Important
winterizing information from ValvTect:
As we
move from summer to fall, properly preparing your vessel for winter storage is
very important to protect your investment and have a trouble free start-up in
the spring.
The
heart of your vessel is its engine….regardless if you own a sailboat or power
boat. Improper winterization of the engine and its fuel can cause unnecessary
expense or even engine failure. The introduction of ethanol blended
gasoline, ultra low sulfur diesel and biodiesel have created a significant
problems for boat owners that require special attention.
Ed. note: Here at CYY we have
removed hard crystalline deposits from several fuel systems this summer. In all
of the cases, the boat owners were using biodiesel blends from land-based
stations.
Gasoline
Engines
All
gasoline in our area is blended with up to 10% ethanol (E10). In some cases 15%
(E15) and 85% (E85) may be available. Under no circumstances should you use
ethanol blended gasoline with more than 10% ethanol. Since ethanol is very
corrosive, can separate from the gasoline and degrade quickly. It is essential
E10 always be treated with an ethanol gasoline treatment such as ValvTect
Ethanol Gasoline Treatment. This is especially important when storing
your vessel over the winter. When storing your boat the gasoline tank should be
7/8 full. This will prevent condensation from developing in the tank that
can lead to phase separation of the ethanol and reduce harmful vapors from
escaping.
Additional
items that need to be addressed are:
(1) run
fogging oil through the carburetor (if so equipped) and cylinders by spraying
fogging oil in the spark plug holes
(2) for
higher horsepower outboards use ValvTect Marine Motor De-Carbonizer to remove
hard carbon deposits on the piston head which can cause powerhead failure.
(3) Be
sure to run the engine dry of fuel by disconnecting the fuel line while the
engine is running. (4) Change all filters.
Diesel
Engines
All
diesel fuel is now ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and contains less than 15ppm
sulfur. Almost all USLD available at service stations in our area contain
10% or more biodiesel. While both of these fuels are environmentally friendly
they are very “problematic” for use in marine engines. We recommend you DO NOT
use a diesel fuel that contains biodiesel. Biodiesel, and USLD present
some of the same problems as ethanol for marine engines. In addition, they are
very susceptible to bacteria growth. Non-biodiesel blended diesel fuel
may only be available at marinas. It is more expensive but worth the additional
cost. We recommend all USLD be treated with ValvTect BioGuard Plus 6 to
prevent bacteria growth and corrosion, lubricate injectors and fuel pumps and
stabilize the fuel. Change all filters. Fill the fuel tank to 7/8
full. Do not run the engine dry.
Some of
ValvTect's popular products for winterizing are available in our ship's store.
ValvTect makes many products to solve many fuel related problems on your
engine. If we don't carry the ValvTech product that you want, we can special
order it for you. For more information regarding ValvTech products please
browse their website, click here.
