Rain Water in Gas Tank

[BIG TEXAN]

After I put aprox 5 gallons of gas in my boat that was sitting on my driveway I aparently left the cap off thinking I was going to add a stabilizer later but then forgot. Later in the week We got an aprox 1/2 rain when I noticed the cap off. This is a older model 96 Skeeter bass boat with 175 HP Yamaha. It has a fuel water separator that I added last year in line, cartridge type. I am not sure how much water got down the filler cap but sure it was some. My question is do I drain/syphon all of the gas in the tank or do I let the separator work? Is there a additive to remove water? I have not run the outboard since.

[jb123]

with the effects of ethanol these days i PERsonally would rid of the gas and start new

[ausnoelm]

it depends on the shape of your tank and where the filler enters the tank, I had a lot of water in my tank and I tilted the boat up so the filler was at the very lowest point (I did this with the jockey wheel and a jack) I then got some hose and fastened a decent fishing sinker to the end, so when it was fed into the tank, it stayed right on the bottom, I started syphoning the fuel out into 10gallon container, water came out first, and when I had clean fuel only coming out, I pulled the syphoning hose out. I then took the boat for a drive along the road and when I got back, repeated the process, I only got a tiny amount of water the second time, I added some "miracle" water absober stuff just to be sure, but never got 1 drop of water in the seperation bowl! any sort of water remover will only remove small quantities of water in a small amount of fuel.

[99yam40]

with the effects of ethanol these days i PERsonally would rid of the gas and start new

I agree drain and clean the tank the best you can and start with new fuel.
If you had ethanol fuel, the ethanol will grab the water and separate out ruining the octane rating of the rest of it. Ethanol is the octane booster in this fuel

[TownsendsFJR1300]

k100

Should you need to run an additive to help with the water, I strongly suggest K100. Its not cheap but actually works.

Having a 1997 Angler 21' CC with a 50 gallon built in tank, it has picked up moisture over time/with ethenol. Water got past the water separator on the transom and the built in fule filter in my F150. I found the water (and watched it separate) after draining the unit that houses the FI pump.

It doesn't remove the water, it keeps it in suspension so it'll burn with use...

Besides water "removal" it cleans injectors, top end, fuel system, etc.



K100 Fuel Treatment : Fuel Additive, Fuel Saver

[Still Wet]

You can use the primer bulb to pump a sample from the tank. Get the boat in an attitude so the pickup should be the lowest spot. Remove the motor end quick connect from the hose and pump some fuel into a container so that you can look at sample for water. This will also pull fuel through your filter so give that a look as well.
I have a hose with the male end that I plug into the quick connect that I use for de-fueling the boat. That way I can easily and routinely draw fuel from the tank.

Once you feel you have all the water out that you can use a fair amount of dry gas the next time you are running it.

My life has been with aircraft and race cars, I never use the fuel that is on the bottom of a tank or can.

[ausnoelm]

There is no way to not use the fuel in the bottom of the tank, in fact, that is the fuel you always use, the pickup is at the bottom, so regardless if you just fill the tanl with fresh fuel, you still use the stuff from the bottom, which is also where the water is.

[BIG TEXAN]

Rain water in Tank

Thanks for the advice, I forgot to mention that it is non ethanol gas in the tank. I have been buying non ethanol to use in my lawn tractor and when I have extra 2 gallons or so in the 5 gallon can adding that to the gas in the boat, with stabilizer. That is where I goofed, as I left the cap off when looking for the stable??
If I drain it where do I disposed of the roughly 8 gallons of fuel in the tank?

[ausnoelm]

when you drain the tank, the water will settle to the bottom of the container you syphon/pump it into, it is a simple matter of drawing off the top fuel and leave the water in the bottom to be disposed of, there will probably only be a small amount.

[Still Wet]

There is no way to not use the fuel in the bottom of the tank, in fact, that is the fuel you always use, the pickup is at the bottom, so regardless if you just fill the tanl with fresh fuel, you still use the stuff from the bottom, which is also where the water is.

Which is exactly why I draw some fuel out of the tank before I run the engine, to get whatever has settled there out so that the water or crap will not make it to the engine.
As I stated, I do not use the fuel that was in the bottom of the tank. I draw it out allowing fresh fuel to be used.

[99yam40]

Sucking the all of the water out of a tank using the normal pick up tube is basically impossible as it is almost never sitting on the bottom in the corner of the tank. Even if it was you still could not get it all that way, just most of it.

Drain all you can and then use rags to wipe up the rest and make sure you dry it out completely is the best thing to do if you have some access port you can use

[THerbert]

There should be an access to the gas tank sending unit. If you remove the sending unit you may be able to get a good look in the tank and go from there.