Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Hey gents---
I thought the following info was worth giving thread status to. It's applicable to any kicker or carbed outboard. The answer is from an extremely knowledgeable Honda technician. All you need to know about the evils of water in your gas:
MY QUESTION: Hey jgmo,
I have a 2010 HONDA BF9.9. I use Marine Sta-bil in my main gas tank. I run it a few times each month all year long as a kicker for salt water trolling. I flush with fresh water after every use. With this type of usage, do you still recommend draining the carb after every use? So far, she purrs and starts first pull every pull. thanks your comments
HIS ANSWER:
Yes, I absolutely encourage all Honda owners to drain their carb bowls after each and every use. I know it's not practical if you're using the motor everyday but most people use the boat no more than once a week or less and then it becomes positively critical to keep the carburetor fresh. And here's why;
All LIQUID fuel, no matter how well filtered, will still contain some H2O. Your Stabil keeps the chemical compound that we know as gasoline from breaking down and going "stale" but it really can't do a thing to mitigate the settling out of any water from the fuel and landing in the low points of your fuel system.
And, it's not really the H2O that is the culprit in messing up your carbs. It's what is in the water. Water carries minerals in suspension and THAT'S what falls to the bottom of the float bowl and tends to clog up the passages down there that the carburetor needs to "breathe".
In addition, with the water being heavier than the gas, it is the first thing that the jets pick up when you start up and the minerals in that water tend to "plate out" on the very tiny "jetways" and alters the air fuel ratio. This happens over a long period of time and, by the time you notice something is wrong, the engine is running or idling poorly and the carb needs tearing down and cleaning.
All carburetors get dirty and need cleaning over time but draining the bowl is your only defense against doing it way more often than you should.
Thanks for asking.
I thought the following info was worth giving thread status to. It's applicable to any kicker or carbed outboard. The answer is from an extremely knowledgeable Honda technician. All you need to know about the evils of water in your gas:
MY QUESTION: Hey jgmo,
I have a 2010 HONDA BF9.9. I use Marine Sta-bil in my main gas tank. I run it a few times each month all year long as a kicker for salt water trolling. I flush with fresh water after every use. With this type of usage, do you still recommend draining the carb after every use? So far, she purrs and starts first pull every pull. thanks your comments
HIS ANSWER:
Yes, I absolutely encourage all Honda owners to drain their carb bowls after each and every use. I know it's not practical if you're using the motor everyday but most people use the boat no more than once a week or less and then it becomes positively critical to keep the carburetor fresh. And here's why;
All LIQUID fuel, no matter how well filtered, will still contain some H2O. Your Stabil keeps the chemical compound that we know as gasoline from breaking down and going "stale" but it really can't do a thing to mitigate the settling out of any water from the fuel and landing in the low points of your fuel system.
And, it's not really the H2O that is the culprit in messing up your carbs. It's what is in the water. Water carries minerals in suspension and THAT'S what falls to the bottom of the float bowl and tends to clog up the passages down there that the carburetor needs to "breathe".
In addition, with the water being heavier than the gas, it is the first thing that the jets pick up when you start up and the minerals in that water tend to "plate out" on the very tiny "jetways" and alters the air fuel ratio. This happens over a long period of time and, by the time you notice something is wrong, the engine is running or idling poorly and the carb needs tearing down and cleaning.
All carburetors get dirty and need cleaning over time but draining the bowl is your only defense against doing it way more often than you should.
Thanks for asking.
