2005 C-dory 25 Gas tank question

JamesTXSD":1m390alq said:
...The gas and diesel you buy nowadays contains at about 10% ethanol, or more, and is called “E-10”. ....


.... It’s caused by an excessive amount of air in the fuel mixture that gets there from four sources of oxygenation, the octane and ethanol in the fuel, regular air supplied by the motor, and from the tiny air pockets left behind as ethanol evaporates and permeates....
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Can someone with a science background explain this to me? When the fuel or ethonal evaporates it escapes into the air. But fuel injected outboards have a sealed system from the Vapor tank to the injectors. So I don't beleive the ethanol can evaporate from inside the engine. And any residue in the combustion chamber that might evaporate would be replaced by atmospheric air.

So I'm not sure what the writer is talking about. I've heard of this "three prime" before, but it doesn't make any sense to me, or the techs in our shop. And when at Yamaha school they asked about this new priming procedure, only to get blank stares from the instructors.

If this is a recomended procedure by a manufacturer, I'd sure like to see it in writing. Unfortunately, the writer provide no sources for his information, and while much of it is accurate, it seems a bit extreme in some areas, based on what I know. However, I know that some areas of the country are having greater ethanol problems than we are (which seems hard to believe!).
 
I find that it is cheaper to buy 100 % (zero ethanol) gasoline, than to fool with the additives (which may not work) and problems caused by ethanol. Certainly Ethanol is a great solvent--and hydrophilic, (so especially in old tanks, it will cause material which has been deposited in the tank to be taken into solution--and be deposited in carburetors, as the gas/ethanol evaporates.

Many marinas have pure gasoline, and there are many and based stations which carry pure gasoline. I bought 15 gallons 4 days ago, and it was $405 a gallon.

Startron advertises that it eliminates ethanol fuel problems. SeaFoam also claims to eliminate and address the problems of Ethanol. Stabil Ethanol treatment also has a long white paper on gasoline, and a number of pages on ethanol. They make the statement that it is rare to have increased fuel tank corrosion with ethanol. (one of the problems with boats is that we just don't use much fuel--the fuel sits there, and thru condensation, there is more water picked up, into the gasoline/ethanol.

So--if I have to use ethanol fuel--then I do add at least one of the additives from above. Also unless you can drain the fuel system completely, then it probably is better to run the engine every week, and move fresh gas and ethanol/etc into the carburetor/injector into a regular basis
 
Hi Matt,

Look for a PM - I sent you Bill's e-mail address. Over the years, his staff has done the service work on our boat whenever we're home. He definitely has strong opinions, but I've gotten good advice and good service from him.

For Matt and everyone: when I post one of Bill's articles, it is with his permission. I only do so when I feel it pertains to something we're discussing here. His articles are published weekly in the Coastal Current Weekly, a paper in south Texas. Not that it matters, but I used to do some editing/writing for the Coastal Current, and Bill's articles rarely needed any editing. He is well-spoken, and writes mostly for the fishing (and boat buying) crowd in south Texas.

That said, the content of the article is his, not mine. Like all unsolicited advice, take what works for you.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Hey Jim-

I hope you didn't think I was being disparaging. I recognized that you wree just forwarding information, and I think it's good to hear the experiences of the guys working in the shops. Especially to hear what guys are seeing in different geographic regions.

Keep in mind my questions are because I don't turn wrenches for a living- it's just better for all concerned that way. :shock:
 
Matt Gurnsey":2tg5ojtj said:
Hey Jim-

I hope you didn't think I was being disparaging. I recognized that you wree just forwarding information, and I think it's good to hear the experiences of the guys working in the shops. Especially to hear what guys are seeing in different geographic regions.

Keep in mind my questions are because I don't turn wrenches for a living- it's just better for all concerned that way. :shock:
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No issue, Matt. I appreciate your input and participation here; it's the great mix of personalities and experience that make this site such a good resource. Bill and his staff have helped me take good care of our boat, but it is still my responsibility to give/get the boat what I feel she needs. I do try to pass on some of his suggestions/opinions, with the caveat that others should still decide for themselves. Just to clarify one thing, the quote attributed to me a few posts above was actually an excerpt from the article written by Bill Gagon... it's not my "soapbox."

There is no doubt that ethanol IS a problem for boaters. The sticky part of that situation is that those of us who own boats are the ones left to deal with the problems after the EPA and lawmakers have mandated untested paths.

We should all understand that it is not the fault of the manufacturers or dealers as these new problems come up - they all want to make/sell products that will give us good service. That auto industry is less impacted by the problems, since their products generally don't sit unused for periods of time, like boats. Nor do they have to be operated in the water environment. It makes us boaters a small part of the "collateral damage" that those who have given us ethanol don't have to deal with.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
David, If you do end up pulling the floor and replacing the tank, please take some pics of the connections and under floor space for reference in the future. Those are some pics I would have liked to see and understand at times and I don't think they are readily available.

Greg
 
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