gas can level before refill question

[apollothesun]

i have a two stroke 1977 115hp evinrude outboard and have a six gallon gas tank to supply the gas. i noticed that after the gas can gets to about 1/4th level i noticed i have to refill. is that normal or should the engine suck all the gas in the can? basically about a gallon and a half left in the gas tank. let me know your thoughts on this and thanks in advance.

 

[SteveRoss]

Re: gas can level before refill question

Don't know if it is "normal" or not. My engine (Honda 15, 4 stroke, 3 gallon tank) would suck all the gas out of the tank if I let it. I would think it best to fill up or top off almost every chance you get. That would help keep all the moisture from the humid air from getting into the tank, the gas and the engine and keep the gas/oil mix relatively fresh.

 

[rbh]

Re: gas can level before refill question

i have a two stroke 1977 115hp evinrude outboard and have a six gallon gas tank to supply the gas. i noticed that after the gas can gets to about 1/4th level i noticed i have to refill. is that normal or should the engine suck all the gas in the can? basically about a gallon and a half left in the gas tank. let me know your thoughts on this and thanks in advance.

Two things come to mind, first are you dipping the tank to see how much is left or are you looking at a gauge???
The second is you may have a pinhole in the pickup tube at the 1/4 way point and your sucking air???

 

[scipper77]

Re: gas can level before refill question

Two things come to mind, first are you dipping the tank to see how much is left or are you looking at a gauge???
The second is you may have a pinhole in the pickup tube at the 1/4 way point and your sucking air???

A very helpful post. I was going to post that my tank seems to do the same. When I recently got down below 1/4 tank the motor would hesitate every once in a while. I figured that the gas was sloshing around and I was sucking air. Now I wonder if I should check my pickup tube.

 

[steelespike]

Re: gas can level before refill question

Its not unheard of for outboards to suck air at the quick connects and not leak gas.This could manifest itself at a certain level in the tank.
You must have more than one tank. 6 gallons would last about 30 minutes at wot!?

 

[rbh]

Re: gas can level before refill question

I was always under the impression that in most fuel tanks there is a steel tube that goes down so far, then a flexable rubber hose with a small weight in the form of a screen that whips back and forth following the motion of the ocean/gas so you get 99%+- of it.

 

[apollothesun]

Re: gas can level before refill question

A very helpful post. I was going to post that my tank seems to do the same. When I recently got down below 1/4 tank the motor would hesitate every once in a while. I figured that the gas was sloshing around and I was sucking air. Now I wonder if I should check my pickup tube.

me too, i would switch over to the other full 6 gallon tank.

 

[apollothesun]

Re: gas can level before refill question

Its not unheard of for outboards to suck air at the quick connects and not leak gas.This could manifest itself at a certain level in the tank.
You must have more than one tank. 6 gallons would last about 30 minutes at wot!?

yep, got another six gallon tank. thanks for the info, is this the o-ring that attaches to the quick connect?

 

[sublauxation]

Re: gas can level before refill question

I had a similar situation with an outboard, it wouldn't empty a tank. One day the engine started chugging even when half full. It turns out my pick up tube was completely rotten.

 

[apollothesun]

Re: gas can level before refill question

Two things come to mind, first are you dipping the tank to see how much is left or are you looking at a gauge???
The second is you may have a pinhole in the pickup tube at the 1/4 way point and your sucking air???

hey rbh,
to answer the first question, the engine starts to bog down and i switch over to the other gas tank thats full and the engine runs like normal. i go to see the used tank and notice the left over fuel so i guess im dipping into the tank. the second question will be answered when i take the gas can apart and check for leaks. i only noticed this on the first tank of gas. maybe i will use the second tank first and run that dry and see if it does the same thing. then i can narrow it down to the pickup tube or the hose. thanks for giving me the directions to troubleshoot.