I just siphoned a GALLON of water from my gas tank!

[wca_tim]

this afternoon I started the boat in the drive, cheked the timing and a couple of other things, ran it a bit and then decided to go the river for a quick afternoon blast on the water. stopped at the corner to top off the tank (probably put 10 gal in a ca. 27 gal tank). put in, running great, crank it up once good and clear of the no wake zone after about a mile coughed sputterd and died hard running fast. woiuld start and run hard for a few then die, wouldn't idle for but a minute, etc... playued with what I could get to and couldn't find anything obvious, etc... fuel filter, water separastor etc... all new just a few weeks ago, recently rewired engine compartment (with merc harness and correct colors) an added a crane cd ignition, etc... couldn't think for the life of me what in the world. Finally got back to the launch and put it on the trailer, headed home.

well, took the carb apart to look for dirt in the needles, and was like what the heck, there wasa about a teaspoon of water in each of the float bowls (edelbrock 750). I cleaned it all out and got it running and such on the gascan for the mower, and then turned attention to the boat gas tank. I used a vacuum pump to pull gas out the fuel line that normally connects to the water separator and of the first 5 gallons, about a gallon of it settled out... WATER! the tank vents are fine, gas cap is tight, etc, etc, etc... the only way I can possibly think of it getting there is from the gas station when i topped the tank off. It was running fine the day before and even wile I was playing / tuning in the drive.

When's the last time anyone here got a bunch of water with a fill up?

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: I just siphoned a GALLON of water from my gas tank!

Thats alot of water!! fuel/water separater fill up and did't separate any more?? I'de be going back to that gas station and wanting to know WTH!!

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: I just siphoned a GALLON of water from my gas tank!

Have never had that much water in the tank, but people would be suprised how much water gets in every gas station tank. Worked at a chevron in high school and once a week we would put a paste stuff on the tank stick to measure water. The stuff turned red in water. Quite a bit of water/condensation gets in those tanks. We had a bottom pump that would pump off the water. The outlet for the gas to the pumps sat about 6" from the bottom, so a gas station owner would have to be really negligant to let water get that deep.

 

[marine4003]

Re: I just siphoned a GALLON of water from my gas tank!

I used to use a local BP until i had to change/drain the separators monthly,what brand separators you using? i switched to Racor clear bowls,added a 10 micron filter after those..no more problems.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: I just siphoned a GALLON of water from my gas tank!

I just lost an engine b/c water was getting in the vent/overflow port located outside the hull--it was corroded and chipped. That's all we can figure since I emptied and cleaned the tank myself, filled with fresh gas, ran great and then died due to water in the cylinders. Suspected an exhaust baffle until we found the tank "half full" of water. It was 60 days later, not long enough for that much phase seperation.