Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

S

Stumedic

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I just purchased an old 1970 sportfish. The boat is equipped with a late 502cid Crusader. The boat also has built in fibreglass fuel tanks. Is there a fuel additive that will protect the engine from ethanol/fibreglass damage until I get a chance to replace the tanks? I've heard horror stories about the damage the resin does to engines. It seems the dissolved resin sticks to the valves and can actually seize them, bending valves, pushrods and damaging pistons. Thanks. Stu
 
Boomyal

Boomyal

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

None to my knowledge. Any additives will likely exacerbate the problem. The horror stories are likely true. Yank those glass tanks out before your engine becomes a fossil.
 
WillyBWright

WillyBWright

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

Most additives are alcohol based. Avoid those and alcohol-extended gas whenever you can. Any solvents that would remove the residue would also dissolve the tanks. Any coating for the tanks would also coat the filters. It's a lose/lose proposition.

Fiberglass gas tanks! What were they thinking? :'(
 
bjcsc

bjcsc

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

If I were you, I would replace the tanks before I did anything else, including using the boat at all...unless you can be certain you can get gas with no ethanol in it. It will be hard to tell, as gas can contain ethanol but not be labeled as such. They are not required to label it until a year from now or so I heard...
 
S

Stumedic

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

I wish that yanking them was that easy. Then we have the expense of having custom built tanks made. Funny thing is people have been complaining that the phase separation ends up eating the aluminum tanks too! My center console has a poly tank. That seems to be the ticket. I use Sea Foam as a fuel additive in the cc and it keeps things nice and clean. I was kind of hoping you guys were gonna tell me it'll work for the inboard too! Oh well. Stu
 
tommays

tommays

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

The BOAT US web sight has a good write up of the problem and there is no happy ending :(



Tommays
 
QC

QC

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

Maybe a stupid idea, but if you could get to at least some part of the tanks to cut a large hole, could you stuff a bladder in there?

http://www.atlinc.com/US/marine.html
 
M

MrBigStuff

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

WillyBWright said:
Fiberglass gas tanks! What were they thinking? :'(
Click to expand...

Can you imagine the prohibitive cost to design any system that will take into account unforseen changes in the standards 20 or 30 years into the future? What will it cost to design a tank to withstand unobtainium when it becomes added to the fuels 30 years from now? :%

The material in question was perfectly fine for the formulations used during that time and into the forseeable future.

I don't want to minimize the duress of boat owners faced with this dilemma but to imply that it was a bad choice is stretching it a bit IMHO.
 
QC

QC

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

Edited. DWJ. Off topic.
 
tashasdaddy

tashasdaddy

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

get you some portable tanks, you need several to feed that beast. or just mount a 55 gallon drum on the bow.
 
JasonJ

JasonJ

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

There are plenty of poly tanks that come in different shapes and sizes, and are not unreasonable cost-wise. I am sure you could find some that would come close.
 
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Stumedic

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

I just inspected the outside of the tanks. Beautifully made and a simple shape. Banging on them they seem solid. They're about a foot top to bottom, 4 feet long and three feet wide. There is a fibreglass flange on the long dimensions and they lag bolt to the stringers. Basically six bolts, a vent hose, fuel line and the sender wire and it's out. I guess i'm getting away easier than the people who have to take a chain saw to their boats to get the tanks out. Stu
 
bjcsc

bjcsc

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

Stumedic said:
I guess i'm getting away easier than the people who have to take a chain saw to their boats to get the tanks out. Stu
Click to expand...
That's the best way to look at it...I'd say you're in better shape than that. I'd bet the majority of people with fiberglass tanks aren't even aware of the problem. You, on the other hand, are being proactive. 2 years from now, there will be as many "fiberglass goo killed my engine" posts as freeze damage ones...you won't be one of them...;)
 
Silvertip

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

If the tanks are in pretty good shape physically, you might want to search the internet for car fuel tank restoration products. I've seen products that are used to coat the inside of fuel tanks of collector cars that have had rust and scale problems. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the product(s) but they obviously would have to be impervious to ethanol blended fuel as I've seen it here in Minnesota and we've had blended fuel since 1997. Search for "fuel tank coatings" or something similar.
 
tommays

tommays

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

And just how are we coating the inside of a tank we cant move ?


Tommays
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

It obviously has to be removed. Probably not a pleasant thought but to fix one's heart they need to split your breast bone which is also an unpleasant thought but the process generally has a happy ending. 8)
 
Mark42

Mark42

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Re: Any Additive To Protect My Engine From Fibreglass Damage?

Yeah, I second the notion of coating the tanks. Reasearch tank coatings, they are very popular with motorcycle restorers.

IF the the coatings are unaffected by the alcohol in gas (and I believe they are), then you can save the cost of custom fabbed replacement tanks.

I think the easiest way to coat the tanks would be to use a backhoe to roll the boat around your yard. :devil:
 
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