boat fuel tank pickup tube problems

Still its a mystery. We took the boat out and motored for over 3 hours in 2 to 3 foot waves. It may not display this or other websites correctly. . Soo 2300 bucks later, its fixed. If you are experiencing problems with your boat, motor or trailer, you can e-mail me at theboatdr@yahoo.com. Wow, that looks like a tedious fix so kudos for sticking it out. We use cookies to optimize site functionality and improve your overall experience. The shipping was $ 48. Turned out to be a restriction in the stainless screen at the top of the pick up tube. Hi All, thanks for the help. We havent had even a sputter since and our crossing of Hecate Strait was horrible (weather forecast calm seas and no wind hahaha). I was plannining to install a bulk head fitting by removing my sender to access the inside of the tank. for a while. We knew that the leak had to be somewhere between the tank and the fuel pump. The Boat Galley We definitely would have floundered longer if we didnt have an example of a crew with far more experience than we had still struggling. Each time Id clean I off the bilge floor and next time after running it the fuel would be back on the floor. Got a cruising question? It takes a lot of patience to track down the source of this type of problem, and the prroblem will probably turn out to be something really tiny and hard to see. Just as we got into the big ship channel there, we had some RPM dips. This fitting is usually equipped with an anti-siphon valve. It could be dirty fuel and a plugged filter, a problem in the fuel pickup tube in the tank, water in the fuel that was getting past the Racor, an air leak or even a kinked or collapsed fuel hose. Once a vessels gets to 3-4 years old insulation tests should be carried out on the entire electrical on an annual basis due to vibrations and buffeting vessels undergo when at sea. I'm Carolyn Shearlock. Dave again pumped all the fuel out of the tank and pulled it. Will also get a 5 -6 gal can which is easy for me to drop fuel line in and run from. All other maintenance is equally important and if youre using Racor fill them up. Heres wishing you a summer packed full of many hours of boating fun. The engine would run fine, then lose RPMs . Sunflower fields scream Buffet Open in bright yellow lights to resident and migrating doves. [More] The Ultimate Answer, All cruisers have unexpected problems come up. With the 6 gallon tank hooked to the engine, it ran flawlessly for over an hour. 2018 Skeeter SX210 (I Know it's not a Tidewater but still love Tidewaters), This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, Engines, Props, Jack Plates, Trim Tabs and Fuel. No problem at all. Very frustrated. It would be difficult to get them mixed up. We began with the simple, more common problems and then progressed to checking other things that would cause a fuel problem on a boat: Finally, when we started the engine it ran well. My husband and I have been cruising over 14 years and 13,000 miles, first on a Tayana 37 monohull and now on a 34' Gemini catamaran. . 2014 Tidewater 230lxf, 250XA Yamaha, Minn Kota Ulterra 112lb, 36V, 72 shaft. Learn what you can do to prevent phase separation and limit other ethanol-related fuel problems. What a shame to have to go through all that. This eliminated the entire fuel tank, fuel pick-up, fuel hose and water-separating system from the engine. So thanks! . It's beyond me why manufactures will not use quality components in their products. I would have replaced the fuel lines first. Thanks Carolyn, looks too risky for me to play with though. The manufacturer says the filters need only be half full.. I would try an easy-out to see if you can unscrew it. Thanks, Ours supposedly couldnt be taken apart. We did some more reading on the Tempo fuel tanks that we have and found that (a) a crack in the pickup tube is a semi-common problem and (b) someone had cut off the permanent fitting, fixed the cracked pickup, and then reinstalled it. The boat captain again took his boat to the water and went for a shakedown cruise. The top of the tank had sagged down with age, and the pick-up tube was resting on the bottom of the tank. I had the same issue. The e-mail continued by stating that the boat was approximately 15 years old, and the owner thought there may have been trash in the tank that was sucked up into the pick-up tube and caused a restricted fuel flow. Its hard to see the pickup tube in the photo as its black, but its attached to that metal piece that the Visegrips are pulling out. Could you use more help in making the transition to living aboard? Just wondering if someone can walk me thru how to remove pickup tube from my gas tank. There was a guy whose Porsche would not start intermittently. Currently a marine diesel mechanic