Using gas station gas for boat
- Thread starter Sea Chaser
- Start date
Buckethead905
Well-Known Member
mayday
Active Member
This - any less = knocking/pinging, any more=wasted money - once it goes "bang" it goes out the exhaust
mayday
Active Member
I should add (just to quote myself) that any motor that has the slightest chance to sit without being used - the lawnmower, the trials bike, the dingy motor - if regular is not clearly labeled as ethanol free (even if marked/coloured) I "waste" extra money and splurge for the high test ethanol free stuff - when you are only talking a few litres, the extra pennies offset the piece of mind.
Rickeoni
Member
It'seems not about the octane, it's about the amount of alcohol in the solution. If the engine gets used on a regular basis, no issues, if it sits for a while , like over winter the metal will do some damage to the small passages and the rubber. I just had to disassemble the carb in my SIL one year old lawn mower because he just put it away after the last use.
walleyes
Crew Member
To the original question.
There are probably darn near as many pleasure boats in my part of the world as out there and every type of boat. Probably more high performance boats like wake board boats, lots of big outboard pontoon boats, thousands of smaller kicker car toppers boats, like out there every type of engine and boat. Every one of our boats runs off of pump gas because we have no choice we have no marine gas. In my home town there is a marina with fuel but it’s just regular pump gas as well. 90% of boats out here just run “Regular” pump gasoline and our boats run fine. Yes stay away from Ethynol if you are storing the boat with gas in it, if your going to burn it off then no issues.
There are probably darn near as many pleasure boats in my part of the world as out there and every type of boat. Probably more high performance boats like wake board boats, lots of big outboard pontoon boats, thousands of smaller kicker car toppers boats, like out there every type of engine and boat. Every one of our boats runs off of pump gas because we have no choice we have no marine gas. In my home town there is a marina with fuel but it’s just regular pump gas as well. 90% of boats out here just run “Regular” pump gasoline and our boats run fine. Yes stay away from Ethynol if you are storing the boat with gas in it, if your going to burn it off then no issues.
spring time
Well-Known Member
I’ve only ran gas station gas in my boat for 23 years (97 trophy) I have had not one issue in my main or kicker motor in those years, now on the other hand your small motors weed eater leaf blowers chainsaws don’t like the ethanol the fuel lines hate it and desinagrate
Cuba Libre
Well-Known Member
Costco.. all the way. Used it for years and no problems in my 4 stroke
zurk
Well-Known Member
use shell 91 for both.
Macfuzza
Member
Avoiding ethanol fuel is sound advice. Marked fuel is great for marine use, it's your best bet unless your engine calls for a greater octane rating than 89.
There's always guys that will run Chevron 94 because it's the biggest number, most expensive and comes from a fancy red pump. On the other end there's people who have discovered the cheap E85 pumps and run it in everything because "they wouldn't sell me bad gas!!!"
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- Ethanol has a lower energy content than straight gasoline (76,100 btu/gallon versus 114,100btu/gallon) Using E10+ fuel (pretty much all "Regular 87" has 10% ethanol or greater) over ethanol-free fuel results in reduced performance and fuel efficiency.
- Ethanol is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air) and is not suitable for marine use or long term storage.
- Ethanol is known to wreak havoc on older fuel systems. It breaks down rubber & plastic components that weren't designed for it
There's always guys that will run Chevron 94 because it's the biggest number, most expensive and comes from a fancy red pump. On the other end there's people who have discovered the cheap E85 pumps and run it in everything because "they wouldn't sell me bad gas!!!"
.As Fuel deliveries go from anywhere I've seen marine and even little lakes we deliver to take a premium fuel that is dyed with no ethanol. Reg fuel as up to 5 percent ethanol mid grade is just the 2 blended together so again would have ethanol. Unless you have brand new 4 stroke or in board big motor that was designed for ethanol. You Dont want in your motors. As for people wondering about temp and lubrication most are 2 stroke or oil injection systems and you get it from that instead.
zurk
Well-Known Member
FYI i was partially wrong here. i actually did an ethanol test on my vancouver shell 91 which is supposedly ethanol free but it turned out to be contaminated with ethanol 2%. possibly mixing within the station tank or something.
anyway, i now only use chevron 94 which i tested as ethanol free across 2 stations in the lower mainland in richmond and vancouver. that has 0% ethanol. just so you know the shell 91 can be contaminated with ethanol, the chevron 94 isnt. ironically the marked 90 gas at a marina in vancouver also tested positive for ethanol.
To determine if ethanol is in the gas:
The ethanol and water will mix and separate out together. If the water level appears to have increased, the fuel contains ethanol and should not be used. Ethanol percentages of less than 5% can sometimes give a reading below the line. Therefore, any deviation in the water line indicates the presence of ethanol and should serve as a basis for rejecting the fuel.
anyway, i now only use chevron 94 which i tested as ethanol free across 2 stations in the lower mainland in richmond and vancouver. that has 0% ethanol. just so you know the shell 91 can be contaminated with ethanol, the chevron 94 isnt. ironically the marked 90 gas at a marina in vancouver also tested positive for ethanol.
To determine if ethanol is in the gas:
- On a test tube or olive bottle six or seven inches long, make a permanent line about two inches from the bottom.
- Fill with water to this line, then fill the tube to the top with gasoline.
- Cover the tube, agitate it, and let it stand.
The ethanol and water will mix and separate out together. If the water level appears to have increased, the fuel contains ethanol and should not be used. Ethanol percentages of less than 5% can sometimes give a reading below the line. Therefore, any deviation in the water line indicates the presence of ethanol and should serve as a basis for rejecting the fuel.
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Probably because Chevron 94 has its own pump nozzle
sparrow139
Active Member
I mostly use CO-OP 91 octane marked gas...2008 yamaha250...never an issue.
Co-Op marked fuel now has a sticker at the pump saying it may contain up to 5% ethanol. I asked and they said there supplier warned them that they can't guarantee that ethanol isn't present. I will now use premium fuel for winter months use of storage but use the marked during the summer when it gets used up daily.
YachtMech
Well-Known Member
The issue is somewhat unavoidable for the moment, fuel tanker trucks and fuel barges don’t necessarily purge the tanks before refilling, so you may often find that supposedly ethanol free fuel will have been contaminated by a prior load of fuel that did contain ethanol. So until they mandate and that tankers are completely emptied and cleaned out before refilling, and constantly monitor it, this will be an ongoing issue. Most marine stations will carry “ethanol free” fuel, and it is for the most part, but I have found it never hurts to treat any fuel you think will be sitting for more than 30 days unused. Its most detrimental when the boat sits unused for 3 months or more, especially if its not stored indoors where the temperature swings are less dramatic.
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