What causes gas to turn white?
 

I went for a water test on a spectre cat today and both engines (250 Optimaxs) quit after about two minutes.

When we got back to their place the mechanic pulled the fuel line off and drained the filters on the outboard engines and the fuel was white.

The engines did start up when hooked up to a small fuel tank with fresh gas.

Please help. I have a substantial deposit on this boat and they are reluctant to return it, saying they will drain the tanks and it will be fine.

I have been in the fuel business my whole life and not seen white fuel but I have heard of people putting sugar in gas tanks to ruin the fuel

This stuff was white, looked like someone cleaned out a big paint brush in it. They keep saying it's just water and the outboards kept flashing the water in fuel message. The boat has dual racor filters.

So this is a liquid white and not dried up after sitting. I have never seen while fuel or even an off white for that matter. What are the tanks made of? Just trying to determine if something is going on or liquifying in the tank but I can't imagine that. Some people do stupid and desperate things though. I've never really seen fuel after sugar was dumped in the fuel cell/tank. I guess it would be an easy thing to experiment with though to rule it out. Get a gallon of gas and dump a cup of sugar in it and see what happens. Probably wouldn't be an accurate test though as age could change the color also. I don't know. Is it possible you could send a sample to a lab nearby? Just trying to help however sorry I don't have a direct anwer for you.

Let us know what you come up with.

John

Thank you for your help. I hadn't thought about the tanks decaying. It is very liquid, no solids visible and if you let some of it sit it will seperate into layers with the white stuff at the bottom.

heavy alchohol mix will show white as described before it phase seperates,.. I would flush the tank completely and new filters and INSIST on a two hour satisfactory sea trial... no comply with that, then get your bucks back...

not sure what it is, but it can't be good. That boat needs to have the tank emptied and the lines cleaned before I would buy it.

Alcohol in fuel with water in suspension would be whitish. Get a sample of it it and let it sit for some time and see what it looks like.

Is this what heavy concentration of ethanol left unstabilized will do??

Ethanol Fuel does phase separate over time and turn color. I have never seen it in person though.. Only read about it.

I would have those fuel tanks polished by a 3rd party professional.

Or find another boat. I would not trust a seller telling me "it will be okay" until I knew with confidence.

If something smells dirty, it isn't clean.

people do dumb things when storing boats. I bought a jet ski once where the people stored it for 8 years they dumped antifreeze into the magneto. Could be something like stabil in the fuel or something else crazy they thought would be good for it. Its not water at least.