Friday, July 6, 2012

Recalibrate the Carburetor to Tolerate E10.


Ethanol for boats

Older outboard motors with carburetors were calibrated to run on the old fuel. The ethanol in the new gas makes the engine run to lean. This can cause hard starting and rough running and running hot. A good mechanic can recalibrate the carburetor to tolerate E10.

E10 can cause some problems and it is often used as an excuse when the engine runs rough. It is a great excuse to get you to buy a new engine. The newer fuel injection systems are somewhat self-adjusting and do handle E10 better. 

The first thing for the older carburetor run engines it see if adjusting the carburetor will take care of the problem. Second is use fresh fuel.

E10 gas will absorb water. A ½ full tank of gas will absorb more because there is a high surface area exposed to the air. A full tank is better. A fuel stabilizer added when you fill up is recommended. If you think there is absorbed water in the fuel, do not add a fuel dryer. These are often ethanol and can compound the problem. There is no way to recombine separated water and E10.  

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