Potential problem with Etecs?!!?

Mugshot · 10 April 2007, 22:29

Just thought I should post something which could potentially be a problem for Etec owners following the experience a friend of mine had this weekend.
On Monday my mate who has a 40hp Etec on a hard boat went for a trip which he had planned quite carefully as it would be a good 30 - 35 mile round trip.
About halfway through his trip having changing fuel tanks he had a sudden drop in revs with no warning alarm, he checked the oil and the tell tail for signs of over heating and everything seemed fine. He was able to limp back home at around 2000-2500rpm and fortunately he had someone willing to shadow him for around 2/3rds of the trip to make sure he was ok.
Having got back to the marina quite late last night he contacted the local dealer as soon as he could this morning then pulled the boat out of the water and trailered it round to the workshop this afternoon. Thankfully having been hooked up to the computers, with all the various diagnostics run and with an expert eye the problem was solved, so if you own an Etec or pretty much any outboard at all DON'T PUT DIESEL in the petrol tank like my idiot friend did, by the way, idiot friend does not mean me!

codprawn · 10 April 2007, 22:40

Sounds to me like the ONLY reason it ran badly was the engine management system. With an older outboard maybe you CAN run on red diesel or kerosene which I mentioned a while ago.

Start on petrol - switch to another tank with Kero - then back to petrol to flush out. You would save a fortune!!!

Mugshot · 10 April 2007, 22:50

I dont understand Cod I'm sorry, how would that work?

codprawn · 10 April 2007, 23:13

Wether or not it would run on it neat I am not sure but you would certainly get away with 60/40 or similar. In some countries they illegally dilute the petrol with kero as a tax scam. Hi tech engines may cause a problem but older ones should be ok.

During the war they used to run tractors etc(which were petrol then) on parrafin but started and finished on petrol to flush out the carbs.

Evinrude actually make multi fuel ETECs which will run on aviation fuel or diesel - from what I gather they don't alter the engines that much!!!

jwalker · 11 April 2007, 01:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Wether or not it would run on it neat I am not sure but you would certainly get away with 60/40 or similar. In some countries they illegally dilute the petrol with kero as a tax scam. Hi tech engines may cause a problem but older ones should be ok.

During the war they used to run tractors etc(which were petrol then) on parrafin but started and finished on petrol to flush out the carbs.

Evinrude actually make multi fuel ETECs which will run on aviation fuel or diesel - from what I gather they don't alter the engines that much!!!

Codders, you're being too simplistic. Go and stick a couple of gallons of paraffin into a petrol car and see how it drives. Then come back and tell us how well you got on. I once did this in order to get home late at night when I'd run short on fuel. Feck me, the exhaust manifold was glowing red hot and the engine pinked like buggery at the slightest bit of acceleration. The tractors you are referring to were designed to run on TVO (Tractor Vapourising Oil). I used to drive one.

Biggles · 11 April 2007, 01:52

And I thought this was a problem specific to E Tecs. Shouldn't it have been headed Potential problem with idiots !!!

IBWET · 11 April 2007, 01:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggles

And I thought this was a problem specific to E Tecs. Shouldn't it have been headed Potential problem with idiots !!!

codprawn · 11 April 2007, 04:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker

Codders, you're being too simplistic. Go and stick a couple of gallons of paraffin into a petrol car and see how it drives. Then come back and tell us how well you got on. I once did this in order to get home late at night when I'd run short on fuel. Feck me, the exhaust manifold was glowing red hot and the engine pinked like buggery at the slightest bit of acceleration. The tractors you are referring to were designed to run on TVO (Tractor Vapourising Oil). I used to drive one.

There are many variables - including the weather.Also compression ratio and the strength of the spark. Obviously timing may need to be altered etc but there are many cases of people running on a 50/50 or 60/40 mix without any problems - on Kero anyway.

I HAVE run a V8 LandRover on diesel/petrol mix - it smoked a bit and the power was down on big hills but it didn't run too badly.

dctucker · 11 April 2007, 15:04

Idiot indeed. Should have been titled "Amazing ETEC runs despite idiot owner".

I've heard stories of idiot auto owners doing the same on gasoline engines, resulting in thousands of dollars of repairs.

matt h · 11 April 2007, 18:31

When the fuel supply was a bit short 7 years ago, i had a diesel Mondego and i put a mix of 30% Lrp petrol in it, still got me down to Southampton and back to Bristol, although it wouldnt start so had to leave it running, and iu used to mix 15 gallons in my petrol 432 APC, went really well, and cheaper as was red diesel,

martini · 11 April 2007, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

.... 7 years ago, i had a diesel Mondego

(hybrid vehicle - front end of a mondeo welded to the back end of a montego)

matt h · 11 April 2007, 22:40

I hated it, Nasty car!! it was a company car, and i figured out the longer it was in a garage being repaired,(after my yomps across Salisbury Plain) the more of a chance of being given a hire car, i did eventually destroy it tho!!