'91 Baja 240ES fuel tank questions

[Gilligan'sbrother]

A gentleman in my area has a '91 Baja 24' Sport for sale, and in the course of our first conversation, he told me the boat has been in storage for about 12 years.(inside heated storage) He also said that it had about a half tank of gas when it went into storage. My concern is that since I'm sure that the gas is probably Goo by now, is the fuel tank accessible for removal if necessary? What other options could I consider? Thanks for any help.

 

[tpenfield]

The short answer is no . . .

The fuel tank is built into the hull and it would require some cutting and/or major disassembly of the boat to get at it. If it is about 1/2 full, then the goo inside could weigh a few 100 pounds. The tank itself probably weighs 70-100 pounds.

Your best bet would be to try to pump it out via the fuel line. If that does not work, then you can access the sender area and put a large enough hose in the tank to pump the fuel/goo out. You may need to rinse the inside of the tank with a solvent (acetone (maybe) . I would definitely pressure test the tank (3 psi) once you get it emptied, to see if there are any leaks.

Are you sure you want to go this distance, or is there something else that may be worthy of consideration.

 

[roffey]

Why not pump out the old fuel, spray in some carb cleaner or maybe a lot of carb cleaner and change the fuel separator/filter. Am I showing my ignorance, lol?

Once you get the fuel that's in the tank out you'll have a better ides how bad the fuel is?

 

[Tassie 1]

Once you get the fuel that's in the tank out you'll have a better ides how bad the fuel is?

After 12 years sitting still probably won't make the grade as weed killer.

 

[3rdtimesthecharm]

After 12 years sitting still probably won't make the grade as weed killer.

I agree with the weed killer comment.After the tank is empty you can clean it with ammonia. I use it in 6 gallon tanks.

 

[roffey]

Absolutely get the old fuel out and fill the tank with fresh fuel. After 12 years the gas is bad... replace the filters and clean the carb, then go from there.