All hail Aspen
Thank you for Max McHugh‘s very interesting article ‘How to troubleshoot your outboard engine’ (PBO June 2021). I have suffered from persistent engine trouble and I wanted to share my solution with my fellow readers.
We sail a 23ft Ruffian out of Wicklow Town, and due to the fact that we can sail off and on to our mooring most days, our small Yamaha outboard doesn’t get used much.
This, I figured, must have been the reason why it wouldn’t start willingly under normal circumstances, no matter the choke, throttle, or any other settings we could think of.
I got the engine serviced, but the issue continued. I replaced the fuel, but our troubles never seemed to end.
I suspected that water might be finding its way into the tank and I read with interest when Max described how fuel might produce ethanol and how that has unhelpful side effects.
Then a fellow sailor suggested I try using a fuel called Aspen. I was highly sceptical at first and only bought the pricey fuel (intended mainly for chainsaws and lawnmowers, I believe) because I felt that things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
The engine started immediately on the first pull, never cut out again, and it keeps running now no matter the circumstances.
Apart from the price, I cannot fault the product, which, its manufacturer claims, is also more eco-friendly than the petrol station alternative.
Henrik Heckmann Dublin
Stu Davies replies:
This is another example of what seems to be issues caused by E10, which is petrol with added ethanol.
Petrol is an extract of crude oil that an internal combustion engine can easily and safely vaporise into gas before ignition.
Ethanol is similar to petrol, except that it attracts water and attacks the polymers used as seals in tanks, carburettors etc. These two actions are basically what is causing the problems with our small outboards.
Aspen is derived from crude oil, the same as ordinary petrol, although different, lighter fractions from the crude oil ‘cracker’ in the refinery are used to make the fuel.
So if you’re suffering fuel problems, Aspen could be a good alternative.