Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

[Robertpel9]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

I hear ya but seriously where did it go, i have the same tank now and it is not leaking - even if the tank collapsed where did the gas go to and how did it get there

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

also the gas guage sending unit (whatever it is called) had to be worked on as it moved when the tank collapsed

You were probably getting a false reading on the gauge if the sending unit was not right.

 

[Mkhammer]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Theory :They siphoned your gas and used it and sold you 6 gallons.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

You were probably getting a false reading on the gauge if the sending unit was not right.

This gets my vote.

 

[epic mariner]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

I might be having a similar issue. Boat ran fine on an external gas tank. Hooked it back up to my internal tank and it ran rough. Finally heard the fuel pumps whine like they were running dry. Checked the hoses, vent and valves and there is a slight smell of gas near the gas cap. The fuel fill line is cracked there and the o-ring on the gas cap is shot. To check if that was a problem, I started the engine with the cap off and immediately got the same rough idle and fuel pump whine. Anybody familiar with whether a bad cap/fill line could introduce enough air/water into the fuel lines to cause the engine to run poorly?

 

[Maclin]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Nope Epic, your problem is more than likely the pickup inside the tank or between there and the fuel pumps.

 

[rbh]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

depending on how much your tank collapsed, the float could be held up in the full position.
"I think"
if you can remove your tank, empty out any left over fuel,and rinse out good you "could attempt" to presurerize it and pop out the bow in it, as long as it has not got a crease in it.
just be carefull.
rob

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

my 1996 7.4 bravo3 left me at the opposite end of the lake labor day weekend with boat load of people-lucky had some buddies tow me for 2 1/2hrs back to the slip.- we even emptied the cooler of adult beverages
It had been bogging down under accelleration but ran fine once cruising or putting around.

I had replaced the fuel/water separator filter that morning.
next day pulled distributor cap-looked good- then discoverd no gas to carb- the filter was just 4inches up stream from filter and full of fuel.
Ordered new mechanical fuel pump on line $184.next day shipping=$35. gasket $3.= $222.+tax
it took maybe 3hrs total and I'm not a very good mechanic.

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

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.

With robertpel's further answer, I understand now. From his first post, I thought he knew the fuel pump was failed and the tank was collapsed and just asked the mechanic to fix those. In the end, 2.4 hours labor sounds more than fair. If robert's happy, it's all good.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Did I miss some data or is everyone guessing, here? What tank are we talking about? Is it a perm tank with a dedicated vent line or a portable tank with a combo cap/vent or a portable tank with a fill cap and a separate vent screw?

From the random answers I'd guess this info has not been given. If your tank has a vent line, I'd blow into it with the fill cap off and check if air is getting all the way through. It is common for older vent lines to corrode (ethenol makes this worse) or even the metal vent itself to corrode shut (mine did this). If it is a combo cap/vent, just buy a new cap, as it'll likely be cheaper (at least quicker) than hunting down a new gasket for an old cap, especially one which you're not sure what the orig gasket should look like.

 

[jtybt]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

So I'm guessing you had an electrical fuel pump for it to have failed from over heating from not getting gas to keep it cool.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

Lowkee,

The OP question was if they didn't remove any fuel, where did all my fuel go? SInce a mechanic fixed the problem it's not likely that he will replicate it so I guess we are just guessing "where the fuel may have gone"

Others have posted since then with the same issue (tank sucking down). But same symptoms may not be same problems so they need to troubleshoot accordingly.

I think the OP may have gotten an answer.

 

[Apollo75]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

I doubt too much moisture can get in that way --- there is only so much room in the tank and no air circulation --- it just fills with air as the fuel is used.

Under normal circumstances

I can't figure out where the water in my fuel filter comes from either.

My opinion is : A tank breathes as the fuel heats a little during the day and cools during the night ---- bringing in damp cool air at night

You said you collapsed a fuel tank --- I do not think a tank full of fuel would collapse much ---- I could be wrong


Best of luck

OFM

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: Unbelieveable cause of engine to die

All is perfect now, i used the boat all weekend, in the past when i would open the gas cap a large hissing sounds would ensue, now when i open it after using a lot of gas no noise at all meaning it is venting properly. It was an electric water pump that burned up.

The old owner for whatever reason put a large felt gasket inside the Gascap. He never used the boat and i am betting he did not know any better and was trying to keep moisture out as the boat sat most of the years. We put a new gas cap on as well as a new fuel pump and all is well. Still dont know where my gas went but i think it was collapsing regularly just not to the point *** starved the pump and i did not have as much gas as i thought i did in the first place