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Treat fuel or run engine dry for extended storage?
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| waco72 |
Posted on 10/13/13 - 10:27 AM
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Hi,
I have been reading the maintenance manual which came with my Mercury 90 FourStroke EFI regarding storage and was looking for some opinions since the manual kind of contradicts itself. In one paragraph it says that "it is advisable to drain as much of the remaining gasoline as possible from the fuel tank, remote fuel line, and engine fuel system" but in the next line it says to treat the fuel with a stabilizer to prevent the formation of varnish and gum.
I have heard that storing an EFI engine completely dry can lead to problems and treated fuel should be left in the engine itself. However I have had others say that whenever possible, all of the fuel should be drained from the engine and to run it dry for several months of storage.
Any ideas which is the preferred method? Thank you
Edited by waco72 on 10/13/13 - 10:28 AM |
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| wannabe |
Posted on 10/13/13 - 10:58 AM
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I do both. I treat the fuel with Stabilizer(Startron) and run the fuel out of the carbs. I don't have EFI but I rather get the fuel out of the system if it were mine.
Drew
1988 Outrage 18 - 1988 Yamaha 130 hp |
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| tedious |
Posted on 10/14/13 - 5:29 AM
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Waco, I have been following the same routine since 2005 on 3 separate EFI four-strokes - not Merc's but I'd imagine that it would work fine. I run the tanks down as much as is practical, and make sure the winter dose of stabilizer is in there during the last day of running. Then do the winterizing etc., and leave sit. In the spring, I fill up the tanks before launching, to get as high a proportion of new gas as possible.
Some years I do better than others running the tanks down - on one boat with a 100-gallon tank, I have wintered with as few as 10 gallons in there, and as many as 40. I've had no problems whatsover through the years, with the storage period being mid-October through May. Yes, the recreational boating season in Maine is short.
Tim
Edited by tedious on 10/14/13 - 12:59 PM |
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| Bilito |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 6:53 AM
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tedious wrote:
Waco, I have been following the same routine since 2005 on 3 separate EFI four-strokes - not Merc's but I'd imagine that it would work fine. I run the tanks down as much as is practical, and make sure the winter dose of stabilizer is in there during the last day of running. Then do the winterizing etc., and leave sit. In the spring, I fill up the tanks before launching, to get as high a proportion of new gas as possible.
Some years I do better than others running the tanks down - on one boat with a 100-gallon tank, I have wintered with as few as 10 gallons in there, and as many as 40. I've had no problems whatsover through the years, with the storage period being mid-October through May. Yes, the recreational boating season in Maine is short.
Tim
Let my boat sit for 3 months with stabilizer in the few gallons that were in the tank and just yesterday went to start it and checked the fuel by draining it all thru a water separating funnel and sure enough the gas looked and smelled terrible and there was at least a pint of water in what I thought was clean stabilized gas. I am in Miami Fl. There is more ethanol in the gas then they are telling us there is so take every precaution to protect your motor. I have a GLS 13 with a 6 gallon tank.
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| wing15601 |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 7:10 AM
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I always dose my gas liberally with stabilizer and leave the tank full as I have read many times that with the tank full there is less chance of condensation. As far as draining the carbs etc. my E-TEC on the Montauk self-winterize sand I don't know if it runs itself out of gas or not. The Honda BF50 on the 13 process states to disconnect the fuel line and drain the carbs. Prior to these two engines I always dosed the gas tank with stabilizer and ran the boat a while to mix and circulate it then ran the engine with the fuel line disconnected while fogging till it stopped. I don't know if it stopped from being choked with the fogging oil or running the carbs out of gas but I never had any winterizing problem. I would imagine your engine is compatible with E-10 gas and because ethanol absorbs moisture so readily they advise to leave the tank as empty ad possible. I would think if you use ethanol free gas you could leave the tank full.
Edited by wing15601 on 03/03/14 - 7:14 AM
I winter in Ft. Myers and summer in St. Joseph, Michigan. It’s now about 12 years since I’ve joined this group. I gave my 1972 whaler to my daughter and sold the 17’. Bought an O’Day 28 sailboat and sailed on Lake Michigan. Yesterday I bought a 2005 130 Sport. |
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| Tom W Clark |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 7:33 AM
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I do not add any fuel stabilizer and I often do not run my outboards dry before storage of several months. I also change the fuel/water separators for each of my motors every season.
