With ethynol in gasoline, is water now an issue?

baitsauce · 08-02-2009, 10:09 AM

Ethynol will mix with both gasoline and water. Is water in the fuel an issue any longer? Has anyone had to deal with a clogged up filter? If so what were the signs and symptons?

I'm having an issue with my 175 SJ wanting to cut out at 1/2 to 3/4 thottle, and I'm wonding if the fuel/water separator is clogged up.

fishkisser · 08-02-2009, 08:56 PM

I change mine out every spring ... It would probably be a good place to start ... It does sound like a fuel restriction issue ...

bvs · 08-03-2009, 08:30 AM

Check out www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/rfg/waterphs.pdf

Ethanol isn't that big of an issue, but we actually have to worry about water in fuel much more now than we did before. Especially as it gets colder. Ethanol can hide a water problem at high temperatures and then bite you hard when lower temps hit. It also rusts any steel in the system and busts up the sediments in your tank and sends them through your fuel system.

Replace the seperator and fuel filter first as they're easy, but my guess is that you have carburetor blockages. Only once, in about 20 fuel system related engine problems, have I ever found a fuel filter to be clogged so much that it was causing problems. Every other time it was either a bad fuel pump or a clogged carburetor.

The one time the problem was the fuel filter, the engine wouldn't die, it would just loose power after a few seconds under load and "sputter" along.

baitsauce · 08-03-2009, 11:57 AM

Like I suspected, it was the fuel/water separator. I changed it out then the wife and I went to and enjoyed the afternoon on Fern Ridge. Now the boat runs like a top on all of the throttle settings. I just wanted to throw this out to discuss for educational reasons.

bluehewes · 08-04-2009, 12:22 AM

If my boat sits for more then a few weeks I'll change it even if I put stabil in the fuel. I change it out about 3-4 times a year, it's a good piece of mind.

If it's really cloged it can cause your boat not to run or run really poor.

MattPark · 08-04-2009, 02:19 PM

Make sure all of your fuel fittings are tight. A loose line to the kicker can suck up more water than you want to believe, and put it straight into your main's fuel supply. The air doesn't help, either.