I found my fuel line problem, check this out!

[JKH]

Make sure you check the tank. My 06 1850 Fish Hawk owners manual says the tank is not rated for ethanol and that it will cause damage.

[TJL009]

In general, is this an issue with Mercury? I ask because I had a 2002 Crestliner 1850 SF with a Yamaha F115 up until last year (I purchased it new in 2002). I never had an issue with the fuel system, tank, lines or motor. To be fair, I never looked at the lines but can tell you that I never found anything of concern in my filter and I only used fuel with ethonal. Maybe I was just lucky???

[yarcraft91]

Originally Posted by TJL009

In general, is this an issue with Mercury? I ask because I had a 2002 Crestliner 1850 SF with a Yamaha F115 up until last year (I purchased it new in 2002). I never had an issue with the fuel system, tank, lines or motor. To be fair, I never looked at the lines but can tell you that I never found anything of concern in my filter and I only used fuel with ethonal. Maybe I was just lucky???

IIRC, it is an issue with a certain type of fuel hose sold under the Mercury brand name. Similar issues have appeared with other types of fuel hose, for example, the transparent fuel line that fell apart on my chain saw.

[ozarkeyes]

Just think this is from 10% ethanol, and the corn huskers (large corporate farming conglomerates) are pushing the EPA hard to move to 15% and even higher. The question then becomes, are the alcohol resistance lines designed to handle alcohol concentrations above 10% since we have only had 10% ethanol.

I know I purchased a new fuel line and bulb, at least 7 years ago for my portable 6 gal tank, and the material was glossy gray and clearly marked on the line and packaging as alcohol resistant, as I made sure of that. I do know it is stiffer material too, is not as flexible and does not bend and lay down like the older rubber lines.

[yarcraft91]

Originally Posted by JKH

Make sure you check the tank. My 06 1850 Fish Hawk owners manual says the tank is not rated for ethanol and that it will cause damage.

Might be a dated piece of text in the manual. Just curious what it says on the tank itself or what the tank manufacturer says.

Selling a gasoline-powered vehicle with non-alcohol-resistant fuel system components in 2006 would be irresponsible, at best.

[ozarkeyes]

Originally Posted by yarcraft91

Might be a dated piece of text in the manual. Just curious what it says on the tank itself or what the tank manufacturer says.

Selling a gasoline-powered vehicle with non-alcohol-resistant fuel system components in 2006 would be irresponsible, at best.

Good point yarcraft! JohnG says his boat is a 04 and if JKH says his 06 is not alcohol resistant then I doubt the 04 would be. But better pull the floor and check. Find out the manufacturer of the tank, get the model number and probably a date of mfg is on it too, and give the mfg a call. Good chance the tank is from Moeller Marine, one of the largest OEM suppliers of fuel tanks. Moeller tanks were as of 2006 10% certified. Also Crestliner may have used 2002 tanks even in the 2004 boats, because they may have had them in inventory.

Moeller Marine website does not state when they started making alcohol resistant tanks. Here is a starting point.

http://www.moellermarine.com

[yarcraft91]

Here's something funny from the Moeller site regarding their fuel tanks compatibility with fuels:

– USA and Canada: having a posted pump Octane Rating of 87 (R+M)/2 minimum.
Premium gasoline [92 (R+M)/2 Octane] is also acceptable. DO NOT use leaded gasoline.
– Outside USA and Canada: having a posted pump Octane Rating of 90 RON minimum. Premium gasoline (98 RON)
is also acceptable. If unleaded gasoline is not available, use a major brand of leaded gasoline.

Can't imagine why the compatibility of the tank with leaded fuel or octane rating would depend on the country where the tank is used.

[tubejig]

This thread got me to take a look at the lines on my 07 superfisherman. The lines for the Opti were stamped alcohol resistant, but the line from the T to the kicker was not. I pulled that line and inspectd it. What I found was some discoloration on the inside, (dark yellow) with several small cracks in the lining, that could only be seen with my glasses on. LOL!! I promptly pulled the line and replaced it with an alcohol resistant product. I did go to a couple dealers looking for gas line and inquired about the issues with the gas lines. I was told by both that they are seeing a ton of extra work this spring due to fuel issues.

[bigwalleye1]

I had the same problem on my 02 175 fuelie Merc and kicker. Mechanic told me it was the fuel and showed me the areas in the lines that had broken down and were plugging the filters. This on a fuel line piped direct, with no disconnect, so no chance of evaporation in my mind. If it evaporated, why didn't the next gas "reconstitute" the sludge? I stick by a fuel line problem, but check back with me in 5 years and I'll check my lines to see if the new ones broke down.

No more ethanol in the boat for me either. Blame what you like, still needs to be fixed, and my motor runs so much smoother without the ethanol....

[mrbreeze]

Right...Merc didn't start using the ethanol resistant fuel lines until 2008/2009. I know beacause I had an '07 that had this problem. You can waste money doing some type of chemical analysis to make REW happy, but what you'll find is that this - as had been said - is liner deterioration. This crap gets sucked into the pump on Optis and can result in a sticky and expensive mess, and could lead to motor failure.

If you have a Merc of any size that is pre 2009. Change out your lines. Don't wait. It will be the cheapest and best preventative maintenance that you have ever done.