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Anyone had problems with ethanol in gasoline?

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
My trusty 8hp Mariner outboard, mid-80's model, succumbed to carb damage due to ethanol in the gasoline. The rubber tip on the needle swelled up and wouldn't allow the carb float to drop and allow fuel into the carb bowl. I had the carb rebuilt but nobody could answer the question of is the new needle/carb rebuild kit ethanol compatible. The mech recommended running the engine out of gas if I am leaving it for more than a few days in future, hopefully to negate the ethanol effect.

While my issue is minor compared to others problems with the new ethanol blend it is a giant PITA to myself and many others. In my case, the outboard runs great, really, really well. What if this is a reoccuring issue? Ethanol compatible parts likely won't be available since its an older engine. What am I supposed to do, buy a new engine to remedy a $1 part issue? Seems the petroleum industry really dropped the ball on this one. They certainly could have been more vocal about the comming issues. Currently I am using an ancient Seagull outboard while the Mariner is in the shop. It runs 10-to-1 oil to gas mix and I am quite sure its not really the best thing for the environment. Still, I am not going out to drop the cash on a new outboard. I'll just run the Seagull. RT
 
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