Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi Everyone...
The Gas thread is getting long, and with so much misinformation out there on fuel, I think it is time to start a new thread covering the main differences in fuels, and why we store our rigs the way we do...
THE MAIN DEBATE: Using 91 octane non-oxygenated fuel -vs- using 87 or higher octane E10 Oxygenated fuel.
Definition: E10 fuel is a fuel blend that contains 10% grain alcohol by volume (corn alcohol or Ethanol, which is where the E is coming from)
Definition: Non-oxygenated fuel is fuel that is NOT blended with any alcohol whatsoever.
BOTH fuels have a huge amount of additives in them which are harmful to an engine's gaskets, hoses, etc. They are not just gasoline and alcohol or gasoline alone. THESE ADDITIVES are what cause the break down of gaskets, hoses, components, etc. when UNSTABILIZED fuel is left in the engine regardless of type.
Benefit of non-oxygenated fuel at 91 octane: It will a) burn smoother in your engine because higher octane is a more stable fuel. b) a very slight increase in HP output due to the absence of alcohol. Alcohol does not produce as much energy output when burned vs pure gasoline.
Benefit of 87 or higher octane E10 fuel: It will a) burn just as well as fuel without alcohol. b) where available, you can run higher octane (MN for example has places that sell 92 octane E10 fuel) so you get the smoother running, more stable burning fuel if you choose. c). The Alcohol in the fuel blend will take care of any minute water molecules in the tank, allowing the fuel to burn cleanly in your engine and exit through exhaust. d). The alcohol in the fuel blend will keep components clean as alcohol is a solvent to fuel based contaminants.
Water intrusion into your system: Here is where the difference between the two types of fuels comes in.
Pure gasoline...the 91 octane that many believe is "THE" fuel to use CANNOT bond with any water, no matter how small the amount of water is. Water has a higher density than pure gasoline, so it settles to the bottom of your tank. This is where water intrusion is a really bad thing for your engine. The fuel pick-up in your tank will be at the lowest point of the tank...right where that water would settle and collect...thus being the first fluid to be forced into your combustion system. THAT is not a good thing.
E10 fuels, on the other hand have that 10% alcohol by volume in it. As many of you have seen in countless threads about E10 fuel....the alcohol will absorb (or better stated) bond with any water molecules up to a certain point of saturation. saturation happens when roughly .64 ounces of water per gallon of water is introduced to the fuel. Up to that point, the alcohol can, and will bond with the water and will essentially keep the water in "suspension" (so to speak) in the fuel itself which allows it to run through the fuel system and right out your exhaust without issue.
To get a better perspective of this... consider many of our boats today have a fuel tank that is around 20 gallons or higher. For a 20 gallon tank filled with E10 fuel, it will hold up to 12.8 ounces of water before the alcohol reaches it's saturation point and then separate from the gasoline itself. 12.8 ounces...that is essentially the size of a can of soda.
If you would...please process this information for a moment on a 20 gallon tank of fuel... up to 12.8 ounces of water at the bottom of your tank when using non-oxygenated fuel.... up to 12.8 ounces of water suspended in fuel that will cleanly pass through your engine with E10 fuel.
Storage of fuel:
Without a doubt, fuel that sits, regardless of 91 octane non-oxygenated or E10 ethanol fuel, both will begin to break down over time when not stabilized. They will do so at different rates. If either are left in your fuel system unstabilized, the break down of the fluids will leave deposits in every component of your fuel system from the tank to the fuel lines, engine components etc, and...due to the caustic nature of many of the additives, begin to break down gaskets, fuel lines, etc. This leads to leaks, clogged ports, and an expensive trip to the service shop to tear down and rebuild your fuel system.
One major difference, though...Alcohol blends will not break down as fast as non-oxygenated fuels so your fuel system is actually SAFER with the alcohol blend in it.
Regardless of what you choose to run in your engine, ALWAYS add a stabilizing agent to your tank if your boat is going to be sitting without use for a few weeks to months. Without it, you are allowing the fuel to break down and allowing those caustic additives to do damage to your components. If you read the label on any of the stabilizers out there (Sea Foam additive, Stabil, etc.) you will see a main component is....ALCOHOL.
Switching over to E10 from Non-oxy fuel
Some will argue that after running non-oxy 91 octane and switching to E10 caused gunk to build up in the engine... THAT is NOT TRUE.....we must consider what is really going on in the system... That gunk that is seen is the gunk that developed from the non-oxygenated fuel. Your system is being CLEANED by the ethanol fuel being used both in the tank, in the lines, in the ports...the entire fuel system. It will clear itself up over time if the contamination is small and your components will stay nice and clean thereafter. If one does switch, he/she should always carry an extra fuel filter as those contaminants will let go at times clogging up your filter. An extra filter keeps you on the water fishing.
In the end...the benefits to E10 Fuel are astounding as compared to non-oxygenated fuels. All engines built today are designed to run on E10 so there is absolutely no reason not to use it. Using 91 octane non-oxygenated fuel is honestly...wasting your own hard earned dollars on something that is NOT giving any benefits over E10 to your engine's fuel system. If anything...the savings you would see on a single tank of fuel (20 gallons) is almost enough to buy a new lure each time you go out fishing...and that lure will last a lot longer than your tank of fuel.
Steve
Edited by VMS 3/28/2019 12:49 PM
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