Sea ranger 17 fuel capacity puzzle

Qwakwak · October 11, 2018, 05:25:18 PM

I have been under the impression a 1989 Sea Ranger has a fuel tank capacity of 23 gallons. My son ran out of gas while fishing. He claims he added 2 gal to the tank to get back to the harbor, about 3 miles. He then added 9 gal and said gas burped out the filler. It's not uncommon for this to happen when filling the tank. He said it was full. I thought it was just an air block. I tried to add more gas and it immediately overflowed out of the filler hole. So now I'm puzzled - is the capacity 23 gal or something less? What could be the cause of "running out of gas" if the tank is 23 gal but 9 gal filled it up? I need your expert opinions.

Fisherdv · October 11, 2018, 05:37:52 PM

Did he actually physically look at the tank to see the fuel level? My tank will burp out the filler if pumping any faster than a trickle. Even with an empty tank. Because of this he may have mistakenly thought the tank was full. If the tank actually does have fuel in it then I would be looking for a blockage in the fuel vent line or some other fuel related issue

Arimadrifter · October 11, 2018, 06:50:28 PM

Agree with DV. Take a look at the tank and it should be see-thru-enough to see the level. If not, try cleaning the front of the tank and you should be able to see the level.

First Cabin · October 11, 2018, 07:46:01 PM

Yes. The best fuel gauge is a visual look. Is it full or not?

The factory tank of that vintage Arima is probably 23 gallons. I think that's what my 87 was. You have a factory tank, right?

Let's assume it is full now. That means your son thinks he ran out of gas, but really didn't. How did he determine he was out of gas? In the time it took for him to decide he was out of gas, get 2 gallons, and restart the motor...something changed.... heat(electrical)....fuel pressure(fuel pump)....or gremlins...

Could be anything. First let's determine whether he ran out of gas. Then let's try and recreate the problem.

Markshoreline · October 11, 2018, 08:09:44 PM

I recommend bringing the boat empty to a floating fuel dock. take a 3/8" dowel and mark with a sharpie each 5 gallons added to the tank. Put the stick in one of the rod holders along the side of the boat. You will always know exactly how much fuel is left.

Qwakwak · October 11, 2018, 09:48:21 PM

I've done all those things recommended by all of you. The tank is full. I've done a visual inspection. I've already marked the tank with gallon calibrations. I don't think he ran out of gas. But can't determine why it wouldn't start and then did when he added gas. Motor was just serviced yesterday and nothing wrong appeared. I'm also considering he put in the two gallons and then 19 instead of 9.

Qwakwak · October 11, 2018, 09:56:08 PM

The vent works fine. Now I'm thinking he may have put 19 gal and he misunderstood the gas dock attendant. You can't read the pump from the boat. He probably didn't pay attention to the credit card slip and just signed lt. that seems to be the most logical explanation.

First Cabin · October 11, 2018, 11:16:22 PM

So....did he run out of gas or not?

If you can't answer that question, the rest is naught.

davidsea · October 12, 2018, 01:19:08 AM

If none of the other suggestions work, this is a longshot, but after 28 years in a boat, it's possible. Look for a crack or hole in the fuel pickup tube inside the tank. If this happens, the motor will only draw fuel down to the level of the hole. Below that, it will only suck air, because air is less dense and easier to move than fuel. This happened to me in an old car, and it turned a 16 Gal. tank into a 7 gallon tank.

ohmytodd · October 12, 2018, 06:29:18 AM

Quote from: Qwakwak on October 11, 2018, 09:48:21 PM
Motor was just serviced yesterday and nothing wrong appeared.

That may be the biggest clue so far. Put the question to the person who did the service, retrace those steps and see if you can find what the problem is. It may be something super simple that you're not even looking for.

Rokefin · October 12, 2018, 09:52:35 AM

Puzzling......good news is he had spare fuel with him.

Well I say puzzling but the fact is if you have a stock fuel tank it will be 23 gallons - either the tank is smaller or there is a fuel feed problem, the latter being the puzzling part.

Mooch · October 12, 2018, 12:10:00 PM

PITA. Nothing more aggravating than fuel and/or electrical issues on a boat. Definately worth chasing down till you are fully satisfied with answer or solution no matter how trivial it seems. Good luck.

Holokai · October 13, 2018, 05:50:30 AM

Check the sales slip fro the fuel dock. The cost between 9 gals and 19 gals is a big difference in cost.

strokersquid · October 14, 2018, 07:41:15 PM

For some reason I thought my 92 SR held 28 gal. Do I remember wrongly ? Or did they change to a larger tank stock ?

Arimadrifter · October 17, 2018, 08:48:49 AM

Squid - I think the original integrated fuel tanks on the earlier 17s were 23 gallons. My 17 SC is a '91 and it has a 23 gallon tank. Arima managed to upgrade the tank size sometime after that ('91) to I believe a 27 or 28 gallon tank. Some of the earlier models were able to upgrade to the larger tanks and some like mine, were not.

realtordarius · October 17, 2018, 08:00:09 PM

16 gallon tank....my opinion....

Mine is a 16 and there's no doubt about that....

croaker stroker · October 17, 2018, 08:21:58 PM

...

This thread discusses the various tank sizes and years used...

http://www.arimaowners.com/index.php?topic=65.50

Rokefin · October 18, 2018, 08:47:03 AM

Quote from: realtordarius on October 17, 2018, 08:00:09 PM
16 gallon tank....my opinion....

Mine is a 16 and there's no doubt about that....

Maybe the early models were 16 gallon tanks.

I had a 89 17 ft Chaser and it did have the 23 gallon tank but it is probable that it was an upgrade, the Chaser was set up for offshore - it had a custom cuddy tank in the bow also.

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Sea ranger 17 fuel capacity puzzle

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