outboards & fuel stabilizer ??

[lew]

It's been mentioned around here a few times lately about using fuel stabilizer in outboard motors on a regular basis throughout the entire season now because of the ethanol in todays gas. I've always winterized all my gas engines with stabilizer but never used it during the softwater season.

 

Is there any confirmed truth about this or is it just opinions from different folks, as I can't really find anything "official" about it ??

 

As mentioned a few days back I just purchased a new boat & motor this week and the motor is a 150 HP Yamaha, fuel injected 4 stroke and uses regular 87 octane fuel

 

Do I need to add stabilizer to every tank of gas, or is this just for 2 stroke engines, .......or is this just a myth brought on by the guys that manufacture stabilizer ??

 

I'll probably be on the water and fishing nearly EVERY day from early spring till the late fall so the gas won't be sitting around very long and I'll be going thru alot of it. I'll certainly use it as directed if it's required but it's a bit pricey and no sense using it if it's not needed.

 

Anybody know the answer for sure ??

[tinbanger]

good question lew

I 'm curious as well as I have heard the same .

 

TB

[Big Cliff]

Lew, as you know, I work on small engines everyday. Here is the simple answer: EVERY can of gas that comes to my house wether it is going in my boat, quad, lawn mower, whatever, has stabilizer put in it the minitue I take it out of my trunk.

 

There will be others that will tell you it isn't necessary, I consider it cheep insurance!

[Bitsmith2k]

Lew, i add it to everytank on my yammy 4 stroke as well... i dont go through gas as fast as you though, but i'll be watching the thread 'cause someone will have a definate answer..

 

mike

[Spiel]

One of the owners of Bay City Marine did a seminar at our club meeting about this Lew and he maintains you should add stabilizer to your outboard fuel at all times.

 

I will heed his words starting this year, as Cliff says "consider it cheep insurance".

 

Not sure if you saw this Lew? http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28215

[Guest gbfisher]

Hey Lew. I haven't used the marine Sta bil as of yet. Only when it goes away for the winter. I haven't had any issues. Id think that Gasline antifreeze would be better at handling water in the gas issue but I'm not a mechanic. The added alcohol is susceptible to water absorption. Who really knows. I'm going to continue to use straight gas with NO marine sta bil gas treatment.....

Its been five years now with no issues as of yet........ Id think the guys who sold you the boat would have said if you needed it or not. I bought my boat at Bay City Marine.

Edited February 20, 2009 by gbfisher

[tinbanger]

Lot of info , but not sure there is an answer

See following cut/paste.

 

For more information on ethanol-blend fuels and outboard motors, check the "FAQ" section on the Yamaha website www.yamaha-motor.com; or the Service and Warranty section of the Mercury Marine website at www.mercurymarine.com.

 

TB

Edited February 20, 2009 by tinbanger

[Gerry]

Lew,

 

Here's my take on that. It is 'not' necessary because as you stated the fuel won't remain for very long periods.

 

You might be referring to a decarbonizer and this is something totally different. Yours is a 4 stroke so these comments may not apply and I would check with your dealer. I run a Merc 225 OptimaxProXS (a 2 stroke) and I use it occasionally, i.e. every other tankfill. I also have a Merc 9.9 Prokicker which is a 4 stroke and it pulls the fuel from the same tank and I haven't had any issues. I did however have a situation where I didn't use the kicker for a while and I had to get the carburetor cleaned out. So now if I see that it will sit idle for a while I just run it dry.

 

Hope this helps.

[pikehunter]

I was told by my Johnson dealer to use Johnson's own brand of stabilizer and I wouldn't have warranty issues. I do know from experience if I don't use it in every tank I will at some point in mid season end up having a rough running motor that will not clear up until I either run the tank dry or dump it and start all over with fresh fuel. So I put it in every time I top up the tank to avoid trouble out on the water.

 

And yes there is a difference between Can. Tire stabilizer and the brand name, the smell alone of Johnson stabilizer will almost knock you over.

 

Talk to your dealer and see what they have to offer in the way of an additive that won't compromise your warranty.

