NEWS HEADLINES and RECOMMENDED READING:
BRP Evinrude Ethanol Bulletin March 29th, 2007:
Marine Outboard Driveability Effects of 10 and 20 % Ethanol on Engines: Marine Manufacturer Fuel Recommendations, 2003
Study by Orbital Engine Company February 2003. View online or Email Fuel-Testers for a PDF copy.
Marine Manufacturer Fuel Recommendations:
Herman & Associates, 2003. View online at ethanolrfa.org or Email Fuel-Testers for a PDF copy.
Fuel-Testers, a division of MLR Solutions www.fueltestkit.com - Copyright 2006-2008 - All Rights Reserved.
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Marine - Boat Engine Problems
with Ethanol E10 Use
CORN FUELS...
Portable, reusable Fuel Test Kits protect marine engines by checking the ethanol/alcohol content of fuel, now used in most public gas pumps.
Be cautious when using E10 (ethanol/alcohol blend fuels)
in marine and boat engines...
Ethanol alcohol is a solvent, degreaser, cleanser, antifreeze and most problematic is ethanol's "hygroscopic" properties.
Hygroscopic means ethanol attracts and absorbs water.
Ethanol fuels, (E10 and E85), rapidly absorb 50 times more water, than non-alcohol gas.
The higher the alcohol content, the greater the problems you will encounter with alcohol-blend fuels.
-Alcohol fuels are not suitable for marine engine use...
Unfortunately due to recent state and federal laws, you may have no other alternative, than to purchase E10 (alcohol containing) gas at public gas stations.
Extra precautions are necessary when using fuels containing alcohol in boat engines.
Contact Fuel-Testers for advice on your engine model and
follow general precautions listed below.
Also see marine engine owner recommended reading and news at bottom of webpage.
Marine fuel system and gasoline rules have changed;
Since switching to alcohol oxygenated fuels.
Damage from ethanol's amazing water absorbing qualities is seen most often in the boating industry -
Engines that exist in water environments require extra care and monitoring.
Boats love water but boat engines do not. Boaters increase their risks even further, because they tend to store fuel in their boat gas tanks much longer than in their automobiles. Fuel systems of cars also tend to have better seals, (EG. tightly closed gas caps).
Boat engines also are most used during the most humid (summer) months. Moisture from humid air can also be absorbed into an unsealed fuel system.
Fuel Testers recommends testing gasoline for alcohol at the pumps before buying.
Alcohol Fuel Test Kits will assure gas contains 10 % or less ethanol.
Outboard & Marine Engine Precautions
Marine engines require special precautions to prevent water contamination from alcohol fuels. Active fuel management is now required to protect marine engines from adverse effects of alcohol and to prevent water from entering fuel system.
Precautions:
- The most effective precaution you can take with alcohol blend fuels (E10 and E85) is to make sure you only run your engine on clean, new, fresh fuel.
We recommend re-filling fuel tank every 1-3 weeks, when using ethanol blend fuels, to avoid excess water absorption.
In 100 or less, the alcohol composition of gasoline will absorb enough water to cause contamination, under ideal conditions, low humidity, sealed system, etc.
In reality, marine engines usually experience contaminated fuel much sooner - Remember, the 100 day maximum shelf-life is from date ethanol added, not the date you purchased the gasoline.
When E10 fuel experiences water conatamination octane will decrease up to 3 points, sometimes referred to as "lean fuel".
- Maintain a sealed fuel tank, and avoid gas tank and fuel lines from unnecessarily coming in contact with water.
- Keep engine parts well lubricated to decrease the drying effects on engine parts, especially plastic and rubber parts.
- Frequently check gasoline for Water Contamination (WC) and Phase Separation (PS)-
- Properly discard any fuel that appears to have gone bad. Resist the temptation to use bad gas in other gas-powered equipment.
- Keep your engine tuned and follow the manufacturers recommended maintenance schedule.
- For extra protection, buy gasoline with a higher octane to be certain that you will always be running your engine on the minimum octane necessary for good performance.
When PS and WC occurs, octane can drop as much as 3 points in the fuel you're engines running on. Gasoline oxygenated with MTBE did not have this problem, since it did not absorb water. While some may disagree, unless you're 100% certain your fuel is good, I firmly believe a higher octane prevents the sudden onset of performance issues, in the event the gas suddenly enters a phase separated state when traveling in ocean/lakes/waterways.
- Most newer engines (past 5-10 years) are designed to tolerate 10% or lower alcohol in gasoline.
- Older engines, manufactured prior to about 1998, will experience more problems and dangers with E10 fuels.
- Older engines usually do not have a factory installed water separating filter - Check your filters and install the best available, (10-12 mm).
Ethanol's Water Absorbing Qualities
- 10% ethanol gasoline is hygroscopic (will absorb water) and can absorb 50 times more water than conventional non-alcohol gasoline.
- Phase separation occurs in E10 gas, when only 0.5% water or 3.8 teaspoons water per gallon of fuel is absorbed.
At 70 degrees Fahrenheit, conventional (non-alcohol) gasoline can dissolve up to 150 parts per million (ppm) water.
The situation is different for gasoline oxygenated with 10 % volume ethanol...
The ethanol blend can dissolve much more water, up to 6000-7000 ppm.
When this blend is cooled, both the water and some of the ethanol become insoluble.
Phase Separation
With the process of phase separation, two layers of liquid are visible.
An upper ethanol-deficient gasoline layer and a lower ethanol-rich (up to 75% ethanol) water layer.
It occurs because ethanol is completely soluble in water but only marginally soluble in hydrocarbons...
After phase separation, the gasoline layer will have a lower octane number. The fuel also is less volatile.
Shelf Life
Ethanol fuel expires in 90-100 days. At around 100 days, under ideal conditions (mid-temperature and low humidity), ethanol blend fuels will enter phase separation (contaminated gas).
When using E10 ethanol alcohol fuels, special precautions are necessary with marine engines,
because:
- E10 and E85 ethanol blend fuels have an affinity to absorb amazing amounts of water, very quickly, compared to conventional non-alcohol gasoline.
- Ethanol alcohol is a great solvent and cleaner, that can dissolve engine parts (rubber, plastic, aluminum, and certain fiberglass tanks), dry out hoses, remove lubrication, and more.
- Engine seals and hoses shrink, swell, or lose strength when exposed to ethanol reformulated gasoline.
- Water is actually dissolved in an ethanol blended fuel and phase separation occurs much sooner. With MTBE, ETBE, lead and other chemicals used in the past to oxygenated gasoline, this did not happen
- The shelf life of ethanol blend fuels is much lower due to it's water-absorbing and corrosive qualities. Replacing gasoline every 2 to 4 weeks is usually recommended with E10. 90 days is the maximum shelf-life recommended.
- The amount of ethanol blended in at the pumps, is not closely monitored. Checking gasoline meets safe and legal alcohol guidelines (10% or lower), seems necessary now, until more stringent and protective laws are passed.
With the knowledge on how ethanol behaves a few necessary precautions and careful monitoring, you should have no problem using E10 gasoline in most gas-powered engines.
.....................................................................................
Ethanol E10 Use in Marine Engines
Check your STATE ETHANOL LABELING LAWS
Do you know how much alcohol is added to the gas you purchase?
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