Suggested Gasoline To Use?

[Tennessee Boy]

We have lots of threads on ethanol gas.  I enjoy reading them and contributing to them.   When it comes to what I actually do with my motors,  I follow the manufacturer’s recommendation.   My motor is designed for E10 but the manual doesn’t have good things to say about ethanol in gas.  This link has everything you need to know.  I wonder if anyone really follows the last recommendation to remove all fuel if a boat is going to be stored for two months or longer.  I would rather pay a few cents more for ethanol free gas.

 

https://www.mercurymarine.com/us/en/parts-and-service/service-and-support/faqs?categories=Fuel+%26+Fuel+Systems

[MickD]

On 5/10/2024 at 9:41 AM, Bankc said:

Now ethanol can damage an engine.  I'm not arguing against that.  But it certainly won't total one.

Maybe bad choice of words.  The cost to repair the engines exceeded what I was willing to pay rather than invest a little more and go new.  

[airshot]

3 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Ethanol free is the most important.  It doesn't kill engines per se, but can be devastating.  Learned that 15 years ago or so.  Had an identical snowmobile with my buddy.  I maintained both.  Every year I pulled the carbs and cleaned them.  He ran ethanol and I didn't.  The first year I did his I ****.  So much corrosion and build up a cleaning was necessary.  Mine it was more just for preventative.  His was completely disgusting with less than 100gal gone through it.  I had zero faith his jets were clean before the cleaning and if you lean down a two stroke too far ...boom.

For every person that has had issues with E fuels, there are a thousand people that have never had an issue.  My neighbor belongs to an old car club, most of the collecters have muscle cars from 60's into the 80's.  The majority use E fuels with no issues.  I have been using E fuels since it came out, many of my gas powered tools sit over the winter without use.  Everyone starts right up when needed, never an issue, nor does any of my neighbors equipment have issues.  In fact, I don't know anyone that does have issues, other than one neighbor that leaves everything sit outside and never maintains anything like the mfgr recomends...

[Deephaven]

7 hours ago, airshot said:

For every person that has had issues with E fuels, there are a thousand people that have never had an issue.  My neighbor belongs to an old car club, most of the collecters have muscle cars from 60's into the 80's.  The majority use E fuels with no issues.  I have been using E fuels since it came out, many of my gas powered tools sit over the winter without use.  Everyone starts right up when needed, never an issue, nor does any of my neighbors equipment have issues.  In fact, I don't know anyone that does have issues, other than one neighbor that leaves everything sit outside and never maintains anything like the mfgr recomends...

Should pour out some one year old fuel into a water separator once.  It'll be enlightening.

 

Snowmobiles are about the worst case possible.  Super high hp to displacement (165+ HP from .8L at 8300 rpm)  It is absolutely proven to destroy them way faster.  Even the manufacturers put warning stickers on because of it.  Clogged injectors are their primary failure and they basically see none on non-ethanol fuel.

 

Sure 91 octane makes less power and is less efficient running in an engine made for 87 but I will take it without alcohol for anything I own that can ever sit for a while between uses.

[airshot]

2 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Should pour out some one year old fuel into a water separator once.  It'll be enlightening.

 

Snowmobiles are about the worst case possible.  Super high hp to displacement (165+ HP from .8L at 8300 rpm)  It is absolutely proven to destroy them way faster.  Even the manufacturers put warning stickers on because of it.  Clogged injectors are their primary failure and they basically see none on non-ethanol fuel.

 

Sure 91 octane makes less power and is less efficient running in an engine made for 87 but I will take it without alcohol for anything I own that can ever sit for a while between uses.

Everyone should do what they feel comfortable with.....never go wrong following mage recommendations !!  However all the scare tactics given to those asking about E fuel is false.  All gas engine mfgrs recommend draining fuel for long term storage, even on my neighbors 1954 Johnson OB made long before E fuels were created !!  All my gas powered tools state drain fuel or add a stabilizing agent to the fuel for long term storage !  Most folks forget to read the part about adding a stabilizing agent !!  As far as cost goes,  stabilizer is far cheaper than buying non E fuel !!  Last but not least, my 1964 Evinrude manual recommended adding a fuel additive for long term storage, that was long before E fuel was made, guess all fuels will go bad over time....remember " gumout" was made as a fuel additive/ stabilizer long before E fuels were made !  If your having fuel issues, find another station to buy from !!  However...your engine, do what ever your comfortable with ....

[Way2slow]

Understand, ethanol fuels and the gasolines we buy today are junk, there is no disputing that fact.  However, when proper maintenance and storage procedures are followed, I've never seen where there are any more issues with them than the old non ethanol gasolines of the past.  The problem with them is you MUST follow those procedures and very few people know or are willing to follow the proper storage procedures and that's where ethanol fuels get their bad rap.  Left to sit and evaporate or break down in the fuel system they can and will wreak havoc on the whole fuel system.  Today's gasoline does not like the be stored, and the warmer the temperature and the more the exposure to elements, the worse things get.  That's why I remove the gasoline and purge the fuel system on my boats if going to be left sitting for a couple of months or more.

I have a log splitter I might use once a year that has a 10hp B&S engine and there is really no practical way to properly purge the fuel system.  I just keep one of those $15 ebay carbonators on hand and so when I go to use it, I put a new carb on it before I even try to start it.  I used to try running it once a month like I do my chain saws and other gas-powered tools but decided it's easier to just replace the carb.  Trying to clean it is usually useless it's in such bad shape. 

[gim]

11 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Snowmobiles are about the worst case possible.

Plus you actually need snow to use one.

 

Which, in this particular case, never occurred this past winter. 

