Very frustrating,bad gas in my built in tank NF

[BillM]

I'm guessing bad gas vs ethanol based gas... I put the boat away in Dec, and had zero issues this spring, maybe had half a tank in it when it went to sleep in the garage. I don't even think I treated the remaining before the winter either.

 

Ethanol is crap, but some people go way overboard on how much it will mess your stuff up. A good guess is that his system isn't sealed properly and somehow water got in there.

[irishfield]

Why the guess work Dave... pump it into a jar.. let it sit... watch it separate... Water in bottom.... ethanol the next layer and then gasoline. Why I said you could use a 60 oz booze bottle to separate it.. and then pour it into your vehicle to burn.

[davey buoy]

Why the guess work Dave... pump it into a jar.. let it sit... watch it separate... Water in bottom.... ethanol the next layer and then gasoline. Why I said you could use a 60 oz booze bottle to separate it.. and then pour it into your vehicle to burn.

No seperation,that's why I'm trying to figure out what happened.Pumped it all out.Only 22 gallons .Mystery for sure.

[Old Ironmaker]

If you have any of the original gas I would have it analyzed. It will ensure you some restful nights if you are like me, especially when you put it away next year.

[davey buoy]

If you have any of the original gas I would have it analyzed. It will ensure you some restful nights if you are like me, especially when you put it away next year.

Good idea.!

[aplumma]

Not to worried Art,it's a 305 v8,just waiting to get it going and then will change the oil.Thanks.

Good to hear I have a johnson 150 on the Ranger 2 stroke and a pair of 318 Chryslers on the big boat. I have an aluminum 70 gal fuel cell that feeds the 318's and to keep the fuel healthy I have marine stabile, and an engine bay heater that keeps the tanks and engine warmer than 50F so condensation is less likely. My final protection is a good water separator that is clear and inline before it feeds the twins. The phase separation will show up in the fuel tank as small rust colored balls and only when agitated will it come out milky.

 

 

Art

[bigbuck]

That is what sucks about our fuel these days. I put a double dose of blue stabil in my boat at the end of the year and starting in august, I put it in all the gas that goes in. That way, there is plenty in the system. Canadian tire always puts marine Stabil on special in the spring so stock up.

[captpierre]

I'm no chemist, but would it be safe to say that if water is in the tank, it would be at the bottom

 

and likely accumulates a bit every year if not drained out? It would only be within the gas if heavily agitated?

 

So we likely all have a bit at the bottom. The older the boat, the more water.

 

Wouldn't be a problem until it gets into the fuel line

[Big Cliff]

While fuel stabilizers help with the ethanol, they also love to absorb water. When they get saturated, the water tends to settle out (and yes, to the bottom of the tank where the fuel pickup is usually situated).

 

Keeping your tank full when storing your boat can help but if you are out running on a hot humid day and park your boat with all that hot humid air in the tank, where do you think all that humidity is going to go when things cool down? Well, it will condense and settle to the bottom of your tank in case you didn't think about it. 98% humidity means that most of the air in your tank is water! At this point, if you can pump the tank, that would be your best option.

 

Pushing it until you get it to run might work but you really haven't solved the problem and it could come back to haunt you when you least want it to.

[davey buoy]

Well did baby steps today,Added $30 of v power.Also talked to my local marina I deal with.Bought a new mercruiser seperator filter. What Ron says and maybe a few may know,he runs the service shop.Starting mid August if your still running your motor start filling up with ethanol free gas.That should give you a couple top ups any way ,if not even a full tank or so before storage.That is one of their biggest problems.I'm Very happy,having changed and topped up the seperator before install,she ran like a dream on the ears for 30 mins or more through the power range.Thanks all for your help.I will defineatly starting August 1st starrt switching over to ethanol free gas.Shell V power or whoever .Thanks everyone again!!.

[Fisherman]

I think the real answer is not to have any gas in the tank for the off season, that way there's no reson for the gas to go sour. It may be a royal pain to drain a fixed tank, but it's easier to refill with new gas in the spring that have to go through what he did. As for stabilizer, it may help, but it's not fool proof and I'll take that with a grain of salt. I've seen open containers of stabil, red or blue that looked more like Ouzo than anything that should go in an engine. Stabilizer in no way guarantees that fuel will not separate.

[davey buoy]

Prabably no gas would be the best scenario?,With a built in tank I really don't want to run it dry.The last 8 years did nothing when stored other than a couple bottles of gas line antifreeze.This year I one upped it and added 1/2 big bottle of Stabill,just because.That did not work out so well.

Ethanol free in the fall and maybe fill up the tank . Stabil and gas line antifreeze added ,maybe that would be ok.I'll worry about that in 4 mths or so,for now just glad all is good.I'm sure we will revisit this then.Thanks Fisherman.

