ethanol-free fuel

[Megunticook]

I have a 2008 Yamaha F4 4-stroke, which normally runs great, but I seem to be having issues where fuel is going bad in the carb. where it's exposed to air/moisture. Seems to happen even with fresh gas that has fuel stabilizer added to it (I use the Yamaha stuff). I had totally cleaned the carb. in May before launching, and yesterday I took it apart because of some rough idling issues and it had what appeared to be oxidized fuel "goop" in it.

The only local non-ethanol fuel I've been able to find is aviation gas at a nearby airstrip (100LL). Anybody try this stuff?

[Sea Hunt Video]

Not sure where you are located. I am in Miami and I finally got ethanol free gas at a local marina. They charged more but ...........

You can also try: https://www.pure-gas.org/

I am not sure how up to date their listings are but ...........

[lrak]

Have you tried cutting the gas (turning off the petcock if an internal tank or disconnecting the hose if an external tank), giving it 1/4 choke, and letting it run out of gas every time you aren't going to use it in the next day? Shouldn't hurt a carbureted 4-stroke and should leave a lot less gas in the carb to turn into "goop".

[sgbernd]

The NAPA store locally sells "Tru Fuel" for both 4 stroke and pre-mix 2 stroke. It is very expensive ($21 / gal). I use the 2 stroke for the lawn equipment and recommend it. I've not yet tried the 4 stroke stuff but intend to for the final trip of the season before I put it to bed for the winter.


Steve Bernd

[Jim Walsh]

I have a Honda 2.3 on my dinghy. I use TruFuel exclusively. The added expense is well worth the peace of mind to have an outboard which runs perfectly at all times. Ethanol destroys gaskets and seals in carburetors. Dependability in a small outboard is invaluable in my opinion.

[John Stone]

The NAPA store locally sells "Tru Fuel" for both 4 stroke and pre-mix 2 stroke. It is very expensive ($21 / gal). I use the 2 stroke for the lawn equipment and recommend it. I've not yet tried the 4 stroke stuff but intend to for the final trip of the season before I put it to bed for the winter.


Steve Bernd

$21 a gallon? That's a typo right?

We can buy ethonol free gas here in NC which we run in all our engines other than automobiles. I have friend in Maryland. "No can do GI" for him. What a ridiculous burden the government has placed on people with the whole ethanol issue.

[Megunticook]

Well, I ended up running out to the airstrip and getting some aviation gas. Quick test and it seems to run fine. I bought 5g ($5.50/gal) which should last me through the rest of the season.

One thing I found out after the fact is aviation gas has lead. Apparently will foul plugs and not great to breath or spew out in the environment. But I suppose 5 gallons isn't going to amount to much in the grand scheme of things. Still, I probably won't go back to the airport.

The stuff has less odor than regular gas, and apparently has an incredible shelf life. Some people swear by it.

I found out today that a marina on a nearby island, about a 2-hour sail away, carries ethanol-free 93 octane gas. That sounds like a better bet and next year I'll definitely go that route. I'm through with ethanol fuel, too many headaches.

By the way, I did try the trick of running the carb dry after each use. I quickly found that the small amount of residual gas in the carb bowl oxidized even faster than when the bowl is kept full--I had to disassemble and clean the carb. after just a couple weeks with fresh gas that had stabilizer in it. Pretty remarkable how quickly the stuff turns to goo. Maybe the gas here in Maine is especially awful.

I don't mind cleaning out my carb. once a year at the end of the season, but I'm really not enjoying the mid-season maintenance. Rather be out sailing!

[s2sailorlis]

Are you sure it’s the gas? From what I read you stated it ran fine before, but you rebuilt it in May and is now problematic? Assume you did a complete carb rebuild using a Carb Dip/soak, used a rebuild kit, etc?

I’ve read newer carbs have smaller orifices that are harder to clean, etc.

I’ve got a 24 year old 2 stroke. At end of use I disconnect fuel and run til she dies. I could drain the carb too but that’s too much of a bother. Starts on 2nd pull practically every time.

[Ken Textor]

I've been using 100LL av-gas from the local airstrip (Wiscasset, ME) for three years now and the stuff is great. I use it both in my 4-stroke, 6 hp Tohatsu and all of my 2-stroke garden power equipment (chain saw, splitter, generator, etc) and have had NO issues with it. I do have big issues with this nonsensical E-10 formulation (soon to become E-15), which is a complete political bunch of BS. But that's not an appropriate discussion for this forum, so I just encourage everyone to try to find eth-free gas wherever you are. Any search engine can take you to various web sites that track eth-free gas retailers, usually for far less than than the canned stuff for $21. Somewhere around $5/gal is what I usually pay. For peace of mind, it's worth every penny. Fair winds to you, Ken

[Megunticook]

Are you sure it’s the gas?

A picture's worth a thousand words. This is my carb. when I disassembled it the other day for inspection/cleaning:



To be fair, it's possible that sludge was residual fuel from last year in the fuel lines. I drain the whole system each fall, but maybe I missed some.

In any case I'm hoping I won't be seeing that garbage any more, period.

[SAIL1]

see my post dated 3/27/17 for carborator cleaning treatment....worked great for approx 14yrs...motor was running like a top when I sold the boat...

[Megunticook]

I've been using 100LL av-gas from the local airstrip (Wiscasset, ME) for three years now and the stuff is great.

I keep hearing versions of this. Do you add stabilizer? How long does it keep? I've read pilots online who say it will last years.

Any lead fouling of spark plugs? Small airplane mechanics seem to deal with this regularly.

I'm all in favor of the EPA taking reasonable steps to reduce air pollution, but it's pretty clear Corporate Ag. lobbying is largely behind the ethanol regs. Huge revenue stream for corn product (and small-engine mechanics!).

Interesting how much less odor the avgas has compared to regular gasoline.

[lrak]

Be careful with 100LL, especially around kids. While 100LL AV gas has lower lead than 100/130 AV gas, it still has far higher lead content than leaded land/boat gas used to have. There were some very good reasons leaded land/boat gas was discontinued. IQ levels have risen after leaded gas was phased out - https://jalopnik.com/our-iqs-are-six-po ... ng-5968523. Violent crime increased decades after TEL was introduced in gasoline and dropped decades after TEL was removed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethy ... rime_rates. Studies (eg https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569701/) have shown people living near general aviation airports have higher levels of lead in their blood. If all that is true, I imagine sitting in front of an outboard going downwind for hours isn't particularly good for any of us, especially kids.

I think the healthier solution is to force yourself to use the boat every week.

[Capt. Fritter]

Rec 90 is the fuel of choice for outboards here in the Florida Keys. Available at nearly every fuel dock on the water and some land fuel stations like Valero. It's about $1 more than regular ethanol fuel and a must for outboard use. The real problem we have here is a lot of fuel stations don't properly filter their fuel and there is a lot of issues with water in the fuel, hence a water strainer is a necessity.
Or do like me and get rid of the infernal combustion engine completely.

[Megunticook]

Be careful with 100LL, especially around kids. While 100LL AV gas has lower lead than 100/130 AV gas, it still has far higher lead content than leaded land/boat gas used to have.

Agreed, if I'd known about the lead I wouldn't have filled up my 5g can. I've found a source for unleaded ethanol free gasoline at a nearby marina, so will switch over to that as soon as this can is empty.