Gas???

[guff]

Would like some opinions. I have a 1989 55hp Yamaha 2cycle. Which would you think better? Use ethanol gas (easier to find) with an additive (stabil, etc) or use non-ethanol gas (harder to find)? Is one MUCH better for the motor than the other or are they about even? Thanks in advance.

[bandrus1]

always use non if you can find it

[Black Swan]

With a 1989 the ethanol will ruin the fuel lines.

[skiptrophy02]

There was a couple recent reports of 91 octane non ethanol available at Fast Track stations in Rochester, Ovid, and Ithaca. All Fast Track stations are supposed to start having it available.

[steelfire]

Non ethanol all the way. My kicker runs like its brand new and it's 16 years old.

[jimski2]

I use 89 octane in portable sealed vent tanks. Things are fine after a couple years now.

[ Post made via Android ]

You can get by fine with 89 octane gasoline and no Stabil if you close the vent on your portable tanks and disconnect your fuel line when you lay your boat up after using it.

Permanent boat tanks have an open ventilation system which allows the tranfer of atmosphere with high waterfront moisture content into your fuel tank with the daily temperature changes and expansion and contraction of the fuel contained. Also the alcohol in the tank evaporates quickly into the atmosphere and is lost to the environment.

I failed to open my vent once and the engine lugged down, when I noticed the plastic tank shrank to half its original size. It popped back up when I opened the vent valve and is fine. My 1991 Evinrude is still going strong after 21 years of heavy service annually. My permanent tank sits in my garage now.

[slapshot716]

NOCO 91 octane / Non-ethanol is all we use.

[BullGator]

Get the fuel at the local marina. It is non-ethanol and has lead based additives to protect valves, reeds, etc. Use it all year, throw some sta-bil in on the last trip, and you will be fine for many years.

[salmonite]

Not to change topic but can I add a fuel water separator any where on fuel line? Where does a oil injected two stroke mix? In the engine somewhere or before? Sorry if this a dumb question

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[hermit]

Get the fuel at the local marina. It is non-ethanol and has lead based additives to protect valves, reeds, etc. Use it all year, throw some sta-bil in on the last trip, and you will be fine for many years.

Really? They're still allowed to use lead additives? That's not too cool if so, organic lead compounds like that are the worst.

Anyway after an Ithaca station finally got E0 and I switched over my '85 2 stroke is running twice as nice as it did on the E10 junk. Ahhh the sound of a smooth idle, it's much happier now. Hope they keep it around.

And I'm also interested in a separator, seems like every time I dump my tank I find a little water in the bottom. Hasn't caused problems yet but I'm sure it would if I ran the tank down near empty.

[john1947]

tmight pay a dime more but save about heres a big extra few no about ,you got alot better gas mileage.I bet mine is aroud 20 to 25 % better using the 91 octane at fasttrack.

[rolmops]

I have run 87 octane ethanol gas in my 1986 75 horse merc for the last 5 years without ever a spot of trouble.

If you trailer your boat you do not have the problem of a very humid environment. The hoses on your engine and the fuel lines from the tank to the engine are probably all alcohol resistant (A standard since 1992). if not, replace them(you should anyway). There are some rules for using ethanol containing gas. Always make sure that your tank is full (fuel up at the end of a trip) so there is no room for humid air in your tank. Also,every third tank dump some sea foam fuel stabilizer in your tank. It will stabilize the fuel,clean out your carburetors/injectors and it will remove carbon build up.

All of this worked for me like a dream,but I have a metal 20 gallon tank. If you have a fiber glass tank (in some older boats),the alcohol may dissolve the seams and it will loosen up all the dirt in your tank.

