I realize that you can never convince all of the people all of the time. For the others, there is an abundance of data on the problems with E10 gasoline in marine engines. A word to the wise is sufficient.
Ethanol and Boat Motors Don’t Mix|Facts About Ethanol
An Inconvenient Truth: Green Motors Are Anything but Smooth Sailing
By Angus Phillips
Sunday, November 18, 2007; D06
After a lifetime of fussing around with balky outboard motors, I’m not going to panic at every little setback. Outboards are cranky by nature; they live and work in a hostile marine environment. If you’re not prepared for a few unpleasant surprises, you’d better take up rowing or paddling.
But it’s getting ridiculous. “A friend of mine who works on small motors has 25 or so just like yours lined up in his shop,” said veteran outboard mechanic Scott Noyes, service manager at Shamrock Marine Service in Pasadena. “They’re all doing the same thing.”
The symptoms should be familiar to anyone experienced with outboards — hard to start, then popping, sputtering, stalling and breaking down at speed. It could be electrical, as connections and relays get funky over time. But usually when outboards start acting up, it’s fuel related.
And never has fuel been a bigger problem. The villain is E10, the ethanol-gasoline mix that is now standard issue at most fuel pumps as the government seeks to decrease air pollution and reduce America’s reliance on imported petroleum.
E10 means 10 percent ethanol, which is basically corn alcohol. The ubiquitous mix seems to work fine in cars, which burn through a tank in a hurry. But it poses problems in boats, which sit a lot.
Why? As E10 sits, the ethanol and gasoline start to separate. Ethanol goes to the bottom of the tank. If there’s water there, or if water vapor gets in through the vent, the ethanol absorbs it. Before long, you’ve got a clump of watery ethanol at the bottom of the tank, where the fuel pickup is. When you crank up the motor, the crud is sucked into the carburetor or injectors and plugs things up. The next thing you hear is pop, pop, splutter, sigh . . .
That’s not all. Ethanol is a solvent, so when it gets into older fuel systems it can clean out the gunk and varnish that’s accumulated over the years and send it upstream to clog tiny fuel delivery apertures as well. It also breaks down rubber gaskets and can turn old fiberglass tanks to mush.
If you prowl Internet boating and fishing sites or recent marine industry publications, you’ll find millions of words on the perils of E10, and get more advice than you possibly could digest. I’m by nature a disbeliever in these sorts of magazine crises, which frequently turn out to be concocted by some marketing whiz to sell new, expensive products. I prefer to wait and see whether the crisis is real.
This one’s for real. So what to do?
According to Noyes, who deals with E10 problems every day, the most important preventive steps for outboard owners to take are:
¿ Install a water/fuel separating filter between the fuel tank and the engine if one isn’t already in place, and spend the extra dollar or two to get a 10-micron cartridge for the filter, rather than the traditional 30-micron cartridge. The finer cartridge does a better job of removing water and impurities, he said.
¿ Add the manufacturer’s recommended amount of fuel stabilizer to every tank when you fill up, unless you’re going to burn up the tank within a week or so. The two most popular stabilizers are Star Tron and Sta-Bil, both of which Noyes said help keep ethanol from separating, and as a result keep water that gets absorbed in the fuel from accumulating in troublesome concentrations at the bottom of the tank. (And yes, fuel stabilizers are expensive).
“But you must put the stabilizer in when you fuel up,” he said. “It doesn’t do any good to do it afterwards.”
Noyes said engines most severely affected by E10 appear to be two-stroke, fuel-injected outboards, followed by two-stroke, carbureted outboards. Inboard-outboard engines rank third on his hit list, followed by four-stroke outboards and finally by inboards.
Some older inboard-powered boats basically can be put to death by E10. Cabin cruisers and the like built before 1986 may have internal fiberglass fuel tanks that are molded into the hull. E10 eats at the fiberglass and turns it to jelly, and the only way to remove the tanks to replace them with stainless steel, aluminum or modern plastic is to chainsaw through the hull. “That’s why you see a lot of old cabin cruisers rotting away on shore,” Noyes said.
