Ethanol

ahill

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Ran my 1989 171 Mako this weekend with its first shot of etahanol (1/2 tank)
Prepared with Startron & 10 micron filters.
My diving plans were killed by wind, waves & dirty water so I made a long run through the slop to explore some old haunts. 4 Hrs later we stopped at Elliot Key to swim.
Later cranked up, ran about 100yds and the motor shut down.
Pulled and drained the filter, out came a bunch of red goop and then a yellowish mix of stuff.
Replaced the filter, primed the motor & it cranked right up.
Ran the 7 miles across the bay w/o a problem.
I think the Startron and runnining in choppy conditions accelerated the ethanol solvent properties.
I'll track this to see how long it takes for the fuel system to clean up.
 

NautiBuoys

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When MBTE and ethanol mix, they do make a reddish color gel which clogs the fuel separators, along with a lot of silt, water and yellow alcohol 'whatever'. I learned the hard way-fuel stations here made the switch without labeling the pumps until later. I ended up changing the filters 3 times that summer and I also pumped out the bottom on the tank, as it doesn't always separate evenly. Keep and eye on it; hopefully you've caught it all.