Ethanol causing problems in boat motors

[still learning]

I don't know to what level people are aware of the issues Ethanol causes on outboards.

My father has a three year old Suzuki that is meticulously maintained. With less than 60 hours on it, it is in the shop being overhauled. Carbs, injectors, complete flush all due to Ethanol.

Even with an external fuel filter, if your performance has gone down, perhaps there are other issues.

His mechanic said it is really becoming an issue.

His mechanic recommended StarTron.

[skillet]

 Actually bought some today. A motorcycle shop in town is the first place to start selling it. Go figure ...

skillet

[bass or bass ?]

Actually bought some today. A motorcycle shop in town is the first place to start selling it. Go figure ...

skillet

Wal-Mart sells it in their boat area.

[flechero]

Would you use this in place of Stabil, even if you were not constantly using E/10 blended fuels? I only occasionally have to get E/10 so it's not been a problem yet. And I use Stabil at almost every fill up.

Don't store it in certain areas!

From the MSDS:

Flammability Hazards: This product is combustible and may ignite if heated at or above its flash point of 65.5-73.8°C (150-165°F).

[vulture1]

This may be a stupid question...but I will ask anyway.... I believe the issue is the higher water content in ethanol....right.

If you put stabil in your tank at every filling.....where does the water go? If it causes it to separate from the gas would you not have a layer of gas that has an extremely high water to gas ratio? Possibly cause severe problems if you ran your tank to the point of being almost empty?

What is StarTron

[Wayne P.]

If you use the proper fuel treatment, you won't have any moisture problems whether it's 100% gasoline or E-10.

There is no water in fresh ethenol or ethenol blended fuels. The ethenol attracts moisture. The Marine Stabil, Startron,  or Seafoam will take care of it if you don't already have a lot of water in the tank now. Use one of those treatments in the proper amount all the time.

As far as performance, yes ethenol fuels will deliver less performance and so will the warmer water temps and higher air temps in the summer.

Older engines that don't have ethenol safe gaskets, seals, and fuel lines will have problems with ethenol blended fuels.

I asked the Seafoam company about the moisture issue and the reply was the Seafoam keeps water in small molecules so it will stay mixed with the fuel and safely pass thru the engine. I assume the other products do the same.

[Hot Rod]

Seafoam keeps water in small molecules so it will stay mixed with the fuel

"small molecules"?  Huh?

I'm no chemist but I thought at the molecular level H20 is all the same size?  

Probably why I got a "C" in Chemistry too  ;D

[Sfritr]

From the Star Tron Website:

To assist boaters, Star Brite has introduced Star Tron, a revolutionary fuel additive based on enzyme technology that can prevent these water-related fuel problems. water can wind up in your gas or diesel fuel as a result of condensation in the tank. Because water is heavier than fuel, it sinks to the bottom of the tank and forms a distinct water layer. The fuel pick-up tube is located at the bottom of the tank so, once this happens, water is supplied to your fuel pump. Obviously the engine can not burn water; soon it starts to sputter and eventually stops running. Additionally, water is corrosive so it deteriorates tank walls and metals in the fuel delivery system.

The enzymes in Startron prevent the water molecules that are in fuel from combining and forming a distinct water layer. Water is reduced to sub-micron size particles that cannot cause corrosion and are safely burned during normal combustion. The enzyme package in Star Tron disperses water derived from normal condensation into microscopic clusters, and allows the water to pass through the fuel system and engine harmlessly, preventing the buildup on the tank bottom that can contribute to poor performance, fuel gelling and corrosion. This de-watering effect prevents potential phase separation. If large amounts of water are already present it will be de-emulsified and drop out of the body of the fuel, improving overall fuel performance. Over a period of time, with fresh gas loads treated with Star Tron, even large accumulations of water will be totally eliminated. Star Tron can also counter the effects of lost octane, greatly improving the combustion performance of E-10 fuel that has had water contamination.

Star Tron can also prevent filter plugging from old gum and varnish. The enzymes help break down the dislodged sludge and other deposits into sub-micron-sized particles that usually pass through the fuel filter and are burned away as part of the combustion process. Tank deposits that would cause gelling are solubilized so that fuel flows uninterrupted through the filters.

Star Brite Star tron is available in 8 fl. oz, 16 fl. oz, 32 fl. oz.

Seems to be very similar to Sta-Bil marine IMO

[Wayne P.]

Hot Rod, if the water molecules stay separated (kind of like water vapor/steam/clouds), they can mix with the gas and ethenol. If they are allowed to assemble in enough quantity to form an individual liquid, they will separate from the gas and ethenol and will damage the engine and fuel system.

You get an "F" for comprehension.

[Ellesar]

Would you use this in place of Stabil, even if you were not constantly using E/10 blended fuels? I only occasionally have to get E/10 so it's not been a problem yet. And I use Stabil at almost every fill up.

Don't store it in certain areas!

From the MSDS:

Flammability Hazards: This product is combustible and may ignite if heated at or above its flash point of 65.5-73.8°C (150-165°F).

One of the things that we're starting to learn as we become more aware of the problems ethanol causes is that a lot of the gas that you think doesn't contain ethanol, does. The only way to be sure is to test it at the pump with a hand tester. Some gas that was supposed to be ethanol free has tested to contain %5-10 ethanol.