Reply With QuoteI've also put a fuel water separator on mine now. I think all of this stuff is a small price to pay instead of a new motor and constant carb rebuilds and $85 dollars per hour labor at these marine centers is rediculous.
Likes: 0
Thanks: 0
HaHa: 0
Trophy King II
I have a 2000 merc....I only used stabil on the last tank of the year, up until about 2 years ago. I have never had a carb problem(knock on wood), but I usually fish almost year round. It might only set for 2 months at max during the coldest part of the winter. I do put stabil in mine every tank now, but I think if you keep gas moving thru the carbs on a regular basis, that helps to.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
I've also put a fuel water separator on mine now. I think all of this stuff is a small price to pay instead of a new motor and constant carb rebuilds and $85 dollars per hour labor at these marine centers is rediculous.
"Keep talkin smack and I'll make ya famous !!!"
B&L Marine Pro Staff
Keeper
ITis ok to worry about the gas ,but I think it is very important to change the fuel supply line .They crumble on the inside and go thru the lines and carburators.
I am looking at 400. bucks to rebuild three carbs .But I think they just need cleaning out.I am too skeered to tackle the job as the boat has never been worked on
.It is a 2004 mercury.
Crappie.com Legend
Find a new mechanic.Originally Posted by bluethunder
Ethanol WONT cause problems on modern engines. In fact, ethanol cleans the varnish gas leaves behind. I'll never buy stabil again, there commercial is missleading the public and only promotes a lie. Ethanol does not cause varnish build up, gas leaves varnish behind.
HOI Crappie Club
Where family and friends come to compete for a little more than bragging rights.
Quick, someone teach me how to fish so I can win this tournament!!!
Crappie Wall Hanger II
E10 will not cause problems on modern engines however the ethanol will dissolve the fuel lines and the old style plastic floats in carbed motors. E85 is a total different animal, dont use it in out boards period. Ethanol will absorb moisture from the air and this is where you will have fuel separation. Sea foam will prevent the separation from occurring. Sea foam will keep the fuel system clean including the injectors, cylinders, pistons and valves stay looking new. I have seen too many engines with the heads off and you can tell who it using sea foam and who is not.
Trophy King II
Both of these are made by Stabill. Stabill is akin to the additives in high test fuel as I understand it, it helps keep your fuel stabill, thus the name. Sea Foam is akin to Yamaha's Ring Free, it helps reduce varnish in the engine and helps clean your carb as well.
Like many here, I use Stabill in all my small engines when I am putting them up, be it my boat, my lawn mower, my tiller, etc. It should help reduce varnishing in the carbs from fuel drying out in the carbs perhaps, but I try to ensure they run dry after running some gas with Stabill in it, leaving fuel in your carbs is a big no no.
So, before I paid anyone to rebuild my carbs, I would first run spray some good carb cleaner into them, CRC or Gumout are good brands. That should kick start a good cleaning. Then I would try running them with Sea Foam for awhile. Hope this helps. The last tank of gas should have Stabill in it, or high test fuel, and ALWAYS run your carbs dry if you expect the boat to sit for more than a week or so. I am thinking I am going to start making a practice of always running them dry the more I think about it.
Trophy King
Niether!
USE STARTRON!
I'm def not an expert, but I know some that swear by this stuff. Much better than seafoam and stabil. There is a good explanation of what it is and why it works on their website. Google it and check it out.
"They bitin' up river on that topwater"
Trophy King
If you have a two-stroke, I would not run it dry! Lubrication between the piston and cylinder is achieved by the oil in the fuel mixture (gas/oil/air). If you run your motor out of gas, you burn all the lubrication out with it.
"They bitin' up river on that topwater"
Trophy King II
Jamestown is saying it's mostly about water, which is what you use HEAT, aka Isopropyl alcohol for.
StarTron Gasoline Engine Fuel Treatment
So, it's only claim over most other products is in regard to water issues. It, like most others, contains mineral spirits, a form of high-grade kerosene.
It's nothing special, but it does make some fuel LESS stable according to Saybolt-Core Laboratory, an independent lab hired by PRI-G.
PRI-G also supposedly is better than Sta-Bil at preserving fuel stability by a significant margin, but I have never seen PRI-G and have no idea where it can be found. They did not test against SeaFoam, or should I say they did not PUBLISH any tests showing the effects of SeaFoam vs PRI-G which may, or may not mean something.
Aside from using Isopropyl alcohol based products for condensation, I think these products are all better than nothing. High Octane gas also has similar additives in it, which is why many mechanics recommend running it even though it is more costly. I am not sure about using high octane fuel in outboards, it likely will cause no issues, but I do not know that to be true. I am also sure the PRI-G tests are selective, that other additives may do other things better than PRI-G, but PRI-G does sound like a good product.
As for StarTron, I'd rather use HEAT as needed, and SeaFoam, with Sta-Bil or PRI-G for fuel storage. As for pulling the fuel line and running an engine till it dies, the lack of perfect oil wedge for such a short period is micro wear, I'll take it over varnish in my carbs. Been doing it for decades, never had to rebuild an engine yet. YMMV
Trophy King
Jamestown is saying it's mostly about water, which is what you use HEAT, aka Isopropyl alcohol for.
Jamestown is a distributor, not the manufacturer.
So, it's only claim over most other products is in regard to water issues. It, like most others, contains mineral spirits, a form of high-grade kerosene.
From their website:
Functioning as biocatalysts, enzymes increase and control the rate of chemical reactions. Star TronŽ uses highly specialized enzymes to modify how gasoline and diesel fuel burns, resulting in more complete and uniform combustion with reduced engine emissions. This same enzyme package breaks down fuel sludge and allows water to be dispersed throughout the fuel as sub-micron sized droplets that can be eliminated as the engine operates while also cleaning the entire fuel delivery system. Contaminants are either safely burned off or filtered out, and fuel chemistry is stabilized for long-term storage.
Preventing gum and varnish buildup is critical for good gasoline performance. This is especially important in E-10 fuel, where the introduction of ethanol into the fuel delivery system may cause old gums and varnish to break off tank walls and contaminate the fuel. Star TronŽ can dissolve gum and varnish back into E-10 gasoline.
I'd rather use HEAT as needed, and SeaFoam, with Sta-Bil or PRI-G for fuel storage.
Water issues are due to water having a stronger affinity to alocohol (ethanol) than gasoline. When moisture enters the fuel system, it bonds with the ethanol (alcohol) and seperates from the gasoline. HEAT is adding more alcohol to this equation.
As for pulling the fuel line and running an engine till it dies, the lack of perfect oil wedge for such a short period is micro wear, I'll take it over varnish in my carbs. Been doing it for decades, never had to rebuild an engine yet. YMMV
Seems to me, that one cylinder would run out of fuel before the others, leaving it dry? Doesn't take much to gall aluminum. JMHO
"They bitin' up river on that topwater"
Posting Permissions
