I have a vacuum gauge on my fuel filter. You can plump these to be visible from the helm. It will give you advanced warning that the filter is clogging up and also confirm that is actually the problem. For better troubleshooting, you can use 2 - one before and one after the filter. That way you can see if the tank pickup itself is clogging. As for the tank cleaning, I took my tank home and cleaned it. YMMV on how hard that is and at some point it is easier or cheaper to just buy a new one, depending on what is in there. In your case, I would take a photo of the odd fasteners so we can find a tool for them. Joe Coquina
From: CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nauset Beach via CnC-List Sent: Monday, April 23, 2018 12:24 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Nauset Beach <[email protected]> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stus-List Diesel Tank Cleaning All, Last year my engine shut down 2 times and have concluded I need to clean out the diesel tank. I had very old fuel [3+ years] in the tank after several years of very low usage and topping up the tank prior to winter storage which was the cause of the 1st shut down. Most of that fuel was removed, but had a 2nd shutdown which am assuming was due to "crud" blocking the pickup. The Racor was completely blocked the 1st time, but was completely clear the 2nd time, and the engine started right up after being off for 12 hours. Do not think fuel polishing alone would be sufficient. The tank is 20 yo. I know tank cleaning has come up on the list in past years and recall some steam cleaned &/or pressure washed the tank interior. I do not want to introduce water into the tank - do not have sufficient time to drain and dry the tank adequately prior to launch. Nor the ability to readily do that. Have read people used clean diesel as a "solvent" to clean the interior but am wondering if that would really be sufficient. Have also read of using MEK to break down / dissolve deposits in the tank. At this point there is about 5 gal of diesel in a 20 gal tank, a portion of which could be used to slosh around /agitate within the tank, but again am unsure if diesel alone would be sufficient. Any suggestions on how to "quickly and easily" clean a diesel tank? There is a 4" inspection port, but it is screwed in place with self-tapping screws [per the manufacturer] which use a drive shape I am not familiar with - a square with small lines radiating out from each corner - sort of a cross between a Robertson and a Phillips. So am hesitant to remove that plate as a) do not want to strip / round out the screw heads, and b) do not know what type of sealant to use to close it up upon conclusion. Was thinking I could use the pickup or return openings to remove most of the fuel with a manual extraction pump [same as I use for oil changes], and possibly the 1 ½" fill fitting as a way to drain out most if not all of any crud / water that may be in the tank. I can remove the tank from the boat fairly easily so can flip it over to drain out through the fill fitting. Would also check for a screen on the pickup. Thanks Brian
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