new member: need help with fuel tank removal

[macojoe]

This new gas is eating everything!! Have you checked the fill hoses, clamps and other things?? This is a good time to replace all that stuff while it out!

[Brettnrs423]

Macojoe maybe i didnt check them as well as i should have but all the hoses and clamps seem to be in decent shape. I cant imagine any gas leaking out the fill or vent as the boat was in the water for several days untouched after running it before i noticed a strong gas smell and then a film of gas in the keel. I cant imagine with half a tank that any fuel would travel up and out the vent and fill hoses but maybe im wrong. Maybe the sending hose leaked a little bit after use but i syphoned quite a bit of gas out of the tank and didnt notice leaking then. I guess ill be preventative and just replace everything anyways. Ill post some pics later today.

-Brett

[Destroyer]

For exactly the reasons just mentioned by MJ I completely replaced all the hoses on my tank when I refoamed my hull a few months ago. It's cheap insurance against present and future leaks. Since you have your tank out I'd take it to a tank shop and have it pressure tested to make sure there are no leaks along seams or pinholes. I wouldn't put it back in unless I was 100% sure it was sound.

[jasoncooperpcola]

When i pulled the tank from the 18 Fisherman i thought it was good. It had corrosion where the foam was but i didn't think it was too bad. Until i took a nail and started scraping the corrosion off revealing holes. Here is the post where i posted pics of the tank.

http://wellcraftv20.com/community/sh...9&postcount=42

[awthacker]

Originally Posted by Brettnrs423

Well it took quite the effort but i got the tank out with the come along. The sad part is there appears to be no obvious leak and the tank is in decent shape. I dont get it! Either way the pvc pipe under the tank was cracked and the foam under the tank is waterlogged so i guess it was worth it regardless. I cant imagine where else the fuel came from as it was in the keel and i noticed it after the boat had been sitting in the water a few days. Either way thanks to all who helped. Ill follow up with some more details and pics as well as my rebuild so people can use this thread as reference in the future.

-Brett

Inspect the barbed fitting that the fill hose connects to. Mine was corroded through on the underside, so that it leaked while it was filling. My tank apd had alot of deep pitting, so I'm glad its out. Still haven't replaced it yet, though.

[tartuffe]

My tank leaked quite a bit of fuel from the sending unit gasket. It was not an obvious leak and I never would have thought that much fuel would come out of that gasket, I had leprechauns following me whenever I flipped the bilge on. Turns out a small amount of fuel goes a long way in smell and rainbows.