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I just read BigC's post on needing help with his 60 hp Merc. If ethanol eats the inside of the primer bulb and fuel lines isn't Sta-Bil or Seafoam supposed to correct the ethanol problem? My friend Josh just had the EXACT problem and replaced the line and bulb and it runs fine. He uses Sta-Bil religiously and I use Seafoam; is one better than the other?:confused:
Actually what is ruining the non alcohol resistant fuel lines is the acohol....ethanol is alcolhol.....Now to complicate things more....Seafoam has Isopropal alcolhol in it. Seafoam is a good cleaner.....the problem with alcolhol is it absorbs moisture(water).....Marine stabil will help with the moisture(water) problem. What I do is use Marine Stabil to stabilze my fuel and help with the ethanol problem ( absorbing moisture).....I only use Sea Foam if I think I need to clean something out like carbs or fuel injectors ( depending on the motor). They are both good products. I have alcohol resistant fuel lines and also a water separator filter....been using ethanol gas and Marine stabil for over 5 years now and have had no problems.
I run seafoam and my brother runs marine sta bil. I can't tell you if one is better than the other. Replace fuel line.
But you've only gone fishing 3 times in five years, G........... geez.........Quote:
Originally Posted by "G"
Thats where you are wrong. I could not begin to tell you how many times that boat has been in the water. I also have more miles on my boat trailer than some people have on their cars. Now, the catching fish part has not been all that great and I will admit that, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by C N
YEAH!!!! You tell her G!!!!
Speaking of.. Aren't you due a new boat today?Quote:
Originally Posted by "G"
The way I see it...you have ethanol problems when it sits in the tank and lines. I run my boat enough that I have to fill it with gas every couple days. I have been using ethanol gas with no additives for 4 years, with no problems.
Devil Iconme wrong???????? bwhaaaaaaahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Devil IconQuote:
Originally Posted by "G"
You are right feelay, the shelf life of gasoline now is about 90 days.Quote:
Originally Posted by feelay
Sounds like a good enough excuse for me to take the boat out this weekend!
Jackieb, seafoam or marine stabil do not protect against the ethanol. Only the moisture the ethanol creates. The new hoses should help the problem, and like Feelay says running it so it doesn't sit helps more than anything.
Thank you all for your input, I appreciate it!
What I got out of all that is...........you need to be fishin more!!!!
ThursdayQuote:
Originally Posted by EmptyStringer
I disagree with all of you. Mo Money is in fact a Mo-tard.
But aside from that, I use Sea Foam, or have been. Think I've got 4 can in the truck and run at approx 1/2 ounce to the gallon for every outboard I've ever owned...even pre-ethanol. I agree SeaFoam helps to conteract the water in the fuel, as does the fuel/water seperating filter...that said, I run it for it's cleaning properties to keep as much carbon build up away from my cylinders as possible, which leads to sticking rings which leads to doing a Triton, sans the fire, the doink on the head but with block failure instead of leaking fuel lines. I don't fish near the amount that Feelay does and it's not uncommon for the boat to sit for 2 week or 3 week periods and on occassion a month....come to think of it, think it sat from Nov 10, until Feb 1 this year so that'd be about 10 weeks and I have not had injector issues yet with the ethanol fuel.
All that said...I agree with G in that I think the Stabil is probably more effective at anti-ethanol issues, but SeaFoam is more effective at cleaning the fuel delivery and combustion system.
One other kicker...SeaFoam is approaching $10 a can now at Wal-Mart, although I've seen it cheaper around. If it keeps on this pricing curve, I'll be switching to the G method of Stabil and occassional Sea Foam when my supply is used up.
Wannabe...
Good post WB, thank you for your insight.
Wait...am I about to get punched in the candies or something? With your reply.....it's like I'm waiting for the pie in the face. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by jackb
Wannabe...
and it won't be chocolate either!!!!
No, I was being serious. I appreciate you folks taking the time to answer. I've always used the Seafoam, just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing for my sled. HOWEVER (and you knew this was coming) a pie in the mug would be hysterical!:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wannabe...
G, what are the details on your filter/separator?
There we go. Thanks, I feel much better and I can let go of holding my candies, which makes typing much more easy.
Wannabe...
Racor Maj. Racor. The rest are cheap imitations.
Wannabe...
Just a water separator filter with a screw on cartridge filter ( looks like oil filter) anyway its a fine micron filter and it will let the gas thru but not the water. It installs it the line from the tank to the motor. I just change the filter cartridge once a year.
We have a water separator filter as well. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by "G"
What I use to combat the carbon build up and ring sticking issues is to do as Yamaha reccomends and I mix 1 oz. of Ring Free ( mfd. by Yamaha) in every 10 gallons of gas.
Ring free is good stuff G. Can't remember the Merc equivelent, but it's good too. You know it's good too, cause it costs twice as much as Sea Foam so I'm sure it works twice as hard. :)
Wannabe...
Actually the powerheads on some of the Mercs are made by Tohatsu and some are made by Yamaha. The Yamaha product Ring Free can be used in any of them. Its good stuff....13 bucks a bottle but the bottle goes a long way mixing only one ounce per 10 gal as reccomended ......do not exceed this mix either....mix it exact.
Ringfree works great even on small engines.
Here is a pic of my fuel hose that is 2 years old. Used mostly xon gas with 10% ethanol. Ran bp part time till they started carrying blended gas too. Say what you want, this stuff is bad for older equipment. Just wait till the 15% stuff hits. It won't be good!Attachment 57660
My boat sets about 6 months a year and I run seafoam with every tank, no problems. Hunting starts in sept and doesnt end until march.
Three on your side did a piece on e-fuel today. First thing they talked about was how busy the boat mechanics were. Wouldn't be surprised if Tman's experience was related.I'm telling ya, my hoses and bulb looked new on the outside. What tipped me about the hose was that it seemed to a little flat in a bend close to the tank. Last year I had a leak on my primer bulb, cut it open and it looked like the hose, shreaded. Feel like all the new stuff can stand the alcohol and you can get a $50 hose that will hold up but you have to get the fittings too. I still have a lot of rubber hose under the hood that needs to be replaced.
There's another product on the market that I started using and it is suppose to be real good but I'm having a senior moment. Maybe Maj. can tell us.
Star Tron.
I knew you would come thru. This is what I suggest. I used Sea Foam and it didn't keep my fuel lines from getting gummy.