how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

[jdamron]

Hello, I have a 1988 Wellcraft 20 Fisherman with a Force 120 outboard. I have had it a few months and have been attempting to get it into better shape. The last time I took it out after running for about half an hour at WOT the engine starting surging and seemed like to me and a friend with me that it was a fuel issue. I replaced the primer bulb and the feeder fuel lines (not the ones under deck yet - those are next) and replaced the fuel/water separator and the in line filter in front of the carburetors. When I emptied the fuel/water separator while doing all this I found some debris that was trapped by the filter. See attached picture. I am considering removing the fuel pick up tube from the tank to see if there is a screen and if the screen has some blockage. The tank is plastic and I do not know if it is original or not. My main question is that I cannot tell from looking at it if the aluminum looking elbow on the top of the pick up tube is all one piece that threads directly into the plastic tank or if there is some sort of pass through bulk head or something. I am a little afraid of putting a lot of force on the wrong part or place and breaking the tank. I was wondering if anyone here has seen something similar to the attached pictures and can give me some advice on how to remove. Do I just disconnect the fuel line hose and turn that whole metal piece including the fuel shutoff value counter clockwise to unscrew it from the plastic tank?

Thanks in advance.

View attachment 210871View attachment 210872View attachment 210873

 

[sunbirdomc]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

i just did this to my boat.i dissconnected fuel line,then took off the fuel valve(to allow room for pick-up tube to come out,valve would have hit edge of access hole) hold the square block still with an open end wrench in the vertical possition(this will help keep the plastic tank from flexing. mine was 3/4 inch)then i had to use a big adjustable wrench to hold the large hex nut still(the one that goes into the plastic tank) then used the 3/4 wrench to turn that square fitting out,pick-up tube should be attatched to that square fitting. i didnt dare to turn that big hex nut for fear of doing more harm than good.hope this helps

 

[jdamron]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

Thanks for the info. I will give this a shot this weekend. My plan is to try to run the boat around the lake tomorrow morning first to burn off most of the fuel so that after I remove the pick up tube I can perhaps siphon the rest out to see if there is any gunk in the bottom.

So that metal part between the pick up tube and the rubber fuel hose is just a "fuel valve"? I saw some other posts about some systems having an anti-siphon valve so I was not sure what that was. The one I have I do not think I can even open and close - maybe I should replace? Is this for emergency shut off or something? Not sure what it is there for.

Thanks.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

Some of those fuel fittings screw in. On my Tempo plastic tank, the fuel pickup was pressed into the aluminum tank fitting.

 

[joed]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

Looking at it I wonder if there could be a nut on the inside that you access through the fuel sender hole.

 

[Bondo]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

Ayuh,.... I'd just Blow into the fuel line, 'n see if it's clear,.....

If it Is clear,... I wouldn't take that apart,...

Is there a fuel gauge sender,..?? take that out instead, they're usually just screwed down with 5- 6 screws,....

 

[Grub54891]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

Ayuh,.... I'd just Blow into the fuel line, 'n see if it's clear,.....

If it Is clear,... I wouldn't take that apart,...

Is there a fuel gauge sender,..?? take that out instead, they're usually just screwed down with 5- 6 screws,....

+1^ You can actually see the pick up through the fuel sender hole. See if there is debris in it and flush it out.
I use something like this to suck up the remaining fuel/dirt through the fuel sender hole.

Grub

 

[jdamron]

Re: how to remove fuel pick up tube from plastic tank

Thanks so much for all the ideas. I should be able to work on this tomorrow afternoon after trying to use up some of the fuel.

Thanks.