removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

[mudweiser]

Noticed a slight fuel odor when the boat was beached last time i was out. Luckily we were beached close enough to the landing to walk the boat back and load it up. Thats not very fun to do in 30MPH winds BTW. Poked around and found that fuel will leak out of the sending unit gasket when the boat is tipped back such as when beached, loading or unloading "basically when the fuel is at the top rear of the tank". Ok, replace the gasket right? Well it's a bit more complicated then that, heres why. One of the sending unit screws has a broken off head. I bet if i remove the others and the sender, there will be enough of the screw sticking up where i can grab it with a vise-grips. I understand the risk of explosion as i have seen sparks fly when a clamped vise-grip slips off a bolt. Thats why i asking for suggestions on how to remove it safely. The boat is a '89 Bayliner 2050 Ariva with a 20 gallon aluminum fuel tank if that helps any. I know i need to replace the sending unit gasket, but i'm not sure what is the safest way to remove the broken bolt. The tank has about 12-15 gallons of fuel left in it now.

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

I would carefully use vise grips. Maybe you could remove the plate and then roll up a rag or towel and stick it down in the hole to block the fumes... Put a lil pb blaster on there to loosen things up and then give it an easy turn. Or, after clamping the vise grips down wrap a wet rag around the vise grips and the broken bolt b/f turning..

 

[mudweiser]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Not a bad idea, maybe i could duct tape it off, the area is dry right now. Have to go into town for the gasket so i'm going to kick around a few ideas before i try anything. Any other suggestions anyone?

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

didnt think of duct tape... good idea too. maybe tape it off and use a wet rag... two lines of defense to prevent explosions

 

[45Auto]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Take the sender off now and find out how many of the other bolts are going to break. Put some penetrating oil on it NOW and let it be soaking. Give it a few more drops every so often and a few little taps with a hammer every so often so hopefully the vibrations will let the penetrating oil work. Best penetrating oil I've found is KROIL. Never had any luck with any of the others.

Good luck!

 

[triumphrick]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Ditto the pb blaster. You may also want to use a shop fan to keep any fumes moving. The danger lies in fumes accumulating in restricted areas down below bulkheads, etc. Local shop mechanic would do that. Good luck and be safe!

 

[mudweiser]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Well, got-er out. Wasn't too bad. taped it off, sprayed it with Penitrant, flipped on the ceiling fan and ventaliation fan, opened the front garage door and hit the blower switch. Decided to use a channel locks rather then a vise grip, lottle more control. Worked out well. Still need to clean it up and install the new gasket. Tap out a hole or 2.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Those screws are probably stainless steel. Likelyhood of sparks is very slim but taking all the precautions is certainly in order.

 

[mudweiser]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Looked like they were stainless. Now once it's filled, i noticed my sender is off a little bit. It's easy to get to though.

 

[gallavantin]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

dittos on the kroil. sometimes you can back a broken screw out by tightening a drill chuck around it and then use the drill to back it out.

Rod "Gallavantin"

 

[mudweiser]

Re: removing broke off fuel sending unit mounting screw.

Yeah, thought about that too. You can actually see the sparks inside the drill when I hit the trigger. Not a good idea.