Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board

Re: Corn Gas Again

Posted By: Walter Kaprielian
Date: Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 10:10 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Corn Gas Again (Jack)

When I bought my B-20 from a guy in Pennsylvania (no Ethanol) I trailered it to NY and filled the tank with NY fuel (with 10% Ethanol) and never even thought about it as the issue hadn't been talked about. The boat ran fine the first season and was put away for the winter with a full tank to avoid condensation. Next spring I started having what was diagnosed as carburetor problems. Harder starting, rougher idling etc. It was blamed on the age of the old straight sixer so I had the carburetor rebuilt. Engine ran better but by the end of the second season, my hard starting was blamed on my old style ignition system. I installed an electronic ignition and it much improved as far as starting was concerned but top rpm (which I never do for any length of time) seemed unattainable. Not being a hot-rodder and since I used the 20 locally, I wasn't bothered. We then had 5 days of heavy rain. Since the marina did not provide electricity for a charger, I went down every day to run the engine and charge the battery that was being used regularly by the bilge pump. On the 5th day, it just wouldn't start. When we finally got it to start, the engine made some god-awful clanking sounds and I immediately shut her down and called in a mechanic. The carburetor was glued shut and black inside. My valves were sticking but luckily the mechanic flushed, cleaned, etc. and ran it smoothly by connecting an outboard motor tank to my fuel filter, bypassing the boat's tank completely.

Using ethanol laced fuel in your older fiberglass tank is not going to cause instant problems. It will take some time for the ethanol to start working on the tank. It won't be until the resins start dissolving(?) in the fuel and get transferred through your engine when the risks take place. With me, it took a season and a winter of sitting before it showed up in performance. I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with the 20. Walter

Messages In This Thread

Corn Gas Again
Trey Dibrell -- Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 4:28 p.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Skipper Dick -- Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 5:10 p.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Skipper Dick -- Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 5:11 p.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Walter Kaprielian -- Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 7:41 p.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Jack -- Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 8:16 p.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Walter Kaprielian -- Thursday, 13 April 2006, at 10:10 p.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
cwj -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 6:28 a.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Capt Dick Dean -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 8:02 a.m.

Re: Corn Gas Again
Ron Cahoon -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 10:01 a.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
Doug Crowther -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 10:12 a.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
Capt Dick Dean -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 2:04 p.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
Doug Crowther -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 2:21 p.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
thuddddd -- Friday, 14 April 2006, at 5:04 p.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
andre fourrier - Louisiana -- Saturday, 15 April 2006, at 12:03 a.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
thuddddd -- Saturday, 15 April 2006, at 11:59 a.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
andre fourrier - Louisiana -- Saturday, 15 April 2006, at 8:14 p.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
Doug Crowther -- Sunday, 16 April 2006, at 11:21 a.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
andre fourrier - Louisiana -- Sunday, 16 April 2006, at 10:14 p.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
Doug Crowther -- Sunday, 16 April 2006, at 11:25 a.m.

Re: A challenge for Dick !
thuddddd -- Monday, 17 April 2006, at 5:18 p.m.