Just to add to this discussion, I just posted this in the f150forum:
"If any of you has a subscription to Outdoor Life, there's an article in the March 2009 issue on Page 26 about Ethanol fuel in Outboard boat engines. The basic problem is that alcohol forms a weak bond with gasoline, but if water vapor is around, it will abandon the gas, latch on to the water (forms a strong bond) and separate. This is called "phase separation".
Also, since alcohol is such a good solvent, it dissolves gunk in the tank including rust that was caused by condensation. The result can be a crud clogged fuel filter.
I would not have thought there'd be problems with a fuel filter that was relatively new, but now I'm not so sure. If the tank has been sitting around half-empty in cold weather, condensation will occur. And, if the tank was filled with gas that might be old, the problem could be even worse.
The article (not an advertisement) recommends keeping the fuel tank full to minimize the effect of water vapor condensation and to use a fuel stabilizer called Star Tron, made by Starbrite at each fill up."
Now, to be fair, I just did a search on Starbrite and discovered that much of the article in Outdoor Life seems to be derived from Starbrite's website. This doesn't make it wrong, but, it means we should interpret the information with a skeptical attitude. Are they promoting a product, or are they giving us the real scoop on a problem? Personally, I DO think there's a problem and I'm looking for solutions.
- Jack
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