Fuel Stabilizer, Ethanol, and Why Your Gas Tank Matters Over Winter
Most winterization failures we see in the spring have nothing to do with the winter. They start in the gas tank — back in October, when the ski got parked without a second thought about fuel.
Here's the problem: almost all pump gas is E10, meaning it's 10% ethanol. Ethanol attracts water. Over 4–5 months of sitting, the ethanol and water separate from the gasoline in a process called phase separation. That separated layer sinks to the bottom of the tank — right where your fuel pickup lives. Come spring, your engine drinks water and varnish first. That's how you get no-starts, bogging, and gummed-up injectors after a "perfectly fine" winter.
The fix costs about ten bucks and takes five minutes:
Add fuel stabilizer before the last ride, not after Buy a marine-grade stabilizer (Sta-Bil Marine, Star Tron, whatever you trust — just make sure it treats ethanol). Pour the right dose in at the gas station, then fill the tank all the way up. A full tank leaves less air space, and less air means less moisture condensing inside the tank over the winter.
Then ride it, or at least run the engine on the hose for a few minutes. This part matters: you want treated fuel running through the whole system — pump, lines, filter, injectors. Dumping stabilizer into a tank and then never starting the engine leaves the untreated fuel sitting in the fuel system all winter. That's the part that gums up.
What we do on every winterization that comes through the shop: stabilizer goes in, tank gets topped off, engine runs so treated fuel is everywhere it needs to be. It's built into the job — see what a full winterization actually covers.
And if you skipped all of this last year and your ski is running rough this season, don't guess — pull a fuel sample to check for water before you start throwing parts at it.
Do the stabilizer. Fill the tank. Run it. That's the whole move. Your spring self will thank you.
Getting the ski winterized? Bring it in or book a drop-off — the fuel system is included in every winterization we do.
Call us or book online to reserve your spot.
Odyssea Jet and Prop Shop
Ocean Pines, MD
Open Tuesday–Saturday, 9am–5pm