If you have six gallon tanks you can freely use ethanol containing fuel,just make sure not to let fuel sit in your tank for long times

[Xxx]

I have been reading alot about this Sea Foam lately, so I dumped a can in my 2000 expidition w/5.4 and I don't think much about miricals in a can but that stuff really works!!!I got great fuel mileage and it idles like a new one with greater throttle responce. that stuff really does WORK I'm going to use it in my 350 mercruiser for shure, for that she is really OPEC. friendly (loves her fuel)

[kingslamon22]

dump that sea foam right down your vacume brake booster hose with the engine running. 3/4 can. the other 1/4 can dump down into the gas tank. have somebody kill the engine as soon as the seafoam can is empty. let the engine sit for 5 mins then restart. its gunna start hard and you wanna see a smoke show. cleans all the carbon from your exhaust valves. youll get better compression and torque. for a boat right down the carburetor is fine. if you dont get a smoke show, you did it wrong(didnt dump fast enough). as for ethanol fuel with addatives, the additives can clog fuel filters and really they are not good. non ethanol only in boats. eventually you will have trouble. if you use ethanol fuel and additives, you will eventually notice discolored filters and fill spouts and deposits in the gas tank itself. to not use ethanol plus additives regulaly, only in a pinch. if you do run ethanol plus addatives and havnt had trouble, quickly run that tank till almost empty, add a spot of K100, then a full tank of 91 non E, run your engine. from then on, try to run only non E. ethanol wont hurt in your daily driver vehicle just a can of sea foam every 15 thousand miles and keep your tank full whene stored for over a week and you should have no problems there. additives on a regular basis are bad bad!! non E fuel will get you better milage in older vehicles though. ive seen alot of corn sitting in the bottom of fuel tanks lately, with or withought additives in boats. boats do not run on corn. period. addatives cannot turn corn into propellant.

[Chas0218]

The only thing you have to worry about with ethanol fuel is the alcohol eating your fuel lines and float bowls. If you re-build the carbs with a ethanol approved kit (which most replacement kits are) you will be fine. This stuff about fuel absorbing moisture is bull honky and has been proven (simple google search.) Ethanol is bad for vehicles that were not designed for it because the components in the fuel system not its chemical properties.

[Chas0218]

Get the fuel at the local marina. It is non-ethanol and has lead based additives to protect valves, reeds, etc. Use it all year, throw some sta-bil in on the last trip, and you will be fine for many years.

Really? They're still allowed to use lead additives? That's not too cool if so, organic lead compounds like that are the worst.

Anyway after an Ithaca station finally got E0 and I switched over my '85 2 stroke is running twice as nice as it did on the E10 junk. Ahhh the sound of a smooth idle, it's much happier now. Hope they keep it around.

And I'm also interested in a separator, seems like every time I dump my tank I find a little water in the bottom. Hasn't caused problems yet but I'm sure it would if I ran the tank down near empty.

What 2 stroke engine are you running lead in? There are no valves in a 2 stroke engine and it only applies to the non hardened seats in a cylinder head. They have had hardened seats for the past 40 years.

You can run the separator any where in the fuel line as long as you don't install inside the motor cover.

Also I would recommend running larger fuel line to compensate for the restriction of the separator (does not apply to I/O or Inboards).

[kingslamon22]

the alchahol actually turns into water. its nasty stuff. looks like liquid corn. additives do what they say they do but have there own effects especially with prolonged use. water attacking additives dont work but k-100 does. prolonged use of k-100 will stain your boat with exhaust soot and you can smell it in the exhaust and it burns your eyes. that would get old after a day of trolling like that. dry gas is only a type of alchahol so it too will revert back to water after a length of time. water will rust and corrode and plug fuel systems wherever it sits even if the boat runs for a years, if your gas sits, youll have those problems. in order to use E10 in anything is use a fuel catalyst and circulate the contents of the fuel tank every 18-25 days. if your fuel sits for longer than that, water will form. maybe ethanol does not absorm moisture from the air but moisture condenses on the inside of the tank and rolls into the gas but the alchahol will bond with it. the petrolium gasoline wont, speeding the process of phase separation. there you have it, youve been warned. you do as you please with ethanol.

[Xxx]

I just wanted to say that ever since I added that Sea Foam to my Expidition 5.4 I always burned $80. a week in gas for the work week now it used $60. this week and gas is $3.95 a gallon now it was cheaper when it cost me $80. a week. Don't take a rocket scientist to figure out it improves gas mileage, It says something about adding it to your oil also, but I'm a little leary about that, But those who have fuel problems this SH-T WORKS By the way what are you guys paying for high test non Ethnol fuel in NY. state in PA. near Allentown PA it's $4.60 a gallon OUCH