Cleaning up the cuttings.
Mark, Depending upon whether or not your tank presently fuel in it, the following might be worth consideration. I too had to cut a hole in my diesel fuel tank. Actually I enlarged it fora larger cast aluminum alloy plate, which for our purposes, amounted to the same thing. I merrily cut the hole larger without regard for the cuttings falling into the fuel. As a matter of fact, I filled the tank so as to facilitate any of the chips being able to more readily migrate down the sloped side of the tank. When I was done, I bought an electric oil changing pump that I later used for just that. But in this instance I used it to pick up the chips until there were none more. Here's how it went. I also bought two lengths of reinforced vinyl hose that I clamped to both sides of the pump, one was to become a pick up, the other a return. I added a doubled up pair of women's peds (ankle Nylons) to the return end and between there and the pump body, inserted an ITT bilge screen housing, the clear plastic bowl type with fine monel screen. By design, I ended up using that too in my bilge pump line. OK, so I've cut the hole and installed the inspection plate and ring and now it's time to clean up the tank. By inserting both hoses into the diesel fuel, flipping on the pump and using the pick up end as one would a vacuum cleaner, proceeded to get every scrap of chips caught either in the ITT screen but for any that could pass without my ever knowing it, the peds did the trick. And there pieces of cuttings in the peds so I was glad I'd taken that extra precaution. I vacuumed for what seemed a life time until I couldn't get even one chip in either trap. And that's how I cleaned up my tank. I still have the pump (by the way, it's a Reverso and the ITT filter screen in service in their respective places doing their respective jobs. Go for it, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA
Mark, Depending upon whether or not your tank presently fuel in it, the following might be worth consideration. I too had to cut a hole in my diesel fuel tank. Actually I enlarged it fora larger cast aluminum alloy plate, which for our purposes, amounted to the same thing. I merrily cut the hole larger without regard for the cuttings falling into the fuel. As a matter of fact, I filled the tank so as to facilitate any of the chips being able to more readily migrate down the sloped side of the tank. When I was done, I bought an electric oil changing pump that I later used for just that. But in this instance I used it to pick up the chips until there were none more. Here's how it went. I also bought two lengths of reinforced vinyl hose that I clamped to both sides of the pump, one was to become a pick up, the other a return. I added a doubled up pair of women's peds (ankle Nylons) to the return end and between there and the pump body, inserted an ITT bilge screen housing, the clear plastic bowl type with fine monel screen. By design, I ended up using that too in my bilge pump line. OK, so I've cut the hole and installed the inspection plate and ring and now it's time to clean up the tank. By inserting both hoses into the diesel fuel, flipping on the pump and using the pick up end as one would a vacuum cleaner, proceeded to get every scrap of chips caught either in the ITT screen but for any that could pass without my ever knowing it, the peds did the trick. And there pieces of cuttings in the peds so I was glad I'd taken that extra precaution. I vacuumed for what seemed a life time until I couldn't get even one chip in either trap. And that's how I cleaned up my tank. I still have the pump (by the way, it's a Reverso and the ITT filter screen in service in their respective places doing their respective jobs. Go for it, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey CA
....... I agree with many others on this thread. Clean the tank if you can. Replace any rubber fuel lines about every five years and NEVER run primary elements under 20 mikes..... The Racor will get the big stuff..... The engine mounted filter is likely 5 microns or less and will get the rest. Also watch out for bio fuel mixes like the B-5 we have here in Portland. It is guaranteed to dork up your filters if left sitting in the tank for any time.......
