Maintenance
70 VPA 7743722 English 10-2004
22824
Gasoline Containing Alcohol
Many brands of gasoline being sold today contain al-
cohol. Two commonly used alcohol additives are Eth-
anol (ethyl alcohol) and Methanol (CH
3
OH), also
called methyl alcohol.
See your boat owner’s manual to see if the boat’s fuel
system is compatible with alcohol blended fuels. If it
is, your engine may be operated using gasoline blend-
ed with no more than 10% Ethanol meeting the mini-
mum octane specification.
CAUTION! Do not use any gasoline that con-
tains METHANOL. Serious damage will result
from the continued use of fuel containing
METHANOL. Any resulting engine damage
will not be covered by the warranty.
If you use gasoline that contains ethanol, be aware of
the following:
• The engine will operate leaner with ethanol
blended fuel. This may cause engine problems
such as vapor lock, low speed stall, or hard
starting.
• Ethanol blended fuels attract and hold moisture.
Moisture inside fuel tanks can cause corrosion
of the tank material. Inspect fuel tanks at least
annually. Replace fuel tanks if inspection indi-
cates leakage or corrosion.
Detonation (Spark Knock)
Carbureted models: Detonation, or spark knock, in a
marine engine is not necessarily audible. Overheating
and continued running (“dieseling”) after ignition shut-
off are indications of detonation in a marine engine. If
you suspect detonation or spark knock, and the en-
gine is tuned properly, change to a higher octane fuel.
EFI models: Detonation, or spark knock, is continually
monitored by the electronic fuel injection (EFI) sys-
tem. The EFI’s computer (ECM) will automatically al-
ter spark advance to help prevent engine damage if
knock is detected, and there will be a slight loss of
power.
Preventing Gum Formation and Corrosion
To prevent gum formation and corrosion in the fuel
system, use a fuel stabilizer in the gasoline if it will be
in the tank for more than two weeks or if the boat is be-
ing prepared for winter storage. After adding fuel sta-
bilizer, the engine should be run for ten minutes to
allow stabilized fuel to reach all points of the fuel sys-
tem. Fuel stabilizer is available from your Volvo Penta
dealer.
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