It’s been a hard summer on my small-engine fleet, and E10 is the prime suspect. In September, the old 70-horsepower Evinrude gave up the ghost during a fishing trip to the Bay Bridge. It went with a flourish at full speed, little parts clattering in the combustion chambers before it locked up altogether. Oh well, it was34 years old. . . .
Then the Johnson 25 on the crab boat kept breaking down at speed and refusing to start. After rebuilding the carburetor once, the normal answer to a fuel delivery breakdown, Noyes showed me a little trick — just remove the fuel drain at the bottom of the carburetor and pump fresh fuel through, onto a paper towel. “A lot of the time that’ll push the gunk out and solve the problem,” he said. And it did!
Now it’s November and time to put everything to bed for the winter. What to do to ensure a stress-free first outing next spring? Stabilize the fuel in the recommended amount and leave the tank about halfway full of fresh gas, Noyes said. Fog the motor with fogging oil the usual way, and put a new, 10-micron cartridge in the fuel separator before setting out in the spring.
That’s the plan. But who knows what really works? I read on the Web site Tidalfish.com last week that the worst thing you can do is fill the tanks halfway for the winter.
We’re all working in the dark here, plugging along blind in a world where everything keeps changing.
Boat Engines - Dangers and Precautions Necessary with E10 Ethanol-Blend Gasoline.
Read Summary Only: Precautions Necessary,
To Protect Your Marine Engine from E10 Fuels...
OMC - BRP - Evinrude - Johnson - E-Tec - OMC Cobra -
- Honda - Indmar - Mercury - Yamaha - Nissan - Pleasurecraft - Suzuki...
Many Boat Owners, in recent years, have unknowingly used gas, blended with too high (unsafe) levels of ethanol alcohol. Running on gas with over 10 % alcohol in a marine engine will cause performance problems, and can also cause permanent damage to your marine motor.
Understanding the dangers and effects of alcohol gas, in addition to following all the necessary marine fuel system precautions, is now necessary to avoid any problems with E10 gasoline.
There has been much controversy, misinformation and confusion since the recent (2006) increased distribution of ethanol gasoline in the United States.
Recent marketing gimmicks by some fuel additive product companies, have confused boaters even more. These ads falsely claim their new products can "fix" or repair ethanol water-contaminated fuel...Phase-separated fuel can not be fixed, and it must be discarded.
Even high level, reputable government authorities, have recently published information that conflicts with previous articles and bulletins written years ago on ethanol.
Marine manufacturer fuel recommendations (eg. owners manuals), which in the past, often warned against using alcohol fuels, now document that up to 10 % ethanol in gas is acceptable.
As more people are using E10, the necessary precautions and dangers are becoming more apparent and better documented.
Boaters looking for instant answers and solutions will not find them- But, increased knowledge and following all the necessary precautions can spare you from most of the inconvenience and problems with alcohol gas.
All reputable authorities agree, that running on ethanol alcohol above 10 % will cause motor damage and/or performance issues with gas-powered engines, and it is always unsafe to run on contaminated fuel.
Prevention is your best weapon against ethanol gas.
Ethanol Fuel Background:
E10, Is a gasoline blended with up to 10 % ethanol alcohol and is now in widespread use in the U.S. Ethanol, ethyl alcohol, is made from corn, sugar and other grains.
Alcohol is an excellent cleaner, solvent, anti-freeze and most important, ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning it will absorb large amounts of water.
Government regulations and laws for ethanol fuel use and labeling differ from state-to-state, and are constantly changing. View Ethanol Handbook 2006 State-By-State Laws.
The most serious boat engine problems, resulting from ethanol E10 use, have mainly occurred due to illegal amounts of ethanol (over 10 %) being incorrectly added at the gas station pumps, by the delivery truck drivers..
Since using over 10 % alcohol gas is dangerous, it will invalidate all marine company engine warranties.
Many ethanol problems, reported by boaters appears to be due to their lack of knowledge/information on how to properly manage alcohol fuels.
Many boat engine breakdowns in recent months are directly related to the mismanagement of E10 gas.
Your marine mechanic may not even suspect or test the fuel as a possible cause of breakdowns. Many marine engine repair businesses have flourished as a result of ethanol gas engine damage.
Several older engines can not use any fuels that contains alcohol. Eg. Certain fiberglass tanks, mostly manufactured prior to 1992, will decompose from alcohol.
