Diesel Fuel leak in tank

[G Kiba]

You might price that lift pump before buying it as a spare. Last time i looked I remember some sticker shock!

 

[Prairie Schooner]

We got a small 12v pump off Amazon, $26. It gradually worked slower and slower. I took the unit apart and found it clogged with crud from the tank.



I ordered some inline filters and switched to the hand pump I use for oil changes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GG7CKMC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also made a coat hanger wand to hold the vinyl tubing straight.
The electric pump worked after I cleaned it out, but quit on me again, even though filtered this time. Disassembly didn't reveal any significant crud, so I abandoned it in favor of the manual.

This isn't exactly NASA level engineering I'm doing, but maybe something here will be helpful. We did reuse the fuel, though pumped it back in the tank through a fresh inline filter.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

[K2MSmith]

Apparently I already had this earlier thread on this topic, so I should try to merge them now that I am actually in more of a hurry to do something about the tank.

I do have a sort of a dumb question though. Is there any issue, connecting a 12v oil extraction pump (to pump the fuel out of the tank) with the provided battery clips to my 12v house battery directly ? I don’t have a solo 12v battery laying around.

 

[Dave G.]

Is there any issue, connecting a 12v oil extraction pump (to pump the fuel out of the tank) with the provided battery clips to my 12v house battery directly ?

No issue at all. I did the same when I pumped out my tank

 

[HerbertFriedman]

Just a thought about pressure testing the tank. Recently I replaced the fill hose on my 87 E34 diesel tank, after 36 years it had become porous. But the yard tech decided to pressure the tank to make sure it was not leaking. He plugged the pipes for the fill and return hoses, shut the fuel valve to the fuel filter and connected a bicycle pump to the overflow pipe. Then he pumped the tank up to one or two psi and hunted for leak with a soap solution. Took all of 10 mins. No leaks and when he disconnected the pump, there was a gush of air releasing the pressure, "done" he said.

 

[K2MSmith]

Just a thought about pressure testing the tank. Recently I replaced the fill hose on my 87 E34 diesel tank, after 36 years it had become porous. But the yard tech decided to pressure the tank to make sure it was not leaking. He plugged the pipes for the fill and return hoses, shut the fuel valve to the fuel filter and connected a bicycle pump to the overflow pipe. Then he pumped the tank up to one or two psi and hunted for leak with a soap solution. Took all of 10 mins. No leaks and when he disconnected the pump, there was a gush of air releasing the pressure, "done" he said.

I will still have to remove the tank to do this because you can’t see around the tank sides or bottom when it is installed. Good suggestion though . My tank actually has a test pressure on the date plate on top . ( 5 psi ) ., if there is an obvious hole or leak , I’ll have to have the tank repaired or replaced.

I’m hoping I can delay all this for at least a few weeks because my standing rig is being replaced and I’ll need to bring the boat back to the yard when they are ready . I’m thinking I might as well remove most of the fuel this week , leave 5 gallons in the tank . Maybe the reduced head pressure will slow the leak or stop it if it is above the fuel level ( which I’m skeptical) .

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Apparently I already had this earlier thread on this topic, so I should try to merge them now that I am actually in more of a hurry to do something about the tank.

I do have a sort of a dumb question though. Is there any issue, connecting a 12v oil extraction pump (to pump the fuel out of the tank) with the provided battery clips to my 12v house battery directly ? I don’t have a solo 12v battery laying around.

Ken, I ran our pump off our house battery with no ill effects, but also had good performance running it off a car starter battery pack.
Jeff

 

[bsangs]

Haven't pumped out any fuel, but my oil pump attaches to the house battery with clips, and I've had no issues when changing oil.