Coat the float?

[vintin]

quote opposedtwin:

Here’s a question I haven’t seen addressed yet in this thread. For those of you that tried the aero-gloss or any other airplane dope, are you using ethanol-free gas? I have coated multiple old cork floats with aero-gloss without any issues. I am on year 4 with a number of them. But, I never, ever, ever use gas that has any ethanol in it. Years ago on this board we had discussions about dope and ethanol and determined it’s best not to use ethanol at all. It’s not compatible with many of the components in the fuel systems of these old motors. So, are you using gas with ethanol in it or not?

I do use gas with ethanol in it.

[crosbyman]

ethanol or no ethanol …

stangely at age 67 boating since 17 with ethanol around 20 years …? or so I have never experienced issues with ethanol gas.

I use any brand of gas 87 octane… the only time I use non ethanol high octane The more expensive stuff, is in my last season tank fill-up when I
will store my 75 ETEC with 2+4D for the winter (6 months down to -20-30 C) my 75 ETEC is 2005 still stars on a dime when I wake it up from it’s winter coma.

never had fuel line breakdowns , in line filters full of black chips or brown goo…

what is so peculiar with all that bad gas…. must be the corn they use ❓

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[outbdnut2]

quote crosbyman:

ethanol or no ethanol …

I have never experienced issues with ethanol gas.

❓

I have seen float coatings eaten away by ethanol and the float soaks up gas like a sponge and sinks. I’ve seen ethanol turn old rubber tubing to mush. I’ve also seen phase separation in tanks after winter storage. You have been lucky not to have seen any of these things.

A couple years after ethanol was mandated in Minnesota, I stopped by a large, well-respected small engine shop (they do everything but outboards) for some chainsaw parts. At this time, most people had small engines that were not made for ethanol. I got talking with the owner and he said he didn’t like the ethanol in the gas, but it had been a good thing for him because at that time, 80% of his business was related to ethanol gas problems.
Dave

[jim-moffatt]

My two cents is to leave the float uncoated. Neither alcohol or gasoline will degrade the float. I have soaked one in modern mix for 3 months with no deterioration.

[Tubs]

quote Jim Moffatt:

My two cents is to leave the float uncoated. Neither alcohol or gasoline will degrade the float. I have soaked one in modern mix for 3 months with no deterioration.

Now that I understand why they were coated I
don’t coat them anymore either. Thanks Jim.

A "Boathouse Repair" is one that done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[vintin]

Just to be clear that in my case the float had not absorbed gasoline. It was as light as factory.

The POR-15 had blistered and was touching parts of the inside of the carb. At least that is what it looks like happened.

A new float was handy so I replaced the float while I had the carb apart.

[outbdnut2]

I put a wine cork into a single line OMC gas tank to replace the float for the gauge. It was real cork. It sunk after about a week.

Wine bottles are stored on their side to keep the cork wet so it does soak up some wine, if the wine cork doesn’t soak up some, it dries out and shrinks and the wine goes bad when air gets in. The reason wine does not soak through to the top of the cork is that it is highly compressed in the bottle, blocking off soaking much past the end in the bottle – like keeping a sponge tightly squeezed.
Dave

[amuller]

There is the issue of whether the cork will crumble, and there is the issue of whether it will absorb fuel and sink, entirely or partially. To each her own, but I would not used uncoated raw cork as a float in modern fuels. Too bad OMC stuck with cork floats so long. Rarely do brass ones give any trouble.

[outbdnut2]

I previously reported in this message string that I had not had any problems using Aerogloss Dope on floats. That has changed! I coated a cork float from a 1958 35 Evinrude with Aerogloss, and installed it in a 1961 40 Lark carb about a year ago. I never used ethanol-gas. I took it apart today due to poor idle unless choke was part way on, and found the Aerogloss was flaking off and had partially blocked the idle gas passageway to the needle valve. It appears that the stuff did not properly adhere to the factory float coating, which I had cleaned with carb cleaner and let dry thoroughly. Aerogloss may still work on bare cork – (maybe I’ll try that with a wine cork put on a gas tank gauge). I have a new float on order, and in the future will probably order OMC carb kits that have the float – the Sierra kits do not. When I can’t get a new float for motors in the future, I’ll try low viscosity super glue (just because I have some). I also have a ’59 35 Lark I rebuilt the carb on a year ago and I can’t get it to idle very good now – maybe the same problem??!!
–
A side note – the 61 40 Lark I put the older float in had a float that had zero coating left on it when I got it and the cork was flaking off. I don’t know anything about the history of that motor, other than it hadn’t been run for a lot of years, original bad coils, etc., but something completely stripped off the factory float coating.
Dave

[dan-in-tn]

On the RD & Big Twin carbs you can use the floats out of the TR carbs like the 25hp thru 70hp OMC engines. Part #382363 or Sierra #18-7210. Both are Nitrile material and won’t be bothered by different fuel blends. Simple solution. Slight modifications have to be made, but simple enough to do.
Other late model floats from different engines can be modified to work for older motors. I think a V-4 float might could be modified to work on a 9.5, but I haven’t tried it myself yet? You just have to look at the various shapes to get some ideas.

Dan in TN

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