grrrr Ethanol!!
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Category: General Correct Craft Discussion
Forum Name: Off Topic
Forum Discription: Anything non-Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19693
Printed Date: January-10-2025 at 8:49pm
Topic: grrrr Ethanol!!
Posted By: bhectus
Subject: grrrr Ethanol!!
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 1:49pm
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It's killing me! My 6-month old pressure washer is now dead and I have to rebuild the carb. My generator had to do the same with. Anyone else having issues? It sure is keeping the repair shops in business. ------------- '02 Ski Nautique 196 w/ 5.7 Apex bowtie - Sold '87 Barefoot - sold '97 Super Sport Nautique - originally custom built for Walt Meloon '97 Ski Nautique '83 SN 2001 |
Replies:
Posted By: JoeinNY
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 2:14pm
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My uncle has had everything he owns under 50 hp basically clog up and die on him this year.. I gave him back his old 20 hp two stroke that he dropped off in my old motor graveyard last year after he bought a fancy new 4 stroke 15 mercury.. when it died this year and he brought it back for warranty service the guy without looking at it told him that it was ethanol related.. and it would be about 3 months to get it fixed as he had pretty much half the motors he sold the previous season out back waiting to be fixed everyone due to damage from ethanol. My uncle was hot.. then a couple weeks later the tractor died... then the lawnmower... then the generator... near as I can figure twas the ethanol and what it did to the glue holding together the fuel water seperator element that made me rebuild two carbs for the 83 this year. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1477 - 1983 Ski Nautique 2001 1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5MkcBXBBs - Holeshot Video |
Posted By: Okie Boarder
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 2:21pm
| Since we don't have a lot of choice with ethanol, is it best to put a treatment in the gas? I do this in the boat, but what about lawnmower, trimmer, blower, etc. IOW all motors? |
Posted By: Fl Inboards
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 2:34pm
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http://www.valvtect.com ------------- Hobby Boats can be expensive when the hobbyist is limited on their own skill and expertise. 1993 Shamrock "fat" 20. 2008 Nautique 196 5.0 |
Posted By: Riley
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 2:35pm
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After having a problem with one of our boats, I use Startron in everything and have not had another problem. I think you can get away without using it in a new engine that has never run non ethonal. Also using something everyday seems to be ok as well as long as your not storing a lot of gas in the tank. ------------- |
Posted By: SN206
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 4:40pm
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We still have several stations that sale ethonal free gas. The '09 as never seen ethonal fortunately, but all the small engines and the truck get ethonal treatment additions and have never had a problem. ------------- ...those who have fallen and those who will. |
Posted By: Bri892001
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 5:34pm
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I ran my boat with the Startron all season, and it seemed to run well.
I also bought about about 80% of my gas from the local marina which sells the valvtect pre-treated marine fuel mentioned above. I was also running through a lot of gas this season, so it didn't have a lot of time to sit and go bad. The two stroke outboards (maybe all 2 strokes) seem to kind of be the canaries in the coal mine as far as the ethanol gas goes. My uncle has a 50hp Envinrude 2 stroke pontoon boat. His performance experience went from terrible to really good when the marina started using the valvtect marine fuel. He didn't make any other changes. Startron advertises their same stuff, that they advertise for boats, in Cycleworld. They claim it's good for motorcycles as well. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 5:54pm
Maybe we here in the midwest are sending all our bad ethanol east!
I have mentioned it before but I have not had a single problem that I can relate to ethanol. Maybe so far I've just been lucky. I do run premium in all my small equipment. I have just switched over to using the Marine/ethanol formular of Stabil. I do not run anything in my boats on a day to day basis. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 11:05pm
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They still sell straight gas in Iowa - where the ethanol comes from - go figure. ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: October-08-2010 at 11:34pm
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Same here Pete.I even have gas left in the Cub I use to plow snow.I still think it's where you buy it. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: harddock
Date Posted: October-09-2010 at 12:04am
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I was a big fan of Sta Bil until finding out the Star Tron did a better job. With the smaller stuff I have also had good luck shutting off the supply and running the engine out of gas. The jury is still out on storing with full or little gas in the tank. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=4487" rel="nofollow - 1998 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: OverMyHead
Date Posted: October-09-2010 at 1:55am
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My lawn boy has an all plastic carb. lasted about three years on ethanol. Since rebuilding I pay the extra 60cent per gallon for the good stuff. I also run non ethanol in the boat. ------------- For thousands of years men have felt the irresistible urge to go to sea, and many of them died. Things got better after they invented boats. 1987 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: JHadji
Date Posted: October-10-2010 at 4:58pm
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I've had luck with Marvel's Mystery Oil in the gas. Started having trouble, mostly on the low end, about 2-yrs ago when the last local gas station holdout went on this ethanol boondoggle.