[aniceguy]

Lew for the most part the additives out there are just smoke and mirror, stabilizers do s certain job but I suggest you do a quick google search on seafoam I have been using it in the cars and boats for a long time and does exactly what it says

[ecmilley]

well Lew you will hear many different opinions on this subject, depending how often your going through a tank a fuel would dictate your use, with the amount you seem to fish every 2-3 tanks, if the boat will be sitting for more than a week at a time keep stabilzer in it.

While there are many grat products for this I generally stick with Yamaha's own fuel condtioner and stabilizer as it's a hydrocarbon based product instead of alcohol.

Every 5 tanks of fuel i usually put 250ml of dry gas in as well (isopropal) to make sure any moisture is taken care of.

[Andy]

I kind of like the idea of using it in every tank. There is always a chance moisture can get in the fuel during fillups, in rain, or on early cool mornings, particularly for portable tanks with the screw open vent. I bought a large bottle on sale (Stabil) and I'll have trouble using it up. The bottle says you are supposed to use it up in a year or so after it's opened. I'll be lucky to get out that much. It'll cost pennies per tank. That beng said, is it a must have? Don't know. Andy

[Beans]

Lew, as you know, I work on small engines everyday. Here is the simple answer: EVERY can of gas that comes to my house wether it is going in my boat, quad, lawn mower, whatever, has stabilizer put in it the minitue I take it out of my trunk.

 

There will be others that will tell you it isn't necessary, I consider it cheep insurance!

 

 

Ever since our resident small engine repair mechanic told me to put stabilizer in every tank at fill-up I've been doing it...no matter what engine I'm using it for...

 

Besides...What's the use of having a resident small engine repair mechanic if we don't do as he tells us ???...

[lew]

Thanks guys, seems there's a few differences of opinions....which is always a good thing.... but as suggested, it certainly won't hurt anything and will do nothing but good things so I'll go ahead and start using it. Perhaps not every fill-up as I go thru so much gas, but at least every couple of tanks.

 

If there's a lawsuit being launched over this as posted by Spiel, there must certainly be some validity to the whole thing.

 

Here's a link to the web-site suggested by tinbanger.....thanks Dave

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/faq/f.../1/answers.aspx

[Tom McCutcheon]

If I'm not mistaken; the fuel stabilizer is added to help eliminate the build up of crud caused by the unburnt portions of ethanol fuels. It does nothing to help or prevent moisture in the fuel. That is an alcohol additive. It also is not a storage stabilizer. Those are two different products.

That being said we use the ethanol stabilizer every tankful and regard it as cheap insurance. As has already been stated it is only mixed 20 to 25 ml. for every 40 litres of fuel.

 

Tom.

[Whitespinnerbait]

The rumour is ..Its a good idea to add Fuel Stabilizer to your to protect the injectors and related parts from corrosion .....

 

 

Again cheap insurance

 

Oh yeah this applies to Four Strokes only

Edited February 20, 2009 by Whitespinnerbait

[POLLIWOGG]

My understanding of fuel stabilizers....

 

If you put your face over a bucket of real old gas and breath in you can hardly smell compared to new gas that will pop your eyes out. This is an additive that they put in to create vapors for starting the motor. If you have a car with old gas that won't start just dump a little fresh gas down the motor and it'll fire up, once warmed up it will run and start on the old gas, as soon as the motor cools down it won't start again. The stabilizer gives gas the ability to vaporize for a longer time and make for easy starting..

 

I used to use the stabilizers but now I just run late in the year and early in the next one and switch tanks to keep the gas fresh. But I run a carbed inboard and it aint fussy.

 

I wouldn't use stabilizer in every tank but I would put a water separating filter on your outboard for sure, and dump it into a glass jar at least twice a year to check for water .

[jwl]

my Merc (oil injected 2 stroke) just states to use gas that has 10% or less ethanol blend The 2 stroke oils TCW111 reated have additives already to help compensate for the issues with ethanol blended gas

 

I have not had one issue with the motor for 5 1/2 years..never even had to change the spark plugs yet so there is definately no fouling going on or anything, I use the boat 12 months a year, gas doesn't sit in the tank too long

Edited February 20, 2009 by jwl

[Grimace]

Shoppers Drug Mart sell 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. Same stuff in that they put in fuel stabilizer. A touch in the tank.

