Have just purchased a 1981 Cape Dory 33 in which the prior owner appears to have given little attention over the past year. The fuel tank is about 2/3rds full. Any advice on pumping out the tank and starting with fresh fuel as a precaution to fouling up the fuel line and engine.
murphyj1@monroe.army.mil
Pumping Out Gas tank
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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D. Stump, s/v Hanalei CD-
Re: Pumping Out Gas tank
John,
I purchased Hanalei this past spring. She had been on the hard for two years prior to that, and although she is diesel powered, I had the same concern you do now. I was planning on pumping or draining out the 1/2 tank we have left, but found that pumping it out would mean pulling the in tank fuel guage to allow access for the pump. I couldn't simply drain the tank as fuel is pumped to the engine via the fuel pump, it wouldn't gravity feed. Ended up by putting Stabil in the tank, topping it off, changing both the moisture seperator/primary fuel filter and the final fuel filter. Haven't had any trouble this year, but I did notice that the old primary filter did have some gum deposits that it caught. If the fuel in your tank hasn't been there too long, Stabil was added to it when the boat was last pulled, and the tank was topped off to minimize condensation, I don't think you"ll have a problem. All above just FUEL for thought!!
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei (CD-30)
I purchased Hanalei this past spring. She had been on the hard for two years prior to that, and although she is diesel powered, I had the same concern you do now. I was planning on pumping or draining out the 1/2 tank we have left, but found that pumping it out would mean pulling the in tank fuel guage to allow access for the pump. I couldn't simply drain the tank as fuel is pumped to the engine via the fuel pump, it wouldn't gravity feed. Ended up by putting Stabil in the tank, topping it off, changing both the moisture seperator/primary fuel filter and the final fuel filter. Haven't had any trouble this year, but I did notice that the old primary filter did have some gum deposits that it caught. If the fuel in your tank hasn't been there too long, Stabil was added to it when the boat was last pulled, and the tank was topped off to minimize condensation, I don't think you"ll have a problem. All above just FUEL for thought!!
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei (CD-30)
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Dave Olson
Re: Pumping Out Gas tank
You might try this wild idea.
Connect an outboard engine fuel line(with a squeeze bulb) to the fuel outlet on the tank. Run the line out one of the through hulls (after removing its hose) and into your fuel can located on the ground outside your boat.
There are probably other common sense steps to take but, you are looking for ideas, right?
I haven't done this myself but I can't think of a reason why this won't be the easiest way to get out the most fuel.
To drain the rest of the fuel out of the system, I would use a gallon size freezer zip lock bag to catch the fuel out of the drain plug of the primary filter. Tape it in place with duct tape. Use the same program for secondary filter.
NOTE: Once the fuel line is removed from the tank, you should get all the fuel from the line and the filter. If you don't remove the line from the tank first, the entire contents of the tank will siphon into your bag.
Dave
102065.2666@compuserve.com
Connect an outboard engine fuel line(with a squeeze bulb) to the fuel outlet on the tank. Run the line out one of the through hulls (after removing its hose) and into your fuel can located on the ground outside your boat.
There are probably other common sense steps to take but, you are looking for ideas, right?
I haven't done this myself but I can't think of a reason why this won't be the easiest way to get out the most fuel.
To drain the rest of the fuel out of the system, I would use a gallon size freezer zip lock bag to catch the fuel out of the drain plug of the primary filter. Tape it in place with duct tape. Use the same program for secondary filter.
NOTE: Once the fuel line is removed from the tank, you should get all the fuel from the line and the filter. If you don't remove the line from the tank first, the entire contents of the tank will siphon into your bag.
Dave
John Murphy wrote: Have just purchased a 1981 Cape Dory 33 in which the prior owner appears to have given little attention over the past year. The fuel tank is about 2/3rds full. Any advice on pumping out the tank and starting with fresh fuel as a precaution to fouling up the fuel line and engine.
102065.2666@compuserve.com
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Matt Cawthorne
Re: Pumping Out Gas tank (diesel?)
