Water Sep for 2001 BF40A

Hey guys - This motor is new to me and I was wondering what your thoughts are about installing a water separator. I'm concerned not so much because of the ethanol issue with a 6 gallon tank, although the possibility of water absorption is always present living on the coast, but just water in the gas in general and / or backwash over the transom with the vent screw open all the way. Anybody use one on their older BF40, if so which one? Is it a 2 micron or a 10 micron.

Also, I always used Stabil and Starton in my Yamaha. However, I had a problem with a couple of small engines and Sea Foam bailed me out so now I'm sold on Sea Foam instead of Stabil and Starton. Any opinions on using Sea Foam as a stabilizer, cleaner and ethanol protector ?

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.


Joe

Sea Foam is great stuff for cleaning carbon and gunk from the innards of your engine. But, it is not a stabilizer. In fact, it is somewhat the opposite because it contains ethanol. Supposedly, Valvtect gasoline treatment does all that you want - cleaning, stabilization, and ethanol protection. Many marina's in my area (Chesapeake) sell fuel pre-laced with Valvtect.

As for installing a fuel/water separator for a 6 gallon tank - I've never seen it done and can't think of a good reason for doing it. Having a fuel water separator for an internal fuel tank is always a good idea, but why complicate the situation when you are using an external tank? When the tank gets low, simply dump it out in a clear container. Let it settle. And if water settles to the bottom, just pour or siphon off the good fuel on top into another container. If you must, go with the 10 micron filter.

Chawk,

Thanks for the reply. With all due respect to everyone on this forum,you seem to be my "go to guy" with advise, I appreciate it.

I know Valvtect has a respected name in the marine market. As a matter of fact, I forgot (CRS syndrome), that the marina I kept my previous boat in pre-laced their fuel with it. I Still added the Ring Free and Startron anyway to hte fuel because the Yamaha HPDI could be, let's just ...... finicky. I think I will try using the Valvetech and as long I have no problems I'll continue with it.

I agree with you about the water sep. I only questioned it because a friend of mine recently purchased a new dory rigged with a new Yamaha 25hp and the mfg. installed a water sep on the boat. I didn't think it was necessary but I wanted an unbiased opinion ( not a dealer who sells them ) if I should install one.

BTW I called Honda and they were no help. They refereed me to a " local dealer " for advise. Uhhhh .... no thanks!

All the best ........... Joe

I agree with chawk_man about the water separator. You can use one if you want...for sure...but if you don't keep up the maintenance RELIGIOUSLY on IT, the thing will end up causing you problems, not solving them. It is an added "complication" that you don't really need. I see them a lot in our marina hooked up with portable fuel tanks.They typically get installed and forgotten... until..."my outboard won't start".

A more productive use of your time would be to keep your carburetors drained on a frequent basis. If the engine isn't going to be started for more than a few days, drain them dry. Even with filtration and separation a small amount of moisture will still get by and the float chambers are where scale deposits will settle out.

2 micron filtration is too much. It could actually lead to fuel starvation under load causing lean burn. Like the chawk says...go with 10u if you must.

You don't say why you no longer trust Stabil but it and Stabil Marine are GREAT products. NO product will keep fuel "safe" forever these days unless you're willing to buy and use VP Racing Fuel ($8-$9 gal. in my area). In which case, you won't need anything since it keeps pretty much indefinitely if stored in a clean, sealed container.

I put a 6 month limit on any "Stabiled" fuel I keep around. If I don't use it in that time, I burn it in my car. And, again, as chawk_man points out....Seafoam...which is a WONDERFUL product I recommend all the time...contains alcohol. That's how it does what it does. It shouldn't be used to store fuel.

I no longer trust untreated gas pump fuel for any time more than about a month. Although, if it is clean and water free in a sealed tank it will probably last much longer.

Good luck.

Honda Joe,

Thanks for the complement. But there are a lot of folks on this forum who are much more knowledgeable than I am, like Jimmy (JGMO) and Mike (Hondadude.) I just stay active on this forum because I'm always learning something new, AND, being retired, I have the time to do it.

jgmo - Thanks for the reply with excellent info.

Its not that I no longer trust Stabil, as a matter of fact I put it in my 5 gallon gas container for around the house equipment. Like I said Sea Foam got me going more then once with some small engines so I though it was a better alternative. After being schooled from you and CHawk I guess not. However, I may go with just the Valvetech instead of Stabil and Startron. I'd like your opinion on that idea if you don't mind.

Agreed if a water sep is installed maintenance is a must. After 40 plus years of owning boats with them I/O's and outboards with permanent fuel tanks I understand the importance of keep up with them. I just like my stuff to last and operate for as long as possible so I don't really mind doing PM on them. As a matter of act its a joke in our house that I enjoy working on my toys more then using them ( they may be right ).

As for draining the carbs I usually disconnect the gas line after 30 minutes of flushing the motor because most times I don't know if I'll be getting out the next day or the next week. Is this acceptable?

CHawk - being retired is GREAT, I just don't understand how I got anything done while I was working because I'm having the darnedest time getting anything done now> Including fishing!!!!

Can't thank you guys and everyone on this forum for the help and answers given me. Glad I found it. I'm sticking around and who knows maybe I'll be able to help someone out also.

All the best .............. Joe

Hi Joe,

As far you helping people "sometime"...you already ARE! Just sharing your problems/questions here will, more likely than not, answer someone else's question that they were afraid to ask.

Regarding the Valvetech and Startron products....I have no experience with either so my opinion would be "incomplete" at best. I believe I've seen others here endorse both so they are probably good choices. It's just that I don't know.

When it comes to disconnecting the fuel line and letting the engine die to "clear out the fuel system"....it DOESN'T work.
The ONLY sure fire method for protecting the carburetors from having mineral scale deposits "plate out" in them is to drain the float bowls (chambers) with the drain screw provided by HONDA for doing JUST THIS.

Running the engine without the fuel line connected until it quits and then removing the cover and physically draining the remainder of what is left in the bowls is the best way to keep yourself out of "carb stress" land.

This practice also allows you to collect the fuel that is drained and take a look at what your carbs are getting "fed". If you drain the bowls in a CLEAN, clear container and let it sit for a few minutes, any water or impurities in the fuel can be readily seen. Finding water in your fuel this way allows you to take preventive steps to help you stay away from the myriad of "carburetor rebuild hacks" that are out there waiting to take your money and give nothing back but stress in return.

That last statement is a bit harsh and I know not ALL outboard mechanics out there are bad but there are plenty enough shysters to go around that avoiding them, if you can, is the best way to go.

Also, many don't know this but ALL fuel contains a bit of water. Moisture is in the air and if the fuel encounters air...which it DOES when it is being dispensed into your tank...it will absorb some moisture from that air. So finding MINUTE traces of water in fuel is not uncommon. But, if you see that you are consistently testing your fuel and finding little "globlettes" of water at the bottom....you might consider finding another source. I buy all...well...most...of my fuel from Costco. They provide consistently filtered gasoline and diesel that contain MORE than the government specified additives. Many "discount" gas stations do NOT.

Thanks for joining the forum and for the kind words. I wish you happy boating and motoring in the coming days, months and years.

Thanks for the help .............. Joe