Fortunately newer outboard engines (past 5 years) have been designed to be more compatible with alcohol fuels.
Reasons Boat Engines Have More Problems with Ethanol Gas:
Boaters, often store gas in tanks longer than recommended for E10 (90 days).
Cars, unlike boats, usually replace fuel every week or two, which will successfully prevent the possibility of water-contamination/phase separation.
Boat engines live in a water environment - Alcohol gas loves to absorb water.
Ethanol E10 gas can absorb large amounts of water into the fuel tank, MTBE in conventional gasoline did not.
Plus, boat engines usually last longer than cars. Still owning and using a marine engine from the 1970's or 1980's is not uncommon. * These older engine parts and tanks were not usually designed or tested to withstand the damaging effects of alcohol gas.
* Several older marine engines (made prior to 1992) have plastic and rubber parts, and fiberglass tanks that are NOT compatible with E10 alcohol fuel.
ethanol fuel and outboards
Protect Your Outboard Engine from Damage Due to Ethanol Blend Fuels
The Outboard Wizard, November 2006
In the spring of 2006, most gasoline refiners switched to ethanol-blended fuels. The reason they switched was to reduce ground water pollution (and cancer causing risk) associated with MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether), the chemical that had been used in the past to oxygenate fuel/gasoline.
Gasoline mixed with 10% ethanol is now in widespread use in most U.S. States that have recently banned MTBE.
While ethanol (alcohol) is safer to the environment than MTBE, recent concerns have been raised by the outboard, boating and marine industry, since high levels of ethanol is known to cause serious damage/problems in most engines and motors. E.G. outboards, airplanes, lawn mowers, farming equipment...
As increased ethanol-blend gas is mandated, we expect outboard motor breakdowns will rise.
Briefly, ethanol's adverse effects to motors include stalling, all types of performance issues, deterioration of engine parts, rusting, clogging of fuel filters and carburetor jets, contamination of the fuel system, release of gunk and sludge throughout the engine and eventually engine death. Boat owners, especially in New York, Connecticut and California, who unknowingly used gas with high levels of ethanol (sold since Spring 2006), have been reporting major engine problems associated with the use of these new ethanol-gas mixtures.
Ethanol has always been banned for use in airplane engines, due to the well-documented problems it will cause. The FAA issued another warning this month against using ethanol-blend gasoline in airplane engines. (November 2006 - See information source # 4 at end of article). The very dangerous effects ethanol fuels have on marine engines is similar (and for the same reasons), known for a long time in the aeronautic and farming industry. The FAA and other agencies bans/exempts use of alcohol-blended fuels on aircraft and farming equipment.
Recent fuel testing revealed that the % of alcohol (ethanol) present at the pump, varies widely. Below 10% ethanol is considered acceptable by most marine engine manufacturers.
Every state differs on their regulation and laws pertaining to ethanol and fuel.
All agree, that ethanol above 10% will cause damage and/or performance/running issues with outboard engines.
ARTICLE for Boaters: Outboard Engine Damage and Precautions,E10 Ethanol-blend Fuels:
Read Article.
Ethanol Information & Updates + Gas Test Kits:
For detailed and up-to-date information on Ethanol Renewable Fuels and Alcohol Fuel Test Kits:
Contact or Visit:
Fuel Testers -Ethanol Fuel Test Kits -Protect your engines from E10 alcohol blend gasolines.
Email:
fueltestkit@yahoo.com Phone: (678) 935-1998
Higher ethanol blend could ruin small engines, makers say - JSOnline
Higher ethanol blend could ruin small engines, makers say
By Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: May. 18, 2009
An effort to raise the 10% limit on ethanol in gasoline has misfired with Wisconsin engine makers Briggs & Stratton Corp., Mercury Marine, and the maker of Evinrude outboard engines.
Testing has not yet shown whether higher levels of the fuel additive are acceptable and safe, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, a Chicago-based trade group, said Monday in a Washington, D.C., news conference.
Increasing the ethanol blend to 15%, currently being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency, could damage or ruin millions of small engines and possibly worsen air pollution, according to the engine manufacturers.
Engine performance and overheating are among the problems, since most boats, lawn mowers and other outdoor power products haven't been designed to run on 15% ethanol.
