Fuel tank cleaning without removal,Possible? 97 Challenger 1800

[alexd51]

Hello guys ,new to the forum and after almost a day surfing around and searching in different ways i have come up empty. Believe me i been in plenty of forums and i know the golden rule "SEARCH,SEARCH and SEARCH before you ask a question because most likely someone else already had that problem.

Is there a way to clean a fuel tank on a challenger 1800 without removing the tank from the haul? i have looked at the shop manual that was given to me by the seller and from what i see there is no drain plug , the only way into the tank are the tube were the fuel comes in and were the fuel gauge sensor thingie is ,did i miss any??
Boat was sitting for a bit and it starts and runs but the fuel has been in there for some time and from what the seller told me the tank has never been removed so it has a 18 year buildup of whatever crap came with the gas.
My second question is, can i replace the OEM fuel filter with the ones made of glass with the reusable inside? would it affect the fuel flow by switching from the OEM?

Thanks to all in advance.

 

[racerxxx]

Only way to clean it is thru the fuel sender. There is no easy way to do it, you gotta get creative.

Yes the glass filters will work.

 

[alexd51]

Only way to clean it is thru the fuel sender. There is no easy way to do it, you gotta get creative.

Yes the glass filters will work.

Thank you sir.
On my way to get the glass filter right now.

I guess that old wet and dry vac that i have somewhere in the garage that is always in the way i will end his life sucking this tank clean.
BTW
only way to remove the fuel sender unit is by cutting the clamps and removing all the hoses right?

 

[racerxxx]

Just undo the hose clamp at the bottom, closest to the tank, then twist it to break it free and slide it out slowly. Take pics, not which line goes to which port on the baffle, they are marked on the baffle top.


Clamp #11 on the fuel baffle

 

[alexd51]

So i took the sender unit off and emptied as much fuel i could take out with the pump i had. No problem there...

Took the sending unit apart this is were all went to hell first the float was like this and full of fuel. I put it in a bucket of fuel of course it went strait down. Fuel comes out from behind one of the magnets, or whats left of it.


second problem or sort of problem, every other fuel sending unit i have seen in the how to and such have only 2 cables mine has 3?
tried the meter but no mater which way i set the probes i get nothing


Only thing missing to do , unless i'm using the meter wrong and i would not doubt it im doing it wrong is doing the fuse fix i read about in another post.
Any help guys?????

 

[Waterluvr]

I'll send you wiring diagrams and some testing information for that fuel baffle, well done btw not many people using the search feature and actually having a meter at the ready. :thumbsup:

 

[alexd51]

Rules of the forum's Search, Search and after that Search again before you start a new thread.

 

[Waterluvr]

Rules of the forum's Search, Search and after that Search again before you start a new thread.

Hang around, you'll see the same question asked on the front page of the boat forum again and again and again during the season lol. Your good to go, no issues with the board or fuse just source a new float and it's back to working like new. They are reasonably accurate and it gives you some idea where you're at in relation to needing fuel.

 

[alexd51]

Im pretty sure someone will lol

 

[alexd51]

Well so i spent the day n the engine compartment of the boat flushing the fuel tank, not easy to do but after about 4 hrs i think i did as much i could do without taking the tank out. Plenty of water and dirt in there.


The best $ i ever spent were for this pump, t has helped me plenty flushing the tank.


Well lets see what tomorrow brings , i'm taking the oil tank out.

 

[racerxxx]

Have you removed the engine cover yet, or are you working inside with that still on there? If it's still on, it's so much better with that removed.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

 

[USAF_Pride]

Have you removed the engine cover yet, or are you working inside with that still on there? If it's still on, it's so much better with that removed.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

Other than the PIA it is to remove the cover I've actually taken my pins out and made them smaller so they slide right out!

 

[racerxxx]

That's one way, not the way I would do it, but it's another way. I can remove the one on my speedster solo, it's a piece of cake. The challenger is a bit husky, so I had a helper with that one and just left it off and covered it with an old shower curtain.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

 

[alexd51]

That's one way, not the way I would do it, but it's another way. I can remove the one on my speedster solo, it's a piece of cake. The challenger is a bit husky, so I had a helper with that one and just left it off and covered it with an old shower curtain.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

The cover is still on. Not much help at the house, girlfriend with a bad back and no other adult. I did consider taking it off but a second look at it i realized it was going to be heavy for just me ro deal with and now im almost done so i guess it's staying there. Next time is coming out.

 

[alexd51]

[MENTION=71806]Waterluvr[/MENTION]
Looking at the diagram for the boat i have 2 filters 1 for each motor, can i change those for universal filters? like these?

I am planing on using those filters all around for fuel and oil as they are easier to see if they need cleaning and cheaper to maintain as the inside is replaceable an i can actually clean them.