in Sausalito/bay area, .CA, for the last 5 years, 9 times out of ten if you do regular engine bleeding and it doesnt solve the problem, go to the injectors. The lessons that we took away from finding this fuel problem: Wondering how much of what foods to take on your next trip? It convinced us to hunker down and replace all the fuel line before setting off rather than to spend months trying to spot something that could be as tiny as your cracked hose was. All we can figure is that there was one last bit of air, maybe trapped in a high spot, that dislodged. There are two fittings, two hose clamps and one hose between the two. [More] How to Clean Your Boats Interior Teak. It was easier to see when I bent the hose a bit. When we were struggling with a hard to diagnose fuel problem on our new-to-us boat, I read this carefully. [], Its not only important to wear a life jacket, but to make sure it is functioning properly, especially if it is self-inflating. My port Cummins (480HO/ 5.9 litre 2012) developed a small fuel leak (3 oz) after running out on the Ohio River. You can post now and register later. Your previous content has been restored. On the water, the dealer was able to duplicate the problem. Big sigh. I think that would have been and easier way to do it. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today! Some Westerbeke literature said we should use a 2 micron Racor, others a 30 micron. . Use this shopping list of essential components to create a soundand compliant fuel tank installation. West Marine will email you when your order ships from the vendor. Tips from Carolyn Good job on tracking it down. . I chased a fuel delivery problem from Mobile all the way to Nassau. I had a similar problem on my Islander 30. I wanted to ensure that the fuel tank pickup was not partially clogged so I took out the pick up tube (and anti siphon valve). We are unable to access the tank much less remove it for cleaning (short of literally destroying the galley and salon) which is the problem. Know just how much to buy of what all arranged by grocery store aisle with our handy Provisioning Spreadsheet. Also, forgot to say that I did a bit of damage to the 90 degree fitting. . Fuel tamk is in isolated compartment from the. Weve run the engine over 20 hours since then without even a hiccup. Applies to standard shipping only within the contiguous United States. Well, I didnt want to say anything, but really she was the one who told us what to look for . Check out this article for some easy ways to stretch your fuel dollars. Looking at our fuel hoses, it seemed impossible that there was a collapsed or kinked hose. It really didnt seem to be anything, but as it was the only thing we could find, Dave decided to remove the hose and replace it. Whenever Im faced with a fuel-supply problem, I like to start at the tank and work my way back to the engine. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. But it started right up again . After the fuel pump, the fuel is under pressure and will seep out any unsealed areas as a fuel leak. I'm wondering if the tanks come pre-assembled from whomever and Tidewater simply hooks the lines up without checking it out? Delivery time varies typically 23 weeks. The fitting had been missing the small copper washer that all banjo fittings are supposed to have. I will say that the Cummins folks here in Cincinnati (Cummins West Chester) were awesome, going from diagnosis to repaired in 4 days, and the Tech (Shane) even re-sprayed the area with Cummins White paint so it looks brand new. Signature required for receipt of shipment. Glad you finally found it. My husband has done everything. Not all mechanical problems are the result of a failed engine. By continuing to use this website, you're agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Not only is this problem annoying but also dangerous in rough seas. So I would like to find another source. He then asked that the boater take the boat back on the water to verify that the problem was corrected. Thanks. We called Westerbeke tech support and they said to use a 30 micron if we were having fuel starvation issues. I looked at the Racor bowl some more and did not see any bubbles when Dave ran the fuel pump. I always hope that what I write will help someone else no reason for us all to learn the hard way! been sitting in storage - having trouble getting gas tank cover off - wanting to empty old gas - any tips for removing metal gas tank cover? When we had problems with our engine cutting out two years ago, your story convinced us to immediately replace all the fuel lines. Upload or insert images from URL. We found some stories of people cutting them and all sorts of stuff. Changed duel filter no luck, Im not a very handy a person. and so on, eventually dying. Determined