My first Boat - Question #3&4

[ship5182]

I replaced my impeller on my '89 Force 150 and took her to the lake. As stated in my first thread I Baxtr-ized by adding a telltale using the pics posted by Mark42 (love that blue on white boat) as my guide and used a 6 gallon portable fuel tank since I am concerned of the condition of the built in fuel tank after I drained it. The boat and motor performed better than I could have hope for, fast to get up on plane and the built in speedo says 42MPH at 5200 RPM at WOT. After about twenty minutes I check my fuel and I burned about 5 of my six gallons. Yikes!! Is this normal fuel consumption? I could also use some ideas to clean the built in tank (plate says 37 gallons) without taking apart the boat to get to it. Also my telltale does not began squirting water until the engine has been running for about 90 seconds on cold startup. When the engine is warm the telltale begans squirting right a way and very good since the new impeller was installed. I am guessing that the thermostat has to be open for mine to work. But I read thet others began putting out water in a few seconds. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Gary

 

[roscoe]

Re: My first Boat - Question #3&4

telltale is normal.

A 150 hp motor can use up to 15 gallons of fuel per hour.
Throttle back to 4000 rpm, and it will only use about 10 gallons per hour.

 

[hgmatt]

Re: My first Boat - Question #3&4

Cleaning the fuel tank: the best way to do so is to remove it from the boat. However, I understand that this is not desirable at times, so you can try a couple of things. Drain the tank by syphoning out the gas, then remove the fuel sending unit. Using a flashlight and a mirror, do what you can to see inside the tank to determine if there are any big objects that would block the intake. I had a leaf and an acorn top causing all sorts of problems in mine. If you don't see anything, fill the tank about half way up with water (I know), then check again for floating crap. Now, drain the tank, pour several gallons of acetone in. Hook the boat up to the trailer and drive up and down the street, starting and stopping. I've heard that if you put a length of chain in there it helps with a scrubbing motion. Now, pull all the acetone out, fill again with water, drain the water and put denatured alcohol in, wait a week, then fill with gas and you should have a decently cleaned tank. No guarantees though.

Also, install an inline fuel filter between the fuel pump and carbs, and another one between the prime ball and the tank. I would also suggest a fuel water seperator to help remove excess water and more crap.