 

[racerxxx]

Like I said those are the ones I used on a friend's challenger. They're fine for fuel, however I would not use them for oil. Just buy the OEM style, replace them once and keep moving.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

 

[Waterluvr]

[MENTION=71806]Waterluvr[/MENTION]
Looking at the diagram for the boat i have 2 filters 1 for each motor, can i change those for universal filters? like these?
View attachment 28642
I am planing on using those filters all around for fuel and oil as they are easier to see if they need cleaning and cheaper to maintain as the inside is replaceable an i can actually clean them.

That's a great choice for fuel, stick to the OEM plastic filter for your oil injection pump's inline supply from the tank and you'll be all set. It's a PITA to get at some of the lower hose clamps but the injection pump supply line can easily be changed from the filter inlet back up to the tank and that get's you a nice new clear line and the latest formulation of XPS-II is a red color that's easier to see than the old amber colored formulation.

 

[alexd51]

[MENTION=71806]Waterluvr[/MENTION]
So i keep working on the boat and keep finding surprises. Today i set out to remove the oil tank and compared to all other things i been doing on the boat this was so far the easiest thing i have been able to take off the boat. Well here is what i found.
Front of the tank


Back


i know i have 3 options
1- either look for a used one and from what i been reading they are not easy to come by.
2- fix the one i have if its not brittle and it lets me weld it together
3- eliminate the tank and start mixing the fuel

BTW
Can anyone tell me how to take the part were the oil lines attach to on the bottom of the tank how to take it off? and the oil level sensor on top?
opinions are greatly appreciated

 

[Waterluvr]

Eliminating the tank for the purpose of pre-mixing really isn't an option. You have a rotary valve that resides in an oil bath and is driven off the crank and that has an incoming line from and a return line to the oil tank. That valve requires oil all the time or your motor grenades.

Just filling the cavity and looping the lines to pre-mix is a bad idea as some folks learn the hard way, at some point the inner crank seals will develop a slow leak and that oil will disappear out of the rotary shaft cavity and into the combustion chamber.

I bought a couple of those tanks from [MENTION=62929]brian lewis087[/MENTION] message him he may have one for you.

 

[alexd51]

Eliminating the tank for the purpose of pre-mixing really isn't an option. You have a rotary valve that resides in an oil bath and is driven off the crank and that has an incoming line from and a return line to the oil tank. That valve requires oil all the time or your motor grenades.

Just filling the cavity and looping the lines to pre-mix is a bad idea as some folks learn the hard way, at some point the inner crank seals will develop a slow leak and that oil will disappear out of the rotary shaft cavity and into the combustion chamber.

I bought a couple of those tanks from [MENTION=62929]brian lewis087[/MENTION] message him he may have one for you.

Any idea hot to take apart?
There is sort of a salvage yard in kissimmee just south of were i live ,ill call him tomorow and see if by chance he has one. If he does not then ill contact that member.

 

[Waterluvr]

The grommets are two piece and they just pull out, to install put the compression sleeve in first then the body.

 

[alexd51]

What i learned

What i learned cleaning the fuel tank.
First of all the tank cant be removed without first removing 1 or even both motors , so all has to be done thru were the fuel sending unit sits.
second go to walmart and buy this pump,believe me its worth the $9.Use a metal hanger to zip tie your hose to so that way you have a way to move your hose around inside the tank. Believe me the hose by itself does not work.

hose with hanger but without the zip ties.

Do yourself a favor and get enough buckets equivalent to as much fuel you have in your tank, and a way to sift thru all the particulates and water you will get out of the tank.(Or you can do this after all the fuel is out)
I did not reuse the fuel on the boat i just put it back in the tank after cleaning it just to get whatever else was at the bottom of the tank.
Believe me it was not pretty.


After that i replaced the float in the sending unit and changed the fuel filter.
Not comfortable in there at all and not enough space to move around, if you don't have the stock fuel filters try to relocate the new ones in the same area where the stock fuel filters go for easy access later when they need to be replaced.


Im done with the fuel system,For now....
Thank You....
[MENTION=71806]Waterluvr[/MENTION] :thumbsup:
[MENTION=57920]racerxxx[/MENTION] :thumbsup:
for all the help.

 

[Waterluvr]

Hey Alex! :thumbsup: Right back at ya, your project's moving along nicely I see, love to see someone saving another Sea Doo and making it whole again.

 

[alexd51]

Hey Alex! :thumbsup: Right back at ya, your project's moving along nicely I see, love to see someone saving another Sea Doo and making it whole again.

Working on the steering as i type. Waiting on gaskets for the manifold to put the port motor back together. Starboard motor was started and ran ok,lets se later in the water.