No, it wasn't that. The mechanic said there really isn't much you can do to prevent ethanol-related issues. That said, we added a 2nd filter and now use double-dose Stabil and Ring-Free with every fill-up - although bear in mind we were doing this already with every fill-up, only at the recommended dosages....and it still blew.
No, there's not much you can do if you must use ethanol-tainted gas. Ethanol is absolutely the worst for outboards. Period. It's poison.
We now go out of our way to fill up at ethanol-free gas stations. That's really the only way to prevent these issues.
