Do Ethanol And Outboards Mix?

[numbnuts]

Hey guys just heard on the news that Labor are going to enforce the addition of ethanol to unleaded fuel. Does anyone know if this will do damage to 2-stroke outboards? particularly those with older engines.If so do you think they will pay compensation for siezed-up donks......sorry , stupid question.

[Wastin Time]

I dont think its a stupid question (+ there never is such a thing on this site)

I hadnt thought about that either, thanks for raising it

[Guest rzep]

Just some facts for you in regards to this.

Labour are going to try and implement a mandatory 2% ethanol blend in unleaded fuel.

Is ethanol in petrol bad for your motor?

The subject of ethanol in fuel has generated much discussion and some confusion. Ethanol is an alcohol, the same as in alcoholic drinks, and is often produced by fermenting plant juice containing high levels of sugar. Most ethanol in Australia is produced using wheat as a base.

There have been no confirmed reports of engine damage in motor vehicles as a result of using E10 petrol in Queensland.

E10 is not recommended for use in boats or aircraft.

E10 will increase fuel consumption by around 3%.

So in short it is recommended not to use E10 but I have no idea what the recommendations are going to be on E2.

In regards to the question about compensation there would be no way on God's Earth that Petrol companies or the Goverment would ever admit liability, over a fuel caused problem, and pay up.

[Guest DV8]

I believe one of the problems with Ethanol is that it does not combust completely and one of the bi-products is acetone which is not good for seals etc, not so much a problem with seizing motors. I don't think 3% would make too much difference.

I suppose if you are in doubt use a little more oil. My outbopard mechanic recently instructed me to use 50:1 despite my manual stating that the oil mixture should be 100:1.

davo

[chrisg]

Don't panic Captain Mannering!

I too got wound up about this but here are the facts......

The only ethanol blend for sale will be E10.. 10% ethanol as we see around at the moment.

The 2% figure quoted represents 2% of all petrol sold in NSW must be E10. The idea being more servo's, especially the big boys will have to offer E10 blend to fill this quota. The argument on offer is we will have more choice, competition blah blah blah.

So you will still get untainted unleaed in all forms at your servo.

As for outboards my Johno manual states up to 10 % is acceptable..but to be honest I'm not keen on the idea...our motors have to put up with all sort of crap conditions as it is without deliberatly adding another.

Cheers

Chris

Edited February 14, 2007 by chrisg

[numbnuts]

What they are saying is 2% ethanol increasing gradually to 10%.I use E10 in my car ,thats fine its a good thing but it is a 4-stroke. I just wonder if we have to spend a lot of $$$ to convert our engines seals/ fuel lines etc, or do they want us to invest in new engines (cynic ) Also I reckon we might have the greenies on our backs if our exhausts start leaving behind acetone in the water as well as extra oil in unburned fuel , it would be a shame if trying to be more eco friendly actually made pollution worse.

[njsconst]

I recently went onto the Yamha website, here is what I found straight from the manufacturer.

"Fuels

ETHANOL BLENDED FUELS

OUTBOARDS

Q. Are Yamaha outboards motors, 4 stroke and 2 stroke, designed to operate on Ethanol Blended Fuels.

No, All current and previous models are NOT designed for Ethanol Blended Fuels at any percentage. (ie. E5, 5% and E10, 10%).

If Ethanol Blended Fuels are used you may experience driveability and running problems, fuel component deterioration and damage due to moisture."

So. I don't know about you fellas, but I won't be putting a drop of ethanol through my motor anymore.

Cheers

Nathan

Edited February 14, 2007 by njsconst

[wyldchyld01]

njsconst, I got the same response from talking to yamaha yesterday. was asking about servicing and their warranty, the response is that it doesn't matter to them if you service the outboard yourself or via a mechanic just don't run ethanol fuel as it creates too much water and hence corrosion. Yamaha won't touch a warranty issue if you have been running ethanol apparently.

Yamaha didn't even care if you ran premium unleaded or the standard version, just not ethanol, good to know (I haven't loaded anything but unblended fuel) when you just spent quite a few $$$$ on a new 150hp saltwater 2 series outboard and you want it to last and not void the warranty

Brenton

[chrisg]

hi all

Like I say...for the forseeable future you will always have straight unleaded available at the servo...probably the biggest impact will be a price differential...I would'nt be surprised if unblended fuel carries a few more cents on the price to encourage car users to go E10 thus meeting the quota.

Cheers

Chris

Edited February 14, 2007 by chrisg

[wettingaline]

I dont think it will make much difference if any at all, I have been racing 2 stroke motorbikes since i was 5 and i have run bikes using petrol with ethanol and have had no fuel quality related problems at all, one of my bikes runs straight methanol with no enhancements other than a bigger main jet and expansion chamber. This is on high performance race engines, i dont think youll have a problem with a outboard boat engine, especially with such a low ratio of ethanol. The manafucturers of course have to say dont use it to save there ass, and get out of some more warranty claims.

[TheLender]

I use that new Shell Racing fuel, I think its E5 or E10, and noticed a large difference in performance, notably for the better. The octane rating of that fuel is 100, whereas other non Ethanol premium fuels are 98 Octane.

I was told a by-product of enthanol is water, is that correct?

[Thunder]

The other thing you have to worry about is ethonol is corrosive, especially if they exceed the 10%.

Ethanol is cheaper than petrol and some of the independents get their fuel from wholesalers, who may decide to increase their profits by adding more ethanol.

If you have an old metal fuel tank, it will rust and rust flakes will block your filter.

I have an old ute (1953) and it has a metal fuel tank and metal fuel lines and I was filling it up at the local Volume Plus servo. I was wondering why it wasn't running right. The mechanic did everything, including stripping the carby and couldn't fix the problem.

I decided to change the new fuel filter. When I pulled it off, the whole underneath was full of rust flakes and when I tipped it upside down, hardly any fuel would drain out.

Drained the tank and flushed all of the rust out, blew the lines through and never went back to that servo and the car is still running fine 3 years later.

Cheers

Greg