 

Doesn't burn as hot as ethanol or Methyl alcohol which you find in a lot of these stabilizers.

[2 tone z71]

the only time ill run stabil every tank is in my chainsaw because it rarely gets used ,other than that outboards ,snowmobiles,atvs,seadoos, lawnmowers etc only get stabil when there done there season and heading away for a few months or more,NOW during use I do add carbon guard by OMC and every engine gets a can of Engine tuner thru it ,same as Sea Foam but by OMC,adding stabil every time ya fuel up ,well looks like im gonna buy some shares in that stock this afternoon

[eye-tracker]

I use the Mercury brand of fuel stabilizer in my Opti when gas is going to sit for more than a week or two. Which is almost never in my boat. I can easily go through 2 60 gallon tanks in a weekend when hunting walleye, so fuel sitting around is not an issue. I did hear from one of my Mercury techs to only use Mercury stabilizer as it was tested to meet the motor requirements. He also mentioned Mercury has issued safety bulletins in the past recommending not to use Stabil as it has damaged seals and other fuel system parts.

 

Usually in October I start putting it in the tank every time I add fuel so I will never be caught with out it when I decide to put my boat up for the winter.

 

Hope this helps some of the Mercury opti folks...

 

-sheldon

Edited February 20, 2009 by eye-tracker

[NANUK]

It is very important to put stabilizer in your boat for winter storage. I think we all agree with that

IMO it is also a very good idea to add stabilizer in every tank of gas during summer, because in higher temperatures ( summer heat) the gas evaporates even faster (if you ever left a plastic gas can in the heat you know how it bloats up) , the good/clean part of gas evaporates, whats left behind causes gumming of carburetors, fuel injectors etc

I add stabilizer in every tank of gas, boat, lawnmower, snowblower etc..... it can't hurt!!!

[boatman]

I'm not a professional small engine mechanic like, Big Cliff, but I do maintain and repair dozens of small engines for my employer as well as my personal collection of +30 outboard motors. I, too, recommend using fuel stabiliser in every tank of gas, however, since you will probably turn your gas over frequently you are not likely going to have bad gas issues during the season. At the very least, use it at the end of the season before you put the boat to bed.

 

Fuel stabiliser helps keep your fuel from volatilising, absorbing moisture and combats phase separation of alcohol enhanced fuel (ethanol blends). If you don't use it you run the risk of the alcohol separating from the gas in your tank. Since the alcohol is denser than gas it sits on the bottom and can't be seen by just looking into the tank. Straight alcohol is terminal for 2 strokes and potentially so for 4 strokes.

 

Not all fuel stabilisers are equal. Choose a good brand name like Stabil, Briggs & Stratton, Optimax, or your engine makers proprietary formula to name a few. Keep in mind that proprietary formulas are usually just brand name products repackaged and sold at a permium under the engine makers name. Seaform also has good fuel stabilising properties, but in my opinion its a little too expensive to use in every tank unless you only burn a few tanks a year. I'm not a fan of the regular Stabil, but I have started using their Marine formula. If it does what it promises then it'll be worth the premium price.

Edited February 20, 2009 by boatman

[grt1]

this thread is really timely for me since 1 hour ago I was at our local garage with a mechanic I trust talking to him about my truck stalling first thing in the morning but ok the rest of the day, and he recommended Sea Foam motor treatment. He told me since the ethanol has been added he has seen many people have problems similar to mine.

 

I asked if this was ok to use on an outboard (I got a 150 Opti and a 20 hp merc) .

 

He said that although he wasn't a snake oil salesman, he would recommend this product without hesitation as he has seen amazing results from it.

 

I just posted on Walleye Central a question to see if anyone else has used it in their Opti engines and what did they think of the results of the additive (or treatment) from this product.

 

Can any one on this board tell me of their experiences with it.

[Sinker]

I run seafoam in every tank. Its good stuff. I just add a shot when i fill up. I'm running a 2 stroke 40 Mariner, and I only use merc oil in it. My boat is run at least once a week, usually more. The gas doesn't sit around long, but I still like the "insurance" of adding the seafoam. I haven't heard one bad thing about it, and it can't hurt!

 

Sinker