Ethanol causing Jet-Skis to explode?

Moto Nomad
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Moto Nomad
Here's a big old WTF!:


A 48-year-old California man trying to start a personal watercraft on a trailer on a boat ramp died Friday when it exploded, authorities say.

The 12:39 p.m. blast hurled Juan Antonio Pineda-Flores, of Moreno Valley, into the Colorado River near the border of California and Arizona, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

Onlookers rescued Pineda-Flores and provided first aid, but he later died at the hospital, the news release said.

Authorities suspect a buildup of fuel or vapors inside the watercraft’s hull caused it to explode.

Sgt. Jeffrey Cross of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department told the Los Angeles Times that his agency has seen four similar incidents this season, citing high temperatures and ethanol-based fuels.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article252111623.html…



https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article252111623.html
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lostboy819
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lostboy819 6/14/2021 5:21pm
6/14/2021 5:21pm Edited Date/Time 6/14/2021 7:06pm
On most all jet skis you should remove the seat or engine cover before starting for the first ride of the day. I have seen a couple blow from fuel leaks and vapor, the last one a guy was checking for spark and left the plugs in the caps sitting on top of the heads and put the cover back on and when he went to work on it the next day with the engine cover still on it had built up a bunch of vapor and when he hit the start button and with open spark it blew apart the hull at the seams, lucky he wasn't hurt. It sounded like a bomb going off, which it was at that point. Sad
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OG725
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OG725 6/22/2021 2:16pm
6/22/2021 2:16pm Edited Date/Time 6/22/2021 2:17pm
Most of the race car guys I know start it on gas and then switch to alcohol. I’ve never been an alcohol guy, because it’s too much work draining the fuel system every time you put it up.

Alcohol doesn’t have the “flash point” that gas does. Why it’s popular, you can put a bunch of compression and timing in it and not have to worry as much about detonation.
KMC440
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KMC440 6/22/2021 2:45pm
6/22/2021 2:45pm Edited Date/Time 6/22/2021 2:47pm
I don't understand the ethanol based fuel on a jet ski at all. Ethanol loves water it absorbs it rendering the fuel usless. Also you have to run completely different carbs and you're going to go through a third more fuel. This makes no sense at all.
James running the sprint cars on methanol we only had to clear the fuel lines at the end of the season. The cars were completely tore down to bare frames anyway but you get the idea.
For those that don't know methanol engines you adjust the engine temp by changing the amt of fuel the motor gets, more fuel the cooler she runs.
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early
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early 6/22/2021 2:55pm
6/22/2021 2:55pm
I assumed they were talking about E10 or E85 gas from the pump they probably filled up on the trailer and drove to the lake in 100 degree heat, not full alcohol burners.
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KMC440
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KMC440 6/22/2021 3:15pm
6/22/2021 3:15pm
Sorry I'm going off the word "based" which doesn't mean ethanol added. My bad.
SEEMEFIRST
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SEEMEFIRST 6/22/2021 5:26pm
6/22/2021 5:26pm
early wrote:
I assumed they were talking about E10 or E85 gas from the pump they probably filled up on the trailer and drove to the lake in...
I assumed they were talking about E10 or E85 gas from the pump they probably filled up on the trailer and drove to the lake in 100 degree heat, not full alcohol burners.
Yes, if you are a full alki burner, you know how to start it.
Yeti831
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Yeti831 6/24/2021 8:47pm
6/24/2021 8:47pm
OG725 wrote:
Most of the race car guys I know start it on gas and then switch to alcohol. I’ve never been an alcohol guy, because it’s too...
Most of the race car guys I know start it on gas and then switch to alcohol. I’ve never been an alcohol guy, because it’s too much work draining the fuel system every time you put it up.

Alcohol doesn’t have the “flash point” that gas does. Why it’s popular, you can put a bunch of compression and timing in it and not have to worry as much about detonation.
But sweet gd, does methanol smell good.
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