John,
Before I learned the necessity of using a diesel fuel biocide I began to have my fuel turn black with algae. When the fuel tank was fairly low I emptied the tank. Here is what I did. I bought a Jabsco 'water puppy' water pump. The next step was to replace the neoprene impeller with a nitrile impeller. The input was connected to a short piece of garden hose and the other end of the hose connected to a 3 or 4 foot long piece of copper plumbing pipe. Use whatever size fits the hose. The output was then directed through a short piece of garden hose into gallon jugs. Pull the fuel gage and insert the copper pipe. I then used the system like a pool vacuum. I made a swab for the inside of the fuel tank as well. Make sure that the swab material can't come off in the tank, even in small pieces. Take the fuel to a recycling dropp-off.
I do not know what kind of engine you have or how much of the fuel is returned to the tank per hour, but unless you know that you have a problem it might be better to change the fuel filter a little more often until you have used up the fuel. Many diesel engines return a large portion of the filtered fuel to the tank. The system is continually cleaning a portion of the fuel and returning it to the tank.
The 'Patricia Louise' (a CD-36) has a racor filter before the primary filter. I can change that filter in a few minutes and not have to bleed the engine. I also bought a vacuum gage to put in the Racor unit. The only time I change fuel filters now is when the vacuum gage begins to indicate a problem. Since I bought the gage 2 years ago I have not needed to change the filter.
good luck
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
Before I learned the necessity of using a diesel fuel biocide I began to have my fuel turn black with algae. When the fuel tank was fairly low I emptied the tank. Here is what I did. I bought a Jabsco 'water puppy' water pump. The next step was to replace the neoprene impeller with a nitrile impeller. The input was connected to a short piece of garden hose and the other end of the hose connected to a 3 or 4 foot long piece of copper plumbing pipe. Use whatever size fits the hose. The output was then directed through a short piece of garden hose into gallon jugs. Pull the fuel gage and insert the copper pipe. I then used the system like a pool vacuum. I made a swab for the inside of the fuel tank as well. Make sure that the swab material can't come off in the tank, even in small pieces. Take the fuel to a recycling dropp-off.
I do not know what kind of engine you have or how much of the fuel is returned to the tank per hour, but unless you know that you have a problem it might be better to change the fuel filter a little more often until you have used up the fuel. Many diesel engines return a large portion of the filtered fuel to the tank. The system is continually cleaning a portion of the fuel and returning it to the tank.
The 'Patricia Louise' (a CD-36) has a racor filter before the primary filter. I can change that filter in a few minutes and not have to bleed the engine. I also bought a vacuum gage to put in the Racor unit. The only time I change fuel filters now is when the vacuum gage begins to indicate a problem. Since I bought the gage 2 years ago I have not needed to change the filter.
good luck
Matt
John Murphy wrote: Have just purchased a 1981 Cape Dory 33 in which the prior owner appears to have given little attention over the past year. The fuel tank is about 2/3rds full. Any advice on pumping out the tank and starting with fresh fuel as a precaution to fouling up the fuel line and engine.
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
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Jon Larson
Re: Pumping Out Gas tank
Dave,
PERI had been stored for several years and lightly used in the several years before that, the fuel was really old. I did pump out all the diesel fuel by running a handy pump tube down the fill pipe. There was a LOT of algae in the fuel. I refilled the tank, added the fungicides and figured all was well. Well, after PERI was shipped out to the west coast, I also found that the fuel filter was really picking up "stuff" despite the treatment I was putting into the tank.
I ultimately called in a guy who specializes in "scrubbing" fuel tanks. He pumped the fuel out via the fill pipe, then cut an access port in the side of the fuel tank (he was amazed at the thickness of the guage of aluminum Cape Dory used in that tank, very impressed) and then recycled the fuel through a complex filtering system using the pressure driven fuel coming out of the filters to clean the tank itself. I was surprised at the grit and stuff in the tank and you could see the difference in the diesel fuel as it went through the cycling process through the filters this guy had. He put in a gasketed cover for the access port, refilled the tank, I put in my algae treatment and did so every six months and never had a dirty filter again.
