[Rhodes22-list] Ethanol problems

[Stan Spitzer]

To all you filthy rich Rhodies, GB now upgrades your life to electric 
propulsion, inboard or outboard. The single lever electronic control in 
front of you, instead of down and in back of you, is worth the fortune 
alone.  Hurry before all is gone, the installations and me.

stan

On 6/18/17 3:55 PM, Mary Lou Troy wrote:
> Hi Susan,
> While Rick is right that ethanol does not build up, ethanol gas 
> degrades quickly, phase separates and attracts water. (the additives 
> are supposed to slow this) and the residue can indeed foul your 
> carburetor.  The gas in your can could also be bad. Did you start with 
> fresh gas at the beginning of the season? The fact that your motor ran 
> perfectly for a few outings last summer does seem to indicate a fuel 
> problem. You might want to try a fresh can of ethanol-free gas an see 
> what happens.
>
> When we had problems years ago with our Yamaha we took it to Jim's 
> Marine in Galena, MD. He cleaned the carb and tuned it up. He 
> suggested that if we wanted to keep it running that way to use ethanol 
> free gas.  He also said that we should NOT run the motor out of fuel 
> (which we had been doing) because even when you run it out, some fuel 
> remains in the carb and can varnish the surfaces. We started using 
> ethanol free gas (which we could find in Easton) and never had a bit 
> of trouble for the 3 or 4 years after that that we owned the boat. You 
> might want to talk to Jim as I see on his website, he is also a 
> Mercury dealer and services those motors.
>
> BTW, according to several articles I've read, E15 gas will void the 
> warranty on most marine engines. A better solution seems to be 
> isobutanol which was recently approved for marine use in Maryland and 
> is now evidently available at least at one place in Annapolis. 
> http://www.boatingmag.com/ethanol-versus-isobutanol
> Also 
> https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/talkofthebay/2017/4/6/bay-bulletin
>
> Where did you find ethanol free gas? We have a much bigger outboard on 
> Tara but have managed so far to keep it ethanol free by bringing fuel 
> up from Easton or going south for filling the tank.
>
> The best list I've found for finding ethanol free gas is 
> https://www.pure-gas.org/
>
> Good luck,
> Mary Lou
>
> ex Rhodes 22
> now Rosborough RF-246 Tara
>
>
>
>
> On 6/18/2017 2:14 PM, Susan Crane wrote:
>> I posted a query last fall about the problems I was having with my 
>> Mercury
>> outboard and received several very helpful replies that basically 
>> indicated
>> that my problems with stalling and erratic idling were due to buildup of
>> ethanol residue in the carburetor.  So I have tried unplugging the 
>> gas line
>> and letting the motor run till it stalls, but I am still having 
>> problems.
>> This is probably a silly question, but when one does that with the 
>> gas line,
>> do you leave it unplugged until the next time you use it or do you 
>> reattach
>> it after the motor stops, or does it matter?  Just in case anyone 
>> wonders, I
>> have been adding fuel treatment to the gas.  Next question:  I have 
>> found a
>> local gas station which sells ethanol free gas and am going to switch to
>> that.  Will using it help clean out the carburetor or do I need to 
>> have it
>> cleaned or replaced?  I had a new carburetor put in last summer and the
>> motor ran perfectly for a few outings before the problems recurred.
>> Obviously, I know nothing about outboard motor functioning and the 
>> mechanic
>> at my marina has been less than helpful.  He doesn't seem to believe 
>> that it
>> is an ethanol issue.  I am trying to avoid buying a new outboard, but 
>> am at
>> my wits end with this.  Just the stress of the motor stalling while 
>> docking
>> takes some of the fun out of sailing.  Any help will be greatly 
>> appreciated.
>>
>>
>> Susan Crane
>>
>> s/v Whimsy
>>
>> Bohemia River
>>
>> Chesapeake Bay
>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> To subscribe/unsubscribe go to 
>> http://www.rhodes22.org/mailman/listinfo/rhodes22-list
>>
>> For the list Charter and help with using the mailing list and 
>> archives go to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
>> __________________________________________________
>>
>
>
> ---
> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
> https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>
> __________________________________________________
> To subscribe/unsubscribe go to 
> http://www.rhodes22.org/mailman/listinfo/rhodes22-list
>
> For the list Charter and help with using the mailing list and archives 
> go to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
> __________________________________________________