Fuel Tank removal

[BobM]

I am trying to avoid removing the bulkhead, which is tabbed in place, to get my tank out. I am thinking, drain it, rinse it with some soap and water, then cut it in half with my 18V sawzall. Half a tank (14.5 x 18.5 x 20) should fit out the starboard locker nicely. All hazmat will be collected for later proper disposal.

I just bought a five pack of blades, a case of absorbant mats (100) and a Moeller 12 gallon low profile tank.

12GA PLS BELOW DECK FUEL TANK EACH (EACH) S-189987 032512 3 in stock 12 Gal. 24.5"L x 18.5"W x 7.25"H Top Withdrawal $194.26

Sorry to say I got it for much less elsewhere with free two day shipping. I would have given the site a chance to match it but I am out of commission and didn't want to wait.

My thinking on the tank is, since the width is the same it will fit on the existing tie down system. There is plenty of room for the additional 4 inches of length. And of course that the 7.25 inch height will fit easily down the starboard locker. Short of a custom tank, Moellers are pretty much the only tanks in stock.

The most interesting part will be getting the hoses configured. Vent is cake. The shorter tank means I have more height to angle the deck fill hose over to the 9.25 inch center line from its current location 4 inches from the right of the tank. The fill hose is hopefully 1.5 inch ID. I measured the OD to be 2.0". I forgot to measure the fuel hose that runs from the tank to the Raycor filter/separator, but hopefully that is a straightforward thing to obtain. That hose will definitely have to be a couple of feet longer as it is currently at the front of the tank and must now come off the back.

To date, I have never changed my Raycor or had to purge air from my fuel lines. Hopefully it is straightforward. As I recall I may need to crack the injectors to get the air out and that I may need to change some washers. I will run a search on it.

 

[Mark Maulden]

where is this tank located that requires a sawzall and having to remove a bulikhead? on the 11.0a, we just take the top of the quarterberth off with a couple screws. undo the lateral restraings going across, disconnect fuel and vent and out itcomes out.Oh ya. get the fuel out.. take my 50 into a sixty gal and get it back into the same space with different tie downs. Just takes on some slightly different dimensions

 

[woodster]

where is this tank located that requires a sawzall and having to remove a bulikhead? on the 11.0a, we just take the top of the quarterberth off with a couple screws. undo the lateral restraings going across, disconnect fuel and vent and out itcomes out.Oh ya. get the fuel out.. take my 50 into a sixty gal and get it back into the same space with different tie downs. Just takes on some slightly different dimensions

on the 9.2 A the tank is behind the engine and in front of the hot water heater.... the locker door/lid opening is only 13" wide..there is no way to get it out from the rear because of the steering quadrant and hot water heater ...and no way in the front because of the engine so that leaves you with 1. cutting the tank up 2. removing the engine 3. removing the hot water heater and steering quadrant....i took mine out through where the engine is mounted because i was replacing that any way......

regards

woody

 

[BobM]

Bulkhead

So basically I would have to remove the bulkhead that is the wall between the quarter berth and under the cockpit. It is tabbed its whole length at the base. I would also have to remove the battery charger and cut tabbing to the bulkhead behind the engine it is also connected to.

 

[bugbitten]

Re: Bulkhead

Haven't some folks just cut a larger opening in that bulkhead to facilitate access, rather than removing the whole thing? It doesn't seem like the load it bears necessitates anything too substantial. Even so, it wouldn't be too tough to beef it up once the removal was done. Of course, trying to keep it as pretty as the rest of your boat complicates things.

Ha! This put me in mind of one of my high school science teacher's demos. He heated up an unused, two-gallon steel gas can with a bunsen burner, screwed the lid on, then let atmospheric pressure crush it as it cooled. Now you just have to figure out how to safely heat your tank to about 400 degrees, make it airtight after you heat it, and your problem is solved!

John

 

[woodster]

Haven't some folks just cut a larger opening in that bulkhead to facilitate access, rather than removing the whole thing? It doesn't seem like the loads it bears necessitate anything too substantial. Even so, it wouldn't be too tough to beef it up once the removal was done. Of course, trying to keep it as pretty as the rest of your boat complicates things.

Ha! This put me in mind of one of my high school science teacher's demos. He heated up an empty, two-gallon gas can with a bunsen burner, screwed the lid on, then let atmostpheric pressure crush it as it cooled. Problem solved!

John

John..cutting the opening in the bulkhead would work just fine..just dont use the bunsen burner to do the cutting

regards

woody

 

[Jeff]

Did mine this Spring....

This spring I replaced my aluminum fuel tank. We had to cut the bulk head in the aft cabin as it too was tabbed in place. Once my cut lines were checked and double checked I used an oscillating saw (Harbor Frt. $28) to make the cuts. This tool allowed me to minimize the depth of my cut and made a minimal kerf. We elected to go back to the original manufacturer of the tank (which still had drawings) and have a new one made. I was then able to reuse the panel with a few new cleats and pieces of teak trim to cover the cuts. One additional device I installed was a primer bulb just upstream from my first filter. This makes bleeding the system a bit easier. The admiral is once again pleased with how the boat smells. :dance:

 

[BobM]

Original manufacturer

The tag on the tank was mostly missing. I could see they were from St. Louis. I searched for someone in St. Louis but couldn't find anyone. The downside to the plastic tank is that the fill is on the center rear of the tank while the old metal tank had it on the right rear corner. That means I need to connect about 5 inches over from original. Given the tank is plastic, I can see the fuel level so I don't need to maintain the ability to use a dipstick, so the only issue is making the connection. I don't want to move the deck fill! The fact that the new tank is shorter gives me more room to make the bends, but it still could be a challenge. I know I could likely find a pre-formed radiator hose to do the job, but it wouldn't be the best route to take. I will get the correct hose and then put my biggest pot on the stove with some water to heat is up good, then fit it. Worst case may be that I need to fuel up really slowly....but given that I do it about once every five years I can deal with it. I am sure the next owner won't appreciate it though!

 

[BobM]

I found that most manufacturers make a more flexible ribbed version of fuel filler hose. Nobody sells it by the foot though. So I am the proud owner of ten feet of hose LOL. I will try to document this fix since I am using all off the shelf stuff. Of course I am downsizing the tank from 18 to 12 gallons, but that is easily 24 hours of fun time for a diesel significantly larger than my 2QM15. It will run for about 48 hours on 12 gallons. To my mind that is plenty.

 

[bugbitten]

Now that all your purchasing is done: Did you see this 13 gallon Moeller unit? It's got the fuel inlet at one corner, although I've not measured to see if there's 30 inches of room either forward of that inlet. Probably not.

 

[BobM]

Probably not. The good thing about the tank I picked is that it should fit into the existing mount without major trouble. I guess I will find out! The flexible hose should work well. The normal hose would have done okay, but Moeller switched from an aluminum nipple to a molded one and well I felt I could heat the hose to get it in place I was worried that there would be a constant strain in it that could cause a failure.

 

[BobM]

Flex hose arrived...not a night and day improvement...hope it works out. This new cast nipple on the moeller tank is pretty flimsy looking. I wish the had cast more shoulder where it joins the tank.