Location: 31 | Brad P - 11/19/2012 3:20 PM
Point of difference: My tank is part of my boat and is only ever opened to get filled. I cannot "add more oil to the tank" my XD100 is in a resevoir and connected via a line to the engine. I do not know if that makes a difference, I'm not an expert. I just used to be ultra paranoid about this since I am not keen on spending $4.25/ gallon for non-oxygenated gasoline. My owners manual specifically says that the engine was designed to use ethanol gas. (not E85 mind you) It also says that older motors were not designed for it, hence the issues above. Once I read that, I slept easier. My guess is that newer motors would take into account newer formulations of gasoline. I suppose time will tell, but I'm going to trust BRP/Evinrude. So far it hasn't been a problem for me.
just for reference: I fish my boat about 60-70 trips a year, mostly on a 14,000 acre body of water, so I'm putting some hours on the motor and burning through a fair amount of gas.
Brad, understanding the problem is the key here and I think this phase separation is a huge concern for us this time of year (yes even for boats approved for Ethanol) . Even if you had a closed system (which you don't), there can be (and normally is) water in the gas you are pumping into your tank and when stored for the winter... phase separation is possible and that in turn could ruin your power head. Like I said, it's that last tank of gas that matters most and not so much the gas you are running threw it in the summer... especially with the amount of hours you're putting on the boat.
The reason I know you don't have a closed system is because all boats have an air vent... 100% prohibited from having a pressurized fuel system like a car. If a boat did have a pressurized fuel system, and it failed, fuel could collect in the bilge and cause a dangerous situation. Therefore, all of our boats have a fuel delivery system that has an open air vent. The air vent allows for the movement of air in and out of the tank when fueling and also for expansion of the fuel when the temperature warms up. When pressure builds on boats it is released through the tank’s vent, and it is open to moist outside air, so condensation is at least possible for some of us and filling the tank is recommended by most.
Heck, try googling ethanol/phase separation and see how many pages of independent research you come up with... I did it because I'm the guy who had to replace the three power heads. If I never had a problem I probably wouldn't worry about it too much either but running ethanol free gas the last couple of trips and then topping the tank off and treating the gas is a no brainer for me.
I'm not saying the sky is falling, just advising people to be aware of this and do a little of their own research so they can make an informed decision.
Edited by Jerry Newman 11/19/2012 11:56 PM
|