"As of now, we are finding a lot of issues," said Laura Timm, spokeswoman for Briggs & Stratton, the world's largest manufacturer of small gasoline engines.
Ethanol is a fuel additive made from corn. The EPA is considering raising the maximum allowable amount of ethanol in most motor fuel from the current 10% blend to a 15% blend.
It's a common-sense solution to economic, energy and environmental challenges, according to Growth Energy, an ethanol industry trade group that's petitioned the government for the change.
Savings already
By using 10% ethanol in gasoline, the United States has reduced its need for foreign oil by billions of gallons a year. Raising the blend to 15% would save an additional 7 billion gallons of gasoline a year and would create thousands of jobs at ethanol refineries, according to Growth Energy.
Keeping the ethanol content of blended gas at 10% could be disastrous for ethanol producers, since the limit has placed a ceiling on their markets.
Already, ethanol plants have closed in Wisconsin and other states because of an oversupply of the fuel additive.
"This economic ripple could turn into a tidal wave consuming ethanol producers and (grain) farmers across the country," Growth Energy said in a written statement.
Cars and trucks on the road today can run on higher blends of ethanol without modifications, according to Growth Energy.
But the higher blends could be disastrous for millions of small gasoline engines not designed to run on the fuel.
Unlike vehicles, small engines lack sophisticated fuel systems that compensate for higher amounts of ethanol. As a result, the small engines can overheat, malfunction and be permanently damaged when burning ethanol blends greater than 10%, according to the manufacturers.
The damage would not be covered by many warranties, according to small-engine trade associations.
There is technical and anecdotal evidence that even 10% ethanol blends have damaged boat engines, the National Marine Manufacturers Association said.
Increasing the blend to 15% or more could have catastrophic effects on engines designed, tested and calibrated for fuel containing not more than 10% ethanol, the association said in a written statement.
"We completely and wholeheartedly support their view," said Steve Fleming, spokesman for Mercury Marine, a Fond du Lac-based division of Brunswick Corp.
"We are absolutely positive that not enough tests have been done" on 15% ethanol, Fleming added.
"Our recent experience with a nationwide rollout of E10, a 10% ethanol concentration, leads us to believe there has to be a lot more science and unbiased testing before we can universally accept E15, a 15% ethanol blend," said Margaret Podlich, vice president of government affairs for Boat U.S., the nation's largest recreational boat owners group.
"A few years ago no one thought there would be problems with a 10% ethanol blend, and there were. Boaters got stuck with the tab for the repairs," Podlich added.
Boaters have reported damage to fuel-system parts from ethanol, including rubber hoses, gaskets and fiberglass fuel tanks.
The EPA regulates fuel additives, including ethanol. It has extended a public comment period on the 15% blend proposal until July 20.
The agency might authorize both 10% and 15% blends, although that could create confusion in the marketplace.
"People would put the wrong fuel in their tank, and their engine could be ruined," Fleming said.
Biofuel advocates say the small-engine industry could make products that run on higher blends of ethanol, and it would be better for the environment.
Compatibility costs more
"The concern is the cost of those engines," not the technology, said Josh Morby, executive director of Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance, which represents ethanol producers.
"Certainly we recognize that burning ethanol in engines is different than burning gasoline," Morby said.
The Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit, doesn't favor a higher ethanol blend until tests have proved it's better for the environment.
The higher blend may worsen air pollution, said Craig Cox, the group's Midwest vice president, at the news conference.
"Growth Energy is lobbying for an industry that cannot survive on its own, even after lavish taxpayer-funded subsidies," Cox said. "We really should be focused mostly on improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks. That is a much more effective and rapid way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels."
Ethanol producers say there's no evidence that the fuel additive can damage small engines. But mechanics say it can rust engines, because ethanol attracts water, and it can cause other problems, said Masood Akhtar, president of CleanTech Partners, a Middleton energy consulting firm.
"The use of ethanol fuels in small engines is very controversial. This debate will continue and will get more attention as the government mandates more ethanol to replace petroleum," Akhtar said.
