Made the yearly change of my 10 micron Yammy filter yesterday.
(Swapped to Racor to get the clear bowl.)
Dumped the gas from the filter into a bucket; saw no indications of any water in the gas. Felt pretty good about that!
Now a friend tells me that you may not see any water in ethanol gas because the ethanol mixes with the water!
So how can you tell if there is water in the gas anymore?
Dazed and confused by ethanol:dizzy_face:
Sea Hunt 2002
Yamaha 150
I change that filter every 2-3 months not yearly. Not sure if it makes a diffrence but makes me feel much better. With that filter if there is any water in the gas it should collect in that clear bowl that is why you pay extra for that type of racor.
Pathfinder 1806
90 Yamaha
I run initial dose amount of Startron even time and a 10 micron filter and my vst filter still got nastied up. Charleston Marine just finished cleaning it all up including the injectors. The Racor did NOT need to be changed. Chris said the ethanol will hold crap in solution and pass right through the Racor. Evidently, you’re never safe.
Grady White 222
quote:
Originally posted by wstrickland1I run initial dose amount of Startron even time and a 10 micron filter and my vst filter still got nastied up. Charleston Marine just finished cleaning it all up including the injectors. The Racor did NOT need to be changed. Chris said the ethanol will hold crap in solution and pass right through the Racor. Evidently, you’re never safe.
Grady White 222
With that being said is it even worth it for me to add a Racor 10 Micron filter to my boat? I’ve got an older motor(1990 Johnson VRO 120)that has had no issues with ethanol so far this summer. I also run the initial dose of Startron every time I fill up.
I would. There’s still stuff they catch that can mess you up pretty bad.
Grady White 222
I always heard ethanol makes water evaporate quicker. Would this mean something in an enclosed take. Maybe precipitiation will form in the take before it reaches the filter?
“My fish served a whole lunchon. Your fish look like a munchkin”
196CC Tidewater 2008
Suzuki 115 2008
2007 Toyota Tundra TRD 5.7L V8
quote:WRONG!!
Originally posted by nameofadamI always heard ethanol makes water evaporate quicker.
“How can you tell if there is water in the gas, anymore?”
You can still see it if there is enough to effect the way your motor burns it.
I have a spin-on fuel filter with a sight bowl. The water layer shows up slightly orange while the mixed gas is green. There were two very distinct layers… very very easy to see 1/4" of water in the bottom of the sight bowl. As long as I’m using the boat 1/mo. or so, I don’t get any water in the sight bowl.
So, if you have a small enough amount of water in your gas/ethanol, it will not settle into a separate layer, it will stay in solution (at least for a while). If you exceed the amount that will stay in solution, then you get a separate layer. As long as the water stay mixed bound up in the fuel, it will run through your motor fine. It does it all the time. You do always and have always had some moisture in your fuel.
The ethanol brings more moisture into the situation, but, the general dynamics have always been true, even with plain old fashioned gasoline.
Note, that having more or less H2O in your fuel is a separate and distinct problem from all the other nasty tricks ethanol plays. The alcohol is a new solvent that older systems have not had to handle. Those older systems build up deposits and crud over time. Then, we add a new solvent and all those deposits and crud start coming loose. That’s a bigger PIA.
17’ Henry O Hornet
w/ Johnson 88spl
Thanks, PS. Got it.
I was happy to see none of the other junk folks talk about in my gas, white gunk etc.
Have always bought BP gas from a station with high turnover. Gas is always fresh and has a techron additive.
Friend of mine has a 15 yr old boat w/a 275 hp Mercruiser V-8. In the last couple of years he has had all kinds of problems w/the engine; does he have a gas filter-NO!
Sea Hunt 2002
Yamaha 150