Ethanol can also cause significant problems in many different applications due to the differences in properties compared to gasoline and most gas on the market has at least 10% Ethanol. Degraded fuel is the number one maintenance issue for boaters in this area. In the last few years there has been an increasing number of problems related to fuel that boaters on Lake Superior have been experiencing.
a. Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means it has a tendency to absorb water.
b. When ethanol absorbs water, it readily separates from gasoline and, because it is heavier, falls to the bottom of the tank.
c. The ethanol/water mixture in the bottom of the tank degrades relatively quickly.
d. Ethanol contains less energy per gallon compared to gasoline. Based on this, many new vehicles have computer systems that sense and correct for high ethanol content. Small engines and most power sports equipment are not programmed to detect this and a lean burn situation results.
e. When the ethanol rich mixture is pulled into the engine this lean burn increases combustion temperatures significantly, which can lead to severe engine damage.
f. When a mixture of water and ethanol degrades and creates gums, varnish and other insoluble debris, fuel flow passages can become narrow or plug, significantly affecting engine performance.
g. When the correct amount of fuel cannot flow to the engine, equipment becomes difficult to start and performance becomes unstable.
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