white powder on fuel pump nipple

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jul 20, 2011
125
1974 Macgregor 22 SoCal - dry storage
I'm in the process of cleaning my carb. (4 stroke 6 hp tohatsu), when I removed the fuel hose from the fuel pump, I found a lot of white powder on the fuel pump nipple, like the kind you'd find on car battery terminals. Does this indicate any problem? Anything I can put on it to keep this from developing? thanks.
 

Attachments

Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
i would recommend using clear gas... stay away from the ethanol gas that you find at the filling stations.....
the ethanol gas will absorb more water from the atmosphere and can then cause corrosion and deposits inside your fuel system, which is what you are seeing.
you can use the marine stabil with the ethanol gas, which will help, but it will be most effective when used with the clear gas.

an argument can be made that the clear gas is too expensive to use, but when you start replacing parts on your engine and need to have the carb/fuel system cleaned yearly, or the engine quits on you out in some remote spot on the water because of the ethanol gas, the clear gas starts looking like a fairly affordable alternative.
its all i have used in my outboards, quads and chain saws for years and it has been proven that it is cheaper in the long run.... and they always start right up even if they have been setting for 6 or 8 months.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
maybe a dumb question, but what's clear gas and where to get it?
clear gas is pure gasoline without unnecessary additives.... and no ethanol.
you can call the gas/oil jobbers in your area to see who carries it.... or ask the ATV shops or speed shops, they know where to get the stuff.....
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
maybe a dumb question, but what's clear gas and where to get it?
I recall back in the day when Amoco had "white gas", but I don't think they have it any longer. Aviation gas is what you want, and should be able to get it at the airport that has the small planes..
 
May 27, 2012
1,152
Oday 222 Beaver Lake, Arkansas
It looks like corrosion of the nipple from the hose being in contact over it. The nipple was likely anodized but the coating has broken down. The question is where else is there corrosion? It might be a good idea to disassemble the pump, and drop the bowl on the carb. If its corroding on that nipple it could be doing so elsewhere. Easier to deal with now, than out in the middle of nowhere.

It is true that our fuels have more alcohol, and that will increase the speed of corrosion in the fuel system, but rather than running "white gas", which is Coleman fuel/stove gas, I think your referring to ethanol free fuel. Or add some additives to the fuel like Stabil. Aviation fuel is over $5 gallon most places, kind of overkill IMO.
 
Aug 16, 2006
281
Ericson 32 Oregon coast
I like to use Marvel Mystery Oil in my marine gasoline

engines. MMO is one of the few additives that veteran mechanics don't object to. It's oily properties and other features help give it corrosion prevention properties. If you use MMO do not exceed the recommended ratio. As for the clear gas there are a few places that carry it. Off road vehicle shops will or will know where to get it.
 
Oct 26, 2005
2,057
- - Satellite Beach, FL.
I saw white stuff like that on the pump nipple of a friends Merc. The hose had been leaking (air in) and I think the residue was from ethanol gas evaporating at the spot.
Had those crappy wire hose clamps and the inline filter had trash in it from the inside of the old fuel line breaking down, inside (also from the ethanol). I think that since it had a hard time pulling fuel through the filter, the pump caused this leak.
It had finally to the point that he couldn't start the motor.
I went to ethanol free gas in my OBs and lawn mower and was lucky to have a station down the street. Someone here had shared this link to stations in the US and Canada: http://pure-gas.org/
 
Aug 16, 2006
281
Ericson 32 Oregon coast
There is a difference between automotive hose clamps

and marine grade hose clamps. Automotive clamps are stainless steel but of a lower grade of stainless than marine grade. Marine clamps are more corrosion resistant. Fuel hose is also different. By law and for your safety fuel hoses must be U.S. Coast Guard approved and are more survivable in the event of a fire.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
but rather than running "white gas", which is Coleman fuel/stove gas, I think your referring to ethanol free fuel. Or add some additives to the fuel like Stabil. Aviation fuel is over $5 gallon most places, kind of overkill IMO.
its all the exact same stuff, just marketed differently.... it will all work interchangeably. :D
 
