I am planning to clean and flush the diesel fuel tank on a 1988 Legend 37. Is there a strainer inside the tank on the bottom of the supply fuel hose? What equipment should be used to sweep the bottom of the fuel tank of all dirt and other solid contaminates? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
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I had the same problem
We cut a hole in the top of the tank,large enough to get your arm int
n our 84 H34, This allowed the removal of the bad fuel, we then cleaned the inside of the tank with paper towels and finished with white cloth towels. I made a cover for the hole I created using plexiglas, I thought the plexi would degrade, so I made three copies of the lid. This was not necessary, as we removed the lid to clean the tank again last year, and the plexi was still as when we installed it. I made sure there would be no leaks by using an automotive permatex product that was labeled for use with diesel fuel. I also used 12 screws to fasten the lid. Tank cleaning is now easier, the plexi allows for checking if the fuel is OK, using a flashlight.Best of luck!
We cut a hole in the top of the tank,large enough to get your arm int
n our 84 H34, This allowed the removal of the bad fuel, we then cleaned the inside of the tank with paper towels and finished with white cloth towels. I made a cover for the hole I created using plexiglas, I thought the plexi would degrade, so I made three copies of the lid. This was not necessary, as we removed the lid to clean the tank again last year, and the plexi was still as when we installed it. I made sure there would be no leaks by using an automotive permatex product that was labeled for use with diesel fuel. I also used 12 screws to fasten the lid. Tank cleaning is now easier, the plexi allows for checking if the fuel is OK, using a flashlight.Best of luck!I did it
There is (WAS on my boat, '84 34') a strainer at the bottom of the fuel pickup pipe. It is recessed about 1/2 " so it can collect a whole bunch of gunk, which will lead to intermittent fuel starvation. (in my case in a 4 knot current flowing in the direction I didn't want to go with no wind). I had about 1/3 of a tank of fuel, so I had a dock mate with a large old power boat and many filters who took most of it. My tank is a bit concave at the top, so I was hesitant to do what John K did. One thing I did was use a "plumber's snake" with a rag, very securely fastened to the end, to loosen the gunk of the bottom of the tank. I had a couple of gallons which I used to flush out the tank. After about four cycles of this the fuel was clean. Haven't had any repeat, and it beat the $300 quote I was given to clean the tank and scrub the fuel.
There is (WAS on my boat, '84 34') a strainer at the bottom of the fuel pickup pipe. It is recessed about 1/2 " so it can collect a whole bunch of gunk, which will lead to intermittent fuel starvation. (in my case in a 4 knot current flowing in the direction I didn't want to go with no wind). I had about 1/3 of a tank of fuel, so I had a dock mate with a large old power boat and many filters who took most of it. My tank is a bit concave at the top, so I was hesitant to do what John K did. One thing I did was use a "plumber's snake" with a rag, very securely fastened to the end, to loosen the gunk of the bottom of the tank. I had a couple of gallons which I used to flush out the tank. After about four cycles of this the fuel was clean. Haven't had any repeat, and it beat the $300 quote I was given to clean the tank and scrub the fuel.
another approach
I have an 89 Legend 37 and had problems with gunk in the fuel tank clogging the screen filter on the input hose. After investigating cleaning the tank, I opted for removing the filter screen and installing a good racor (2 micron) filter with a vacuum guage on it so I can tell when the filter is getting saturated. Only did this a few months ago so don't have long term data on it's success. My theory was to let the filter clean the tank over time. May have to replace multiple elements, but that seemed easier than cleaning the tank. Only time will tell!
I have an 89 Legend 37 and had problems with gunk in the fuel tank clogging the screen filter on the input hose. After investigating cleaning the tank, I opted for removing the filter screen and installing a good racor (2 micron) filter with a vacuum guage on it so I can tell when the filter is getting saturated. Only did this a few months ago so don't have long term data on it's success. My theory was to let the filter clean the tank over time. May have to replace multiple elements, but that seemed easier than cleaning the tank. Only time will tell!
Del, that is exactly what I thought.
Dels idea is the same as my thought. With the worst case senario that you would suck out all of the old fuel first. Then maybe pour a gallon of kersone in, let is sit for a couple of hours and then suck that out too. There is not going to be much of anything left. You can then remove the filter on the tube and change your filter. Even if you have a little contamination left in the tank, the filter should handle it fine. Refill the tank as normal and let nature take it course. If you are purchasing diesel in the U.S. then it is probably filtered comming into the tank so it should be fairly clean. How much ick can there be left after this is all said and done?
Dels idea is the same as my thought. With the worst case senario that you would suck out all of the old fuel first. Then maybe pour a gallon of kersone in, let is sit for a couple of hours and then suck that out too. There is not going to be much of anything left. You can then remove the filter on the tube and change your filter. Even if you have a little contamination left in the tank, the filter should handle it fine. Refill the tank as normal and let nature take it course. If you are purchasing diesel in the U.S. then it is probably filtered comming into the tank so it should be fairly clean. How much ick can there be left after this is all said and done?
Easy way out.
