Substitue for Ringfree?

[SouthernSailor]

It seems that some of the Yamaha dealers in the Caribbean don't carry Yamaha Ringfree.

Anybody know of a substitute that I can use?

Thanks!

[harvey5560]

Mercury makes a product called "quickleen" that is supposed to be equivalent but I have not tried it myself.

[robert graham]

Seafoam would be good to use if you just can't get Ringfree. Seafoam is in Walmart, most everywhere. Good Luck!

[robert graham]

Maybe just order Ringfree on-line, have it shipped directly to you? It is a good product!

[SouthernSailor]

Thanks, I'll check to see if I can get Quickleen if I can find a mercury dealer. Dealers down here often don't carry a lot of the products from the manufacturers that they represent, but I'll give it a try.

Shipping a bottle or three of Ring Free to the Southern Caribbean...minimum cost is in the area of $80 USD. That's by USPS. Just to give you a taste...a quart of Yamalube lower unit oil runs over $60 USD (no kidding!) if you can find it.

No Walmarts in The Caribbean (except Puerto Rico which is several hundred miles away by sail).

I wonder about products like Marvels Mystery Oil...does it decarbonize? if not, does anyone actually know what it does?

[stimpyf90]

If there are any auto parts stores around, see if they carry Lucas fuel addatives, I read the label,and it sounds a lot like the ring free that I got when I first bought my boat with a Yamaha F90 on it. I have been using Lucas with no problems all summer so far, and a quart bottle will make a almost 300 gallons of treated fuel.

[seahorse5]

Another good substitute for Ring Free is Evinrude's Carbon Guard. It should be available at any dealership. Carbon Guard is mixed in the fuel, just like Ring Free.

To decarbon a motor by spraying a special cleaner down through the engine intake, use the Evinrude "Engine Tuner", part number 777185. It comes out as a foamy mixture and is great for freeing up stuck rings (lightly stuck, of course), cleaning carb parts, and getting rid of carbon buildup on the pistons.

[robert graham]

The Chevron Techron is similar(not exact same) to Ringfree, made by the Oronite Additives division of Chevron(same folks that make Ringfree) for fuel treatment/carbon. Auto-Zone, etc. carries it.

[Tucker]

I'm in the international shipping business and feel for the Southern Sailor. It cost more to ship freight from the U.S. to some islands in the Caribbean then it does to ship it to the Middle East or Singapore. What island you on Southern Sailor? You get wacked for duty & import fees? I would recommend going in with a couple buddies and buying a case of Ring Free. It really surprises me that a Yam dealer would not have it. It has got to be the largest selling Yam product. West Marine and even non-Yamaha dealing marinas have it in my area. 'Bout $38/quart but it treats 320-gal.

[blaruffa]

OMC makes a ringfree product

[HeadsAndTails]

fuel additives and my dealer

I haven't been using my boat very much this spring (maybe once a month) and had what I thought were vapor lock issues. The boat would not get up on a plane (22 ft bay boat with a 2008 200 HP Yamaha.) I had to loosen the fuel filter and prime it to get the boat on a plane. After fishing with the *****ing motor for a period of time (say 30 minutes or more), the problem returned. So I took it to my dealer last week and just had my VST filter cleaned. He said the VST filter was clogged because of the chemicals I've been using (Pri-G, Startron and Stabil) whenever I fill the tank. My dealer told me to stop using Stabil and only use Startron or Pri-G as fuel additives. Yet I read on this thread that Stabil is required. Please clarify for me which additives I should add with each fill-up and if there are any "between fill-up" maintenance actions I should be taking.

Sorry for the long post, H&T

[robert graham]

I would install a fuel/water separator type cartridge filter on the transom and use the Stabil all the time, but especially right before extended periods of not using the boat, like more than 2 or 3 weeks. Walmart/Attwood sells one for $27, and Yamaha and Racor have several different units to choose from, but all cost more than the basic Walmart unit.

[Tucker]

Not sure what the Pri-G is. But using Startron and Stabil is probably a lttle redundant. Assuming your using at the recommended dosage; I believe it says right on the bottle that overdosing does not cause problems. When was the last time the VST was cleaned? Some guys have to clean it every year depending on the age of the boat (tanks), and how fine the filtration is.

[JohnRennie]

I used Ring Free religiously on my 4-stroke. Will it work as well on a 2-stroke?

[Tucker]

It was developed for 2-strokes