my. Just wanted to thank you for writing this post last year. Great article.thanks for sharingair leaks like that can be unbelievably frustrating! I did use a remote tank and the engine ran better that is why I took off the 90 in the first place. Thats a problem with a lot of boats with baffled tanks. When Dave replaced them, the new ones seemed to have as much play as the old ones. . Not sure if they send outside Florida however. And as we started up the engine to come back in the harbor, it died. When I look in the hole there looks to be a tube there. This is not true and after years of engine failures, always when the conditions have the boat bouncing all over, we sorted this out with the help of a fellow mariner who had the same filters and problems. By the time the car was taken to the shop the foam would subside and the engine would start. If the vent is clear no problem. At this point, the boat captain tried an experiment. It can happen, doesn't matter where you bought your fuel. The forum is a place where Grady White owners and future owners can post their questions and experiences about Grady White boats. The answer was much simpler: use a hair dryer to warm the fitting up, then pull with Visegrips (NOTE: ours was diesel, not gas, so far less risk of an explosion with a hair dryer and heat. Were now declaring the problem solved. Hopefully that solution works out in the long run, as it appears it will. OEM-certified replacement Poplock fuel pick-up. If you do not receive an email contact Customer Service. The problem took over a year to determine the source. We bled the fuel system and started the engine up while still on the mooring, and it died almost immediately. Having recently played this game myselfand met with only semi-successI can really appreciate what you went through. Pasted as rich text. My guess, without seeing it, is that you are looking at the fuel tank vent, and not the pick up. Hopefully it is better now guess we will see at the ozarks. The problems got much worse on the return to Marathon with the engine dying severaltimes. Take my free mini-course: Filed Under: Boat Work Tagged With: Boat Projects - Repairs & Upgrades, DIY Tips, Overcoming, Underway. All he needs to do now is trace down that problem and make the necessary corrections. I totally understand the frustration we had it in spades. In my return e-mail, I explained to him that this would be extremely dangerous and should not be attempted. Restrictions: This item does not ship to a PO Box, APO, FPO, DPO or international address. In this case, the boat owner now knows his problem is in the boat and not his engine. and then would lose more . Weve been checking for leaks. No mechanical knowledge needed. Good for you! Anytime you have to feed something through one hole into a tank and pull through another, it's a chore (been there, done that with diesel tanks). So thanks. Help is here: Overcoming the First-Year Learning Curve (a free mini-course from The Boat Galley). Well that's what I thought I was doing, there was no tube that came out with the 90 degree fitting. Heres what we learned from some unexpected medical issues while cruising. Copyright 2005-2022 | TheMalibuCrew.com He could easily ignite the remaining fumes and the resulting explosion could cause severe injury to him and his boat. Anyway I purchase the parts from a local Westerbeke dealer. . Hello guys, That will tell you how much you have and lighten it if you need to pull it. EM89, Engineered Materials' one component, room temperature curing, thixotropic, water clear adhesive for use on hard to bond substrates. This item will be fulfilled from the vendor. We thought we had a fuel blockage, but after reading this rushed to check our racor for bubbles. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a338ea8c0e989a9eb748770efb8baf9a" );document.getElementById("eb861f0816").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Hi! Alright so I went off the grid for a bit and finally got this fixed (hopefully). Initial testing showed that the engine was now running well, so we went ahead and made a trip to Key West to visit friends vacationing there. David E. Bell Yep, that was a pain to get out and turned out to be perfectly good. Several times, we thought perhaps wed solved the problem and then when wed try to motor, wed find we still had a problem. All of them. and then come right back . Depending on how you were heeled, it can siphon out. He could not get it to restart. Check out all the special deals from our podcast sponsors! If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. The biggest thing with Racor filters is they MUST be filled to the brim. When he took the old hose out, we could spot a tiny crack in it. He discovered he could get the fitting off by. He felt the