Ethanol in Marine Engines.

[bullet1w]

It has become very difficult if not impossible to find gas that doesn't have 10% Ethanol in it. It is less efficient and I am afraid it will damage my precious engines (Cars, my Epic and my souped up moped not to mention my lawn mower) . Does anyone have any experience using Marine Formula STA-BIL or similar products? 

[shocker]

I've never been able to get premium without 10% ethanol and I bought my Epic21 new in 99.  So far have not had any fuel related problems that I know of.

As for Stabil - it is supposed to help prevent acids from forming in gas that is going to sit for awhile.  I've used it and not had any bad effects - so long as you mix it in the tank in the recommended amount.

Which leads to what not to do - several years after I bought my boat, the dealer recommended putting some in the water seperator filter straight and then running the engine as part of winterization (I do all my own work).  Wrong.  What I experienced was that it would foul the plugs - permanently!  I did that a couple of years in a row before I figured out what was going on.  At $10 a plug that was an expensive lesson.

[PSullivan3]

I have been putting Lucas oil in the tank every time I get gas, my neighbor and I fueled up same time at the same gas station he had problems bucking and stalling I had no problems I swear by Lucas now.

[Rambling Wreck]

Ethanol is now federally mandated so I don't know how to avoid it. A few days ago I had trouble starting my E21 for the FIRST TIME EVER. Starting and running issues have been such a non-issue that I had already pushed away from the dock before trying to start the engine. I thought I was going to have to swim for a moment. I assumed it was plugs (hadn't installed the plugs I recently bought yet) so this is first on my list for next weekend. Since ethanol will attracct water into the fuel system, I figured we would perhaps have to change the water separator more often. I now do it as part of my spring routine after running the boat for about 30 minutes to trap any water that may have accumulated over winter. Is hard starting a sign of water in the fuel?

[westtx]

We still have ethanol-free fuel west of Houston, but Stabil does have a version out now for marine engines running ethanol. I run regular Stabil through every tank and have had no issues with the Stabil itself. 0 water in the separator when I winterized last year

[Lakeside]

Outside of the EPA mandate zone, I've noticed that it is getting hard to find 87 octane without ethanol, but 93 octane is available ethanol-free in Wisconsin.

[epic_toy]

I've always done my own maintenance but have never messed with the water separator. Don't recall it being mentioned in the winterizing procedures? Where is it, what should/should not be coming out of it, and what exactly are you guys doing? Or do you mean fuel filter?

Thanks!

[sailtl]

Fuel  Filter Replacement (PDF) located in the maintenance section under "Owner Created Maintenance & Upgrade Documents"
Fuel filter/water separator

[Boosted2.0]

10% Ethanol is fine in an Epic as long as its a high octane fuel. E85 is to be avoided however - its bad mojo.

The BEST fuel you can run is 93 Octane top teir fuel (Chevron, Texaco, Shell, BP) - Top teir fuels meet higher standards for refining impurities and adding detergents.

Stabil is also fine - I have used it in all kinds of applications (Generators, Epic, cars, etc) with good results. I would reccomend Stabil to anyone winterizing their boat.

[bullet1w]

Does everyone use 93 Octane?  I run top tier gas but I don't always run premium.  I haven't noticed a major performance difference.

[sailtl]

I run 93 at times but mainly 92. I don't notice any difference between 92 and 93.

[bullet1w]

As I suspected,  Ethanol is going to cause problems if you don't take preventative measures

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/nov/22/gas-pains-southwest-florida-boaters-say-ethanol-ha/

[sailtl]

http://www.epicmarine.com/forum4/epic-forum/ethanol-info/

Our Epic 21 has had ethanol run through it since I bought the boat 10-15% ethanol. I have NOT had any adverse problems. Our engines should be able to run some ethanol.

[bullet1w]

My main concern now is the fuel thats in the tank now for 3-4 months.  The ethanol will break down and form deposits that will harm the engine.  I put in fuel stabilizer but, after my research, I am planning on emptying my tank.  I will also be buying a 10 micron  fuel filter for next summer.  Call me paranoid but I don't think anyone knows the extent of damage that ethanol can cause.

[bullet1w]

Ok so my solution was to fill the tank up as usual and add startron. http://mystarbrite.com/startron/
I also found a compatible 10 micron fuel filter for the quicksilver 35-802893Q.  Its the Sierra 18-7945.

http://www.iboats.com/Sierra_18_7945_Fuel_Water_Separating_Fuel_Filter/dm/view_id.345448

 I ordered it but have not installed it yet.  Call me paranoid but I think a $10 bottle of startron and a finer filter is cheap insurance.

A few good links to keep you busy since you're not on the water

http://www.mvshipyard.com/boating-news.shtml

http://parts-evinrude.com/boat_ethanol_danger_precaution.html

http://www.richardsmarineservice.com/ETHANOLE10INFORMATION.html