Grady White Fuel Tank

[jklangen99]

I have a 2001 Grady White Tournament 223 with a Yamaha 225 4 stroke outboard. I have had the boat since 2007 and have done maintenance every 100 hours. It only has 550 hours on it. One previous owner who also did regular maintenance. Last year the motor started bogging down around 2800 rpm. I took it in to a certified Yamaha master mechanic who got me running smooth again with lots of fuel system cleaning and repair. Got the same problem again this year. Going to take it in again - sigh. While talking to the service manager he said that I will have to replace the fuel tank at some point and that they have done several. Is this a common problem with Grady White's or just boats in general? When I took the gas water filter off and replaced it there was a lot of debris in the gas. I checked it again after going for a ride to see if that cleared up the problem (it did not) the gas was clear although I did notice a small amount of water. I have searched the forum and saw quite a few older posts with older boats talking through replacing tanks.

Also, saw in the FAQ a reference to replace seats with generics. Can the Grady White seats with the logo be replaced?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[JeffN]

It appears your boat does a lot of sitting. What are you using for fuel treatment?

 

[Parthery]

If the tank is still structurally sound, (meaning no leak) then have the tank pumped out and the lines flushed and cleaned. I've been down this road with my 225 and there was a ton of trash and water in there. Somewhere around, 99, GW added a shim between the filler and the hull in an effort to keep water out of the tank.

I'm cushion shopping as well....the replacement captain chair cushions are about $375 per chair ( includes bottom and back cushions). I'm also looking for someone local who can do this less expensively,even if it means giving up the logo.

 

[jklangen99]

My boat does sit a lot. I average 2 outings a month when the weather is good which is most of the year in the New Orleans area. I have used the appropriate amount of Sea Foam for my 96 gallon tank. I have also recently been told to try the Lucas Fuel Treatment and/or Marvel Mystery Oil. I suspect that pumping out the 50 gallons or so and having the injectors cleaned (again) is the only real solution. There is no leak that I can smell. Reading the owners manual I see that I am supposed to rinse the tank with fresh water from time to time. That makes sense but getting to it sounds tough.

 

[jbrinch88]

My boat does sit a lot. I average 2 outings a month when the weather is good which is most of the year in the New Orleans area. I have used the appropriate amount of Sea Foam for my 96 gallon tank. I have also recently been told to try the Lucas Fuel Treatment and/or Marvel Mystery Oil. I suspect that pumping out the 50 gallons or so and having the injectors cleaned (again) is the only real solution. There is no leak that I can smell. Reading the owners manual I see that I am supposed to rinse the tank with fresh water from time to time. That makes sense but getting to it sounds tough.

This is how I go about these situations. Remove the fuel sender unit. Buy or get your hands on a 50 Gal. drum. Buy some sort of fuel pump OR if the boat is on land/trailer get a siphon going with a manual pump.

Most of the crap/water will be on the bottom. I usually tip the boat forward or backward (in our travel lift) and let the boat sit alittle. I get a long piece of brass tubing that will reach the bottom back or front corner of the tank. Somehow make it attach to your pump setup and start pumping your bad fuel out.

Every few minutes put some fuel into a clear container and see how it looks. Once it start looking like clean fuel you've most likely removed all of it. Fill up with some fresh fuel, change your spin on filter and that should be all you have to do.

 

[jklangen99]

After talking to service manager, the problem is likely a small filter in the VST. Particles form in the gas from water getting ionized from the electric pump. Some of that junk got past the gas filter & water separator and is partially blocking that filter restricting gas flow. Got on the list to get it serviced. I think I will pump out the tank as well. Thanks for the comments and advice.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Reading the owners manual I see that I am supposed to rinse the tank with fresh water from time to time.

Your hatch cover should have two access ports, pull the covers and flood with fresh water. The middle will be blocked off by lateral supports, and isn't the usual place for corrosion. I did it mid-way through the season, and at season end. Helps to pull the access covers and clean the seals and sealing surface every now and again, too ... :wink:

 

[seasick]

After talking to service manager, the problem is likely a small filter in the VST. Particles form in the gas from water getting ionized from the electric pump. Some of that junk got past the gas filter & water separator and is partially blocking that filter restricting gas flow. Got on the list to get it serviced. I think I will pump out the tank as well. Thanks for the comments and advice.

From day one the VST screen should have been suspected since the motor bogs down at higher revs and load. Bad gas or junk will affect the performance at many speeds. Of course, that doesn't mean that the tank is not dirty, since that can cause the VST to clog over and over.
There are also certain models and years of that motor where the VST tank is prone to develop small particles that clog the screen.
I am not a big fan of additives other than decarbing ones recommended by the manufacturer.