cause was in the fuel tank. Using the Racor bowl as a sight glass is a great way to figure out if the air leak is before (or in) the Racor or after. Also one completely different item what is your mast head clearance? I was a bit iffy too on the gasket sealer, though I believe the propensity of gas to leak through such a tight fitting is probably unlikely, as it is rarely under significant hydrostatic pressure. At least in the case of the fuel tank fitting, Moeller uses aluminum for all their mold-in stuff, I assume for reasons related to the rotomolding process (thermal expansion, etc). Dave traced the fuel hose and looked at all the components. Overwhelmed with all there is to learn as you're starting to cruise? Ive run all summer this way and will address replacing the Racor at season end. Now just hope that was the only problem, fingers crossed. I wonder if that boat got swamped at some point, or saltwater got down there somehow. Having never experience this before, all other that I have work on had a tube attached to the 90 degree fitting. The Resource Center has four FREE mini-courses to guide you to just the info you need, whether youre discovering what living on a boat would be like, preparing to cruise, overwhelmed with the first-year learning curve, or needing help with cooking aboard. I think when you drain your tank and have a look at the bottom you will be surprised at how much gunk there is. He explained that he had performed the usual break-in, and liked what he had seen up to that point.On his next trip, everything went smoothly for the first half hour of operation; then all of a sudden, the engine started to sputter, and it died. Happened when we were on a friends boat. It did have an anti-siphon valve on the 90 degree elbow. Copyright 1999 - 2022 Louisiana Sportsman, Inc. All rights reserved. In this case stainless steel bulkhead fittings and stainless steel pickup tubes. Yea it cost more but customers would respect them for doing it. Pulled the tank replaced the pickup tube lengthened to pull from rear of tank. I was getting air in the fuel. . He checked it over thoroughly for any loose connections and lo and behold! We had bubbles galore! I got lucky and was able to drill out the aluminum fitting and use a tap to clean up the internal threads. In this case, the first thing to do is locate any inspection hatches in the floor of the boat. Wish I had this to read two years ago when I had a similar problem. The boater explained again what had happened, and the dealer took the boat out on the water for a test run. I used segments of clear fuel tubing at multiple line junctions and ran the engine at high RPM. Head discharge lines clogged with marine growth. Clear fuel lines are available for gasoline engines and diesel does not seem to affect the lines for short term, investigative use. There are a lot of places on marine components where stainless shouldn't/can't be used because other factors are more important. Much later the engine dies. The engine failed more and more frequently. He began inspecting the fuel line, and discovered that the primer bulb was soft and had no pressure. It was hidden from view and I only found it by accident. The Boat Galley can be overwhelming with over 1,200 articles. That is a very nice example of what this forum is about. I know it was missing since before I had purchased the boat a year or two before but it just never leaked till now. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. found that one of the unused port plugs had never been screwed in all the way, let alone had any thread sealant used on it. Glad yours is still running, cant wait to get cruising myself and get out there to help people with their engine problems so they can get going and enjoy their time faster. I have actually done work on hard to reach items using this approach. Is there any additive I can add at this point to help after blowing whatever back in tank. I installed a, Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.8 Beta 1, Seamanship, Navigation & Boat Handling, Rules of the Road, Regulations, & Red Tape. Wow, that is some serious corrosion -- far worse than I have seen before. It is possible for this filter to develop a small pinhole in the outer casing usually caused by rust. Its remarkable how tiny a leak can be to completely decomission an engine. Published on August 31, 2020; last updated on August 31, 2020 by Carolyn Shearlock. The anti-siphon seems OK but I'll replace it anyway. Click here. Cummins traced it to a very small crack in the Fuel Injection Pump which requires complete replacement of the pump. I also recall reading where someone put a longish metal tube onto a hose attached to a pump, and kept sucking out the bottom of the tanks, periodically adding more (filtered) fuel to stir