215 Explorer Engine/Gas Question

[ioneyes]

Hello Guys,

   I just took my boat out for a shake down cruise this past weekend.  The boat started, idled and cruised at speed out to the Islands perfectly fine (about ten miles).  After having lunch in the cove of one of the islands, I started the boat to head on back.  

   The engine started fine but every time I put it in gear the engine would stall.  If I started the engine and took it out of gear, it would rev with no problem.  I checked the plugs (they are last years plugs, but they only had 20 hours on them, plus I wanted to burn the fogging oil off them before I changed them out) and they looked fine.  

   I pulled the plug to the fuel/water separator and emptied out the contents into a jar.  After letting it settle, it separated with about a table spoon of water sitting at the bottom of a cupful of gas.  The gas was yellow with a haze to it.  I did this again and found no more water in the fuel this time but the gas was still piss yellow.

   I finally got it going and it ran fine but when I got into the 5 mile an hour zone while putting along the same thing started to happen again.  I died under both bridges I went through (figures right?).  Got it back on the trailer where it is waiting on my next move.

Winterizing:
My 100 gallon tank had about 60/70 gallons in that I stabilized and ran for twenty minutes.  I used StaBil and Startron when I stabilized.  Then I fogged the engine till it died.  

Questions:
1. Does this sound like a case of bad or old gas?
2. Should I drain what fuel is in my tank or can I shock it with Startron?
3. Even if my Racor filter was new last year with only twenty hours on it could the gas clog it up so it blocked my fuel flow?

   I've read how E10 can eat away at the insides of certain gas lines, would anyone know if a 2003 215 Explorer would be equipped with this type hose or a 2003 Johnson 175 2 stroke?  I've also read about varnishing of engine components, how would a person know if this has occurred?

Has anyone hear had a similar experience?  If so, I be curious to know how you rectified your problem.  I've had mixed opinions from draining the gas tank to shocking gas and adding fresh on top to sending it to a mechanic.

For 215 Explorer owners:  Has anyone ever had to work on the fuel hoses or pick up assembly located under that ridiculously tiny hatch?  I am seriously considering putting in a rectangular hatch so I can work in that area.  Those two 8" round hatches are all but useless.  I assume removing the pick up assembly would be the best way to drain a tank?

I apologize for the long read but I value and welcome the your opinions.

Thx...Greg

[Circle Hooked]

Sounds like some bad gas the way you describe the color,and do you know if you put ethanol in it last year,that stuff can be a pain,but i would think you would have more water in your filter.

If you look at your fuel hose it should say on it what it's rated for,look for the word alcohol on the hose,that's what ethanol is.

[fitz73222]

Hey Ioneyes,
I would replace the racor even if it has low hours. It is a 10 micron filter that is designed to trap the phase separated water/E10 mix. So it may be starting to plug. Was the primer bulb slow to recover when you squeezed it? Also, on my two skiffs I had the original OEM fuel lines delaminate on the interior and the ureathane like inner liner completely break up and plug up in the fuel connectors and filters. Have you ever replaced the fuel filter on the engine? It is about 70 micron but can also plug with contaminants. I replaced the fuel line on the flats boat about 2 years ago and now I am starting to see a black ring form in the Racor sight glass that may be indicitive of fuel line breakdown. It is safe to say that if your fuel line is the OEM line, it needs to be replaced. I monitor my engine hours and fuel consumption closely and believe in predictive maintenance for fuel filter replacements and it seems that time is more of an issue than the amount of gallons that have run through the filter.