I've just purchased a H40, she has seen almost no activity in the last year, and sporatic activity prior to that. I need to move the vessel 500 miles up the ICW. There is, best guess, only a few gallons of diesel in the tank. Although the engine did start and run smoothly, reading up on the importance of clean fuel and clean fuel tanks has made me curious about putting an access hole in the top of the tank for inspection, drainage and cleaning. Or removing the tank. Especially when the trip will be totally reliant on engine power. Has anyone done this? Will a plastic Beckson port work?
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Why don't you
Edmund: Why don't you just drain the tank to the best of your ability. Then refill with clean fuel and biocide. When you get to your new port you can put in some tank cleaner. I would recommend new filters before your trip too. I assume that you have a tank filter (ie: racor, frahm etc) and the engine filter. Change both of these before your trip. I would not try any chemical cleaning of the tank before the trip in case you stir up something that you shouldn't. Happy motoring
Edmund: Why don't you just drain the tank to the best of your ability. Then refill with clean fuel and biocide. When you get to your new port you can put in some tank cleaner. I would recommend new filters before your trip too. I assume that you have a tank filter (ie: racor, frahm etc) and the engine filter. Change both of these before your trip. I would not try any chemical cleaning of the tank before the trip in case you stir up something that you shouldn't. Happy motoring
P
Pete
diesel fuel
Steves advice is right on however I would add that you should also carry extra filters in addition to changing them before the trip just in case! Have a good trip and enjoy your new boat!
Steves advice is right on however I would add that you should also carry extra filters in addition to changing them before the trip just in case! Have a good trip and enjoy your new boat!
J
John K Kudera
IF you Must
Hi Edmond, That is a long trip with suspect fuel!! If at last resort, you need an access hole, it will work, I had no choice four years ago, and cut a square hole in the tank top in an area that was accessable on our H34. I cleaned the tank after pumping out and discarding all the fuel that I had, carefully wiping down all inside surfaces with clean rags. I then removed and cleaned the pick-up tube. Reinstalled the tube. I put a piece of 1/4" clear plexiglass over the hole, overlapping by one inch,I drilled and installed four screws on each side, removed the cover patch, cleaned the drillings,sealed with a marine sealant, have had no problems since. The clear plexi is discolored red from the diesel, but does not leak. Best of luck!
Hi Edmond, That is a long trip with suspect fuel!! If at last resort, you need an access hole, it will work, I had no choice four years ago, and cut a square hole in the tank top in an area that was accessable on our H34. I cleaned the tank after pumping out and discarding all the fuel that I had, carefully wiping down all inside surfaces with clean rags. I then removed and cleaned the pick-up tube. Reinstalled the tube. I put a piece of 1/4" clear plexiglass over the hole, overlapping by one inch,I drilled and installed four screws on each side, removed the cover patch, cleaned the drillings,sealed with a marine sealant, have had no problems since. The clear plexi is discolored red from the diesel, but does not leak. Best of luck!
N
Norm Overfield
Dirty fuel
The responses so far look right on to me, keeping in mind that most problems with diesel engines are either related to fuel or cooling problems. You might think about just adding some fuel to the tank, then getting someone to "polish the fuel". There are folks who can clean your fuel by using external pump and filter setup. They circulate the fuel and change their filters till the fule is clean. Don't know how much it costs, but I'd ask around at the place where your boat is located to see if you can find someone to do this. Then I'd change both filters and carry at least a couple spare filters. As for cooling, it might be worthwhile to check the manifold riser and replace the raw water impeller, too. It doesn't take much overheating to trash a diesel! Hope you enjoy the trip and the new boat. I really enjoy mine. I think the H-40 may be one of Hunter's better designs, and a true "sleeper" when it comes to getting a lot of boat for the dollar.
The responses so far look right on to me, keeping in mind that most problems with diesel engines are either related to fuel or cooling problems. You might think about just adding some fuel to the tank, then getting someone to "polish the fuel". There are folks who can clean your fuel by using external pump and filter setup. They circulate the fuel and change their filters till the fule is clean. Don't know how much it costs, but I'd ask around at the place where your boat is located to see if you can find someone to do this. Then I'd change both filters and carry at least a couple spare filters. As for cooling, it might be worthwhile to check the manifold riser and replace the raw water impeller, too. It doesn't take much overheating to trash a diesel! Hope you enjoy the trip and the new boat. I really enjoy mine. I think the H-40 may be one of Hunter's better designs, and a true "sleeper" when it comes to getting a lot of boat for the dollar.
J
John
same problem when i bought my 40
When I bought my h40 it had been set up for at least a year. I knew I had to travel about 900 miles to get mine to home. I located a pump service and had them pump out the deisel in the tank. Then the tank was cleaned out with clean lent free rags until clean and dry. I installed a new racor filter and water seperator system and bought six extra filters for the trip home. Even after cleaning out the tank and replacing the fuel I still had to replace filters on three occassions on the way home. And yes if you dont have an inspection cover you would be better to have one.
When I bought my h40 it had been set up for at least a year. I knew I had to travel about 900 miles to get mine to home. I located a pump service and had them pump out the deisel in the tank. Then the tank was cleaned out with clean lent free rags until clean and dry. I installed a new racor filter and water seperator system and bought six extra filters for the trip home. Even after cleaning out the tank and replacing the fuel I still had to replace filters on three occassions on the way home. And yes if you dont have an inspection cover you would be better to have one.
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