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I would like an un-biased answ

I would like an un-biased answer to a question I have. Why are boaters having to take special caution with their motors using ethanol? No other motor has this problem. Our vehicles do fine as well as small engines such as mowers and tractors. Has the engine manufactures dropped the ball here or what?
 
"John,

How many of your oth

"John,

How many of your other vehicles sit in and function in water only? Not only that , but boats also have a vented fuel system, which lets pressure out, but moisture in as well. Ethanol will asorb water, become heavy,seperate from gas(rermember oil and water dont mix)gas goes on top, water goes below, the fuel pump sucks up water, and your day is shot
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"I have listened to those argu

"I have listened to those arguments before and frankly they do not hold water. No pun intended. First off my boat never sets in water unless it is in use. Second I have mowers, trucks and other engines that set in 90% plus humidity daily here in Texas and they set for months at a time without any problem at all and all start right up and run fine. By the way most of them are vented also. The fact that a boat is in the water has little to do with the motor having problems because of Ethanol. The gas tank is not in the water but kept dry. So with all this it seems to me that the boat motor manufacturers have seriously dropped the ball."
 
"Do this little test, pour som

"Do this little test, pour some gas in a glass jar and let it sit on a shelf for a week, you will see water collect. Ethanol draws moisture...vehicles have a closed fuel system. That is why there are no problems with cars & trucks. A boat sitting in water has no effect on it. Put a fuel/water separator and you will have no problems. As far as mowers go I don't think they are as sensitive as an outboard engine asp. 4 strokes. Most guys I know that have mud motors (they use lawnmower engines) have no problems. But everyone I know including myself have solved the problems but putting a separator on."
 
cars have open fuel cells

t

cars have open fuel cells

they would not be able to vent and the gas tank would blow up!
 
Like I said the boat motor man

Like I said the boat motor manufactures have dropped the ball on this one. If lawn mowers can be made to work fine so can boat motors.
 
No cars do not have open fuel

No cars do not have open fuel cells. Cars have evaporative emission control systems. As for putting water in a glass what is the point? First gas tanks are not open like a glass. Second the problem is not that moisture gets into the fuel. The problem is that the engine needs some sort of rebuild when it happens. The carb mostly. This is what needs to be fixed by the manufacture. None the less I was raised on the farm and we had tractors that sat out in the open all year round. At times water did get in the gas and we would run the tractor until it stalled. All we had to do was drain the tank and put new gas in and there was no damage to the engine or carb. However the boat engine industry has dropped the ball because they use components that are not suitable to water or moisture yet they expect the product to be used in a wet environment. For the price of their engines they need to design engines that can stand a little water and not need a rebuild.
 
"add a fuel/water seperator to

"add a fuel/water seperator to your boat(Walmart $27) and use a fuel stabilizer like Stabil Marine(Walmart $20/quart)and you will eliminate most all of potential fuel problems. I use Stabil all the time in my lawn mowers, weedeaters, blowers, etc. The jets in outboards and these small motors are so small that it takes very little to plug them up. Ethanol fuel or not, you still need a fuel stabilizer in these small motors. A plugged jet in an outboard at 5000RPM can fry a piston"
 
"summer of 08 I trailered my 2

"summer of 08 I trailered my 23ft lobster boat with a 150 Honda from Maine to Ma to go cod fishing with my cousins,I had to leave the boat for close to 3 weeks on the trailer,when I got back the racor was full of white paste with a touch of purple coloring in it.I had to tow the boat to the dealer & have it flushed out to get the engine running again.People here in Maine when I came back didn't believe me but by fall when Maine went to ethanol many people found out quickly how bad ethanol was.Snow mobiles got stranded miles from camp & rescue crews got broke down trying to get to them,very sad situation.The techs that I talked to said it was due to the ethanol molecules & water molecules combining to make a solid,hence the white paste I took out of my racor & it took less than 21 days.Most of us in my area are using Star Tron fuel treatment & have had no problems YET!"
 
"I wonder if they will force t

"I wonder if they will force the aviation industry to add ethanol to fuel too. I'll never step foot on a plane again!
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"I have had ZERO alcohol-relat

"I have had ZERO alcohol-related problems on my various boats, jetski, motorcyles, cars, trucks, or RVs!"
 
"I use fuel stabilizer in all

"I use fuel stabilizer in all motors except cars. Some folks get by without using it their boat motors, especially if they run the motor often enough to keep fuel fresh, like every few days. For me, I'll use the Stabil Marine all the time and a fuel/water separator to prevent water/fuel/ethanol problems in the carbs. Been running this motor 11 years now with no problems or issues at all. But everbody's got to decide what's best for them. Probably 2 kinds of folks, the people who use fuel stabilizer before they have problems and the people who use it after they have problems. Good Luck!"
 
"One other item, the new 2010

"One other item, the new 2010 Yamaha motors have 2 fuel/water separators on them to address this very real issue. You gotta do whatever it takes to make your motor run to your satisfaction and I can't stand machinery that won't run, especially on a boat with my wife 75 miles down the river! Think about it!"
 
