Yamaha Warranty and Stabil?

[Grady_Crazy]

I stopped to gas up my new to me 208 and I was talking to my wife and I told her we were going to put Stabil in the tank when we got home. The guy at the next pump said he worked for a local boat shop I knew (was wearing the shirt also) and said they got a bulletin from Yamaha that stated Yamaha would deny all warranty claims if Stabil was found in the gas.

Anyone heard of this?

 

[Parthery]

In short, no.

Unless the waranty specifically specifies that the use of StaBill will void the warranty, and unless Yamaha can prove that the damage was caused by the StaBil, the warranty will be valid.

Use RingFree and Startron, and you will be fine.

 

[ElyseM]

my gw owners manual says to add a fuel stabilizer. if i'm not mistaken, stabil is one of the oldest. if yamaha has determined there is something detrimental in the formula, they should be contacting every owner. ron

 

[jethro99]

It is absolutely, positively not true.

Whatever you do, however, if you use Stabil, use the marine formula.

Now, think about this for a minute. Suppose you have a fuel related problem that is clearly not covered by warranty but you would like some goodwill help from Yamaha. If your dealer reports that you use (a) Yamaha's stuff or (b) Stabil, which is most likely to encourage Yamaha to help you?

If you use Stabil try asking them for goodwill support to correct a fuel related problem and let us know what their response is.

 

[Grady_Crazy]

I am going to call my Grady/Yamaha shop Monday and get a straight answer. Seems too funny to be true. The tech said they recommend PRI-G. I asked him why Yamaha would do this and he said, "maybe they are using the wrong Stabil".

 

[Gman25]

I stopped to gas up my new to me 208 and I was talking to my wife and I told her we were going to put Stabil in the tank when we got home. The guy at the next pump said he worked for a local boat shop I knew (was wearing the shirt also) and said they got a bulletin from Yamaha that stated Yamaha would deny all warranty claims if Stabil was found in the gas.

Anyone heard of this?

I would go straight to that boat shop and ask to see the bulletin from Yamaha.

 

[GYP-SEA]

I used PRI-G in my 16' W/ 2stroke merc 50 for a few years. last winter the PRI-G dropped out of suspension and trashed the tank and engin. I had to have the carbs re built and the tech said they were totally blocked with some kind of black oily stuff, it also messed up the fuel pick up in the tank and the tank itself. be careful of that stuff.

 

[DB]

What the problem is STABIL knows that the RED STABIL does not work that well with ethanol gas...have torn apart many carbs that used the RED STABIL with ethanol gas and it leaves a red dusty residue that clogs all jets and passages...that is why STABIL has come out with the BLUE STABIL for ethanol gas...if you use RED STABIL with ethanol gas you'll be sorry especially if it sits any time period...Yamaha, Honda, Merc NO engine manufacturer will warranty GAS related problems.

 

[Grady_Crazy]

So which one does one use? PRI-G, Seafoam, Stabil, Yamaha fuel conditioner? Marvel Mystery Oil?

 

[Doc Stressor]

The red StaBil used to contain isopropyl alcohol. They quietly changed the formulation after the onset of E10 fuel. The new MSDS no longer included IPA in the list of ingredients. IPA can potentially cause problems with E10 in part because it can raise the alcohol content beyond the 10% allowed by engine manufactures.

StaBil contains oxidation inhibitors to slow the chemical decay of fuel and a detergent to keep the fuel system clean. The marine formula just contains higher concentrations of the same ingredients in order to compensate for the increased oxidative and corrosive potential of ethanol.

It doesn't claim to do anything for phase separation or water accumulation as do some of the other fuel additives. If you get dry fuel and keep your tank full, this should not be an issue.

StaBil is good stuff. I've used it for over 30 years, switching to the blue marine formula when E10 was the only fuel available. I have had to rebuild 1 carburetor over all of that time. That was after 3500 hr on the engine.

I use both marine StaBil and Ring free. The Techron (Ring free) may not be necessary when StaBil is used since it contains additional detergent. But I've had such good luck with Techron over the years that I don't want to change whatever works.

The new Yamaha Ring Free Plus contains a corrosion inhibitor in addition to the Techron formulation. It IS NOT a fuel stabilizer. According to this post by Andy Munao of SIM Yamaha, Yamaha has tested it to be compatible with StaBil:

http://www.greatgrady.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=89150&sid=c525cc9e64ee79b66b6737bd806fe8c4

So it is highly unlikely that Yamaha is advising against the use of StaBil.

 

[Bama96]

Ring Free and Startron no problems yet. 8)

 

[DB]

Have turned to using Non-ethanol 93 octane gas plus Seafoam in all my toys...I have 3 boats...2 motorcycles...1 scooter...2 portable generators...lawn tractor and Have not had one gas related problem since the switch to non-ethanol...BUT and this is a Big BUT...I never let the gas sit in the carb for more than 2 months I make sure I am constantly USING ALL MY TOYS...even if it is just to let the generator run in the driveway...If you don't use it...with the current refining of gas...YOU LOSE IT.

 

[Parthery]

Ring Free and Startron no problems yet. 8)

Same with me. I buy the Startron for $9/bottle at either Walmart or West (since they match it.) Ringfree is not cheap...order it from Andy (Shipyard Island) and buy a bunch. The stuff can sit on the shelf and not go bad.