May 27, 2012
1,152
Oday 222 Beaver Lake, Arkansas
White gas, also called stove gas, has been around for almost 100 years and was never "gasoline", but is in fact Naphtha. Older Coleman stoves and lanterns had very clear warnings not to use gasoline, and to get rid of confusion (and make money) they came up with Coleman fuel. the "dual fuel" Coleman lanterns that are able to use unleaded fuel is a more recent change. Older Coleman lanterns were never designed to use it, and it can be very dangerous to do so. Coleman stoves were never, and AFAIK never have been designed to burn gasoline.

Today, many are calling unleaded gasoline white gas, if its undyed. But the results could be interesting, if not dangerous, using it in old stoves and lanterns that call for white gas. Naphtha isn't gasoline, and vice versa. If you think clear unleaded fuel is white gas, PLEASE, dont ever put any in a Coleman stove, use Naphtha or Coleman fuel.

Back in the 1940's during the war, when the US was rationing gasoline, Dad said you could buy stove gas (Naphtha). The cars would run on it, but even with some of the lower compression engines it could burn them up if you used it long term. He also said you could run kerosene if you could start them on gasoline first, but if they didnt have low enough compression or weren't timed right, they wouldn't run long.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
White gas, also called stove gas, has been around for almost 100 years and was never "gasoline", but is in fact Naphtha. Older Coleman stoves and lanterns had very clear warnings not to use gasoline, and to get rid of confusion (and make money) they came up with Coleman fuel. the "dual fuel" Coleman lanterns that are able to use unleaded fuel is a more recent change. Older Coleman lanterns were never designed to use it, and it can be very dangerous to do so. Coleman stoves were never, and AFAIK never have been designed to burn gasoline.

Today, many are calling unleaded gasoline white gas, if its undyed. But the results could be interesting, if not dangerous, using it in old stoves and lanterns that call for white gas. Naphtha isn't gasoline, and vice versa. If you think clear unleaded fuel is white gas, PLEASE, dont ever put any in a Coleman stove, use Naphtha or Coleman fuel.

Back in the 1940's during the war, when the US was rationing gasoline, Dad said you could buy stove gas (Naphtha). The cars would run on it, but even with some of the lower compression engines it could burn them up if you used it long term. He also said you could run kerosene if you could start them on gasoline first, but if they didnt have low enough compression or weren't timed right, they wouldn't run long.
I wont argue when there could be an unknown safety issue, but I know for a fact we have been using the clear gas in our coleman stoves and lanterns for years without any problems....
you are correct that naphtha and gasoline are different, but the differences between clear gas and naphtha are so slight in the application that we are referring to here, that it really doenst make much difference which product you use. clear gas is cheaper either way...
 
May 27, 2012
1,152
Oday 222 Beaver Lake, Arkansas
Using the same name for two totally different chemicals is a very, very bad idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleman_fuel

Older Coleman stoves and lanterns have seals that can be melted by chemicals in gasoline, which is why they stated (if the decal isn't gone) not to use gasoline on the older single fuel lanterns and stoves. But some of the real old lanterns clearly say to use white gas, by which they meant Naphtha.

Having a stove or lantern start leaking gasoline, or spraying it from a pressurized tank, while aboard a boat, could be interesting to say the least.

Guess we better ask when someone says white gas, what kind of gas they are referring to.
 
May 27, 2012
1,152
Oday 222 Beaver Lake, Arkansas
I wont argue when there could be an unknown safety issue, but I know for a fact we have been using the clear gas in our coleman stoves and lanterns for years without any problems.... ...
Coleman started making dual fuels in the late 80's or early 90's, so perhaps you have a newer model and its not an issue?

Its not so much whether or not you have something that tolerates the wrong fuel, so much as what people are calling the wrong fuel. It would be like people suddenly referring to diesel fuel as kerosene and then you see someone pouring diesel into a kerosene heater, or putting gasoline in a wick type kerosene lantern because someone called it lamp fuel.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.