It sounds like you might wish to think about doing this. Having the engine fail at a nasty time could be far more expensive than the couple of hundred bucks I spent for the assurance of having clean fuel.
Jon Larson
Jon Larson
jon9@ix.netcom.com
PERI had been stored for several years and lightly used in the several years before that, the fuel was really old. I did pump out all the diesel fuel by running a handy pump tube down the fill pipe. There was a LOT of algae in the fuel. I refilled the tank, added the fungicides and figured all was well. Well, after PERI was shipped out to the west coast, I also found that the fuel filter was really picking up "stuff" despite the treatment I was putting into the tank.
I ultimately called in a guy who specializes in "scrubbing" fuel tanks. He pumped the fuel out via the fill pipe, then cut an access port in the side of the fuel tank (he was amazed at the thickness of the guage of aluminum Cape Dory used in that tank, very impressed) and then recycled the fuel through a complex filtering system using the pressure driven fuel coming out of the filters to clean the tank itself. I was surprised at the grit and stuff in the tank and you could see the difference in the diesel fuel as it went through the cycling process through the filters this guy had. He put in a gasketed cover for the access port, refilled the tank, I put in my algae treatment and did so every six months and never had a dirty filter again.
It sounds like you might wish to think about doing this. Having the engine fail at a nasty time could be far more expensive than the couple of hundred bucks I spent for the assurance of having clean fuel.
Jon Larson
Jon Larson
D. Stump, s/v Hanalei CD-30 wrote: John,
I purchased Hanalei this past spring. She had been on the hard for two years prior to that, and although she is diesel powered, I had the same concern you do now. I was planning on pumping or draining out the 1/2 tank we have left, but found that pumping it out would mean pulling the in tank fuel guage to allow access for the pump. I couldn't simply drain the tank as fuel is pumped to the engine via the fuel pump, it wouldn't gravity feed. Ended up by putting Stabil in the tank, topping it off, changing both the moisture seperator/primary fuel filter and the final fuel filter. Haven't had any trouble this year, but I did notice that the old primary filter did have some gum deposits that it caught. If the fuel in your tank hasn't been there too long, Stabil was added to it when the boat was last pulled, and the tank was topped off to minimize condensation, I don't think you"ll have a problem. All above just FUEL for thought!!
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei (CD-30)
jon9@ix.netcom.com
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D. Stump, Hanalei
Re: Pumping Out Gas tank
John,
Thank you for your insight. I think what I will do next spring(as I have already topped off the tank and put StaBil in it) is to pump the tank out through the fill line, remove the tank from the ship, and take it home where I can remove the fuel gauge and give the tank a real good scrubbing out with hot water and soap. It would be nice to know that the tank is truly clean! The RaCor filter I replaced looked good, there was some sludge in the bottom half of it that I cleaned out before replacing the filter. The secondary filter looked brand new, but it is hard to tell how much gunk it had collected. So next spring, out she comes, and gets the major cleaning that will be an insurance problem against any future problems. Thanks again for your help...
Dave Stump
Hanalei (CD-30)
stumpdg@gwsmtp.nu.com.
Thank you for your insight. I think what I will do next spring(as I have already topped off the tank and put StaBil in it) is to pump the tank out through the fill line, remove the tank from the ship, and take it home where I can remove the fuel gauge and give the tank a real good scrubbing out with hot water and soap. It would be nice to know that the tank is truly clean! The RaCor filter I replaced looked good, there was some sludge in the bottom half of it that I cleaned out before replacing the filter. The secondary filter looked brand new, but it is hard to tell how much gunk it had collected. So next spring, out she comes, and gets the major cleaning that will be an insurance problem against any future problems. Thanks again for your help...
Dave Stump
Hanalei (CD-30)
stumpdg@gwsmtp.nu.com.