old gas removal

[sams]

I have an Osprey 200 that has been sitting for 18 months with about 15 gallons of fuel in the tank. My plan is to add some stabil and trailer the boat down a bumpy road to mix things up and then pump it out. ( I know gas is dabgerous to work with and have an appropriate pump). Is the tank shaped in such a way that I will be able to suck it oretty dry or will I need to run add 5 gallon of fuel a couple of more times to really get the crud out?

If ayone has ony other ideas that don't involve removing the tank I am all ears.

Sam

[thudpucker]

You don't have to do all that. I don't believe in Stabil anyway.

Just add some fresh gas and go with it.

I was given a 32 Plymouth that had been in a garage for almost 20 years.

It had a half tank of gas sitting in it all that time. I believe the tank may have been full when parked but lot's of that Gas dissipated.

I added two gallons of fresh gas, squirted a bit in the Carb, and it started right up and ran fine.

[Capt Rick Hiott]

A motor in a 32 Plymouth is a lot different than a outboard motor, and 20 years ago they didn't put all the ethanol "crap" in the fuel.

Staybill does work, My 2003 Yamaha 2cycle wont idle without it if it has ethanol in the fuel. But like you said,,I would pump all that fuel out. Go through your inspection hatch where the sending unit is to get most of it out. I used a section of soft copper hose on the end of a rubber hose to get all of my fuel out of my 50gal tank.

You can bend the soft copper to make it go where ever you want!

[Snow Shovel]

I think you’re doing the right thing to drain your tank.

Rather than adding 5 gallons and draining again, I’d add 5 gal to the dry tank and then draw a sample from the line that feeds the engine. If the sample comes up clean with no debris or crud, then I would go with it. Remember to change/clean whatever filters you have.

Good luck.

[Murphjup]

PRI-G Gas treatment, http://www.priproducts.com/consumer_products.cfm will restore your old gas, only one once of treatment for 16 gallons, but I would add as much new high octane gas you can to the tank. It really works, I have never had any fuel issues with my boat...

Most Marine Stores Carry it or auto parts stores, I usually buy my online, do a google search.

Edited June 29, 2010 by Murphjup

[Guest edgewater225]

How much fuel does the tank hold? On a 20' boat, I'd guess at least 60-70 gallons. If that's the case, you could well be ok to top it off with fresh fuel (higher octane) and a bottle of Star Tron to even out the quality of the fuel overall. Chances are you'd be good to go at that point, but use the boat!

However, if you want to pump out the fuel, the easiest way is to use the primer bulb to do so (disconnect the fuel line on the far side of the primer bulb and start squeezing). We all did that in South Florida after Hurricane Katrina when we needed to keep our generators running.

Good luck.

PRI-G Gas treatment, http://www.priproducts.com/consumer_products.cfm will restore your old gas, only one once of treatment for 16 gallons, but I would add as much new high octane gas you can to the tank. It really works, I have never had any fuel issues with my boat...

Most Marine Stores Carry it or auto parts stores, I usually buy my online, do a google search.

[pmagrady]

Another Pri-G vote. I use it all the time. When you read the directions on the Pri-G site they say add the Pri_G first, then the gas. That way it gets mixed well. I'd try adding enough to cover your old left over gas plus the fresh gas you plan on adding before you add the fresh gas.

[Curmudgeon]

Staybill does work,

Most of that stuff works OK to stabilize good fuel. Won't do anything if your fuel that's already bad (likely after 18 months). If you had no other worries before the boat sat, fill it with fresh fuel and go fishing ...

[ssfoxrunner]

This topic seems to come up a lot these days. I was told by a boat store employee that the new flex fuel is destroying the new outboards. I was told to stay away from the gas at the pump and start using gas from the marina. A motorcycle mechanic next door is starting to say the same thing about the motorcycles that have been coming into his store. Does anyone really know how long gas can sit in a tank before it goes bad? The consumer really does not know how long the gas actually sits in storage before being delivered to the service stations. If you are uncomfortable about the bad gas then drain it and start over with some high octane. I would be more concerned with the gas tank itself.

[BrianFD]

My boat, too, has been idle for 20 months or so, equipped with a Merc 4.3L. When I stored it back then, I filled it with new gas and the appropriate amount of Sta-Bil. I'm a little nervous, but still confident that it'll be OK. If not, I'll let you know!

Edited June 30, 2010 by BrianFD