Need ideas on how to clean the fuel tank.

[SportbikeRiderXX]

I've had my 98 Speedster for almost a year now and have 95% of the bugs worked out, and it's running great. One of the "improvements" I did was to replace the stock, disposable "in-line" fuel filters and install some serviceable fuel filters, like those on some of the Seadoo PWCs I've had. Every 2-3 outings, I check/clean the filters because I'm finding some sand in there. I'm glad I have these serviceable filters installed and they're easy to clean! Apparently, the previous owner(s) allowed some sand (and who knows what else) get into the fuel tank. For now, I'm comfortable to keep running it as-is (so long as I continue to clean the filters often) until the end of season, but when I do the Winterization service, I want to give the fuel tank a thorough cleaning. When I was rehabbing the last 6 Seadoos I owned, I was able to remove the fuel tank and clean it really well with a rag attached to the end of a stick. I'm wondering if any of the experts on here have any ideas on how to give the tank a very thorough cleaning?

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Last time I had a large amount of contamination in my tank, I installed a Seasense 50052103 water separator. They can hold a huge amount of trash and nothing but fuel gets through them.

 

[Dr Honda]

Yep... I'm with Sportster on this one.

A lot of people will remove the "Serviceable" filter, because they let too much junk past. They may be easy to clean... but a paper filter will trap a lot more of the really small stuff. Personally... On my PWC... I run both. The serviceable filter will show water... and the paper filter will pull out the junk.


Anyway... there really isn't a good way to clean the tank. On a Ski... you can pull it out, and turn it upside down... and rinse. But, the boat tanks are too big to do that. All you can do, is keep cleaning the filters.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

The volume of trash these things can hold will impress you, The FRAM G2 is a good filter most of the time and is a step in the right direction but I've seen the really small powdery substance that develops in aluminum fuel tanks pass through the FRAM G2 and plug the small surface area of nylon screen type filters like those in the Mikuni carbs.

 

[SportbikeRiderXX]

The volume of trash these things can hold will impress you, The FRAM G2 is a good filter most of the time and is a step in the right direction but I've seen the really small powdery substance that develops in aluminum fuel tanks pass through the FRAM G2 and plug the small surface area of nylon screen type filters like those in the Mikuni carbs.

That, in particular, wouldn't be a problem in my situation because my fuel tank is plastic.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Good to know, then you have no worries.

 

[Dr Honda]

The volume of trash these things can hold will impress you, The FRAM G2 is a good filter most of the time and is a step in the right direction but I've seen the really small powdery substance that develops in aluminum fuel tanks pass through the FRAM G2 and plug the small surface area of nylon screen type filters like those in the Mikuni carbs.

That's why I stopped using fram filters.

I had a buddy who always told me to stay away from them. But never had any real info. Then... when I bought my Cummins Diesel... in the owners manual... it said... "Use of fram oil filters will void your warranty."

Ever since then... I've stuck with Purlator filters.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Yes, you need the correct element for the task at hand. In the case of diesel fuel, use the correct element, one designed for diesel applications. Don't want that algae sloshing around in those bilge tanks winding up in your injector pump!

I've found in the case of filtering gasoline from a tank that's heavily contaminated with who knows what, these spin on water-separator filters excel. The G2 is fine for filtering those big plastic shavings that always seem to be floating in the plastic tanks from the manufacturing process but if someone's poured a handful of sand in your fuel tank as they sometimes do, the the spin-on is the only way I know of to clean the fuel up.

A block of wood epoxied to the inside of the hull makes a dandy mounting surface, covered in fiberglass cloth for the factory look.

 

[ialonso]

I have 2 inline fuel water separator/filter (I was mad when I installed them, as ethanol made my season hell way back when...)

I installed an electric fuel pump and "polished" the fuel by leaving the pump running the fuel thru the filters, and then back on the tank. Every so ofter I would clean the filters and let it run again.

I think the two inline filters was overkill, but it worked for me. I had left the pump in place with valves to take it off service, or set to enable me to prime the line after emptying the 2 fuel filters... I have since removed it, but I have the parts to add it again with a Y valve. second project on my list after replacing the horn.

 

[SportbikeRiderXX]

So....no ideas on how to clean the fuel tank?

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

One way might be to tilt the ski at an angle such that the trash in the tank settles in one corner, then you might be able to get most of it by sticking some tubing into the corner and suck it out like vacuuming a swimming pool.

When you say sand, I'm thinking in terms of silicon dioxide particulates, which can be quite similar in size and weight to aluminum oxide particles.

 

[Dr Honda]

So....no ideas on how to clean the fuel tank?

Hu?? Did you read anything above?


There were several ways listed:

1) Disposible filter, and change as you run
2) tip the boat, and suck it out
3) Big filter, and a fuel pump. Let it recirculate until clean.



AND... as I said above... the tank is too big to remove easily. But if you don't like the ideas above... then pull out your engines, and you can drain/remove the tank for a proper cleaning.