Still not perfect, but it was the best of the magic elixirs sampled this summer (not tried Starton yet). ------------- 1988SkiNautique2001 |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: October-10-2010 at 6:34pm
John, Marvel is a top cylinder lubricant and really not designed to go after ethanol problems. About the only thing it may do is help keep the carb internals clean. Your problem may not be ethanol related. Remember, I have had zero issues with everything that runs on gas! What did you do when the problem came up? BTW, I am a firm believer in Marvel but not to treat bad gas. It as well as Seafoam are the only two "snake Oils" I would ever us. Marvel is my preferred fogging oil for lay up. My little 4 cyl. in my Atom had been rebuilt and then stored while I finished the boat. Even though it was fogged, when started it had some stuck valves. It's a common problem with a flat head due to the position the valves are in. Marveled the gas and oil and within a couple minutes, no more stuck valves! ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
JHadji wrote:Posted By: Whitfield
Date Posted: October-11-2010 at 7:41am
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There seems to be a difference with the east coast ethenol blend fuel and the mid west ethenol blend fuel. The stuff here absorbs water like a sponge. All of my fuel tanks with open vent systems (non automotive / small engine and boat) suffer from bad fuel. I know we have high humidity levels thru the summer months ~ I often wonder if that could be adding to the issues. ------------- Michael .... I'm the black sheep ~ 1984 Dixie 299 Super Skier (350 Chev PCM / counter rotation / Velvet drive) Open Bow. |
Posted By: SN206
Date Posted: October-11-2010 at 8:43am
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I bought a John Deere push mower which came with a 2oz reservoir under the cap that is filled with some sort of additive that they ask that you replace when empty. Seems to work so far. I run high octane racing fuel in the dirt bikes and will use the same mix in the weed eater. Never have had a problem as there is no ethenal in it, and of coarse the weed eater straight hauls ass, but I often wonder if I'm bout to melt the SOB down!
------------- ...those who have fallen and those who will. |
Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: October-11-2010 at 10:37am
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My Honda lawnmower starts on the first pull every time, since purchased in 2005. Zero engine service of any kind required. I always run Sta-Bil in the lawnmower gas since I only re-fill the jug a couple times per year. ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Posted By: harddock
Date Posted: October-11-2010 at 4:20pm
Sounds similar to the clean idle new Ford diesels where yo add pig urine every 10,000 miles ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=4487" rel="nofollow - 1998 Ski Nautique |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: October-11-2010 at 4:42pm
I wouldn't expect any thing less Joel.I went and started this bad boy up Saturday on 1st kick,so I could change the oil.Has gas and stabil in it since I last started it this spring. I wonder if it is an area thing. We do have a higher standard than the rest of the state since we are lumped into Chicago and am sure if we havn't already changed to our winter blend, we will soon.  ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: Jones
Date Posted: October-11-2010 at 9:04pm
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I didn't believe my mechanic who, for two years was preaching how bad ethanol was for marine engines. Then, just this year, I decided to run through a full tank and fill up with non-ethanol. What a difference! It ran considerably smoother with more power and no more hard starts with a warm engine. But, the most noticeable difference was the engine ran about 5 degrees cooler at WOT. If I can help it, I'll never use ethanol in anything again. ------------- 1979 Ski Nautique (sold) 1997 Ski Nautique 1998 Super Sport Nautique |
Posted By: JHadji
Date Posted: October-12-2010 at 1:46am
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PBr - she was purring like a kitten until the E10 switch, but maybe it was something else? I tried Chevron-Techron to clean it out and changed the fuel filter. Then I tried to richen up the carb setting with mixed results. Was out at Raystown Lake for a week (no ethanol) and it was back to normal, but the first tank at home and it was sputter-city. Finally, my fatherinlaw told me about MMO smoothing out his 69-John Deer. Son of a gun, it stopped stalling with the first tank. Beats me? ------------- 1988SkiNautique2001 |
Posted By: Bri892001
Date Posted: October-14-2010 at 12:59pm
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There's been some talk of raising the ethanol blend from 10% to 15%. Luckily, so far it looks like it's getting squashed for the time being. It wouldn't even been good for cars made before 2006 or so. That's all we'd need as boaters!
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101013-711447.html - WSJ Ethanol Article |