I used Yellow Teflon tape for my threaded pipe fittings. As for the fasteners, I would consider using a very light coating of tef-gel.
Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Thu, May 3, 2018, 5:32 AM Nauset Beach via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > Thanks Joe and Bruce. > > > > Bought some of the Starbrite Star Tron Fuel Tank Cleaner and finally had a > chance to get to the boat yesterday. Was able to remove the self tapping > screws with a square drive [Robertson?] bit fairly easily. Surprisingly > the interior of the tank appeared clean though in the remaining fuel there > were some cloudy “blobs” floating and some other sediment at the bottom, as > well as some hard bits. Used the manual pump to remove some of the cloudy > / sediment but to get it all would have required removing all of the fuel > and the Star Tron cleaner needs the fuel to work over a minimum of 24 > hours. Will see what it has done later today. May end up removing all the > fuel to wipe out remain sediment, etc. though would prefer not to. > > > > The hard bits at the bottom of the tank appear to have come from the cork > gasket on the underside of the inspection plate cover. The exposed edge > [to the tank interior] of the cork had hardened, probably from contact with > fuel over the years, and broke off fairly easily. Tried to clean off any > remaining hard edges of the cork gasket and will see if I can pump out the > larger pieces. > > > > The Racor has some crud in the sight glass which I will drain out but am > thinking will stay with the same 10 micron filter for a few hours [the > filter was new mid August, looked clean at the end of Sept, and the engine > ran without issue for 10 hrs after that before being winterized] and see > how much more crud collects after running the engine for 10 hours or so > this spring and then change it. The Star Tron instruction say to expect to > change the filters several times. > > > > The tank manufacturer said they used “Never seize” on the threaded pickup > and return fittings and it appears the self tapping screws also had that. > Any recommendations for what type of Never Seize? There appear to be many > varieties with various metallic additives. It is an aluminum tank and do > not want to create a new problem with the wrong thing. > > > > Thanks, > > Brian > > > > *From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of > *bwhitmore > via CnC-List > *Sent:* Monday, April 23, 2018 12:53 PM > *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com > *Cc:* bwhitmore <bwhitm...@sbcglobal.net> > *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Diesel Tank Cleaning > > > > I had some luck with diesel fuel tank cleaner made by starbrite. I would > also run a small 12v pump on the far side of the racor, recirculating the > fuel back to the tank. I found a pretty cheap one online. Of course, the > larger/faster the pump, the more stuff it *may* suck up off the bottom. > > > > When I say I had some success, it is only because it is hard to quantify. > Our new to us boat had been on the dock for a long time (less than about 50 > hours over a 6 year period). We we picking up small granular crud in the > bottom of the filter bowl. After recirculating the fuel for 10 hours total > time after adding the cleaner, it seemed to stop collecting crud. We then > motored a total of 24 hours with no engine issues. A year later with about > 75 new hours on the engine I picked up a slight rough running just above > idle. I swapped out the filter and it was back to running fine. We have > shaken up the tank a few times as well. > > > > That said, I say some success as I have no way of saying just how much > crud was in my tank to begin with. The reviewson the Starbrite product are > very high, however. > > > > Hope this helps, > > > > Bruce Whitmore > > 1994 37/40+ > > > > Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone > > > > -------- Original message -------- > > From: Nauset Beach via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > > Date: 4/23/18 12:23 PM (GMT-05:00) > > To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com > > Cc: Nauset Beach <nausetbe...@optonline.net> > > Subject: 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 > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each > and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - > use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray > >
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
