"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:09:19 -0400, X ` Man
wrote:

My experience is only anecdotal, but I ran gasoline out of the gas
station pump for nearly 20 years in a variety of Mercury and Yamaha
outboards, two strokes and four strokes, and *never* had a fuel-related
problem, even though the "deadly ethanol" was a component of the fuel
for those years. I also run gas station pump fuel in my lawn tractor,
lawn mower, chain saw and string trimmer, and don't have fuel-related
problems with those devices, either.

===

I think it depends partly on the climate. I rarely had fuel issues
when we were living in the northeast but here is south Florida
carburetor issues are rampant on all kinds of engines unless they are
frequently used or run completely out of fuel before sitting idle.
The newer 4 stroke marine engines seem particularly vulnerable,
perhaps because of smaller carburetor passages as one mechanic
explained it to me.




BINGO!!! It doesn't take but a coating of lacquered-up stale fuel to clog
them. All the stuff one squirts into the venturi doesn't do a lick of good
because it never reaches the source of the problem. The only way to deal
with the clogs is to remove and disassemble the carb and manually clean
the orifices (jets). The other option is a disassembled soak in carburetor
cleaner but sometimes even that doesn't remove the clog from the tiny
low-speed jet.

My little Tohatsu 6HP sometimes sits for a month or two between uses. I
always run the engine until the float bowl is pulled dry. It starts on the
first or second pull always and runs like new. But, even then, I have to
sniff the gasoline in the 3.5 gallon tank and when it begins to smell rank
I dispose of it and buy fresh gasoline. I buy the EC 90 fuel which has no
alcohol but costs about 40-50 cents per gallon more. It's worth it because
it stores longer without going bad.

Wilbur Hubbard