TOPIC: fuel additives,kinda contradicting...last sentence

Ethanol myths

MYTH: fuel additives can cure or prevent all issues from ethanol-blended fuel.

TRUTH: there is no practical additive that can prevent phase separation from occurring. The only practical solution is to keep water from accumulating in the tank in the first place. In addition to using high-quality fuel additives, you should purchase quality fuel from trusted sources, check fuel filters and fuel tanks periodically for sediment and water, and keep up with manufacturer-recommended preventative maintenance schedules.

MYTH: Fuel additives can make phase-separated fuel (that has separated into layers of water and low-octane gas) usable.

TRUTH: “Bad” fuel should be completely removed and replaced with fresh fuel. Nothing can rejuvenate old fuel. To prevent fuel from going bad, most manufacturers recommend high-quality fuel additives to prevent sediment, gum and varnish buildup that forms when fuel goes bad, control moisture, help prevent phase separation and prevent fuel system corrosion.

MYTH: Ethanol-blended fuels are bad and should be avoided.

TRUTH: Ethanol blended fuels (E10) are common throughout much of the United States. After the transition period from non-ethanol fuel, E10 may actually be a superior marine fuel, as it tends to keep low levels of water moving through the fuel system, keeping the system “dry”. For over a decade, marine engines have been engineered to handle E10 gasoline. However, all types of fuels should be treated if they won’t be used in a few weeks.

Source for this discussion?

TRUTH: Ethanol fuels are an admitted scam, AlGore himself said they started this scam to curry favor with the corn farmers. It is NOT "Carbon-Friendly" and in fact it takes far more energy to produce than what you get back in fuel value.

TRUTH: Regardless of the newer designs, ethanol and all the additives needed to keep it mixed with gasoline eat up fuel systems in all manner of small engines and outboards. I have seen more than my share of corroded carburetors and melted fuel lines due to this stuff.

Down at Dr. Frankenmerc's shop a few weeks ago, I saw the results of "ethanol resistant" fuel line after years of running alcohol fuels thru them; loads of white deposits between the crumbled/melted plastic inner liner, and the rest of the fuel hose. Only cost $5.00 a foot to replace the line!!!

Best defense is (if at all possible) find a source of non-ethanol fuel. All my garden tools and any outboards run on non-ethanol and I have no carburetor problems. I always use a stabilizer. Briggs and Stratton makes a fuel stabilizer that is rated for 3 years at the proper dosage. I left one of my weedeaters out all winter and forgot to drain the tank. I refilled & it started right up and ran great.

A few years ago I worked on a 2006 Yamaha 4-stroke 15hp that was clean enough to eat off of. The inside of the carb was white with corrosion products.

Another customer had a 2008 Suzuki 8hp and had carb problems within 2 years. I don't think he was draining the carb, though.

Last year it wouldn't idle and when I took the carb down, it was all gunked up. The bottom of the float bowl was corroded so badly that I couldn't even find the passage for the enrichening circuit. Told him it needed a new float bowl 'cause I wasn't about to go on a drilling expedition to find the passage. Also told him to start using Sta-Bil Marine or some other kind of stabilizer, at least it'd help cut down on the corrosion due to waterlogged fuel.

Granted these problems are more slanted towards poor maint practices, but you must admit that we didn't have near these problems before ethanol was mandated.

Imagine the BILLIONS of dollars spent on fuel system repairs, and in the case of most small power equipment, thrown away 'cause it cost too much to fix.

Imagine the countless extra gallons of fuel burnt because of the lesser BTU's of alcohol.

My Nissan pu dropped about 3mpg hiway when WA State went to mandated ethanol useage. When I found a local Cenex station selling non-ethanol fuel a few years ago, I switched back. MPG went back up (close to 30 on the hiway, '98 Frontier 2WD 2.4). The truck ran much better, no more lean-surging, smoother, more power. Well worth the few extra pennies per gallon over corn-squeezins!

Far as I'm concerned the stuff should be BANNED (or at minimum remove ALL tax subsidies and then see what happens to the market), and then we can go back to growing corn crops that we can EAT!

IMHO...........ed

i was lookin for ethanol resistant fuel line and ran across this on the west marine web site.

Ed is right on the money (as usual) on this Ron, even the "ethanol resistant" stuff eventually disintegrates with this crap! The stuff is absolutely EVIL on older equipment and should be avoided at all costs if possible IMHO.