When you replace the VST screen you should also change the inline motor fuel filter and take a look at the contents of the water separator if you have one. Of course if you haven't changed it recently, now would be the time.
Good luck

 

[ROBERTH]

Like JBrinch said, pull the sender, siphon out the fuel and look in there with a flashlight. Try to get all the debris out and see the condition of the inside of the tank. Once cleaned out, install a new filter. Lots of us using the HPDI's are using the 2 micron Racors S3220SUL to prevent the VST and internal Yamaha filters from getting clogged up. Change them every 50-75 hours is good prevention.
The normal Yamaha Spin On's are 10 microns so just a thought on how to prevent further contamination of your outboard system using this pre-filter at 2 microns.

Also, we use Startron and Yamaha Ring Free Plus and have no issues so far. Both are compatible with each other. Ring Free Plus is helping to reduce the corrosion issue caused by Ethanol and also helps with carbon build up. Startron enzymes clean the fuel from water and helps prevent the phase separation as well as helps to prevent carbon.

I can pick up the Startron from walmart in the boating section for a good price usually when they have stock, and got the Ring Free Plus in a case from Sim Yamaha deal if you are using it a lot, it is worth the case purchase.

 

[jklangen99]

I purchased the Racor 2 micron fuel filter and water separator and was wondering if after I pump the gas out and get the tank and lines flushed whether it's over kill to use the 2 micron filter after the normal 10 micron filter in series. Is that overkill? Any fuel flow issues? Given the 10 micron are $7 and the 2 micron are $26 I am thinking it would be good to get as much out as possible before fuel hits the 2 micron and plugs it up. Great forum! Glad I found you guys. Been learning a lot perusing the other posts.

 

[ROBERTH]

It is cheaper to replace the Racor 2 Microns than to replace the Yamaha $70 filter that is under the cowl. Also, it is cheap insurance for the HPDI's that demand no contamination in the fuel lines. I don't see why it would hurt to use even on the 4 strokes to minimize wear to the injectors or their pre filters as well. Just my .02.

 

[zimm]

All good advice. Also start using marine sta-bil (blue jug) in your gas so it doesn't go bad from sitting. It also is an ethonal treatment too. I use sta-bil and Yamaha "ringfree" in all my gas.

http://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-22240-Mar ... B001CAW2DK

 

[Doc Stressor]

Yep. Go with marine StaBil. It's a proven product for boat fuel. It won't do much for water. For that you need to keep your tank as close to full as possible during storage.

Use non-ethanol fuel if you an get it. It costs more, but your fuel problems will go away.

 

[Parthery]

Definitely use 2-Micron filters....buy fuel from reputable (busy) stations that turnover their inventory frequently....and use an Ethanol treatment unless you are buying Ethanol free fuel.

Update on the cushions...I ordered the factory replacement cushions for the two captains chairs and they were about $400 total. They are supposed to arrive today...I'll let you know how close to factory they are.

 

[Meanwhile]

My boat is using a S3213 filter. Can someone tell me the 2 micron filter that would replace this? It is on a stainless base.

 

[jklangen99]

I called Racor at 1-800-272-7537 to see if the Racor S3220SUL Ff/Ws Marine Gas 2 Micron would replace my Sierra 18-7845. The tech support looked it up and assured me that it would.

 

[aa331]

Had the same problem (HPDI 150), fuel tank walls exposed to air build up crud, which falls and clogs filters. Especially if you're going from E0 to E10.

Got a service to clean the tank.
Changed all HPDI filters (water separator, VST, metal canister)
Installed 2 micron racors (S3220SUL)

Make sure the fuel hoses are still good; if a Q tip comes out dirty you need to replace them. I did it just in case.

Problem solved. Once this is over try to keep the gas tank full.

 

[jklangen99]

I talked to my marina where my boat is waiting for service for the clogged VST filter about the 2 micron filter and they said it was too hard on the fuel pump and do not recommend it. Thoughts from those who have switched from 10 microns to 2? I guess if the fuel is clean there is less of an issue.

 

[jklangen99]

Definitely use 2-Micron filters....buy fuel from reputable (busy) stations that turnover their inventory frequently....and use an Ethanol treatment unless you are buying Ethanol free fuel.

Update on the cushions...I ordered the factory replacement cushions for the two captains chairs and they were about $400 total. They are supposed to arrive today...I'll let you know how close to factory they are.

How are the cushions?

 

[Parthery]

Exact matches. Only thing is they came without snaps installed but not a big deal as I have a snap tool. I also took the opportunity to take the seats apart and replace the "slide glides"....good as new now.

photo.JPG by parthery, on Flickr