Some Boat Owners With Gunky Motors Sing Ethanol Blues

Wall Street Journal ^ | September 2, 2006 | Robert Tomsho

[ryan71]

Boat engines are not typically operated as often as car engines. Perhaps the left over ethanol fuel in the boat engine sits for extended periods of time and hardens like cholesterol in your arteries?

Over time the build up becomes greater and greater until it restricts fuel flow, injectors, and coolant flow.

[TheBattman]

Fiberglass fuel tanks? Every major boat manufacturer I know uses metal or plastic, particularly bassboat makers. Aluminum is the primary metal used, and I don't know of any reaction of ethanol and aluminum.

Gasoline (without ethanol) eaths fiberglass as well -just look at the gas-full cap area of a boat owned by a lazy-slob owner. They slop gas all over the top rail and side - and you can tell, as that often shows the first signs of damage from the fuel (and this has been going on for decades, even before ethanol blended fuels). Gasoline eats or damages MANY surfaces with or without alcohols.

[RJS1950]

ALL gas is sold with an ethanol blend.

Where do you get that idea? The problem is that the ethanol blend usually is a few cents cheaper, so the boat owners buy that instead of the non-alcohol blends. They should know better. I use alcohol blends in my vehicles with absolutely no problems, I use non-alcohol blends in my mowers and for my small engine implements. This has been common knowledge for a long time.

[mtbopfuyn]

EPA theory: "It works in cars. Who gives a flip about the rich in their luxury yachts!"

Certainly not a yacht, but our little tootle around the lake boat has a Volvo engine.

[Cagey]

"It's now been documented that ethanol blends eat away at the fiberglass fuel tanks found in many older boats - and cause a nasty "gunk" that fouls and destroys the engines"

---

That seems to be precisely the problem I've been reading about. And, many not so older boats have fiberglass fuel tanks. It's been a big topic of discussion on boating forums and in boating magazines.

This forum has plenty of threads about ethanol in marine fuel tanks.

The Hull Truth:
http://www.thehulltruth.com/category-view.asp

[SoldierDad]

"Ethanol has been blended with gasoline in many markets for over 20 years."

Ethanol blended gasoline was being sold in North Dakota during the 1980's. My vehicle then did not run very well and fuel economy plummeted due to the use of ethanol.

Now in California, we don't find very many stations which sell gasoline without the ethanol blend. It replaced the earlier additive which wreaked havoc with the ecology of the state. since they added ethanol, my fuel economy here took a dive as well. Great stuff that ethanol.

On another note, my 8 horse 2 cyle mercury outboard doesn't seem to have a big problem with ethanol. The exhaust does ooze out a sludge after use, but the engine runs fine as long as I change the plugs often. I should upgrade to a four stroke so I don't polute my favorite lakes.

[Kozak]

Look in some areas of the country, like Hawaii, Minnesota, Idaho and Wisconsin ALL that we can buy is ethanol blend, and it ain't cheaper.

[kinoxi]

Thanks for the link. I'm feeling a bit too lazy to search through 55,000+ threads right know though. I had assumed there would be a more direct source of information,specifically from the manufacturers of disintegrating products.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Well, so far, the 10% ethanol gasoline being used in the mower when I mow my mom's lawn hasn't caused any problems.

[ASOC]

When E fuel hit Ak, we got the horror stores of ruined engines, etc.

Alcohol is a solvent. Alcohol is an oxidizer - which is why they put it in the fuel. In older vehicles, adding alcohol will dissolve all the 'crud' built up in the tank and send it down the fuel line with predictable results. I don't know what effect it may have on the carb bits.

Once the sheet metal tank is nice and clean, the oxidizer part starts to have fun with the old tank.

Solution? An in-line filter changed very often.
As for the rusted out tank, alcohol is also anhydrous so can cause problems that way as well. I believe in Brazil, car are equipped with Stainless Steel tanks.

[Still Thinking]

Tough to do if that's all the marina sells. Guess you could truck in all your own fuel from auto stations, but what a pain in the boat.

[Kozak]

I used ethanol blend in my 78 Rabbit and it was a nightmare. Completely fouled the engine. Maybe thats not an issue with newer cars, but I would like to have a choice of not using ethanol.

[Cagey]

Well, there's always Google and their search engine.

I found this in a couple of clicks.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=488180

You may be able to do the same using a search with name of a particular boat manufacturer too.

[kinoxi]

You may be able to do the same using a search with name of a particular boat manufacturer too.

Gee really? Can I? I assumed you had appropriate info, anyone can google.

[Slump Tester]

I don't think it's the ethanol that is causing the problems - it's the low octane #'s. Couldn't they raise the octane and still use the ethanol?

[Cagey]

Almost anyone. Lazy people apparently can't.

Try reading that article. You might learn something. Then again,since you are so lazy you could get someone to read it to you.

You sure use that word "assume" an awful lot. That explains almost everything.

[kinoxi]

check of Milwaukee-area boat dealers didn't reveal problems with fiberglass gas tanks. But the issue might be under-reported

From your link.

[kinoxi]

Did you ruin an engine from this?

[Cagey]

Nope. I have a 2005 boat and engine. No fuel issues for me at all but it is worth reading about what's going on as far as I'm concerned.

I thought you were serious about getting more information and that's why I linked you to the forum and article.

Boat U.S. has had a handful of articles and many members are claiming they are having problems using ethanol blended gasoline.


You aren't a soy bean farmer, are you?

[sphinx]

This is a good example of what's wrong with trying to force exotic fuels into the existing infrastructure

It's not an "exotic" fuel; its a different fuel and has to be used appropriately. All cars on the road today can run a 10% blend. Apparently marine engine manufacturers aren't as far along. It's an easy enough change to make, but owners need to pay attention to what they're doing during the phase-in.

One of the issues with biodiesel, for example, is that it has a detergent effect. It helps clean the engine and keep it clean. This is a nifty thing in a new vehicle, but it can be a problem in an older truck engine with 500,000 miles of gunk in it. I don't know if ethanol in older engines has a similar effect.