Honda BF50 Low idle and carburation problem

[mastreb]

The EPA is about to lower Ethanol requirements across the board, and recommend that Congress end fuel subsidies to ethanol producers. The reason is that the evidence is that Ethanol production is not accomplishing the environmental goals it was intended to produce.

Ethanol in gasoline did indeed cause numerous problems at first: It's an excellent solvent, and it can dissolve all sorts of particulate matter and suspend them in gasoline (rather than leaving them as a gunk at the bottom of a station gas tank) so that gunk did wind up going through motor vehicles when gas stations first converted to Ethanol. But that problem is now solved as those tanks are long since cleaned by the E10 gas.

Also, it does dissolve fiberglass, so polyester resins wind up going through motors and destroying tanks. But that problem too is long since solved--nobody uses fiberglass tanks for gasoline anymore, and those boats that did have been repaired with sealants that are compatible with E10.

Finally, E10 eats away rubber components in motors--seals, hoses, and low temperature valves--and is not compatible with any engine that uses these materials. This also caused an enormous amount of heartburn when the switch was made especially in Marine engines where the industry did not prepare for it by switching materials to silicone-based rubbers the way the automobile industry did. But again, those motors are all dead now.

So yes, the switch to Ethanol was badly done. But those problems are all sunk costs now, and those papers are all old news. What we're left with is exceptionally clean gasoline that has a better "detergent" in it than anything else we've used that is relatively non-toxic to both humans and the environment and which can absorb a lot of water from the atmosphere without fouling the way pure gasoline does.

Your modern boat motor is completely compatible with E10, E10 keeps carbs and plugs from fouling as longer than pure gas does, E10 helps water flow through your engine without sputtering or pooling in your tank, and it cleans your engine as it goes. Many fuel treatments are little more than ethanol.

The costs and problems with E10 are done with now.

That said, E15 would raise them all over again--most boat engine manufacturers are strongly opposed to E15. It goes over another threshold and would again require materials changes for engine compatibility. Only "Flex Fuel" engines in cars should use E15 because they've already made those material changes.

[Three Gypsies]

On a few occasions , while cruising in Florida , I even added stove alcohol (denatured alcohol )to my gas tanks when my Honda would get hard to crank or idle . This would clear it right up and the engine would go back to the purring kitten it usually is.

In my opinion , the only boats that suffer from ethanol gas are the boats that don't get used . As I understand if ethanol gas sits up it starts absorbing the moisture that's present in all gas tanks.

If you own a boat ,, USE IT ! problem solved !

[DaveB]

Sold my 1997 Honda BF50 and owner took it off the boat and got $1500, Put on a new Merc. 50 Bigfoot and never looked back.
I had so much problems with that Honda. Doesn't even have a pee hole large enough to pi$$ out.
Outboard tho smooth, has failed no water flow thro system in salt water, many parts are corrosive.
Dave

On a few occasions , while cruising in Florida , I even added stove alcohol (denatured alcohol )to my gas tanks when my Honda would get hard to crank or idle . This would clear it right up and the engine would go back to the purring kitten it usually is.

In my opinion , the only boats that suffer from ethanol gas are the boats that don't get used . As I understand if ethanol gas sits up it starts absorbing the moisture that's present in all gas tanks.

If you own a boat ,, USE IT ! problem solved !

[Three Gypsies]

Sold my 1997 Honda BF50 and owner took it off the boat and got $1500, Put on a new Merc. 50 Bigfoot and never looked back.
I had so much problems with that Honda. Doesn't even have a pee hole large enough to pi$$ out.
Outboard tho smooth, has failed no water flow thro system in salt water, many parts are corrosive.
Dave

On a few occasions , while cruising in Florida , I even added stove alcohol (denatured alcohol )to my gas tanks when my Honda would get hard to crank or idle . This would clear it right up and the engine would go back to the purring kitten it usually is.

In my opinion , the only boats that suffer from ethanol gas are the boats that don't get used . As I understand if ethanol gas sits up it starts absorbing the moisture that's present in all gas tanks.

If you own a boat ,, USE IT ! problem solved !

We are wrapping up our third cruise since the boat has been out of the water and the Honda was serviced . The amounts to about 5,000 miles . Our Honda has performed flawlessly , when fed good fuel . Could not ask for better dependability .