Rain Water in Fuel Tank, & New to Four Winns family

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:05 am

Hi Everyone,
I am new to the FourWinns community, as I have purchased a 2000 H240 a couple weeks ago

. 5.7L Carb Volvo GS.

I changed the fuel filter a few days ago, and had zero water in the old filter. Today, after getting stuck at a restaurant while the boat was in a downpour for over an hour, we stalled out on the way back home. Tried to remove the fuel filter to check for water (just put on by hand-tight a few days ago, with a couple drops of oil on the seal). Could not remove the filter even with an oil-filter wrench. I disconnected the fuel line at the carborator, as was able to pump 2 or 3 cups of water out of the fuel line. Re-started engine, and coninued for a short time. After that, we stalled out once more, so we repeated the process to get another cup of water. After that, we kept it at no-wake speed and made it home.

Once home (on trailer), I raised the bow as high as possible, and pumped more fuel through, and got another 1/2 cup of water, but mostly fuel. All these times, the water was brownish, and the fuel was clear (although a tiny bit cloudy). This was still coming through the water filled fuel filter, as I need to go buy a better tool to get it off.

1. Investigating at home, I found that the boat has a Perko Fill/Vent cap, and there was no O-ring. Does anyone know what size oring it should be? Does it sound plausible that such a large amount of water got in because of the missing o-ring.

2. Why did the fuel filter get so tight when I only put it on hand-tight? Should I have used a grease or petroleum jelly instead of drops of oil on the seal?

3. What do I need to do about the 50gal of gas remaining in the tank? The majority of it is 10% Ethanol Blended Unleaded Regular (fresh 1 week ago). Can I just pump out as much water as the pickup will get, than add Stabil and use up the gas as quick as possible? Or is it a "must" that I have the tank pumped out?

Ray

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:58 am

You have to oil those fuel filters just like an oil filter. 40 years of changing filters and I haven't had one I could not get off.
As far as the water, I'd try pumping out (carefully) as much as you can. Then buy 3 or so gas filters and keep changing them till you don't see water after you dump em out. I replace the gasket on the gas fill every few years and have never had water in the fuel filter. You could also try using the Racor filter with the metal bowl, that can hold more water and you can drain it from the plug in the bottom of the metal bowl. Just be really careful not to spill gas in the bilge.

ric · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:28 am

My 2000 gas filler's o-ring fell off a long time ago. After two tropical storms and normal florida rain, not one ounce of water in the gas tank and I ran e10.

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 7:57 am

ric: I had zero water a few days before, and cups of water after that heavy rain. I did find water in the treads of the gas cap, (and missing o-ring), and I can only conclude that the water must have gotten in that way. The cap on the H240 is right under the back edge of the sun-deck, so water must have been pouring right on it. That must be the difference from your boat.

LouC: Thanks, that is what I am hoping to do... just pump out what I can with the fuel pump and filter the rest. Unless anyone convinces me that I should have the whole tank pumped out ($$$)

Does anyone recommend a certain product to help remove the last bit of water and/or prevent gumming or sludge buildup (considering the gas is 10% Ethanol)?

ric · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:00 am

You could take off the access panel on the deck, remove a cover on the gas tank and pump it out by hand?

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:20 am

As long as you can get to the cover for the sending unit, it removes with 5 bolts. Lift the out and you can see down to the bottom of the tank. If you look down there with a flashlight you probably can see the water in the gas. I would pump out what you can and let it sit on a big glass jar and see what you got. The filters can handle a few ounces but when they get full the water goes into the fuel system. If I had a chronic problem with this I'd get the Racor and drain it till I saw no water.

TX H210SS · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:10 am **Posts:** 1488

Not sure how your tank is vented, but you may want to check that out as well....justing thinking some waves over a faulty vent coule ingest some water in a hurry too.

and to ask the obvious....where did you fill up? You may check to see if theyve had any complaints of water in fuel. You may have pumped that water into the boat.

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:45 pm

Thank you all.

The vent is inside the main fill (under the same cap). The Cap is vented, but must have the O-ring to prevent water from being able to go in. I got new O-ring today.

I talked to a local shop, and tomorrow I will take the boat in for them to pump out the entire tank (through the sending unit hole). They said the water makes some of the Ethanol come out of solution, so the large volume of "water" I was seeing was actually a combination of water and Ethanol.

I still have no idea how the fuel filter ended up so tight, but the shop will change it tomorrow.

Ray

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:28 pm

Actually they got that backwards, it is actually the ethanol that makes the water come out of solution, small amounts of water can pass through a fuel system without trouble. The problem with ethanol is that it attracts moisture, and when that moisture gets past a certain percentage it drops out of the gas/ethanol/water mix, they call that 'phase separation'. Then you get a layer of water on the bottom of the tank, because its more dense. If the amount of ethanol in fuel was always precisely measured (IT IS NOT) and boat fuel tanks were not vented to the atmosphere so moisture gets in, the E-10 gas would not be such a problem but because of these 2 factors it is causing problems in some cases.

rpengr · **Posted:** Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:36 pm

The correct O-ring for the Perko fuel cap with integrated vent is:
#222: 1.50" ID, 1.75" OD, 1/8" thick

rpengr · **Posted:** Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:12 am

Followup:

I got the boat back from Boat House Marine (Riviera Beach, FL) today. They changed the fuel filter, and pumped out the tank completely through the sending unit hole. (1.5 hours labor charge only). I declined to have them add gas and try it, as I would be doing that as soon as I picked it up.

I added 30gal of fresh E10 and Stabil additive. At the boat ramp, I disconnected the fuel line at the carburator and inserted it into a bowl, in order pump the last bit of watery gas from the fuel line and fuel pump. Once the gas ran clean, I reconnected the fuel line to the carb.

Started up and it ran like a champ all evening

note: I had considered zero ethanol "marine gas" which is available in my area, but it costs $0.75 to $1.50 more than auto gas (E10). Considering that I a starting with a clean empty tank, and I have a carburated engine, I chose to stick with the E10 and use stabil. I never had this problem with my previous boat even without using stabilizer most of the time.

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:34 am

Once the tank is clean, the gasket on the cap is good and the gas is really just 10% Ethanol you should be OK.

When you change the fuel filter at the end of the season dump the gas in it into a glass jar and let it sit, that will tell the tale.

rpengr · **Posted:** Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:01 pm

LouC wrote:

When you change the fuel filter at the end of the season dump the gas in it into a glass jar and let it sit, that will tell the tale.

Followup: I'm still waiting for the season to end.

It has been 1 year since I made this first post. "Knot Easy" has been doing great, and in use year round. Never went more than two weeks without at least starting the engine on the cuffs. I guess it's time for annual maintenance now.

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Rain Water in Fuel Tank, & New to Four Winns family

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