Fuel Conditioner... what type??

[Tortuga]

I know there has been lots of discussion on this in the past, but when I went to pick up a bottle today I came away stumped. Do I get fuel stabilizer? water absorber? ethanal treatment? all three?

My boat doesn't sit for more than a few weeks, but the gas can last for several months between fill-ups. I don't have any problems, but with the ethanal issues I've become a bit concerned. Is there a good basic stabilizer that accommodates ethanal?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Matt

[Dreamer]

Matt,

Without having your own lab, I'm not sure how you can tell for sure what's best for you. Here's what I use in the boat and their PRI-D for the truck. http://www.priproducts.com/pdfs/Flyer%20-%20PRI-G.pdf

[thataway]

Stabil is the "standard". I have also used the Pri G (or D) and Startron (Soltron). They all seem to work to some degree, and certainly prolong the useful life of gas. But you cannot make gasoline out of water....I have been adding all three recently, since I have some 6 month old fuel in the C Dory and probably will not use that for another few months. I used this combo in my 18 foot CC and it seems to work well.

[Comfortably Numb]

Sea Foam (www.seafoamsales.com) has been a magic elixir for me. If I could drink it, I would...but, I shouldn't...so, I won't....drink it, I mean.

[Tortuga]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Levity]

Matt,
My boat sat from mid November '08 until mid April '09 with two half full tanks of an ethanol/gas mixture stabilized with Startron. Either I was lucky or the stuff worked cause those two half tanks have been run through the engine without incident.
Mike "Levity"

[thataway]

I looked at the chemistry (and I have been following Startron for some time--it susposedly is enzymatic)--and I don't see anything which will interact adversely. Each seems to work slightly differently.

There are other additatives, which I use--such as Ring Free in my Yahama 115.

As for SeaFoam, I have not used it. I see it used directly into the intake, into the crank case oil, into brake lines in cars, into the gas in high concentrations etc. I have thought it was for decarboning and cleaning, but I suspose that it may also help with older gas? Heck, I might throw some into my diesel truck just for good luck~!

[journey on]

I'm also wondering what additives to dump into Journey On's fuel tank. Now, we have E-85 which has alcohol, and we all clearly understand that alcohol absorbs water. Going up to out-of-the-way places, the gas probably comes in at the start of the season, and that's what you get, even if it's 6 mos old. So it seems prudent to use something.

And outboard manufactures have recommendations. Here is Mercury: Mercury Marine Fuel Discussion. And here is Evinrude, etc.: Evenrude Fuel Rest assured they don't like the new fuel, but don't offer specific guidelines except have a filter and use their fuel stabilizer.

Now this discussion is on fuel treatment seems to be focused of stabilizers such as Stabil, and other stabilizers. I've used Stabil for years when the fuel was sitting for months, such as in the bike's tank. And that worked well. But E85 not only can gum up/destabilize, but the alcohol can absorb water. Reading the label on Stabil for Ethanol, it says nothing about emulsifying (or absorbing) water. It stabilizes and conditions E85, as well as rebuilds your engine, but nothing about water which can and has killed EFI.

One recommendation is to seal the tank. This certainly isn't feasible; around here you'd have a collapsed tank. So I've been adding STP gas treatment every once in a while, since this has always worked for me in the past, albeit with regular fuel. I also religiously check the fuel filter/settling bowl that C-Dory has graciously supplied.

Anybody have any other ideas about how to combat water in the tank? I'd love to hear them.

Boris

[Rob & Karen]

Boris,

This is from the Star Tron description:

The enzyme package in Star Tron disperses water derived from normal condensation into microscopic clusters, and allows the water to pass through the fuel system and engine harmlessly, preventing the buildup on the tank bottom that can contribute to poor performance, fuel gelling and corrosion. If large amounts of water are already present it will be de-emulsified and drop out of the body of the fuel, improving overall fuel performance. Over a period of time, with fresh gas loads treated with Star Tron, even large accumulations of water will be totally eliminated.

Rob

[thataway]

The scientific data on Startron (or the various other names) is pretty thin.
There is lots of testimonial material. The MSDS shows that over 99.5% of the compound is aliphatic petroleum distillates. and less than 0.5% of the enzamatic chemical propeirtary organic chemicals...which is the core of the Startron.
Some of the companies own studies show that a ratio of 1 oz for 16 gallons, a one hundred gallon tank will be protected for ONLY up to 5 oz of water. This is not much "protection"--

I used it for over year in my diesel trawler (twin Cat 3208's). Zero difference in fuel economy or visiable smoke.

The only story I have personal knowledge of, is a friend had some 20 year old diesel which had geled (a small built in tank which had been forgotten) He had what we think is Startron put in the tank in Spain, and then sailed across the Atlantic. Upon arriving home, the diesel was liquid enough to be pumped out of the tank. It was not just that passage, since the boat was on its second circumnavigation.

So does it really help or not? I don't know--but I doubt if it absorbs much water. Enzematically breaking down fuel hyrdocarbon chains? I wonder. Could be.

[Rob & Karen]

Right now I am using Mercury Fuel Treatment & Stabilizer, which runs about $0.26 per gallon of gas. Star Tron, Sta-Bil and PRI-G run between $0.04 and $0.08 per gallon of gas, so I am thinking of switching when I run out of my current supply. Between the three brands, is it just a toss of the coin?

Rob

[Comfortably Numb]

Hey, Dr. Bob -

Did you read the narrative on Sea Foam ("Why It Works") at

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motor-treatment/why-it-works/index.html ? This sort of discussion may make more sense to a fellow like you (as opposed to a fellow like me).

I know this stuff has a following on the Great Lakes, too. It is supposed to be good at combating the effects of ethanol, but I have no proof...just good results using it primarily (as to intention) as a fuel stabilizer. My Jet Ski has been a great test of this, I think.

I have no financial interest of any kind, direct or indirect, in Sea Foam.

Regards,
Mark

[rogerar]

Practical Sailor Magazine did a scientific bench test on 5 brands last November, results available for 10.00 or a subscription. This is great unbiased magazine that also tests a lot of boat stuff includng long term bottom paint tests.
Roger

http://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/34_11/features/Ethanol-Gas-Additives_5692-1.html

[Rob & Karen]

Roger,

Can you share the results of the test? No need to copy the whole article, but showing how they ordered the five products would be helpful.

Thanks,

Rob

[El and Bill]

I use Stabil and it works fine for me. Cheers Bill