Questions about 1983 V20 fuel tank

[bilgsmf]

I bought my 1983 V20 step-lift about 4 years ago. Its been sitting in my covered patio since then. The only thing ive done is to install my Yamaha 150 on it. The boat is in good shape but now that I am ready to start working on it, im wondering what I should do, if anything, about my gas tank. Its probably been sitting a year or so with what ever gas was in it when i bought it. Owner never said there were any problems with the fuel system. So should I be worried about putting new gas in it, or is there someway to flush it out first? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Also, does anybody know the capacity of this tank?

[phatdaddy]

should be a 60 gallon capacity. I would definitely get rid of that gas. Siphon old fuel out

[scook]

I agree with Phat. If you have trouble establishing a syphon (like I have), you can extend the fuel line enough to get it hanging out the transom drain hole and drain it that way. Mine is an I/O, so your access to the drain hole may be different than mine, but probably doable.

[phatdaddy]

you can access the gauge sending unit through the rear deck inspection plate, remove it and gain access to visually inspect inside tank and siphon the tank completly, doing it thru the fuel line is fine. but will leave3-5 gallons in the tank. Also run the risk of not getting the unit to seal back properly.

[scook]

I removed the sending on mine and was amazed to find the tank looked like new. That’s a great way to do it. I had some gasket material, so made a new gasket to reseal the unit. I don’t know if you can seal it back with only some gasket sealant - you might not need a new gasket, but check that with someone who knows. Phat probably can advise on reinstallation in more detail.

[bilgsmf]

There was a total of 21 gal in my tank (60 gal capacity) that I syphoned out with a DC portable pump from Amazon. The gas was a green color, not sure what that color means? i took my gas to the recycling center. My question now is how do I clean the inner tank of any residue left by gas sitting so long in my tank. I was thinking of just putting in maybe 5 gal of gas and then just polish it for several hours to get all of the leftover gunk that my syphoning did not get. Ideally if I had the tank out I could wash it out and make sure that it was clean, but tank wont be removed. Any advise would be appreciated.

[phatdaddy]

You don t say what motor u have,if a 2 stroke, that would account for the tinted fuel.

I d put 10 gallons of non-E, pull it round for a little while, tap the brakes a few times, then polish and drain.

Also, make sure u have a good canister type fuel filter between tank and motor. I like the ones u can drain. 10 micron Racor with sight glass on bottom

[bilgsmf]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

You don t say what motor u have,if a 2 stroke, that would account for the tinted fuel.

I d put 10 gallons of non-E, pull it round for a little while, tap the brakes a few times, then polish and drain.

Also, make sure u have a good canister type fuel filter between tank and motor. I like the ones u can drain. 10 micron Racor with sight glass on bottom

I have a Yamaha 150. That sounds like a plan. Thanx!

[steplift20]

I wish I can get non ethanol fuel, not in New Jersey.

[bilgsmf]

That is exactly what I am going to do!