New ethanol blend damages marine engines Mercury Marine experts testify
 

yet another ethanol mandate to be shoved down our throats...



http://www.jsonline.com/business/new...132968333.html

Ill Timed Legislated Innovation?
 

Everybody remembers when this big push to ethanol took place. In a "lets find quick energy independance" some smart people in politics and in the "corn" belt jumped on this one and quickly won administration, congressional and enviromental approvals and WHOLA! here comes ethanol and mandated use requirements even before any good usage studies and tests like this were properly and completely done.
Now when industires cannot afford warranty and equipment failure issues in this horrible economy we are going to be made to "Walk the Plank" and do a lot of equipment and damage to many industries, sports and economies.
Instead of doing good due dilegence evaluation and good scientific testing, those wonderful "Power Brokers" (elected Officials & Lobbyists) in their infinite knowledge and wisdom are hanging the overall American public with a real problem.
I know the central US and its farming base needs business and growth, but this would be like boat builders saying that 1/16" thick boat hulls will save fuel and help us burn less oil and make us more energy independant. They would have not seen the eminent boat sinkings when the law for its thinwall usage was mandated, just after a few hundred sank and killed a few boaters! OH GEEZ, You mean we gotta think about things like this before we pass these new laws and set things like this in motion!!???
One must think about the ultimate damage to the current vehicles that are running E15& E85. If this damage occurs in marine engines it will utlimatly occur in automotive engines, just at a slower pace most likely.
Get out the Popcorn! This is gonna be a good one!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

This is a Mercury test?

"In the Mercury Marine tests, paid for by the Department of Energy, a 200-horsepower outboard engine broke down after less than 300 hours of continuous operation, at full throttle, on the biofuel blend.

"The bearings on a piston disintegrated," said John McKnight, director of environmental and safety compliance for the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

An identical engine powered by gasoline without ethanol was not damaged in the industry-standard test, according to McKnight.

A 300-horsepower Mercury outboard, one of the company's most expensive engines, sustained valve damage after 280 hours of testing, while an identical engine running on gasoline without ethanol wasn't damaged."

from the NMMA (national marine manufacturers association)

Department of Energy Reports Show Severe Damage to Marine Engines from E15, Reinforcing Recreational Boating Industry Concerns
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 25, 2011– On Friday the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy released the results of two studies on the effects of using fuel that is 15 percent ethanol in volume (E15) in marine engines. The studies were conducted on engines provided by two marine engine manufactures; Both are members of National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).

The long-awaited reports show significant problems with outboard, stern drive and inboard engines. Results of the reports show severe damage to engine components and an increase in exhaust emissions, reinforcing the recreational boating industry’s concern that E15 is not a suitable fuel for marine engines.

Emissions and durability testing compared E15 fuel and fuel containing zero percent ethanol (E0) and examined exhaust emissions, exhaust gas temperature, torque, power, barometric pressure, air temperature, and fuel flow. Specifically, the report showed degraded emissions performance outside of engine certification limits as well as increased fuel consumption. In separate testing on engine durability, each tested engine showed deterioration, including two of the three outboard engines, with damages severe enough to prevent them from completing the test cycle. The E0 test engines did not exhibit any fuel related issues.

NMMA worked with its manufacturer members in securing the resources and facilitating the testing for these reports. NMMA supports further testing that will provide additional understanding about the negative effects of E15 on marine engines.

NMMA President Thom Dammrich says, “Current proposals by the ethanol industry to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline should seriously concern all boaters and owners of other small engine equipment. Although NMMA strongly supports renewable fuels as a means to reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of oil and improve the environment, there is growing evidence that ethanol is not the answer to America’s energy challenge.”

For more information, please read the full versions of the Emissions and Durability test or the Fuel Endurance test from the Department of Energy. For questions or media inquiries please contact Lauren Dunn at 202-280-6928 or [email protected].

Both Volvo Penta and Mercury Marine provided test engines as well as the testing facilities. The U.S. Department of Energy approved the final analysis of the results.

I read an article a few years ago in one of my boating magazines about ethanol fuel use in a marine environment. The article stated that ethanol being an alcohol derivitive actually leans out the fuel mixture that can cause enough problems by itself in an engine that runs as hard as marine engines do but the ethanol will also attract moisture into the fuel system causing more frequent changes of water seperaters. I think it was a summer issue of Boating mag or Trailerboating mag 2008 or2009 since a lot of my magazine collections got destroyed by the flood I cant go back & look through but the article was very much against using ethanol products in marine equipment.

What did the Volvo Penta engineers say? Did they see the same results on their engines (obviously not outboards..)?

from what I read in another report ALL the engines running ethanol blend had the same problems and ALL the engines running pure gas completed it with no issues. both engine manufacturers had the same results.

Now Read This???
 

An interesting read that we should all read and think about.

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyl...514_058678.htm

Thought you would enjoy!

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar

Alot of people don't realize but the e-10 you buy every where doesn'st have the strictist quality control already (as it is mixed as truck is filled by simply filling tanker with ethanol and base gas) and OFTEN contains more Ethanol than its supposed to and people wonder why there stuff melts down suddenly without rhyme or reason, I encourage everyone to self test the ethanol content of what you are buying at least once a year. I detail a very easy 2 minute test you can do to check alchohol contentn in gas, you can gather the stuff together for less than 20$. My post on this is in this other thread:
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...-solution.html
Smitty

Bring back leaded fuel, at-least the lead cushioned the valves...

I'd be happy with e85...at the pump....atleast I'd get 110 octane...cheap...