Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

[bmanty]

Hello, I bought this tank from bass pro along with a NPT fuel line connector that said for johnson and evinrude which is what I have. I have a fuel line from my old tank and when I connect it to the motor and the tank, the primer bulb does not fill up, it basically stays flat. All I did was fill up the tank, screw the connector into the 360degree nozzle and connect the lines. Is there something I am missing during set up, etc. When I connect it to my old tank the line works fine, I also tried to take the NPT connector off the old tank but its an older one that screwed in from the top with a hose on it so it wouldnt work on this tank. Also I am confused on the 360 degree nozzle thing. Is that supposed to rotate somehow, the guy at the store was not much help and I am a little new to the game.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

I have the three gallon version of the same tank.
If you loosen the ring holding the pickup fitting on the tank, the fitting will rotate(NOT! Easily at first) 360 degrees and can be completely removed from the tank.
It is just a plastic tube with a piece of mesh strainer material stuffed into the bottom.
Check if the hose is clear and you can blow through it.
Even when still on the tank blowing into it show produce bubbles coming from the fuel.

By any chance is the NPT fuel fitting for the tank equipped with an internal Anti-Siphon Valve?
Can you blow/suck through it easily?
The primer pump may not have the force needed to overcome the Anti-Siphon Valve.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Is your bulb going the right direction? Try another bulb, too. They go bad. You should carry a spare anyway.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

As you can see in the pic of the pick up tube I have removed it has a large nut that you can loosen to turn it to what ever direction you like, and it dose not have a anti siphon valve in it of any sort of a filter or screen. I am guessing the bulb is in the wrong direction.

I have just finished making some mods to my tanks to make them more suited for my needs.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Silly question...
Is the vent on the tank open?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Silly question...
Is the vent on the tank open?

No, probably the best first question.

OP, the bulbs now have arrows on them for the diection of flow.

 

[bmanty]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

No, probably the best first question.

OP, the bulbs now have arrows on them for the diection of flow.

It is a good question, but yes I did have the vent open.

 

[bmanty]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Is your bulb going the right direction? Try another bulb, too. They go bad. You should carry a spare anyway.

yes it is, it works fine on my other gas tank so I dont think its the bulb

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Is it one of the new EPA tanks, those have a sort of sealed vent. Try taking off the tank fill lid just to test it.

 

[bmanty]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Is it one of the new EPA tanks, those have a sort of sealed vent. Try taking off the tank fill lid just to test it.

Thanks, I will try that

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Is it one of the new EPA tanks, those have a sort of sealed vent.

Probably is since I believe that was effective on 01/01/2012 for all portable fuel tanks sold in the US. However, I would expect the OP to be able to prime the carb/fuel system normally and then have the motor die after running a short while due to a slight vacuum created in the tank. I am very interested in how this thread proceeds.

 

[gm280]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

I have to talk up Moeller Company. I purchased a boat, motor and trailer from a charity company and it came with a Moeller 6 gallon tank much like the one in this thread. The tank had a large split along the seam line and I emailed the Moeller Company to ask if they had any problems with their tanks splitting along the seams. I wanted to know if they had such problems before I bought another tank for the boat. They emailed me back and ask me to take a few pictures and send to them. I did as they asked and they then emailed back asking me to send them my address. They said that their tank should not have split along the seam and they wanted to replace it. Well they did just that without cost for the tank or shipping to me either. Now that IS customer service...

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Lets get anal ....

With the fuel fill tube out of the tank, you can blow through it both directions?
With the fuel hose assembly attached to the motor only, the bulb pumps normally and you can feel suction at the open end?
With the open end of the fuel hose just stuck into the fuel in the gas tank, it pumps fuel and primes the engine?
With the fuel hose attached to the pickup tube, it pumps fuel and primes the engine?

Where did it go wrong?

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Lets get anal ....

Have you been talking to my daughter? Just kidding because I really appreciate your posts!

 

[aldan93]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Wow I found a common problem. I was out on Lake Erie Saturday 6-15-2013 in my 16' deep v starcraft with the 20hp Merc. I just purchased this tank like everyone else, to save space etc.. Fits like a glove. I had 1 other outing with the tank in March and burned through 4 gallons of gas with no issues.

Well guess what? I found this forum based on my problem, the engine died in 3-4' waves when the wind started blowing 20 out of the SW and I was exactly 4.9 miles out of the south gap from Buffalo NY Harbor. We were on the fish (walleye) we already had a 8.6 lbr in the boat and 7 smalls 21"-24" eaters.

We weighed the PIG in the local tourny later.

Regargless we could not get fuel to the motor because of this stupid gas cap, I switched to the spare tank and was fine after a sure panic attack!!!

What a scary situation for a few moments in waves like that!!! The electric motor was just keeping the boat pointed into the waves as they started to crest building 5' white caps on ERIE, if you have been on this lake on the east end near buffalo you know what I mean! By the time we made it in the harbor surfing waves the mist was coming over the 15' breakwall from the waves crashing.

I will be switching out the cap immediatly!!!

I thought I was doing my boat some justice by buying new fuel lines bulbs taks ever since 10% ethonal etc... only to encounter this scary possibly life threatning situation. I'll have to buy my stuff from China online, since the tank manufactures have been sued so many times in this country they are forgetting their purpose of delivering fuel in any condition!!! This cap sucks, come on people wake up! Test your stuff!

 

[JimS123]

Re: Moeller 6 gallon portable gas tank question, need help!

Plastic fuel tanks, whether portable for carying or marine for engine use, have always been pure junk. Now that the govment has gotten involved and mandated spill proof, vapor proof, etc. they are worse than junk and non-usable.

Go buy a late model metal tank and change the gaskets and float. There are a ton of good ones still around.