 

Dave

[Fisherman]

Prabably no gas would be the best scenario?,With a built in tank I really don't want to run it dry.The last 8 years did nothing when stored other than a couple bottles of gas line antifreeze.This year I one upped it and added 1/2 big bottle of Stabill,just because.That did not work out so well.

Ethanol free in the fall and maybe fill up the tank . Stabil and gas line antifreeze added ,maybe that would be ok.I'll worry about that in 4 mths or so,for now just glad all is good.I'm sure we will revisit this then.Thanks Fisherman.

 

Dave

Not hackin on you Dave, just discussing, I wonder why you wouldn't want to drain it, too difficult or? Take the feeder line from the tank, hook it to a cheap 12 volt fuel pump and drain it into jerry cans for your vehicle. Then add a good dose of Seafoam to the tank before closing it. All my gas engines are stored dry, my oldest is a 47 year old snowblower, not quite the same as in inboard, but the principles the same. I think it would be easier, JMHO.

[davey buoy]

Not hackin on you Dave, just discussing, I wonder why you wouldn't want to drain it, too difficult or? Take the feeder line from the tank, hook it to a cheap 12 volt fuel pump and drain it into jerry cans for your vehicle. Then add a good dose of Seafoam to the tank before closing it. All my gas engines are stored dry, my oldest is a 47 year old snowblower, not quite the same as in inboard, but the principles the same. I think it would be easier, JMHO.

I did drain it,must of missed my earlier post today It's running fine as of about 4pm today.No worries

Never drained anything completely ever,but your right,something I may do end of this season.Thanks.

I just siphoned it from the fuel line down through the bilge and out the drain holes to buckets.Worked alright surprisingly.

Edited May 1, 2014 by davey buoy

[BillM]

There's no reason for gas to go 'bad' in the 6months you had it in the tank. I'm guessing you've either got a very bad leak in the system or got a batch of bad gas.

[DRIFTER_016]

There's no reason for gas to go 'bad' in the 6months you had it in the tank. I'm guessing you've either got a very bad leak in the system or got a batch of bad gas.

 

Or some drunk guy peed in the tank!!!!

[BillM]

Pee is a definite possibility, lol.

[4x4bassin]

Glad to hear it worked out for ya in the end .

[davey buoy]

Glad to hear it worked out for ya in the end .

Thanks,the one thing I noticed when I changed the seperator was the weight difference.Even after I drained the old one it was still over twice as heavy as the new one.I think for the price,I will also change that at the start of the season as well.It was holding all kinds of water.As well as contaminating any thing that came through it.

[Sinker]

Change that stuff at the END of the season. Letting your boat sit all winter full of junk from a season of use is the worste thing to do. Come spring, you should just have to hook up batteries, and turn the key. All my maintenance is in the fall. When ice goes out, my rig is turn key ready to go.

 

S.

[davey buoy]

Change that stuff at the END of the season. Letting your boat sit all winter full of junk from a season of use is the worste thing to do. Come spring, you should just have to hook up batteries, and turn the key. All my maintenance is in the fall. When ice goes out, my rig is turn key ready to go.

 

S.

Your saying Shane run it empty/or empty it and than fill it up in the spring?I guess come fall I could use that gas in my truck.Would be still good..Funny this was the first time ever with this issue.Thought I took all the precautions but not good enough.Thanks

[Sinker]

No, I'm saying change the fuel separator in the fall. Remember, water freezes, and breaks stuff when it expands. Do all your regualar maintenance in the fall, so it doesn't sit all winter with water in it.

 

I store all my toys full of gas. Always have, but I use no ethanol fuel. I've only had one issue with ethanol and that was a fuel line replacement 2 years ago. Since then, no more ethanol. I also use seafoam as a stabilizer. I don't even trust stabil any more. Seafoam cleans the whole fuel system from the tank, to the exaust. I put a couple oz's in every tank of gas I burn, and about a half can in my last tank for the fall. Come spring, she's good to go.

 

S.

[davey buoy]

No, I'm saying change the fuel separator in the fall. Remember, water freezes, and breaks stuff when it expands. Do all your regualar maintenance in the fall, so it doesn't sit all winter with water in it.

 

I store all my toys full of gas. Always have, but I use no ethanol fuel. I've only had one issue with ethanol and that was a fuel line replacement 2 years ago. Since then, no more ethanol. I also use seafoam as a stabilizer. I don't even trust stabil any more. Seafoam cleans the whole fuel system from the tank, to the exaust. I put a couple oz's in every tank of gas I burn, and about a half can in my last tank for the fall. Come spring, she's good to go.

 

S.

I bet my separator caused the problem.The gas I took out was not too bad looking.The separator looked nasty and contaminating everything coming through.That I will change in the fall as well as try seafoam.Thanks.

[Big Cliff]

Do your lower unit in the fall too that will save you big bucks if you ever have a seal start to leak. If nothing else, drain it (but put a note on your dash when you store the boat or you might forget to refill it in the spring). Best bet is to drain, repair if necessary, and refil before storage.