Help Get Control Of Ethanol
- Thread starter kloudie1
- Start date
Your right... my bad. I was looking at the straight chain carbon list but the alcohol on the end of the chain of butanol adds "hydrogen bonding" and lowers the volatility a lot.
ooops
We have Ethanol free gas available near most of our local boat ramps. This is what I use for my old Evinrude on the dinghy.
I just signed. Bought a Lehr propane for the dinghy in 2014. No problems since. My 2003 Yamaha 4hp 4 stroke was a good engine until ethanol. We don't use the dinghy much, even when cruising, and that may have been the primary reason it stayed gummed up. No problem with the Lehr. I do an air bleed, pull the cord and we are running after sitting weeks.
I'm with Jerry. One less fuel to have aboard. I split the Propane between the outboard and the grill. No problems yet. Just change the lower unit lube occasionally and check for water in lower unit at the same time. You do have to open the cover to bleed the air. It is the only down side I have found.
Thinwater; you did some real yeoman's work with that fuel corrosion testing and gasoline management and treatment research (Practical-Sailor) . I bought a new fuel tank capable of obtaining a good seal, implemented recommended fuel treatments and have had no problems in the two years since. In hindsight I realize that my fuel management practices were out-dated and the source of my problem. Anyone who is managing their vessel gasoline fuels like they did "in the good old days" is going to have a problem. Adapt.
We've tried to close the vents on the external tanks on the pontoon boat. Had a problem with fuel being forced out of the tanks as the fuel heated during the day.
Is there some type of value that will prevent this and still keep the moisture out?
We're currently pulling the tanks off the pontoon after every use and storing them in the boathouse with the vents open. This along with a fuel additive have solved our fuel problems, but it's a pain to always have to pull the tanks.
Randy, time for some new fuel line snap connectors...or all new hose assemblies. Better yet, disconnect fuel lines when not in use. And if you read Thinwater, you need to keep that tank closed all the time when not used. I once left my fuel lines connected to my outboard and the pressurized fuel filled my outboard cylinders and oil sump with fuel. Disconnect when not in use, and stow.
Have you considered covering them to keep the sun off? They will also last longer.
A valid point, perhaps. E10 does have a higher vapor pressure. However...
- The float valve in the carb must be defective.
- Installing a cut-off valve would be much easier.
- Covering them to keep the sun off should solve the problem. You can't leave the tank in the blazing sun.
Vapor pressure indeed, the dink tank takes on the look of a mis-shaped beach ball. I don't have a suitable space for storing the tank other than in the dink, but it is easy enough to take the fuel hose off and store it aboard. I thought about painting the tank white or silver but at this point my plan is to simply replace the tank every 5 years.
The tanks are the red plastic type and we were disconnecting the hose connection to the motor. With the vent closed fuel was still being forced out the connector. I suppose the connector could be bad, but we have 2 tanks and both are doing the same thing. We'll probably just continue to store the tanks in the boathouse between use. Thanks for the ideas.