"separators are great for wate

"separators are great for water & particles, it isn't going to have an effect on the ethanol,I have a racor on my engine,as long as I am lobster fishing everyday no problem,it's when you have a layup,mine was less than 3 weeks & the gas solidified from the racor through the complete gas system,cost me over $500 to have fixed.There is talk of increasing the ethanol in gas & letting the marine idustry off with using straight gas,high test only probably just talk no matter I will be using stabilizer."
 
"Robert...would be interested

"Robert...would be interested in any sources you have for the 2010 Yamaha, particularly the F40. I checked all the usual places but no real info there.

On the fuel problem, everyone indicates that the main problem is with moisture being drawn into the system and fuel that is old enough to degrade or phase separate. The moisture problem will continue until someone figures out how to put a collapsing bladder in the fuel tank so there won't have to be a vent. Only problem I can see with that is not having a fuel gauge. Second problem is easier....buy the gas, use stabalizer, and use it up."
 
"I have had my truck for over

"I have had my truck for over 9 years. I put less than 4000 miles a year on it and 2500-3000 miles of that is my annual trip to FL. It sits for months at a time with the same gas in it. No problems with it. I have put gas in a jar several times and have not seen it seperate. And yes, we have ethanol in our gas."
 
Mike....my '95 Ranger is d

Mike....my '95 Ranger is driven just like your truck...and I did the same gas-in-the-jar with the same results. I did get it to phase separate after I added enough water to it and shook it just so I could see what it looked like.
 
"I have a racor filter & i

"I have a racor filter & it didn't make a difference,I still got in a mess.Not all states started using the ethanol at the same time & that made it tough,many people paid the price.All I know I have learnt my lesson & will be more observant at the gas pumps for future increases of ethanol.I know some will disagree with what I am saying I am only trying to save you from spending big money,my friend was one of the people that thought it was BS until he had to flush out a brand new chain saw & then his 4 wheeler met with the same demise,he now uses stabilizer!"
 
"Even going with 2 micron will

"Even going with 2 micron will not solve problem because the filter can not gaurantee 100% separation of gas & water,racor from what I have read state 99% to nearly 100% filtration which means the system will have water in it however small the amount, going by the Honda tech the water molecule & gas molecule will combine to make a solid if left sitting in the tank within a 3 week period & I know this is true because I have seen it with my own eyes & trust me it is not worth messing with.I only use what Honda tells me,flow rates are different & you have to have the right filter for your application.Good luck & if doubtful of what I am saying check with your outboard dealer to make sure I wouldn't want anyone broke down when the bite is on!"
 
"you have to check it

that

"you have to check it

that is why they have a clear bowl

if you have gallons of water , your screwed"
 
"I have a clear bowl & the

"I have a clear bowl & the filter that was on didn't have that many hours on it,the problem was the layup & trying to leave before daylight.I know I screwed up,when I am lobster fishing I check the bowl everyday,I should have checked the bowl when the boat was at my cousins but I was to busy thinking about catching cod & haddock.The sad thing is it doesn't take gallons of water just a little bit of water will cause the reaction if you don't use the gas within the 3 week period.We are having a hard time here in Maine with gas right from the pumps,a friend of mine that works on engines put some gas that he bought right into a glass jar & in no time it started to change.The Honda dealer here was pulling his hair out by the end of the boating season & he even called the gas supplier to bitch them out but it didn't do any good."
 
"we have been using this gas h

"we have been using this gas here since 2001!!!

never had problems, run stabilzers and water seps

the problems is when you mix old gas with the new stuff!!!"
 
"Not sure where HERE is but Ma

"Not sure where HERE is but Maine started fall of 08can't remember for sure the date,all I know it screwed alot of people here in Maine.I tried to tell people when I came home from Ma. but no one would listen until they started ruining chain saws,generators sno mobiles,outboards but then it was to late,damage done.The big problem with the new gas with ethanol is the water they always said gas & water don't mix but in this case ethanol molecules & water molecules combine to make a solid if left sitting for an extended time,less than 3 weeks.The govt. in their wisdom thought they would be saving money,oil,environment,create jobs but if we had the expense to the public right now because of ethanol it is probably quite scary & I think they should stop using ethanol for marine use but I am not going to hold my breath on that one!All I know is add stabilizer, keep changing filters & hang on because it looks like it is going to get worse instead of better."
 
the problem was that people st

the problem was that people still had old gas formulation in the tanks

when mixed up with the new stuff it turns white
 
Its true that water and gas do

Its true that water and gas does not mix but water and alcohol do which is why we for so many years we used dry gas. We knew when using dry gas that to much was bad for some components of our systems. for many years gas had MTBE that was devastating for the water. So the ethanol showed up. One of the side affects is that it cleans all the components of the build up that the old gas created in the carbs lines and tanks. ( in our cars we like that) Some times they can have large pieces float through the system. Also if we are talking about a boat that might be a bit older it my very well not have alcohol resistant hoses in which case it breaks the rubber down and those pieces float up through. and in some even older boat the fiber glass gas tanks are actually meting in place.
We as boat owners tend to neglect our boats and their components this gas is a problem but we can stay ahead of it as well and minimize the affects.
 
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