Mobile
Digital Keys For Seadoo and Kawasaki   Used Jetskis 4 Sale  News  Products   Rats! Pre-season Prep  The Mysterious Supercharger  Intelligent Brake and Reverse 

 


Established 2008
Locally Owned and Operated

Where you don't have to walk the plank to get great service at a fair price

 

Ethanol in fuel creates a large number
of problems for marine engines

 

Summer 2014
 

As of the July 4th holiday the only
location that I am aware of that offers ethanol free fuel
is the Butte General Store, on Highway 195

Only the premium grade is ethanol free
Butte General  Store goes the extra mile to help our boaters.

It's advised to use premium fuel in the event that no ethanol free fuel is available

Premium fuels in general will contain less ethanol

<Salute>
Make sure to say hi to Blue when you gas up!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEWSFLASH October 2010.

The EPA have decided to allow ethanol percentages to rise to 15%.
So Instead of pushing the auto industry to produce more E85/Flex Fuel cars and trucks so we could REALLY REDUCE oil imports
they will now create ANOTHER headache for Mr. Average motorist as some stations will now ADD "E15" to the lineup at the pumps.

Maybe some stations just start taking it in place of E10 and not bother to mention it.

By the way, the EPA responded to a group of ethanol lobbyists who didn't exactly have our interests in mind.
Wouldn't it have made more sense to leverage E85/Flex fuel, something we already produce?

Isn't selling more E85 in markets that have the infrastructure in place more of a win-win?

Well it would be, but they'll take a 5% increase over nothing, since big auto in the US is already is trouble.

By the way, the EPA has indicated that this new E15 is good for cars made after 2007 ( I guess they don't have that much sludge
in the fuel systems to worry about) My advice about using Premium fuel still stands. If you can purchase fuel that is ethanol free, do so
for your boats and jetskis. Consider it for your mowers and small power equipment too!

Several station sin Sierra county have heard the battle cry and now carry ethanol free regular grade gasoline
and are NOT charging a premium for it (even when ethanol is actually cheaper to buy then gasoline)

While Ethanol helps Captain Pete make more money on service, we did file a protest letter with the EPA stating our position is AGAINST
MORE ETHANOL in our gasoline ( there is more then enough work to be done without having to change out complete fuel systems on older Seadoo and Polaris skis..

We suggested that the EPA MANDATE that all gas powered cars and trucks sold after 2015 allow the use of E85/FlexFuel
This will satisfy those who believe we need more ethanol in our fuel supply, but not not at YOUR expense for your JetSki and other small engine equipment.

Now the problem will be getting more E85 pumps in service, but that is another story....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ethanol is a very effective solvent, so effective, that it can dissolve long standing sludge in your fuel tanks.

Ethanol is also highly Hygroscopic it absorbs water quickly from the air. leave your fuel tank open on a damp day and ethanol works like a sponge.

Get enough water into your tank and you then encounter something known as "phase separation" ( CLICK THAT LINK and READ IT!) This is where the amount of water absorbed by the ethanol exceeds the current limit (determined by a number of factors including temperature) the water AND ethanol separate from the gasoline and you end up with this witches brew in your fuel tank

gas (85%)
ethanol(10%)
water(5%)

Think about trying to get sugar to dissolve in ice tea, some if it (at least for me as I have a mega sweet tooth) ends up in the bottom of the glass no mater how much you stir it

The real problem however is how ethanol degrades rubber, and your jet ski fuel system has many rubber parts.

Some 1992-2001 Jetskis have fuel line that cannot withstand ethanol and the inside lining of these lines starts to dissolve and gum up the entire fuel system.

Jetski carburetors have very small internal fuel filters.

(A Seadoo fuel filter which is a little larger then a new pencil eraser)

 When these filters get clogged up with ethanol residue, you start having problems, which eventually lead to an engine seizure.

Play it safe for the long term by only using High Octane fuel, which contains less ethanol. Keep your fuel tanks and gas cans full.

Better yet, purchase Ethanol free fuel up at the lake.

It's certainly more costly to use High octane fuel, (but the repairs cost much more then paying .20 a gallon more for 200 gallons of fuel over a season of riding)

If you ski doesn't seem to be running correctly sometimes there is a good chance you have an ethanol related problem.
Stop by the shop for a free ethanol risk evaluation

 

Copyright © 2010-2015 RCP Enterprises LLC
All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form of text or other elements of
this web site without express written permission is prohibited.
Last modified: October 27, 2015
We use Google Analytics to determine your location. No other personal information is gathered

All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders.
Use of them by Captain Pete's Jetski Service/RCP Enterprises LLC does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.