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Very s-l-o-w fuel intake

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:02 pm
by philiprmcgovern
It takes FOREVER to fill Sunshine's diesel tank -- like 30 minutes to take on 10 gallons. The PO says it's a 55 gallon tank and, of course, it's in the cockpit sole. I suspect a clogged intake line or vent and will try to check on that the next time we're on the boat. Has anyone else run into this? Could it be algae buildup? Yuck! Many thanks for any help.

Phil McGovern
s/v Sunshine
PDQ 36036

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 11:10 pm
by Allezcat
Hi Phil

Allezcat - 36010 had a similar problem although we use gasoline. Removing the cockpit deck to access the tank and plumbing revealed a sag in the vent line which was filling with fuel forming a liquid trap. This caused a backpressure when trying to fill the tank making it a very slow fill. I cut plastic supports out of 5/8" thick material from home depot and used 5200 to glue them in place to the vent line and tank about every 12" so the line has a constant uphill slope. Voila!! The fill now accepts full flow from the nozzle. I first checked that the plastic material did not dissolve in fuel.

Chet

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:49 am
by SecondWind
Second Wind also had the same problem. Chet helped me raise the vent line so that it no longer clogged with fuel. The problem is very easily solved with a couple of small blocks or PVC pipe under the hose and some 5200 to hold it in place.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:15 am
by philiprmcgovern
Many thanks, Chet and Terry. It sounds like I'm about to become a lot more familiar with my fuel tank than I was before. Is there some trick to accessing the tank and fuel line? My PO told me that the tank itself serves as the cockpit sole. If this is true, I assume that I just lift one side of it -- when the tank is nearly empty -- and it pivots upward to expose the lines. Thanks again for your help. This forum is the greatest!

Phil McGovern
s/v Sunshine
PDQ 36036

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:23 am
by SecondWind
Phil,

The cockpit sole rests on the tank. You will need to carefully lift the sole from one side and keep it elevated to work on the vent. My vent is forward and runs through the starboard locker. Since your boat is 4 hull numbers before ours, I would think that you have the same setup. You may want to consider removing the sole from the boat, draining and cleaning the tank, checking it for corrosion, and replacing old fuel lines while you are going to the trouble. My tank was full of gunk and water and was clogging my fuel filters frequently. The empty tank is not terribly heavy, but it is large enough to need two people to lift it out.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:04 am
by philiprmcgovern
Thanks again, Terry. It sounds like I have another project to add to my long list. Sunshine has seen very little use in the past several months. It will be interesting to see what sort of "gunk" has accumulated in the tank.

Phil McGovern
s/v Sunshine
PDQ 36036

Very s-l-o-w fuel intake -- follow up

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:22 pm
by philiprmcgovern
Thanks again to Chet and Terry. I looked in the house battery locker and, lo and behold, the fuel vent hose was sagging and creating a trap. I eliminated the sag and it appears that my problem is solved. So far, I've only added fuel from a jerry can and it went right in. The big test will be when I fill up at a fuel dock, but I'm optimistic that that won't be a problem either.

I also managed to change the oil and filters in both engines and to top up the transmission oil. I'm on a roll!

My next project will be to pull the tank and take a peek inside to see what lurks in there. Wish me luck.

It's good to have the forum up and running again. Thanks for all your work, Sam!

Phil McGovern
s/v Sunshine
PDQ 36036