[Tennessee Boy]

The Mercury recommendations say drain the fuel if it is not going to be used in 2 months.   If you can’t drain the fuel keep the tank full.  
 

I have a 22 gallon tank.  I go fishing at least once a week.   A full tank will last me 3-4 months in the summer and 6-7 months in the winter.  What am I suppose to do?

[gim]

3 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

What am I suppose to do?

 

You know the answer to that.  You've already posted what you should do.  Carry on

[Way2slow]

That's simple, only buy what you think you are going to burn that trip or within a month.  

By the way, filling the tank for storage is not a good idea, that only leaves you with a whole tank full of bad gas to dispose of.  That filling the tank for storage is from the old metal tank days where they were subject to extreme condensation build up if there was exposed metal. 

Back before the ethanol gasolines, the military required adding SeaFoam to the tanks of vehicles not regularly driven.  They claimed that would keep it usable for a year.  Since I've been retired since 1996, I don't know if they still claim that with the junk we have now, but I didn't even trust that philosophy then for use in my POV's and boats. 

[Bird]

Non ethanol is readily available around here so that's all I use in my 2/4 stroke engines.

Also use this seasonally.

[airshot]

3 hours ago, Way2slow said:

That's simple, only buy what you think you are going to burn that trip or within a month.  

By the way, filling the tank for storage is not a good idea, that only leaves you with a whole tank full of bad gas to dispose of.  That filling the tank for storage is from the old metal tank days where they were subject to extreme condensation build up if there was exposed metal. 

Back before the ethanol gasolines, the military required adding SeaFoam to the tanks of vehicles not regularly driven.  They claimed that would keep it usable for a year.  Since I've been retired since 1996, I don't know if they still claim that with the junk we have now, but I didn't even trust that philosophy then for use in my POV's and boats. 

My Roto tiller gas is over a year old but I do use stabilizer as suggested and it started on the third pull and tilled the whole garden with that so called nasty old gas.  Weed eater started up on second pull after sitting for 6 months with that nasty E fuel.  Saving 60 cents per gallon, I will take all the E fuel I can, a cap full of stabilizer has been far cheaper over the past 25 years....but...it is your money, spend it as you please !!

[airshot]

On 5/12/2024 at 8:38 AM, Tennessee Boy said:

The Mercury recommendations say drain the fuel if it is not going to be used in 2 months.   If you can’t drain the fuel keep the tank full.  
 

I have a 22 gallon tank.  I go fishing at least once a week.   A full tank will last me 3-4 months in the summer and 6-7 months in the winter.  What am I suppose to do?

Put the proper amount of stabilizer in the fuel and don't worry about it !!  My Roto tiller fuel was way over a year old, E gas with stabil added, fired up on third pull and ran fine ...same with weed water with fuel over 6 months old...E fuel with stabil, started on second pull and trimmed the whole yard.   What is the issue with adding a few ounces of stabilizer into your fuel to keep things working well........

[Tennessee Boy]

12 minutes ago, airshot said:

What is the issue with adding a few ounces of stabilizer into your fuel to keep things working well........

I don’t worry about it because I use ethanol free! Stabilizer does not solve the phase separation issue if water gets in the fuel.  Ethanol free gas is not that expensive here.  I passed a station yesterday where the E0 was $3.75 and the same octane E10 was $3.70.  That’s 1% higher cost for fuel that has 3% more energy if the E10 actually has 10% ethanol.

[gim]

10 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Ethanol free gas is not that expensive here.  I passed a station yesterday where the E0 was $3.75 and the same octane E10 was $3.70.

Well heck that’s a no brainer. I’d honestly consider just buying the ethanol free stuff for my vehicles too if the cost was only 5 cents more.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, gimruis said:

Well heck that’s a no brainer. I’d honestly consider just buying the ethanol free stuff for my vehicles too if the cost was only 5 cents more.

Ya - but we gotta subsidize the corn farmers here...add to that, Cargill has the largest corn milling operations in the midwest...and since they're HQ'd in Wayzata...

[Tennessee Boy]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Well heck that’s a no brainer. I’d honestly consider just buying the ethanol free stuff for my vehicles too if the cost was only 5 cents more.

It’s usually not that close.  E10 has up to 10% ethanol.  I sometimes wonder if the ratio changes based on the price of gasoline and moonshine when it’s blended.  That’s also for 89 octane which I don’t run in my truck so the truck gets the cheap 87 octane E10.

[gim]

That’s what I put in my vehicles too. It’s been about $3.25/gal for months now. Ethanol free gas is only offered in 91 octane here and it’s about $4/gal.

[airshot]

20 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I don’t worry about it because I use ethanol free! Stabilizer does not solve the phase separation issue if water gets in the fuel.  Ethanol free gas is not that expensive here.  I passed a station yesterday where the E0 was $3.75 and the same octane E10 was $3.70.  That’s 1% higher cost for fuel that has 3% more energy if the E10 actually has 10% ethanol.

I understand your thinking and I agree, but....no matter what kind of fuel you use ALL engine mfgrs recomend a fuel stabilizer for storage and have done so for decades.  Don't fall into a false thought that just because you use non E fuel, your fuel will be good for forever !!  Curiosity from all these fuel discussions made me take a sample my old year old E fuel and check it out.  In a glass jar after sitting a while you could barely detect a slight cloudiness in the fuel when compared to fresh fuel. However the engine started up and ran fine...  In my area we are about fifty cents higher for non E today when I passed the fuel station.  For a nickle....I don't blame you for buying the non E...!!!

[Neil McCauley]

Never pumped ethanol gas in either my boat nor truck nor lawn mower nor leaf blower, etc in 10 years. Maybe just burning $, maybe not..