Damaged engines caused by dissolved gunk from fueling with ethanol-10 (10-percent alcohol) gasoline, clogged filters and dissolving fiberglass fuel tanks leave boaters with serious questions.
With a new engine or boat, you should not have a problem, according to John McKnight of the National Marine Manufacturers Association. He notes that changes in the boating engine industry since the 1980?s surge in international sales (where world-wide fuel options are available) caused the manufacturers to switch to ethanol-proof tanks, filters and fuel lines.
Newer boats fitted with fiberglass fuel tanks made of vinyl ester resins are not damaged by ethanol. Check with your boat manufacturer for details. With an older boat, be prepared to have the fiberglass tank replaced.
With a new or old, but clean, fuel system, there is little danger of mixed gasoline gumming engines, according to American Petroleum Institute downstream associate Patrick Kelly and API?s fuels issues manager Al Mannato. Thus, even though variations of fuels are used in different congested/non-congested areas, mixing them on boat/fishing trips won?t hurt the engine. Kelly notes that it takes years for a sludge buildup on the tank walls to be dissolved by E-10 gas and in turn damage the engine.
That?s good, since different gasoline is used in different areas. It also explains why prices of “conventional” gas (lacking oxygenating and octane-boosting ethanol or MTBE) are cheaper on the eastern shore (Ocean City, for example) than in the Baltimore/D.C. area.
Fuel storage can be a problem. To prevent condensation that can cause engine problems or phase separation of the gas, experts recommend filling tanks 95-percent full and adding a fuel stabilizer. If phase separation does occur with the E-10 gas and excessive water separating, get rid of that tank of gas ? not just the water in the bottom. The water will stop or damage the engine. Remaining gas becomes a low-grade, low-octane gasoline, leading to engine damage or inefficiency.
During the transition phase from an MTBE gas to an E-10 fuel, carry extra fuel filters and change them when they get clogged. This allows you to continue to run your engine while the filter catches the gunk dissolved from the sides of the fuel tank.
Most experts also recommend switching from 20-micron to 10-micron filters to keep more sludge from getting to the engine. However, check with your engine manufacturer first to assure that this does not void warranties or cause fuel starvation.
Once you complete the transition stage and get rid of the tank wall gums, you should be good to go with the E-10 or other gasoline without additional problems.
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally known sportsman and award-winning writer on fishing, hunting and the outdoors, and he has more than 20 books to his credit. He can be reached at [email protected].
