Mercury Outboard 200 HP

[kerryo12]

Well, here it is spring, and...don't yell at me....but I forgot, er, was too lazy, er, too busy to put stabilizer in the Fuel tank. Of course there is about 150 bucks (last year prices) of fuel still in the tank.
Could someone please advise on what to do now?? It would kill me to have to drain the whole thing...but the 20 K price of an engine might convince me. Maybe...

Thanks for any help....

 

[Last Chance]

I'd just run it. If the fuel wasn't mixed, I don't think it will gell or anything. The stuff that came in my boat was darn near two years old, and it went through two brand new engines just fine. I can't say I've ever stabilized fuel, and have not had any trouble over the winter.

 

[Striper Sniper]

hey LC, I have the opposite problem, I have about 2/3rds of a tank and I added enough stabilizer for a full tank last fall on the premise that I would fill the tank, 5 gallons at a time..... which never occured! What should I do, fill the tank before my first voyage this year or go with what I have......... neophyte..... thanks, SS

 

[Mortician]

Here's what I'd do.

Take the gas cap off and smell it. See what it smells like. If it smells like a varnish, maybe siphon out a bit and see what it looks like. If it smells/looks really bad then you have a problem. Then siphon in out and dispose of it.

If it smells kinda stale, head to your gas barge/gas station and fill up with fresh gas, and I mean FILL it up. High test gas would be a good idea as old fuel loses it's octane et al.

Boat fuel systems are usually quite tight with just a small vent so 6 month old fuel usually won't have too much of a problem.

If you have a RACOR you should make sure you watch and drain for water as you get close to empty. Suck out any accumulated water from the bottom of your tank when you get close to empty if your tank is old or you boat has been stored in an abusive environment.

Then head out and go for a run. Don't spend too much time idling as you potentially could varnish/gum up the jets and rods in the carbs. Burn through the "mixed" old fuel and you should be fine. New fuel dissolves varnish et al.

As for the poor suckers that have really experienced issues with poor fuel, they were usually asking for it, and asking for trouble BAD.

Fuel Stabilizer companies make a TON of money their products. Fuel stabilizers only reduce the breakdown of fuel, not PREVENT it.

If your boat was last filled in September you shouldn't have any problems to speak of really if your fuel system was in good shape.

Collector cars which sit around for as long as 2 years without fuel stabilizers and they just fire 'em up, throw in some premium, and head out for a drive and they're just fine..and I can speak from experience.

There's buddies of mine who have Grady Whites and Whalers with 300 gallons of fuel in there and they only burn through maybe 2 tanks a year, and they don't have any problems to speak of..and they don't run stabilizers either.

Overall though, you should be fine. There's plenty of mechanics and others on here who will tell you a sad tale or two and want you to fork out some $$$ to them to solve your problem...just be careful in who you listen to.

My .02 speaking from experience.

 

[nedarb2]

mayeb try those fuel additives, liek octane booster, fuel conditioner, etc...[?]

 

[Last Chance]

quote:Originally posted by Striper Sniper

hey LC, I have the opposite problem, I have about 2/3rds of a tank and I added enough stabilizer for a full tank last fall on the premise that I would fill the tank, 5 gallons at a time..... which never occured! What should I do, fill the tank before my first voyage this year or go with what I have......... neophyte..... thanks, SS

I'm not a mechanic, just a guy who figures if what I did hasn't broken something, it must be fine .

Seriously, I would just burn through what you have, then fill and run as normal. Take a sniff like Mortician says, and if it doesn't smell sour, just run it. If the gas has kicked off, it will make you sick to your stomach. Otherwise, just let 'er rip. I don't think that the amount of gas that a good sized tank (20 gallons plus) could kick off over a cool Victoria winter. And varnishing I don't think will be as much of a problem if it's not mixed.

I've run several drums of the stuff that a buddy of mine got me from a local scrapyard, the gas they suck out of cars before being crushed. I filtered out the bolts and cigarette butts, and didn't hvae a single problem on my last Yam 225 Four Stroke. Gas engines are pretty forgiving. Anything bad, your Racor will catch. And if you don't have a Racor, GET ONE.

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

I have a good idea, siphon the gas out into a clean barrel, phone me and I will take it[]

 

[Oglthorpe]

quote:Originally posted by LastChance
I don't think will be as much of a problem if it's not mixed.

I have the same question, but with mixed gas. What kind of issues can there be in a large tank of mixed gas sitting for 6 months?

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

what happens with gas is it basically loses its octane rating over a shelf life of about 3 months or more. Unless youre using it for racing, I would just use it. 6 months is ok. Youll be able to smell it when it turns. Once you smell that distinctive smell, you'll never forget it. Same goes for mixed gas.

 

[searun]

Mortician's advice is solid. Although I differ in opinion on stabilizer. My mechanic says it is always a good idea to put stabilizer in the tanks at the end of the season and filler up as full as possible to avoid condensation building in the tank over winter.