Ethanol Treatment for your outboard motor?

61BelAir

Senior Member
I won't use anything but non-ethanol in the boat or any small engine. Really not in any old cars with carbs either. The ethanol (alcohol) is very corrosive and soft metals like aluminum and pot metal like most carburetors are made from just don't hold up long to it.
If you take apart an old carb that had OLD NE gas in it you may have a problem with it being gunked up and the old gas turning into a hard rosin looking junk, but if you take apart one that had E10 sitting in it you're likely to find parts damaged beyond use.
 

boatbuilder

Senior Member
I have been using regular gas e10 and stabil in my boats for Years with no problems. All carburated.

E 0 gas is $1 a gallon more. You can buy a lot of fuel hose at napa for the cost difference of a fill up. If your hoses are so old that they aren't ethonal resistant you need to replace them anyway.
 
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c-rig king

Senior Member
Only put non ethanol in my boat ever since I bought it. Same for all my other small engines that I own. It is around 40 cents per gallon difference and well worth the piece of mind I get from it. Luckily there are enough stations close to me not to have ever had an issue finding it available.
 

Dryzdale

Senior Member
Ok. I guess I'm the idiot in the room. (there, I said it) I always use Stabil and have never used Non Ethanol fuel. I'll work on doing better.
 

c-rig king

Senior Member
Ok. I guess I'm the idiot in the room. (there, I said it) I always use Stabil and have never used Non Ethanol fuel. I'll work on doing better.
Accountability is the first step on the road to recovery! You are well on your way to correcting your past! Good luck on the journey...hahahaha.
 

Steve762us

Senior Member
I've used the dark Sta-bil, in fuel cans before filling with E10 at pump, and keep boat tank 3/4 full or higher. Phase separation can't happen if there's not enough water vapor available. Cut open the filter/separator that had been on about 18 months, recently--no rust inside.

Secondary boat was going on three years (with full tank of 'sta-bil-ized' E10) sitting, finally ran it in spring, this year. Aside from a small degree of gelling on screen in screw-on filter bowl, she started and ran fine. The gelling was likely from the 2s oil--she runs on pre-mix only.
 
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