water in the tank...questions!

[wnysteel]

long story short, have a 18' lund with 115hp Honda outboard, and a 9.9 kicker.  the main motor wouldn't get up to full power, and the trolling motor was also having issues (wouldn't stay running).  seemed to be fuel issue.  tried the usual dry gas fixes etc to no avail.  siphoned some gas out, and sure enough, it looks funny.  compared to "good" gas, it is off color, and some of it had a white-ish looking substance at the bottom of it.

 

a few questions:

--how could water be getting in the tank?  there are no obvious holes etc

--how do i make sure the tank is completely drained of anything that's not gas?  obviously, i want to make sure the tank is clean before adding any more gas.

 

see attached pics.  the one shows the white stuff in the gas.  the other pic shows 2 bottles with the "bad" gas, as compared to the "good" gas.

 

much thanks.

[Adk1]

Due to the ethanol in the gas. The ethanol absorbs or attracts water. Did you have a full tank of gas over the winter or half tank etc? Did you treat with an ethanol fuel treatment like StaBil or anything? Also, I have heard of issues with different fuel facilities (gas stations)..you may just have gotten some bad gas

[bandrus1]

water separator

 

 

 

almost a no brain investment these days

[FSNmachine]

If you had a partial tank during the winter it will get moisture condensation. Can't be helped as the tank needs to breathe so filling it with little air space for condensation is the answer as well as fuel stabilizer for the ethanol. Also as stated I would be a fuel/ water separator filter. My mechanic did not even like the idea that I was checking and dumping my fuel water filter. Replacing it every year was his answer. Not sure how you are going to get it out. I had a tank out once and ble compressed air through the tank till it was dry. Make sure the compressed air has a dryer. You may just want to keep dumping and cleaning your water separator till you have no more evidence of water and then replace it with a new filter element.

[wnysteel]

thanks for the responses so far.  very helpful.  where do a get a water separator?  and is it installed inline (on the fuel line)?  or somewhere else?

[Meals-On-Reels]

Inventory can vary from store to store, by my Wal-Mart even had one when I was in there yesterday. Most boating supply places and dealers should stock them.

On mine I was able to locate it on the transom in a compartment the fuel line passed through on its way from the tank to my main OB and kicker. Most filter housings have dual in and out ports. I ran each out port to its own motor. Another way to avoid siphoning if it were ever an issue.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Meals-On-Reels

[jimski2]

Expansion of the volume of gasoline in the tank due to temperature changes from 80+ degrees to -10 degrees in the winter brings outside air into the tank and waterfront air has high humidity. The condensation of water from this air exchange in the tank is the source of your water.

[lineman49]

Try k - 100 in tank

[quality time]

If you have a fuel separation problem the only solution is to drain the tank. A can of dry gas does the same thing as the ethanol  in the tank. It absorbs water. So a 50 gallon tank with 10% ethanol has 5 gallons of ethanol. This can bond with water from the air or other sources. It will stay in solution until the concentration of water gets to high at which point you have separation. It sounds like this is what you have. So in theory you could get as much as 20% ethanol water mix. It would take 20 gallons of dry gas to take it back to solution. One thing you might look at is the vent for the gas tank. A buddy of mine had a vent on the side of his boat and it had flipped  (should have been pointing aft) around and was sucking in the spray from the  boat on plane. Like all these guys said filter /separator ,stable and if possible run none "E"gas if you leave the boat on the water for any length of time . The more gas you run through the boat the less apt you are  to have this problem. Also remember that if you have carbs on the motor the water will stay in bowls until they are drained or the cows come which ever comes first. Good luck!   Wes

[quality time]

I just looked at your pics and see you have Honda's.  My Honda kicker has a drain port on the carb bowl. Catch the gas like you did and look to see if you have water at the bottom of the sample. It will be clear and the fuel will darker. We had this happen to us and we could not see the separation because the sample was all water so it looked the same. Then we added some gas on the sample and it floated on top.  Wes

[Tacklebox]

I installed a Racor water separator with a clear bowl and drain that took care of a water issue I had. You can see the water build up and drain as needed. Bad fill gasket in my case.