Should I empy my fuel tank and start with fresh fuel ? I didn't have any problems last year and I had 3/4 tank which was properly stored. What do you guys do/ recommend ??
full fuel tank
- Thread starter Grady 228
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If it was properly treated before the winter and you have a water seperator I would burn the fuel. Add some startron or equivalent and have fun. If you are really concerned take a sample in a clear glass container and let it sit for half an hour. If it seperates, looks dark or smells like varnish pump it dry and start over. At the end of this year I would fill the tank close to capacity, treat it and put it to bed for the winter.
Put some PRI-G and Startron in the tank, and go burn off half a tank some afternoon, then refill it.
I have just relaunched so this info is fresh.
I left about 20 gallons in my main tank over the winter with plenty of stabilizer. Not trusting some of the local marinas that store their gas all winter, I added 60 gallons of fresh "shore gas" from a local filling station that sees lots of turnover in their fuel.
We started the engine and let it run for a few minutes. It sounded OK but not the usual 4 stroke purr. Changed the fuel filter and in doing so poured what was left from the old filter into a clear bottle. It was very cloudy and smelled off.
I've put about six hours on the engine since launch and it's increasingly running rough, especially at idle. From past experience this has meant the fuel filter is full of crap.
My course of action now is to just keep burning what I have and change the filters whenever the engine really starts to sputter. But dealing with an engine that's not performing as it should and tossing filters at $25 apiece makes me wish I had pumped the tanks dry and started with all fresh gas this spring. That's what I'll do next year.
BTW, in previous years I've experimented by leaving the tanks completely full or nearly empty but always treated. That's worked fine until now. But I think our overall national fuel picture continues to change and get worse in terms of E10, so each year seems to be different. Actually, I've heard someone did a random test in the Northeast and found some of the gas was as much as 23% ethanol.
Let us know what you decide to do and how it worked out.
I left about 20 gallons in my main tank over the winter with plenty of stabilizer. Not trusting some of the local marinas that store their gas all winter, I added 60 gallons of fresh "shore gas" from a local filling station that sees lots of turnover in their fuel.
We started the engine and let it run for a few minutes. It sounded OK but not the usual 4 stroke purr. Changed the fuel filter and in doing so poured what was left from the old filter into a clear bottle. It was very cloudy and smelled off.
I've put about six hours on the engine since launch and it's increasingly running rough, especially at idle. From past experience this has meant the fuel filter is full of crap.
My course of action now is to just keep burning what I have and change the filters whenever the engine really starts to sputter. But dealing with an engine that's not performing as it should and tossing filters at $25 apiece makes me wish I had pumped the tanks dry and started with all fresh gas this spring. That's what I'll do next year.
BTW, in previous years I've experimented by leaving the tanks completely full or nearly empty but always treated. That's worked fine until now. But I think our overall national fuel picture continues to change and get worse in terms of E10, so each year seems to be different. Actually, I've heard someone did a random test in the Northeast and found some of the gas was as much as 23% ethanol.
Let us know what you decide to do and how it worked out.
Doc Stressor
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Did you drain your VST before storage? That internal tank holds quite a bit of fuel. If it dries down and forms varnish or a white powder from aluminum oxidation, the debris will clog the screen at the outlet port. You may need to clean your VST. The F250 also has a bunch of other internal filters prior to the fuel injectors. They should be replaced as well if you are experiencing fuel problems.
I think that leaving 20 gallons of E10 in a 125 gallon tank was a bad choice. The tank should either be 95% full or completely empty during storage. People seem to get into trouble when they store their tanks with anything in between.
If you store you tank close to empty, it's best to completely fill the tank with fresh E10 the next season. The idea is for the fresh E10 to bring any water that may have accumulated in the tank into solution with the gas. E10 can hold up to about 0.5% water, so the more fresh fuel that you add, the more water that can be absorbed. Fresh E10 is more effective at removing water than adding any of the additives that are supposed to emulsify water.
But your problem sounds like crude in your internal screens and filters. I would also suggest using either Marine StaBil or one of the Yamaha "Plus" additives the next time you store you boat. They do a better job at protecting against corrosion than most of the snake oil additives that are being sold. And next time drain your VST when you winterize your boat.
I think that leaving 20 gallons of E10 in a 125 gallon tank was a bad choice. The tank should either be 95% full or completely empty during storage. People seem to get into trouble when they store their tanks with anything in between.
If you store you tank close to empty, it's best to completely fill the tank with fresh E10 the next season. The idea is for the fresh E10 to bring any water that may have accumulated in the tank into solution with the gas. E10 can hold up to about 0.5% water, so the more fresh fuel that you add, the more water that can be absorbed. Fresh E10 is more effective at removing water than adding any of the additives that are supposed to emulsify water.
But your problem sounds like crude in your internal screens and filters. I would also suggest using either Marine StaBil or one of the Yamaha "Plus" additives the next time you store you boat. They do a better job at protecting against corrosion than most of the snake oil additives that are being sold. And next time drain your VST when you winterize your boat.
yes, we drain all the gas from the engine before storing. the water in the e10 rusts anything it touches. thanks for the tip.
I thought I would mention that this fuel situation is not just with boats. New Corvettes where having problems with the fuel tank gauge, it just quits working, the problem was the floats quit working because of sulfur and other materials [ e fuels]. The cure was a can of Techron or Seafoam, after a day or 2 of sitting the units started to work again. This seams to be a fairly common problem in newer vettes.
If you have ethanol and are concerned drain it into 5 gallon poly gas cans - use it in your lawmover, if non-ethanol gas use a 2 micron Racor with clear bowl water separator window, if there is water in there when you bleed it once a week for a month, don't use the rest- pump it out - to lawnmower.
Check your gas fill cap O rings, how are they, groove clean? Sure water can leak by this cap and diryth of nicked O ring.
The 2 micron racor element is identical to the one used on the old and current merc filter heads, like the stainless ones I got from Tempo years ago. The OMC were the same except opening in elements was bored for larger threaded hole. The mercs and OMC didn't have a bowl, the racor replacement must be bowl fitted, metal or plastic.
For guys with ethanol and racors, look for dark color, no good. Be minded, Ringfree in shock dosages will darken gas, a bit.
Good luck.
Check your gas fill cap O rings, how are they, groove clean? Sure water can leak by this cap and diryth of nicked O ring.
The 2 micron racor element is identical to the one used on the old and current merc filter heads, like the stainless ones I got from Tempo years ago. The OMC were the same except opening in elements was bored for larger threaded hole. The mercs and OMC didn't have a bowl, the racor replacement must be bowl fitted, metal or plastic.
For guys with ethanol and racors, look for dark color, no good. Be minded, Ringfree in shock dosages will darken gas, a bit.
Good luck.
How long has it been since she was run? If you put the boat away in Sept and don't launch until June, I might think about it. The boat is fairly new and shouldn't have the varnish/ethanol problems. If you have racors, fire her up and watch the bowls.
Thanks for your replys. I decided to drain the tank and use it our vehicles. I don't want to risk issues when it's in the water. My son loving having a free supply of gas while it lasts.