Ethanol Fuel Dangers Marine Engines - GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA
Published: July 15, 2006 11:56 am ShareThis PrintThis
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Ethanol Fuel Dangers Marine Engines
By Dave Sartwell
Gloucester Daily Times
Ethanol fuel additives, required by federal law, are causing a number of problems when used with marine motors. Clogged valves, fuel pumps, filters, tank deterioration, and poor engine performance are some of the reported issues this fuel additive has caused. Other small engines like lawn mowers and chain saws are also being negatively affected. There are some precautions mariners can take to minimize these affects.
Ethanol is a flammable, tasteless, and colorless compound that is a fancy name for grain alcohol. It is a compound that has been made since the beginning of time. In fact, pottery found in China that was dated at least 9000 years old was found to have dried residue of grain alcohol on it. Its chemical symbol is C2H6O; that is, two parts carbon, six parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.
Ethanol can be created by two methods. The first is a petrochemical made by the hydration of ethylene. The much more common way to produce ethanol is biological; fermenting sugars with yeast. To produce alcohol from grains you have to break the starches down to into sugars. The fermentation process allows enzymes to convert these starches to sugar. For fuel ethanol, a more rapid process using diluted sulfuric acid can be used. The end product is an ethanol-water mixture. The water must be removed from the mixture by fractional distillation, but there still remains about our percent of water in the mixture.
This mix is the genesis of some of the ensuing problems of using ethanol in marine applications. Ethanol is a great solvent. The problem is that some of the older style resins used with fiberglass before the 1980's can be broken down by this additive. Often fiberglass fuel tanks were put into the bottom of boats before the top deck was added. Once glassed into place, the only way to remove and replace the gas tank is to rip open the deck. In addition, the glop that this broken down resin becomes can ooze its way into the carburetor and other systems causing all kinds of issues. A thorough review of this problem can be found at boatus.com/seaworthy/fueltest.asp. Those boats with aluminum gas tanks do not have to worry about this problem.
Ethanol attracts water and has the ability to quickly separate water from fuel. This creates layers in a tank and a sort of gel where the water and ethanol meet.
The National Marine Manufacturers has done a lot of research and has reached several conclusions. The old blends of gasoline contained MTBE that when mixed with ethanol produced a black sludge that blocks filters and clogs carburetors. Be sure you do not mix the two gases together. Water is heavier than fuel so it will sink to the bottom of the tank. As we said previously, ethanol is a great solvent. It will clear lines of sludge and it will also accumulate at the bottom of the tank. Unless the tanks are cleaned regularly, this combination will clog up your filters.
Don Johnson, Vice President of product engineering for Pennzoil says that there is a problem if any water gets into the mix. The ethanol will attach to the water and the combination will sink to the bottom of the tank, separating from the gasoline.
When the engine is started it will be operating on only ethanol and water. In fuel systems where oil and fuel are premixed, no lubrication is supplied to the engine. Without lubrication, engine failure will be immediate. In older two-cycle engines that use premixed fuel, the ethanol has a tendency of cleaning the oil off the cylinder walls resulting in wear and overheating.
The newer outboard motors are being calibrated for the ethanol gas, however, older outboards could experience some problems.
Ethanol can reduce the octane numbers by as much as three points. This can result in pinging or poor performance.Be sure to inspect your fuel filters often. When you are running your boat regularly, be sure to keep the tanks full. This will reduce the amount of air flow in and out of the tank with changes in temperature. At the present time there is no practical additive that can correct the separation issue. The only real solution is to keep the water out of the tank to start with. If you are going to put your boat up for any length of time, completely drain the tank. If that is not possible, fill it as full as possible and do whatever is necessary to keep air out of the tank.
Some of the plastic/butyl/composite hoses, o-rings and gaskets that can be found throughout the propulsion system can be affected by the properties of ethanol. Keep a close eye out for any premature deterioration in these items. In addition, clean and/or change fuel filters regularly. In fact, some folks have added a second filter in their systems for protection.
There is no question that we have to wean ourselves off the dependence we have on oil. Brazil, for example, has taken sugar cane and turned it into ethanol. Because they start with sugar cane rather than our political preference for corn, their costs are about 30 percent less than ours. They have manufactured flex-fuel cars that can use either to the point where 20 percent of their transport energy is ethanol. The technology is there, unfortunately in this country the politics are not.
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