 gallons of gas in a can and ran it straight to the motor after flushing the carbs with new gas. Ran like a champ on the muffs.
Can I salvage the old gas or is it useless.

 

[tazrig]

Re: water in gas

If its the old gas you're talking about from the tank you haven't used in years than it's most likely toast. Old gas starts to get goowie and you don't want to run that through your carbs. I'd suggest drain the tank completely then start with some fresh gas and start using:

Star Brite Star Tron Gas Additive - iboats

It works great at breaking up the goop which is no doubt sitting at the bottom of your tank. Your fuel filter may start to clog and will have to be replaced every couple of hours at first. This is the Startron getting the goop out of your tank. You will have to change the filters less and less as time goes on as there is less and less of the goop left in your tank. Fill the tank and run it all out before you refuel. Obviously not to the point of running out of gas but you will get rid of the sludge faster if you use up whatever gas you have left in the tank and replacing it with fresh fuel rather than letting it go to 1/2 full and then re-fueling etc. Your other option is to drain the bad gas out of that tank and just use the good tank with fresh gas. Bottom line though I wouldn't run the old gas through the motor, you'd just be looking to gum up the carbs. SEA FOAM is good too, I've just had real good luck de-gooking an 80 gallon tank with the startron.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: water in gas

Unclear,first you said one month then years.what I have done once was drain the fuel,flush the tank,freeze the fuel in an old freezer,water freezes, fuel don't.pour off the fuel through one of them water seprating funnels. Treat the fuel with your favorite treatment and use it up.Old fuel not so shure but good fresh fuel ok.
Grub

 

[mygrady]

Re: water in gas

The gas is 1 month old. I had not used the tank for a number of years. Water settles to the bottom of the tank. If I sifon the water out can I use the clear gas that remains or is it too risky. I thought that maybe I could sifon from the bottom of the tank thus removing the water.
I'm trying to keep from wasting a heck of a lot of gas.

 

[99yam40]

Re: water in gas

The tank that has not been used in years apparently had old fuel and water in it, now you have added new fuel to that and have a mixture of bad gas. You have to decide what may cost you more , dumping the fuel or possibly toasting a motor

Have the tanks and the whole fuel system cleaned properly, which may mean having them pulled or replaced.

 

[Pas Bon]

Re: water in gas

I would siphon the gas out from the top and then throw out the bottom or siphon about 5 gallons off the bottom and throw it out. Bottom line is you don't want that crap going into your motor. I have taken old gas out of my bay boat and run it through my old truck 5 gallons at a time mixed with fresher gas until I went through it all. I have also poured gas into a white five gallon bucket then poured off the top so I could see the water in the bottom of the bucket and then tossed the old watery gas...kind of decanted the gas.....I like the freeze method mentioned earlier.

 

[Capt Ken]

Re: water in gas

First, is it ethanol gas or non ethanol? If ethanol, the the water caused the alcohol to drop out of the fuel and it is no longer any good.

 

[Pas Bon]

Re: water in gas

First, is it ethanol gas or non ethanol? If ethanol, the the water caused the alcohol to drop out of the fuel and it is no longer any good.

OP states it is NON ETHANOL


"I hate to waste 40 gallons of nonethonol gas."

 

[mygrady]

Re: water in gas

Think I finally sorted it all out.
Pulled out the fuel sender, raised the front of the boat and siphoned off about a gallon from the bottom of the tank into mason jars until I was getting clear gas. Rocked the boat around to shake up the tank and let sit for an hour. Drained alittle more gas to make sure it was clear. Flashlight showed no visable remaining water.
Drained all carbs and flushed with new fresh gas. Trashed old fuel/water sep and flushed supply lines from tank. Replaced with new separator.
Plan on using remaining 30 gallons in truck and yard equipment. Going to replace boat gas with new.
I believe that the water was from many years of ethanol gas and not using that tank. No more ethanol for me and trying only to buy smaller amounts of gas at time.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[tazrig]

Re: water in gas

Sounds like you got a pretty good handle on it. Where abouts are you from that you can still by non ethanol based gas? I envy you!

 

[mygrady]

Re: water in gas

Upstate South Carolina. Lake Hartwell my primary lake. We have a few gas stations selling noneth. One is close to the lake, kind of a fishing, marine one stop deal. there are 2 Shell stations selling it also fairly close to my house. It runs approx 50 cents more per gallon than ethonal blends. Noneth runs about $4 a gallon, which I imagine is fairly cheap compared to other states.

 

[tazrig]

Re: water in gas

Your lucky to live in an area where you can buy it at all.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: water in gas

You asked about a product that would remove water from the tank...there is a product just like that...it's called E-10. Unless the system has been overwhelmed by an introduction of water, or sat for a long enough period of time to accumulate a great deal of it, E-10 will absorb any water that enters the system and allow it to be burned harmlessly in your motor. And like many other costly additives it will clean a good deal of gunk out of an old tank, and like others it may clog the filter.

By the way, according to tribal beliefs you will never have problems with E-0, but you will instantly have problems with E-10, most likely catastrophic. Both have issues, people just had a very long time to become accustom to the issues of E-0

Yes E-10 does have issues, I’m fully aware of them.
Not a lover of E-10, don’t like it, but there is so much misinformation out there about it it’s scary at times.

 

[Pas Bon]

Re: water in gas

You asked about a product that would remove water from the tank...there is a product just like that...it's called E-10. Unless the system has been overwhelmed by an introduction of water, or sat for a long enough period of time to accumulate a great deal of it, E-10 will absorb any water that enters the system and allow it to be burned harmlessly in your motor. And like many other costly additives it will clean a good deal of gunk out of an old tank, and like others it may clog the filter.

By the way, according tribal beliefs you will never have problems with E-0, but you will instantly have problems with E-10, most likely catastrophic. Both have issues, people just had a very long time to become accustom to the issues of E-0

Yes E-10 does have issues, I’m fully aware of them.
Not a lover of E-10, don’t like it, but there is so much misinformation out there about it it’s scary at times.

I believe that they sell a product called HEAT...it's alcohol and it is to remove water from gas...correct?

 

[mygrady]

Re: water in gas

right now I'm going to leave well enough alone. I'm going to put about 10 gallons of 93 oct noneth and treat with stybil and then go with my standard 89 non eth with stybil.
Thanks for the advice

 

[Pas Bon]

Re: water in gas

right now I'm going to leave well enough alone. I'm going to put about 10 gallons of 93 oct noneth and treat with stybil and then go with my standard 89 non eth with stybil.
Thanks for the advice

Using 93 won't equal enough benefit to justify the extra cost

 

[Silvertip]

Re: water in gas

93 octane provides zero benefit for your particular engine other than lightening your wallet.

 

[mygrady]

Re: water in gas

10/4. My only thought was some remaining gas was octane deleted so adding some 93 would help. Then after a few gallons I would go back to 89 oct