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Yeh, that one little biddy rock in the lake !! Let us take care of all your insurance repairs.Boat won't float cause it's got a hole in it! We'll get your skag welded, or prop replaced. Need a new bottom end, no problem, we'll deal with the insurance adjuster for you. It will be just like new!

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Mechanical Services@ Norm's

Welcome to the Service Department @ Norm's Boating Centre Inc. We work hard to meet and exceed your expectations every time you visit us. We know that having your boat serviced properly is the only way to ensure trouble-free boating. We take pride in the work we do and know our customer's time is valuable. We know that excellent service is a must to keep our customers happy and coming back.

Norm's Boating Centre Inc.offers service for anything your powerboat could ever need including: tune-ups, engine rebuilds, winterizing, insurance work, prop repair, trailer bearings, fiberglass repair, diagnostics and much more.

Our service department will try and fulfill your every boating need. We want to make your boating season as stress free and as pleasurable as possible. We will have highly experienced certified technicians with modern equipment and testing tools available to be able to provide you with the quality service you and your boat deserve. Our tech's are trained in Mercury's G3 and SPX computerized diagnoistic programs.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ETHANOL FUEL (E10)

1. The sale of ethanol blended fuel, commonly referred to as E-10 gas, is on the rise in the US as more states are mandating its use. Also promoting the growth of E-10 is the need to phase out the current additive MTBE which has been found to contaminate ground water supplies. E-10 gas has been in use for many years and, with smart fuel management, most of its negative issues can be resolved.

Problem 1: Debris In Fuel

1. Gums rapidly form in the fuel tank and fuel delivery systems as ethanol fuels age. However, ethanol is also a powerful solvent that will strip away and disperse this build up back into the fuel as large, performance-robbing particles. This leads to clogged filters, injectors and carburetors.

Problem 2: Excessive Water In The Fuel And Phase Separation

Ethanol attracts moisture from the atmosphere, forming an ethanol/water solution mixed in the gasoline. E-10 fuel will naturally hold .5% water in suspension, but when water levels exceed this threshold, or when the fuel cools significantly, the water/ethanol mix drops out of suspension. This is phase separation. Excessive water in the fuel tank causes engines to run rough, stall, and can lead to internal damage to engine components. Ethanol provides a significant amount of the fuel’s octane, so when the ethanol/water solution separates and drops to the bottom of the tank, the remaining fuel is left without enough octane to properly operate the engine. Additionally, the ethanol/water solution can become partially combustible, which can lead to engine damage.

Problem 3: ETHANOL Fuels Break Down Quickly

Over a short period of time ethanol fuel begins to break down. As ethanol and other components evaporate, the fuel loses octane and becomes “stale.” This causes hard starts, pinging and engine knock, which robs your engine of power and can cause damage.

Problem 4: ETHANOL Causes Lost Power, Performance And Decreased Fuel Economy

Ethanol fuel does not produce as much energy as traditional fuel. This results in inefficient combustion, decreased performance, reduced throttle response and poor fuel economy.

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1. The first problems encountered with transitioning to E-10 is the loosening of sludge from the fuel tanks. Ethanol is a very effective solvent and it will attack varnish, gum, and resins - the sludge that can build up in fuel tanks. Once cleaned off the fuel tank walls this build-up leads to poor performance and frequently clogged fuel filters and injectors.

2. In addition to a loss of power and economy, E-10 can cause other problems. Ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning that it will attract water from the air, which is absorbed into the gas. The water bonds to the ethanol, becoming heavier than gas and the mixture sinks, lowering the octane level and causing performance problems. This is Phase Separation. Cold temperatures will accelerate this separation. Ethanol is also a potent solvent that will loosen old gum and varnish deposits, which can darken the fuel and foul filters and fuel injectors with large particles. The mixture of ethanol, water and particles can form a gelatinous sludge layer on the tank bottom that can block filters and damage your engine

3. In a boat, motorcycle, outdoor power equipment or other gas-powered equipment that is being used regularly, fuel stabilizer can help prevent phase separation that occurs from daily condensation. By neutralizing the electrical charges between water molecules in a process called de-ionization, Fuel stablizers prevents the water molecules from forming huge clusters large enough to form drops and settle, taking the ethanol with it to the bottom of the fuel tank. The octane rating and the combustion characteristics of the gas are protected, and the suspended water molecules are harmlessly eliminated along with the fuel. In order to understand this process, start by understanding that water does not exist in nature as its textbook single molecule, (H2O). Water consists of hundreds of water molecules bound together in huge “macroclusters” which are much larger than a fuel molecule. Fuel stabilizer and conditioner break the electric bonding that holds these macroclusters together, reducing the molecular size of the water cluster sufficiently to where microscopic amounts are suspended harmlessly in the gas.

A new breed of fuel additives has recently cropped up to capitalize on ethanol-blended fuel problems. These additives are known as emulsifiers. Ironically, some of them are made from ethanol or isopropyl alcohol or one of the many alcohol cousins. Some emulsifying products will use chemicals such as “ethanolamides” (or anolamides), which are basically just common detergents.

