Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

[Robertpel9]

I had a post this weekend about my boat stalling in the middle of the lake and then not wanting to start again although able to turn over. Since i doubt anyone would read it now and i found the root cause that i think everyone should know i am starting a new thread. Mods - i apologize if this is not protocol

The cause was that the previous owner replaced an oring on the gas cap with a felt gasket material which when i filled up and closed tight last week cause the system to not be able to vent at all As i drew the gas tank down by driving it the tank literally collapsed on itself which staved the fuel pump for fuel and caused it to fail as well When we opened the cap air came rusing into the tank so quick it sounded like a jet taking off

Hopefully nothing else is broken but i am having to replace the fuel pump and they had to order it but it should be good for Friday i hope.

Anywone else heard of this?? Even the certified tech at the marina who has been there 15 years said this was a first for him, $590 later it should be fixed, It sounds like a steep price to replace the gas cap, replace the ful pump and ensure the gas tank is back to 100% normal state ubt marinas are expensive - does that seem out of line

 

[billbayliner]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

The cap is supposed to fully seal. Your tank vent line must be plugged. 15 years as a mechanic and he has never heard of a plugged vent line and blaming it on a cap?

Am I missing something here?

Bill

 

[Don S]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Plugged vents are very common.

This test would have detected it.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=283269

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Sorry to tell you that you havent fixed it yet.
The cap is suposed to be sealed. the vent is suposed to vent the tank.
Id get a new mechanic...

 

[jtybt]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

This is a fill/vent all in one fitting? I thought they had some problems a while back with one of the mfg's.

I can't believe some of you guys. Robert said the previous owner used a felt gasket on the cap instead of the O-ring. If the felt gasket covered the vent as well as the fill, it could easily seal off the vent.

I know I haven't seen or heard of that happening before.

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

That is an interesting scenario where a felt gasket substituted for an o-ring could block the vent. I had a gas fill with an integrated vent, but based on things I've read on this and other forums, and on the USCG site I think, I plumbed a separate vent to the tank.

In your first post, ringmaster72 finished with, "If you have good spark, you need to check and see if you are getting fuel." You said you had pulled the fuel filter. Is that downstream of the pump so that the pump held the tank vacuum? Also, can you eyeball your tank, or is it enclosed? I take a quick look at my tank two or three times each outing, just to make sure the gauge is reading OK, the tank isn't collapsing from vacuum, there are no leaks, etc.

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Don - Does my Marina Mechanics explanation make sense given the other date provided or am i being taken for a ride here??

 

[mddubya]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Interesting, I wonder if this could be the cause of my boat bogging down after its run for awhile? Gives me something else to check before I rebuild or replace the carb, again.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Interesting, I wonder if this could be the cause of my boat bogging down after its run for awhile? Gives me something else to check before I rebuild or replace the carb, again.

An easy test is to remove the gas cap and see if it helps.

 

[mddubya]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

An easy test is to remove the gas cap and see if it helps.

Thanks Bruce, as I was reading the OP I thought about that. Once I get her back in the water I'll definitely try that.

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Not sure what the fuel pump should cost but it sounds to me like you paid a lot for what you got.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Not sure what the fuel pump should cost but it sounds to me like you paid a lot for what you got.

More than likely its the Volvo 2 set fuel pumps. They are pricey.

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

They are putting it in now and i really hope that is all that is wrong

The pump is $235 and i wanted a Volvo OEM one, they did not not mark it up nay more than the volvo site has it at but i am just hoping there is nothing else wrong (gas tank failure, alternator burned up, etc)

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

$590
- $235 fuel pump
- $ 15 gas cap
= $340

= 3.4 hours at $100 shop rate

Does it take that long to replace a fuel pump and pop on a gas cap?

 

[freeone]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

if its his first fuel pump replacement... which i doubt being a 15year mech and all. its always cheper to pay someon else to do it right the first time if unable to DIY.

 

[Don S]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Does it take that long to replace a fuel pump and pop on a gas cap?

Finding the problem to begin with also takes time. It's called troubleshooting, not just throwing parts at a problem with the hope you get it right. Usually takes several tries for the parts throwing method to work.
There is also the time needed to find the parts, and actually do the job and check it out to make sure it all works. Then clean up the mess so the customer doesn't complain. It's all part of having someone fix things for you.

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

They are a little steep and if i can fix something myself i do but as Don said there is more to it than just that. They went thru my entire electrical system and cleaned up an issue that i posted about a few weeks ago - also the gas guage sending unit (whatever it is called) had to be worked on as it moved when the tank collapsed and then they also test it in the lake under load to make sure all is well and they installed a battery for me that i supplied and cleaned off the wires, etc. The fuel pump i had overnighted in so it was $280 for the part and they charged me 35 for the gas cap (not sure how much markup was there but it is what it is). All in all it was 2.4 hours of labor and then the 280 for the pump 35 for the cap and then tax, just over 600 bucks - ouch

I'm not thrilled i had to pay so much but at least i know it was fixed right and i have some piece of mind that the entire boat in terms of fuel, spark and electrical system has been gone thru and given a clean bill of health

Aso this is the cap they installed so i guess it was not marked up - http://www.sportequipment.com/sports1-3395731-b001fwmqm2-perko_gas_fill_tank_vent_0540dpgchr.html

What i cannot figure out is that they had to put 6 gallons of gas in it when i had nearly 1/2 of a 60+ gallon tank when it stopped running. I just hope it is not leaking anywhere - i have had it back after putting in almost 200 bucks to fill it for about 7 hours and there is no gas smell in the bilge and when i open the access points in the floor that let you get at the tank it looks fine and there is no smell but i cannot figure out where the gas went. They said it is likely i really did not have 1/2 tank and it was an erroneous reading as the tank was sucked to a nearly flat state. I drove it about 18 miles today home to my dock and all was well and it is full and reads full and i can't find a smell or a leak - does their explaination make sense??

 

[mddubya]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

I guess it is possible that your tank collapsed? Or they had to pump it, your gas, all out to work on it?

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

My tank did collapse but they said they did not remove any gas - Where did it go??

 

[mddubya]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

My tank did collapse but they said they did not remove any gas - Where did it go??

I wouldn't answer any calls from the EPA if I was you.