I heard a bunch of horror stories when I bought my 84 H34 and called Florida Sludge Sucker (yep, that's their name). $160 later and some concern about how good a job they did I had a sludge sucked tank. Ii think a better solution is spending whatever it takes to put in some redundant filtering of the best kind. I have a primary and secondary filter system and have not upgraded since being sucked and have not had aproblem but my recommendation is the same. Get a good, fool proof, filter system that you can change on the fly.
I heard a bunch of horror stories when I bought my 84 H34 and called Florida Sludge Sucker (yep, that's their name). $160 later and some concern about how good a job they did I had a sludge sucked tank. Ii think a better solution is spending whatever it takes to put in some redundant filtering of the best kind. I have a primary and secondary filter system and have not upgraded since being sucked and have not had aproblem but my recommendation is the same. Get a good, fool proof, filter system that you can change on the fly.
I think I have the same problem
I don't know if I have dirty fuel or air in the fuel line. Last week we were coming in on the engine, running at about 3000 rpm when it started to drop to 2000 rpm for about 10 to 20 sec then go back to the 3000 rpm. It would run at 3000 for a few minutes and then do it again. It did this until I throttled back to 2000 rpm where it stayed steady. I had less than 1/2 a tank of fuel and the seas were about 3 ft. We had about 15 degrees of heal and rolling quite a bit. I am wondering if 1) I stirred up gunk in the tank or 2) picked up air in the fuel line. I have a Racor fuel filter that looks alright. No gunk or air in the bowl. The filer was changed by the yard this spring. This week I went to the boat and did the purge proceedure in the Yanmar manual to get any air out. It had just a little foam come out of the top of the filter on the side of the engine but nothing I would call bubbles. I ran the engine at the mooring at 3000 rpm for about an hour with no problem. I just am not sure wheather I should clean out the tank because I know it has never been touched. Or should I just fill up the tank and be sure that the pickup does not suck air? Does any one with more experience have any suggestions?
I don't know if I have dirty fuel or air in the fuel line. Last week we were coming in on the engine, running at about 3000 rpm when it started to drop to 2000 rpm for about 10 to 20 sec then go back to the 3000 rpm. It would run at 3000 for a few minutes and then do it again. It did this until I throttled back to 2000 rpm where it stayed steady. I had less than 1/2 a tank of fuel and the seas were about 3 ft. We had about 15 degrees of heal and rolling quite a bit. I am wondering if 1) I stirred up gunk in the tank or 2) picked up air in the fuel line. I have a Racor fuel filter that looks alright. No gunk or air in the bowl. The filer was changed by the yard this spring. This week I went to the boat and did the purge proceedure in the Yanmar manual to get any air out. It had just a little foam come out of the top of the filter on the side of the engine but nothing I would call bubbles. I ran the engine at the mooring at 3000 rpm for about an hour with no problem. I just am not sure wheather I should clean out the tank because I know it has never been touched. Or should I just fill up the tank and be sure that the pickup does not suck air? Does any one with more experience have any suggestions?
Shockman!
Dick: Even if you ran the engine for an hour without a load, you may not really know if you have cured the problem. If you were at a dock, I'd suggest that you have it in gear when you are running it. This is probably not advisable on a mooring. I'd suggest that you go ahead an put in a new filter now as a preventative measure. It's $12-15 but better than having something happen when you least expect it. It does sound like you may have had some air getting into the line. If you have a problem again you may want to drain the fuel and see if it is clean or not. I think your idea of just filling up the tank at this point with a new filter is your best bet. Be sure to add biocide to your tank too. This prevents the growth in the tank. By the way, it is best to keep your tanks topped off as much as possible. This prevents condensation in the tank.
Dick: Even if you ran the engine for an hour without a load, you may not really know if you have cured the problem. If you were at a dock, I'd suggest that you have it in gear when you are running it. This is probably not advisable on a mooring. I'd suggest that you go ahead an put in a new filter now as a preventative measure. It's $12-15 but better than having something happen when you least expect it. It does sound like you may have had some air getting into the line. If you have a problem again you may want to drain the fuel and see if it is clean or not. I think your idea of just filling up the tank at this point with a new filter is your best bet. Be sure to add biocide to your tank too. This prevents the growth in the tank. By the way, it is best to keep your tanks topped off as much as possible. This prevents condensation in the tank.
I think I have the same....
You are describing the symptoms of a clogged fuel filter. I know, I am on my second boat with the same problem-only the gunk is algae. We boat on the Ches Bay with very high summer humidity, which enhances the growth. I keep extra filters on board and increased the size of my Racor filter which also has a manual pump to fill the new filter. I don't have to bleed the system and can make the change in 10 min. I have purged the tank, had the fuel pumped through a huge external filter- it's an on going problem that we all live with.
You are describing the symptoms of a clogged fuel filter. I know, I am on my second boat with the same problem-only the gunk is algae. We boat on the Ches Bay with very high summer humidity, which enhances the growth. I keep extra filters on board and increased the size of my Racor filter which also has a manual pump to fill the new filter. I don't have to bleed the system and can make the change in 10 min. I have purged the tank, had the fuel pumped through a huge external filter- it's an on going problem that we all live with.
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