Alcohol has been used by boating consumers for years to “dry” out gas, but that was when gas was 100% gas. E-10 already has a huge amount of alcohol in it, and adding more can cause operational problems and increase the water problem. Adding additional alcohol can also violate the EPA regulations on limits of oxygenates (alcohol) allowed in the fuel, as well as the ASTM fuel specifications. The EPA sets those limits to prevent damage to the engine. Today, all engine manufacturers have certified their new engines to operate on a maximum of 10% ethanol. Any additive taking the fuel over 10% alcohol may void your warranty.

Before using a fuel additive, review the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provided by the manufacturer to determine if it contains any alcohols or other harmful water-bonding components. Adding more alcohol to E-10 fuel is not the solution and in fact can compound the problems as emulsifiers have a long historyof causing engine damage. These additives have the ability to absorb their own volume in water, thus allowing more macro water clusters to bond with the fuel. Several of these “new” additives have been demonstrated via a neat sideshow trick in which water is added to gas in a test tube. The two fluids separate, and by adding the emulsifier and violently shaking the test tube, the water appears to vanish, but in reality the water still exists. What emulsified water can do to an engine can be far worse than the original problem. Water, when sucked into an engine in volume, can shut it down. It must be cleaned, and the oil changed, but little else happens. Emulsified water/ethanol causes a more serious problem because instead of shutting down the engine, the mixture can be partially combusted, but not effectively, which can damage the engine. Therefore, a mixture of water and ethanol is worse than just water. When emulsified water runs through an engine over a period of time, it causes excessive abrasion and wear, corrosion, and the emulsifier alone causes excessive carbon deposits, leading to wear on rings, pistons, and valves.

Emulsified water in the fuel can have several negative effects. Water displaces gasoline, which lubricates the fuel pump. Water pits and corrodes the plated metal surfaces causing premature wear on the fuel pump. Water reacts with various components in the fuel and forms acids, which corrode the fuel injector tips as well. Water/gas emulsions were tested by the SAE with ethanol and were found to remove the plating from fuel pump internal moving surfaces. (SAE 2005-01-2196, Rovai, Tanaka, Sinatora)

This is just the effect the wetted fuel has. The real harm comes during combustion. The earliest reference to experiments with gasoline and water emulsifications (water chemically bonded to an oil is called an emulsification) we know of dates from 1913. Ever since then, products have been introduced that claim to eliminate water from fuel. Many attempt to do so by adding an emulsifying chemical to gasoline. General Motors conducted a significant amount of research on this issue in the 1970s, and additional attempts were conducted for several years after. Each time, the deleterious effects of water/gas emulsions greatly outweighed any benefits gained.

Water emulsions immediately increase the fuel’s viscosity. Even “microemulsions” that appear to be clear and stable as opposed to the milky look generally associated with oil/water emulsions, still thicken the fuel. Thickened fuel can destroy a fuel pump and fuel injectors. The ASTM specifications for fuel viscosity are very tight; thickening the fuel with water can take the fuel outside its specifications, which will void a warranty. How thick is thick? You can’t tell in the field by looking, unless the emulsification has turned to gel, which can happen if there is an overdose of the emulsifier. The average consumer cannot be expected to dose with an emulsifier for a water level he can’t assess and be certain his fuel is still within approved specifications.

Because the emulsified water lowers the flame temperature in the combustion chamber, the combustion efficiency is greatly reduced and the amount of unburned hydrocarbons soars. This forms carbon deposits in the engine, especially on the piston crowns and on the spark plugs. Further, in the General Motors tests, (SAE 760547, Water-Gasoline Fuels, Their Effect on Spark Ignition Engines Emissions and Performance, Peters and Stebar) the deposit buildup was so rapid that the engine had to be disassembled for cleaning approximately every 20 hours. Additionally, they found shiny black deposits linked to the emulsifier and noted that the spark plugs were coated black and appeared wet. Drivability plummeted as well, and fuel economy suffers in a direct ratio to how much water is in the fuel. All negative effects increased as the water level increased. Eventually, GM abandoned their efforts with water in gasoline, as have many others over the years. It was also noted in the GM study that they did not bother to investigate the lubricity issues or long-term engine durability because the performance characteristics were so bad.

Norm's Boating Centre this year!

 

 Have your new Verado, Optimax, etc checked out with our newest  Mercury's CDS diagnosic system , the next generation of marine diagnostics! It will allow our Mercury Technicians to take our laptop computer system to your boats and motors and improve our diagnostics time, repair accuracy and your repair costs. This will give our customers less time on land for repairs and a higher satisfaction rate.

• Mercury Outboard Services
• Q-Guard Warranty Service
• Mercruiser Sterndrive Servicing
• Servicing all makes & models of outboards
• Boat & trailer service
• Boat storage and shrinkwrap