I also empty and sometimes cut those used fuel/water separator cartridges apart to inspect them.
I have yet to find one drop of water, not even since 2008 when E10 came into widespread use in Washington State.
I general, I try to store the boat with its fuel tank as close to empty as is practical.
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| gchuba |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 8:25 AM
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I believe the answer may be in what type of access you have to your fuel tank as well as what material the tank is made of.
I have a 1979 22ft Revenge with an under the deck 70 (+-)gallon plastic tank. Misery from fuel the minute I got my boat with 40 gallons of 4 year old gas and debri in tank. While servicing/cleaning the tank I cut in an access plate at the motor intake fitting. I can now reach into the tank and ladle out the fuel. The interior of the tank was void of any of the shellac/rust build up I would observe in metal tanks. While working on the tank condensation water would form and get into the empty tank.
I am planning on running my tank dry for winter storage by motoring about towards the end of the season with spare fuel. I will service it by manually cleaning the condensation which forms while sitting empty just before the start of the coming season. Water does not affect the plastic.
If I had a metal tank and had no access plate for cleaning. I would do the opposite. The empty tank and remnants of old fuel would be a magnet for contaminants in the fuel. I would fill it to get less water build up the walls and interior of the tank. More fuel would have less "shellac" build up. Load the heck out of it with stabilizers (I have no product info) and look into the availability for "fuel polishing". At some point I would install (have installed) access plates on both sides of the baffle and really give the tank a thorough cleaning.
I would follow manufacturers recommendations for winter storage of motors.
gchuba
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| gchuba |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 8:40 AM
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Tom,
What is E10? I would guess an additive to gas at the pump. In CA, our fuel just trashes.
gchuba
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| Tom W Clark |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 8:43 AM
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E10 is Gasoline with 10 percent Ethanol.
California uses E10 as well.
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| wlagarde |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 8:44 AM
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Fuel system gumming is a bigger problem with carbureted engines. I always use stabilizer and for the winter run the fuel out of the engine and then drain each carb using the float chamber drain screws. I also empty my 6 gallon fuel tank into my car and store the tank dry for the winter.
1976 Sport 15 w/ 2005 50hp Nissan 2 stroke |
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| gchuba |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 8:54 AM
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Tom,
What is the ingredient in gas that eats up the rubber. I have been told the two stroke fuel (even for chain saws) needs additive to protect.
gchuba
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| rvschulz |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 9:09 AM
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not sure what is available in your area but we have access to non-ethanol fuel. that is all I put in my fuel tank.
1987 Montauk 17, 2013 Etec 115 |
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| Tom W Clark |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 9:30 AM
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Seattle has two stations that sell ethanol-free gas near me. You may be able to find one in your area from this site:
http://pure-gas.org/
Edited by Tom W Clark on 03/03/14 - 9:42 AM |
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| Tom W Clark |
Posted on 03/03/14 - 9:42 AM
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gchuba -- It is ethanol that is the culprit, especially ethanol in gasoline in concentrations in excess of 10 percent.
It should be remembered that while the E10 use throughout the US is a relatively recent occurrence, E10 has been used for decades in the Midwest.
All OMC/BRP outboards made since the 1980s are designed to tolerate fuel with up to 10 percent ethanol or methanol. Most outboards made today are built the same way as are virtually all cars and trucks.
When E10 use was mandated across the land and boats that had formerly only ever had straight gas used in their fuel systems began using E10, many problems were reported. A lot of those problems were not directly the motor's fault but the fuel systems which had varnish and other crud dissolved by the ethanol, which is a good solvent. Once this stuff was put into suspension in the fuel it could be drawn into the motor(s) and cause trouble.
Ethanol also mixes with water while gasoline does not and could lead to problems with phase separation.
Also remember that there were a lot of underground fuel storage tanks at the gas station that were introduced to E10 at the same time and those tanks could suffer the same problems as a boats fuel tank. Plenty in boats cars and trucks get bad gas not from the conditions the vehicles are used in, but from bad gas simply being pumping into the tank at the gas station.
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