In the marine industry it is even worse, There is a good chance that the boater will get his engine started and head to the lake in early spring and the combination of cool, dense air and low octane from moisture in the fuel did a great job detonating and melting pistons. For the last 10 years my advise was to drain the fuel if the boat was to sit more than 90 days, and leave it empty until you are ready to use it again. I had constant flak from people who were told to leave their tanks full to reduce condisation over the winter, to which I replied "You do have a water separating fuel filter don't you?"
Dave Liddell Lynnwood, WA. '77 240d (front end done, now working on other end" '84 Ovlov 245 Turbo (stand-by car) > Message: 12 > Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 09:41:04 -0700 (PDT) > From: LWB250 <lwb...@yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Ethanol > To: Mercedes Discussion List <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Message-ID: <609623.55749...@web65709.mail.ac4.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > > This is nothing new - the RV business used to be a gold mine for us > (we don't do RVs anymore - thank G-d!) because people would just park > them over the winter and the carbs on the generators would get all > gunked up when the gas evaporated from the carb bowl. > > It was like a migration - I'm sure the boating community sees the same > thing - as soon as the weather started to get nice in the spring, the > RVs would be lining up to see us. > > While I still use my lawn tractor year 'round, I installed a shutoff > valve on the fuel line to the carb so I can shut off the fuel supply > and run it dry between seasons. > > Dan > > --- On Wed, 5/27/09, pm7...@comcast.net <pm7...@comcast.net> wrote: > > > From: pm7...@comcast.net <pm7...@comcast.net> > > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Ethanol > > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > > Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 11:37 AM > > My Connecticut lawnmower repair guy > > tells me he's sending his kid to school with the money made > > on plugged & destroyed carbs on small engines that sit 6 > > months. Several manufacturers specificly do not warrantee > > such damage. He now suggests that you run them dry as the > > risk is less that leaving the bowl full of 90% fuel. > > > > > > -- > > > > Peter Arnold > > > > Windsor, CT > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Curt Raymond" <curtlud...@yahoo.com> > > > > To: "Diesel List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > > > > Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 11:05:59 AM GMT -05:00 > > US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: Re: [MBZ] Ethanol > > > > We get 10% ethanol in all our gas here in New England. Its > > been that way for 3 or 4 years now. I've never noticed much > > difference, except: > > Snowmobiles tend to accumulate moisture in the gas no > > matter what you do which makes some sense if you consider > > the environment they exist in. > > 2 years ago I had a terrible problem with a brown sugar > > like substance accumulating in the fuel filters and carbs. > > Last winter I put 2oz of SeaFoam per gallon of gas in every > > snowmobile I owned every time I added gas no exceptions and > > had zero issues. > > > > I imagine boaters have similar problems and might be helped > > with a similar strategy or by draining all the gas every > > time they put the boat up for a couple days. That'd be > > easier in a 4 stroke boat than a 2 stroke snowmobile since > > you could put the gas in the car with no worries. > > > > -Curt > > > > Date: Wed, 27 May 2009 08:41:31 -0400 > > From: Rich Thomas <richthomas79td...@constructivity.net> > > > > Subject: [MBZ] Ethanol > > To: Mercedes Discussion List <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > > > > Message-ID: <4a1d34fb.6050...@constructivity.net> > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > > > > > Daughter found this article, quite interesting. Are any of > > the newer > > Benzes "flex fuel"? Would increased ethanol content have > > any adverse > > effects on newer (or older for that matter) engines/fuel > > systems? I > > know around here the boaters are having fits with > > ethanol-laced fuels as > > it absorbs water and causes problems in boat motors and > > systems. In > > Texas the fuel around Houston had 10% ethanol to "help" the > > local air > > quality, outside of the metro area it didn't have that > > much. Here in > > Charleston I think it has some but not 10%. > > > > > http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/may2009/bw20090514_058678.htm > > > > > > --R > > > > > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
