Ethanol and winterization
 

What is the consensus...store it w/ full tank or near empty? My tech says no more than 1/2 tank but I just read an article that says should store w/ 95% full. Also, what brand stabilizer is best? TIA.

I store mine with only a few gallons in the tanks and then in the spring I siphon as much as I can before I pour fresh gas in. My boat is usually stored from late October through May. I'm sure that after that many months the octane rating has dropped significantly. The humidity in Colorado is generally pretty low so water contamination isn't to much of a concern, though it is stored indoors.

I used to store mine with full tanks, but recently switched to about 1/4 tank or less. I have heard that today's fuel breaks down in storage.

Used to keep it full w/ stabil, now w/ ethanol as low as possible, as stabil does not seem to work as well w/ the ethanol.

Been using ethanol gas for years here in the Midwest. Top off the tank each fall (late Oct. to early Nov.), treat with the proper amount of Sta-Bil, and next spring (usually bust her out in late March to early April) she runs like a top. Never had a problem with E-10 drawing a bunch of moisture or dropping octane to the point where the motor knocks.

The Boat U.S. magazine this month has an article on this which your probably referring to.I have been doing the 95% full of gas with MDR stabilizer and their water zorb for 10 years with zero fuel problems.The other option is getting 100% of the fuel out of the fuel system and the tank. The worst thing to do is leave a few gallons to a Quarter to a half full.The fuel tank breathes more and attracts larger amounts of moister. With enough condensation you will get phase separation which is highly corrosive ethanol/water mix which will settle to the bottom of your fuel tank and would stay their even after fresh fuel would be added in the spring.Once phase separation occurs additives and water sep filters can't help,the only solution is to have the gas/ethanol/water pumped from the tank.This information is from a senior engineering consultant at Chevron which contributed to the Boat U.S. article.

Hey guys, thanks for the responses. As you can see, opinions vary b/n little fuel to full tank. I didn't think of it much until I read the Boat US article. What to do, what to do.....:confused:

I had problems with Sta-Bil treated fuel, not only in the boats, but in all of my two-stroke equipment.
I've been using PRI-G for years now, and haven't had any problems with fuel storage since. It's a little higher in cost, but a pint treats 256 gallons, so it probably evens out in comparison.
I also know guys who swear by Seafoam as a storage additive, and the other one I've heard that has been quite good is made by Bombardier (the old OMC fuel stabilizer/storage additive).
I attended a fuel seminar last winter- (mostly on aviation fuels but a nice discussion on auto fuels as well), all the major companies were in attendance. They stated you can expect no more than a month out of today's auto fuel without some degradation- even less with ethanol added (as stated before, it's junk once it has separated). I am now adding PRI to ALL of my fuel- cars, trucks, boats, and equipment cans.
Jim

Can you tell me what PRI is and where I can find it.

How would one go about pumping out every last bit of fuel for the winter........I would think there will always be something left in the tank and in the fuel system.........I am extra nervousbecause I run twin Merc 575 SCI'S which require a minimum of 93 octane...............What to do......What to do.....

I run the boat untill about a 1/4 of tank of fuel then i disconnect the fuel line at the filter connect an elecrtic fuel pump from a car or boat pump and pump the remaining fuel into my truck.real easy and nothing to worry about next season.

http://www.k100fueltreatment.com/stabilizer.html
Works great with Ethanol. Never had luck with Stabil.

575sci's only require 91 octane. If you fill with 93 octane you should be fine. The octane will probably drop to around 90-91 over a 6 month storage. You can also leave room in the tank and add 5-10 gallons of 110 octane in the spring.

I've bought it from both Overtons and BoatersWorld- I just did a search on their sites and don't see it listed!

After a quick 'google', I found this site that has it, (weird- it's some kind of survival preparedness outfit), and I have to admit their prices are several dollars less than where I'd been buying it. They even have it available in quarts and gallons.
If you have diesel truck (or boat) their PRI-D product is just as good as the PRI-G is for gasoline.
Jim

http://www.nitro-pak.com/index.php?cPath=42_232

Ditto. Never any problems either. And if anyone is concerned about a slight drop in octane just top it off in the spring with a higher grade and you are good to go.

Sounds like a plan...................

I leave my 55 gallon tank half full with 91 octane with sta-bil between sept thru april.In the spring I'll add 5 gallons of 114 octane from my race car reserve and the rest 91 octane pump gas.Been doing this for 10 years and no issues.

I should have added that I do top off the tank in fall with either 89 or 91 octane gas to compensate for any drop in octane that may occur. My motor (496) only requires 87 octane.

In the past I usually left tank at 1/2 or less, rarely used stabile, then filled up in spring before running. Figured I diluted the bad w/ the good. After running that tank thru I normally changed the plugs (carb engines) for the season.

Not sure what I'll do this year.

Is it me or is it WWWWWAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY too early to be asing these kinds of Questions still alot of boating to do before this kind of stuff is really time to do it.:sport009:

Bryan

So you are into leaving tanks full?

How about leaving tanks full. In spring pump some of the gas out & put in cars. Then top off tanks with new fuel

Yes- I always leave tanks full - the less air space the less room for condensation to form. Ethanol increases the chance for water to be asborbed. Your only other choice would be to go completely empty, and I'm talking all the lines, fuel bowls etc. Way too much hassle.
I think the guys that are going with a little higher octane at storage time or adding higher octane at first fill-up next season are definitely on the right track given the fact of octane loss over time.
As stated before, I quit using Sta-Bil quite a while ago - I've had MUCH better luck with PRI-G.
Jim