up the crud on the bottom enough that it would get sucked up. If everything around you looks true, you checked more than once, then the problem is in any earlier assumption. Was running engines pretty hard yesterday (motor sailing) when both shut down, right after a large rough storm. Took another look, and if you remove the sender you may be able to remove the nut holding the bulkhead fitting in place, if not you may be able to file or chisel off What is left of the top and push it down and pull it out. There is a second hole (plugged) that I can get a new pickup tube for but was wondering what is going on with the one that had the elbow in it? Ships from supplier, typically 2-3 weeks. In changing the valves, Dave had to remove our dual Racor assembly. After pumping the bulb, he got the engine to start immediately, but it died again when he attempted to accelerate to a planing speed. Powered by Invision Community, Copyright 2005-2022 | TheMalibuCrew.com. How do we get the tank clean when it has baffles trapping the last bits of crude?. . Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. How Far Off the Tank Bottom Is a Fuel Pickup Tube ? He fixed that, and we were confident that we had the problem licked. Both tank access point are the same. I thought your site might be good only for cabin and galley issues never thinking that you could address an engine problem that I have not been able to find online.. Run the engine fast, look for air bubbles in the areas of line. Clearly a problem that calls for more patience that technical know how. And I do mean tiny. But, there were no bubbles, no leaks at fittings, it even passed a vacuum test. Become the most informed Sportsman you know, with a membership to the Louisiana Sportsman Magazine and LouisianaSportsman.com. I had the very same issues of fuel starvation and the problem was the Racor assembly. We knew we had clean fuel and a clean tank. For two months, we workedto find a fuel problem on our boat. No spreadsheet skills needed! Thanks so much for the detailed, extensive descriptions of your trouble -shooting. It was probably time anyway and it seemed to make more sense to just do it and not go line by line looking for the problem. The pain was figuring out HOW to. Every boat, every cruiser, every situation is unique. Delivery is only applicable within the contiguous United States. Sunflowers are literally dope for doves. But why? You should be able to find a replacement bulkhead fitting. . Sometimes, its someone who isnt familiar with the system who says is this supposed to be like this?. Funny you mention that. This would cause the fuel system to suck air. I had the same problem with engine rpm and air leak onto the fuel. Congratulations on a job well worked. Glad it's fixed though. The wrench slipped and partially collapsed the side wall so It will not take the anti-siphon valve. It really doesnt take any special skills, just patience. I have a 1995 Islander 26.8 with a 134 gallon fuel tank. In older cars cracked hoses were a common source for vacuum leaks, cracks as fine as the one you have. And patience IS a skill. Thanks again, Jerry. This valve is there as a safety in case the fuel line should become cut or broken, it will not siphon gas into the bilge of the boat. Then you should just be able to find a replacement, even if it is Al it should last a decade or two. Luckily for us good old starboard is our go to girl. If you own a Grady White boat or thinking of purchasing a Grady, you have come to the right place. After careful inspection, the dealer called and explained he could not find anything wrong with the engine. This is where the fuel is being sucked and air can be sucked in anywhere that isnt tightly sealed off. The next day, we went out sailing just for fun. Not testing anything. For this trip will just blow out and fill tank. Bass bite, yellow jackets sting and George and I go fishing again, Unfortunately, not all outdoor stories are a pleasure for us to write. Since wed had more problems as the trip had progressed and thus there was less fuel in the tank, we suspected maybe there was a crack in the tank pickup. The pickup tube was permanently installed (we called the tank manufacturer to confirm this) so we did not remove it to check it for blockages or cracks. With my luck I figured I may have gauge issues post-install. His girlfriend would top off the oil, certain Porsches would leak, with a detergent oil. We got one. Many years ago I worked on a boat with a similar problem. You are using an out of date browser. . Small cracks are tough to find, but definitely cause issues that are easy to notice lol. JavaScript is disabled. When enough detergent oil was in the system it would foam up and foul the injectors.

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