Ethanol Fuel Problems for Boat Engines
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Using Ethanol as a powerboat fuel can cause many headaches including fiberglass fuel tank failure, fuel system blocks, damaged engines, and increased fuel foulage.
What happens to your boat?
Because of the fact that Ethanol is a solvent, it can damage the sealing on older fiberglass fueltanks. These dissolved sealants are more than likely to get eaten by the engine which in turn causes damage and in turn makes fuel leak from the tank into the bilge which is a major fuel hazard. Even if you fuel tank is not built of fiberglass it also is not immune to this type of corrosion. Ethanol has a cleaning effect on tanks that can release metallic bits which go through fuel filters. These clog the injectors nozzles and the carburetors. Water also combines with the ethyl alchohol and produces a non combustible layer of liquid which stops engines.
What can you do to protect your boat?
There is not real answer for protecting your boat from ethanol, but the following is a few things that have helped others.
- If your boat was built before 1984, then you will most likely have a fiberglass fuel tank. Make sure you replace the lines of your tank with newer equivalents to almost eleminate the problems that may occur with them.
- Normally you would have been told to keep your fuel tank full at winter, but with ethanol fuels its not quite the same. Make sure your refer to your manuafacturers manual on what to do in this situation.
- Use of a water seperating fuel filter will also help clear and clean the ethanol problems. Just make sure you keep several spare cartridges for it.
- Try to not mix your fuels and always purchase from the same store or brand. As there are different blends which may interfer and become troublesome.
- Ethanol has a very short shelf life and therefore this is why you should never leave it in your tank over winter, try also limiting your fuel filling to allow for enough petrol for the next few weeks and no more. The fresher the fuel, the better it will be for your motor.
In the end, keep your fuel clean, and your tank free from water while using a good filter and you will be fine. Hopefully in the future the fuel companies and boat motor manufacturers can work together to eleviate all the problems.