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Check out my new Fuel Filler Caps for Saddle Tanks

Started by Tunacious, April 02, 2017, 07:41:28 PM

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Tunacious

After my engine stopped running several times last year due to water in my fuel I decided to fix the problem.

I recently put in a Raycore water filter so I can see the water in the bottom of the bulb and drain it off as needed.

Next I made sure my vent hoses to my saddle tanks had a loop in them. 

My vents are the newer style "one way vents" so I don't think the water was coming in from the vents.

Next I searched high and low for the best filler cap I could find.

Thanks to Brett (Best Boats) for letting me bug him every time I found a new cap or had an idea.  Brett had a lot of good ideas himself.

I finally went to a plumbing store that has been in business for a long long time.  They let me go in the back room and look at all the stuff on their shelves.

I found the below pictured cap.  They told me this is the same cap that is used on the semi trucks that haul gasoline to the gas stations.

Its a solid aluminum cap that only cost $20

The cap has a rubber seal in the lid and the binders clamp down very hard.

There is a place to push in pins to keep the levers from opening up.

There is also a place on the cap to place a string or a cable to attach the cap to the boat so you don't loose it.

What I like the best is that it is a true cap that fits over the filler instead of screwing into the filler leaving a gap or crevice around the flush screw in cap.  Im very confident water is no longer going to get into my saddle tanks.

There is also a place to attach a ground wire.

I attached my ground wire with an aluminum rivet and then painted it with liquid electrical tape.

I ground off about a sixteenth of an inch from the flange on the filler and it fit directly inside the hole of the round starboard piece Arima uses to mount their Sea Dog filler with the red cap.

By placing the new filler inside this hole and then mounting the round starboard back to the boat it holds the new filler from wobbling back and forth.

Im going to squirt something inside the round starboard piece where the ground wire is to keep water from gathering inside the gap.

Im not real sure what to use yet to fill the gap.  I was going to use Marine Tex but it is going to require a nozzle to get the stuff properly into the gap.

My old red screw in caps have a crevice around the cap and every time I would unscrew the cap I could see air bubbles coming up as the water that was sitting on top of the O Ring inside the crevice would run into the gas tank.

My O Rings looked good but I know a lot of people have problems with their saddle tanks getting water so I am sure the cap is not as good as what I came up with.

Im not sure if I will install the same cap on the back tank or not.

I have a few questions you all might be able to help me with.

1: Does anybody know where to ground the cap to boat at.  (I read to ground it to the sending unit but Im not sure what that is.) 

2:  What are your thoughts on using the same cap on the read gas tank of should I stick with a flush cap in the back?

3:  Any ideas of what I should squirt into the gap around the filler and the round piece of starboard? (Im not sure if 5200 is good with gas)

I know this cap probably wouldn't suit a lot of your boats, but oh my boat with all the stuff mounted on the side to hold my outriggers, a cap that sticks up like this one doesn't bother me at all.


















Tom Mac

Cam Locks, use them on my many pumps here at work and they seal a 100% can get them in 316 S.S as well. You may have found a great solution, get a bag full of spare S.S locking pins they always go missing and the cams will get knocked and the caps will fall off. A threaded hose barb and a pipe cap with a rubber disc inside may have worked for you as well, most of the smaller boats (50-60ft) I work on use that.
1991 Sea Ranger 17, 2014 F90 Yamaha, 2008 T8 Yamaha

Tunacious

I tried finding a hose barb with a cap but they were all threaded with pipe thread which was tapered.

The cap would tighten up on the threads before the  end of the pipe would reach the end of the cap leaving about a half inch space between the rubber seal I put in the cap and the end of the hose barb.

I even poured
Gas in the hose barb To test it for leaks. The thing leaked like a sieve without thread tape.

I then built a thicker rubber seal by glueing a piece of starboard in the bottom of the cap with JB weld and then putting in the rubber seal.

This worked better but still leaked a little.

I did see some weld on caps designed for cars that might have worked.

Cannon

The ground wire should run back to your gas tank. That is unless it is plastic. The alternate would be your common ground buss bar.
5200 should be adequate for bedding your filler to your hull. Your new filler doesn't have a diverter, but considering it is mounted at the side of the cabin it shouldn't be an issue.
Remember, the ark was built by amateurs; while the Titanic was built by professionals.

Yachter Yat

    Let's face it; fuel fills in that location might not be the best idea.  A little too much "wash", IMO. 
History is not the past; it's the present, as we all carry it with us......James Baldwin    
16 SC/Honda 60  (sold)

Tunacious

Quote from: Yachter Yat on April 03, 2017, 09:19:27 AM
    Let's face it; fuel fills in that location might not be the best idea.  A little too much "wash", IMO.
I agree.  Probably why they no longer offer saddle tanks.
I have them now so it is what it is.

Peddler

FYI - The "Sending Unit" is the device that functions as the fuel pick-up in the tank and sends a signal to your fuel gauge to indicate fill level. 
Wishin' I was Fishin'

BestBoats

2007 21' Sea Ranger Hardtop "THE A-TEAM"
150 Evinrude Etec
9.9 Susuki EFI

Tunacious

Quote from: BestBoats on April 03, 2017, 02:23:57 PM
Bullet and water proof! I like it!

I agree as long as I put a tether on the cap.   :biggrin:

Markshoreline

otherwise, I'd buy a spare cap to keep on board!
2002 Sea Ranger HT 21, Yamaha 150, Yamaha 9.9

Tunacious

#11
After originally positing my modifications to the filler caps on my saddle tanks I read the comments about loosing your pins and such I continued my search for a better fuel cap.

I ended up finding the same type of cap but made out of plastic with stainless steel levers and stainless steel pins to hold the levers to the cap.

Because the caps were made out of plastic I no longer needed to ground the fillers.

I finally got the project complete.

I ordered some new starboard donut rings from Arima. 

I then purchased the plastic filler spouts and caps for around $20 a piece.

I put the filler spout to the grinder until it perfectly fit inside the donut ring.

I then placed the filler spout into the existing hose to the filler tank.

I then placed the donut around the filler spout and screwed it to the deck after putting some 5200 around the bottom of the donut.

I then mixed up some JB weld in a small plastic bottle with a needle nose spout.

I filled the gap around the donut hole between the spout and the donut.

I added a lanyard made from stainless steel wire to keep from loosing the cap.

I also added a stainless steel clasp to be used to hold the levers shut so the top can't accidentally come open.

Overall I am very pleased with how the project came out.

The levers won't open up by themselves and I can't loose the top.

I made sure the clasp I used was tight and did not rattle.  (I hate rattles)  :nono:

I am certain no water is going to get into my tank. 

Time to look for a new project.   :biggrin:












rasslingref

Walt you are persistent and do great work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
1998 19' SR HT 2019 Yamaha 115 2017 Yamaha 9.9
Kitsap County, WA

Markshoreline

2002 Sea Ranger HT 21, Yamaha 150, Yamaha 9.9

Chief of the Boat


Tom Mac

1991 Sea Ranger 17, 2014 F90 Yamaha, 2008 T8 Yamaha

BestBoats

2007 21' Sea Ranger Hardtop "THE A-TEAM"
150 Evinrude Etec
9.9 Susuki EFI

BruceL2_Fish

Walt, you have done it again.   Thanks for sharing.
2012 Sea Ranger 19 (M. LaDeane)
Suzuki 115 Four Stroke
Honda 9.9 Kicker