Gas

[timc]

Anyone have any solid advise on gasoline with 10% ethanol? The local Ski-Doo dealer is advising customers to use only high test gas and to never add any dry gas to the fuel tank or you risk burning down an engine. We recently started getting that 10% blend in Maine & I haven't given it any thought until I heard that.

My wife has a 600 HO SDI & I have my Attak.

Tim C

 

[TurboTime]

Your fine. Run 87 in your Attack and 91+ in your 600 HO..

 

[VIPERDOUG]

He didn't really answer about the ethanol. Now I am wondering as well....

 

[KnappAttack]

We've been using 10% ethanol in Minnesota for many many years. 87 octane and don't look back. Doesn't hurt a thing.

 

[Blue Dave]

Like Mike said. 87 octane 10% ethanol will work just fine in a Yamaha 4 stroke.

 

[bottlerocket]

The Ski-doo's recommend the 91-93 octane but I never heard that the 10% ethanol hurting a motor with correct octane.

 

[BigMac]

The presumed reason for "burn-downs" using ethanol is that it has a higher oxygen content than gasoline, so theoretically your EFI system, which is calibrated for just plain gasoline, may adjust the mixture leaner than what you're expecting. IOW, 10% ethanol may make your sled run leaner than what your EFI fuel map is set for. Back in the days of Yamaha's "Smart-Carbs", IIRC they had a switch for ethanol to richen up the mixture to accommodate the higher-oxygen ethanol fuel. I just don't see it as a problem on modern 4-stroke sleds. I've been using ethanol here in Minnesota in my sleds for a long time.

 

[timc]

What about adding (or the need to) dry gas to the 10% blend?

 

[SumpBuster]

Dry gas is alcohol, so they don't want you to add any more than you may already have. Alcohol has a higher octane than gas, but less energy. It may cause higher combustion temperatures, and less piston cooling than straight gas.
As for the four strokes, run em like your car. Which means, start and ride..don't worry bout nuthin...that's the part I like best. Leave the tool kit home and call triple A if they quit..LOL.
Two strokes, you still have to be a little sensitive to the fuel quality.

 

[06apexrtx]

tim, i did this very same post a while back when i was worried since maine went to this crap gas and got very good resopnses saying what you have read that in our apex's they'll be fine. the hot 2 strokes i would run a higher octang as he stated. ive got some miles on w/ no issues on the 4 strokes and my buddy's new engine rebuild seems to be holding up alright on it as well. imo.

 

[timc]

Good info guys. Thanks. I suspect the Doo dealer is mostly concerned about the small amount of injection oil going into the E-Tec engines more than anything else.

I'll just run regular in the Attak, premium in the SDI & skip any extra dry gas in both.

Thanks again.

Tim

 

[SumpBuster]

As for the small amount of oil, my Yam/Doo dealer always adjusted up the oil pumps...I'd bring them back to factory spec, but he told me that's why many have issues...it really is too little oil under some circumstances. And since he likes happy riding customers, he always turned them up a little.