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Getting fuel out of the tank.
rasbury
Member Posts: 8,243 ✭✭✭✭✭
Our 270 has about half a tank of bad fuel, sitting on a trailer at storage. I thought I had a great idea but could not get to work. Oh, by the way, had my boat out front and someone called it in to the city and I was promptly issued a warning and 4 hours to move it or the city would haul it. In my city, you can not have any type of trailer parked unhitched sitting on the street- it is also classified as an over size vehicle and can not be parked on the side yard either. Anything over 22' (which would include the total length of the trailer and anything sticking out the back) is not legal to park. That makes just about any boat illegal which my hood has several of including landscapers, couple 5th wheels and several boats. By the code I can bring my boat here once every 15 days only for the purpose of loading and unloading. 24 hours max.
Anyway, I digress...so, I had a length of hose I ran through the transom drain, under the motor up to the tank..pulled the line off the fuel filter and going right to the tank. I have a pump ball like for an out board at the end and thought I could get it to siphon- it would not. I moved the pump ball up by the tank and while it would pump fuel our but it would not siphon...how come? I never was good at doing this...what kind of pump can I get without breaking the bank that will handle fuel? Also, when I moved the ball by the tank every compression I can hear it in the tank, like from the vent?
Anyway, I digress...so, I had a length of hose I ran through the transom drain, under the motor up to the tank..pulled the line off the fuel filter and going right to the tank. I have a pump ball like for an out board at the end and thought I could get it to siphon- it would not. I moved the pump ball up by the tank and while it would pump fuel our but it would not siphon...how come? I never was good at doing this...what kind of pump can I get without breaking the bank that will handle fuel? Also, when I moved the ball by the tank every compression I can hear it in the tank, like from the vent?
Comments
Using the siphon method with primer bulb to draw the fuel the primer needs to be below the fuel tank in my experience. I run a long fuel hose through the hull drain as you did to keep elevation to a minimum and also allows me to catch the fuel in assorted cans without crawling into and out of a boat.
Once I get fuel flowing it should continue to flow until it's empty.
I've not had much good experience pulling fuel through an electric fuel pump so I make sure that I'm pulling from the back side of the fuel pump. Pulling through the large spin on fuel filter is also likely causing a restriction for gravity draining and unless you want to change it again I wouldn't want to draw all fuel through it, although the damage may have already been done.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
https://www.westmarine.com/terapump-trep01-battery-powered-portable-fuel-and-liquid-transfer-pump-17733858.html
I have one of these at the shop that I've used for several years now to pump out fuel tanks. Will also do 5w40 diesel oil but needs to be warm and primed first. With gas/diesel I've never had to prime it and it pulls up at least a good foot.
Go Steelers!!!
I'd get a good sized glass jar so you can inspect some of the fuel. If you find sludge in the tank after you've pumped it dry dump another 5 gallons of gas back in, raise and lower the boat via jack to slosh it around. Put the boat back where the fuel pickup is the lowest part of the tank and re pump. Repeat as necessary.
If you have a larger glass container to examine fuel in you can dump your freshly bought gas into it. If it's not cloudy looking you can dump out the good leaving the water in the bottom of the glass container, then reuse it to continue flushing the tank.
Once you are positive you're getting no more sludge from the tank put in 10 or so gallons of fresh fuel with heet. Use your pump to pump from the highest possible point of the engine. Pump until you get fresh fuel. Now it's time to change your fuel filter, again if any contamination is observed. You may still have bad fuel and sludge in your fuel rail or injectors but the rest of the system is good to go. Just for kicks id remove and dump out my fuel filter to inspect for any contamination, replace if any are found. Some fuel cleanings are so bad it takes several filters.
Try to put stabilizer in your boat every time you fill it up. Preventative is easier than repair.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Also, another warning, never use a shop vac for any combustible liquids. Pumping your holding tank, nasty but sure. Your gas tank will go boom.