10 Percent Ethanol

[Bushwacker]

Fred - I would always use a fuel stabilizer, even if you weren't running ethenol. The oxygenated fuels that were developed a few years ago to reduce emissions seem to break down pretty quickly otherwise, even if they don't have alcohol in them. The alcohol just makes it worse by adding the phase separation problem, disolving any crud in the tank and attacking any rubber or plastic parts that aren't designed for it. The E-Tec's are supposed to be ok with up to 10% alcohol, and so far I've had zero problems. I did pull the tank and clean it real good when I repowered, and I've tried to avoid ethanol as much as possible, but looks like those days are over! Will switch to Startron from Stabil when I start buying E10. One factor that helps the DI engines is that the fuel system (except for the fuel in the tank) is sealed, so fuel is not exposed to oxygen, which should help it last a little longer.