[Rhodes22-list] ***POSSIBLE SPAM*** Re: Ethanol problems

[cjlowe at sssnet.com]

Susan,

What size (hp) Mercury do you have? I have the 6 hp Nissan, which is a
rebranded tohatso same as Mercury. I have chased this problem,myself. The
biggest problem with ethanol is it traps water and when you leave the boat
for a week or so,the gas evaporates and the water sits around in a little
pool and corrodes the pot metal that the carb is made of. This corrosion
looks like little grains of salt, that do not dissolve the next time you
come to the boat and hook up the fuel line. But they do get washed around
the fuel bowl of the carb and tend to build up and plug the fuel jets of
the carb. The fuel jets are what meters the gas to mix it with the air in
the proper proportion. There are usually 3 jets, low /idle speed,mid
speed,and high speed. the jets are very small holes that meter the fuel,
idle jet is the smallest,and plugs the easiest. On two stroke motors, the
jets are a lot bigger,they burn about twice the fuel as a four stroke
motor. That and the fact that they mix oil with the gas, and that oil has
additives in it for that purpose, they seldom plug up.
What is your specific problem? Won't idle? Won't run good at all speeds?
Hard starts ?
At splash this year,my motor didn't want to idle and once I got up to half
throttle,it start to choke up like it wasn't getting enough gas. I'd have
to cut back to 1/4 throttle to keep it running. I changed the spark plug
and the motor ran good,but still wouldn't idle. I adjusted the idle speed
screw to make it run a little faster, and now it is dependable and won't
stall even in gear. I believe that the idle jet is still plugged,but I
have the idle set high enough that the mid range jet is making up for the
plugged idle jet.
If I were you ,i would change the spark plug first. It the cheapest thing
to do $3.00 at auto zone. I use sea foam additive for the gas. Highly
recommend non ethanol fuel with seafoam.
I think you may be adding to your problems by reconnecting the fuel line
after you let the carb run out of fuel at the end of the day. There is
still pressure in the line, enough to fill the carb back up,so your
running the carb dry was all for naught. Plus,when the tank warms up with
tomarrows sun,it will put pressure on the fuel line once again filling it
back up.
Once you dock and tie up, disconnect the line and leave it disconnected
until you go out again.

 Something to chew on,
Jerry Lowe




> Hi Susan,
>
> There is no such thing as ethanol build up.  Instead, the ethanol is
> probably dissolving your fuel line or even your gas tank.   Be sure your
> fuel system is ethanol tolerant and the ethanol will actually keep your
> engine clean.
>
> If you have a gas station that now sells ethanol free gas, that will
> probably not last long.  With the new EPA mandate for 15% ethanol, corn
> producers are going gang busters and the supply of ethanol will soon be
> overwhelming.
>
> Rick
>
> On Sun, Jun 18, 2017 at 2:14 PM, Susan Crane <scranevmd at verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>> I posted a query last fall about the problems I was having with my
>> Mercury
>> outboard and received several very helpful replies that basically
>> indicated
>> that my problems with stalling and erratic idling were due to buildup of
>> ethanol residue in the carburetor.  So I have tried unplugging the gas
>> line
>> and letting the motor run till it stalls, but I am still having
>> problems.
>> This is probably a silly question, but when one does that with the gas
>> line,
>> do you leave it unplugged until the next time you use it or do you
>> reattach
>> it after the motor stops, or does it matter?  Just in case anyone
>> wonders,
>> I
>> have been adding fuel treatment to the gas.  Next question:  I have
>> found a
>> local gas station which sells ethanol free gas and am going to switch to
>> that.  Will using it help clean out the carburetor or do I need to have
>> it
>> cleaned or replaced?  I had a new carburetor put in last summer and the
>> motor ran perfectly for a few outings before the problems recurred.
>> Obviously, I know nothing about outboard motor functioning and the
>> mechanic
>> at my marina has been less than helpful.  He doesn't seem to believe
>> that
>> it
>> is an ethanol issue.  I am trying to avoid buying a new outboard, but am
>> at
>> my wits end with this.  Just the stress of the motor stalling while
>> docking
>> takes some of the fun out of sailing.  Any help will be greatly
>> appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Susan Crane
>>
>> s/v Whimsy
>>
>> Bohemia River
>>
>> Chesapeake Bay
>>
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