Pacemaker Boats

[merwin10]

I was doing some research on the ethanol situation the other day and came accross this note from crusader BUMMER!


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crusader will not honor its warrantee for damage caused by running the engine on ANY mixture of methanol or ethanol. It explains the problem and rational as the fact that any alcohol blends will absorb atmospheric moisture and eventually will cause phase separation resulting in water/water and alcohol/alcohol and then gas layer in the tank (bottom up). Since the fuel pickup is sucking from the bottom, each layer will be consumed in ascending order. Water seperators may get the water out, but at some point, there is a high probability that a quantity of semi-pure alcohol will be consumed by the engine. Being a solvent, the alcohol will wash the oil off the valve stems and cylinder walls which will cause catastrophic damage to the valves, head, cylinder walls, pistons and rings. (This problem is not believed to effect automobiles becasue of the smaller tank capacities and shorter time periods between tank fillings.)

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



Have not been able to verify it but it is something to think about -

Mike -

[merwin10]

Since my last post I have found some more information - Still have not made contact with crusader but here is what they have to say on their FAQ site -



quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Crusader FAQ
Q: With today’s rising gasoline prices, what octane rating is recommended for my Crusader engine?
A: Crusader fuel injected engines are calibrated to operate on 87 octane fuel and maximum performance is obtained when using this fuel. The ignition timing set by the factory requires the use of a high-quality lead free regular gasoline with an octane specification of (R+M/2).

Q: What is Crusader's policy on the use of Ethanol?
A: The implementation of ethanol-based fuel is spreading rapidly throughout the United States . The end user of our engines might well be concerned regarding the use of this fuel. As such, Crusader Marine Engines provides the following policy statement regarding the use of this fuel.

This notification addresses the use of ethanol fuels IN CRUSADER ENGINES ONLY. It does not address the use of ethanol fuels in vessel related components such as boat gas tanks, boat fuel lines, boat fuel filters, etc. The boat owner is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to contact the boat builder regarding the suitability of ethanol fuel usage in their vessel.

Ethanol blended fuel rated E10 or less is acceptable to use.
Fuels rated higher than E10 SHOULD NOT BE USED.
Ethanol fuels rated higher than E10 could potentially damage the engine and/or present an unsafe boating condition. Damage to the engine resulting from the use of ethanol fuel rated higher than E10 is not covered by the warranty.

Q. What is Ethanol Fuel?
A. Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol is a flammable, colorless chemical compound that is added to gasoline to produce a blended fuel.

Q. Why are many states implementing ethanol fuel?
A. Rising energy and environmental problems have led to an increased interest in alcohol as a fuel.

Q. How is ethanol fuel identified?
A. The gas pump will indicate the fuel as a particular concentration of ethanol. For example if the pump indicates the fuel is E10, that means the fuel is a blended mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline by volume. The higher the “E number” the higher the percentage of ethanol.

Q. Is it safe to operate my boat on ethanol fuel?
A. It is safe to operate your ENGINE(S) on fuels rated E10 or less. Do not operate your engine(s) on fuel rated in excess of E10 as this could affect performance and void your warranty. You will need to check with the boat manufacture to determine whether the vessel components such as the gas tank and boat fuel lines are ethanol compatible.

Q. If automobiles can run up to E85 fuel why can't marine engines?
A. Automobiles have the ability to constantly monitor and adjust for different fuel blends. Marine engines on the other hand operate under vastly different conditions and duty cycles and do not have that capability.

Q. Is it safe to use methanol fuel?
A. Methanol fuel should NOT BE USED. This fuel is very corrosive and will create unsafe operating conditions.


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




Well that is a little better but it sounds like we all need to be watchful of the type of fuels we use -

Mike -