Winter Fuel tank fill 208...bar guage accuracy

[oyster77]

Question...how do we fill fuel tank for winter and get the additives in balance?

The "bar" fuel gauge seems to accurate, or inaccurate, to within ten gallons. Do we just guess on additive amounts and over treat? Does the fuel shoot out of the vent when the tank is full? Can more additive be added after the fuel blows out of the vent?

Maybe I am making more of this than it is, but, any constructive tips would be appreciated.

 

[seasick]

Yes the bar is not very accurate and the reading depends to a great extent on the level of the boat. I can walk from the helm to the stern on my 208 and change the bars by one or two depending on how close the bars were from changing.
Here is what I have found on my 2001 208 with a 150 -2 stroke and one person at the helm.
One bar flashing, 10 to 20 gallons
2 bars 30 to 40 gallons
4 bars is about 50 gallons.
The actual number depends on when the bars changed. For example if I saw the bars change from 3 to 2, I probably have 40 gallons.

Your gauge may or may not agree with mine. I kinda of know mine because I used to add fuel 10 gallons at a time and check the bars as I did so.
The good news is that the amount of treatment added is not super critical. I use Stabil in the off season and add about an ounce per gallon. I just stored my boat with the gauge reading 2 bars and added a full quart of Stabil or 32 ounces. If the tank were full, I would add 2 quarts.

No, I don't store the tank full, couldn't be bothered trying to empty it and haven't had any issues yet in four years. Whether or not the condensation conspiracy theory is true or not, condensation has not been a problem for me. Boat is covered, vented, not shrink wrapped and stored outside in the north east.

 

[oyster77]

Thank you once again Seasick...I will add enough ring free and stabil for 82 gallons and fill the tank. Does the gas blow out of the veny when the tank is full?

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Thank you once again Seasick...I will add enough ring free and stabil for 82 gallons and fill the tank. Does the gas blow out of the veny when the tank is full?

You should not fill all the way, leave out about 10% for gas expansion on temp. changes.

 

[seasick]

The 'vent' is inside the filler, so it doesn't overflow like an external vent might. If you hold the gas nozzle in deep, the auto shutoff will click before you overflow ( not too fast a fill rate though). If you listen, you can also hear a change in the sound when the hose starts to fill. After you fill up, you still want to run the motor to get the stabil into the filters and motor. After 10 or 15 minutes on muffs, you will burn down enough fuel from the hose for some expansion.
Another approach is to fill with the nozzle at its fastest rate. The surge as the tank gets full should trip the nozzle. That should happen before the hose is completely filled too.

 

[oyster77]

Good design on the vent...my 1982 Aquasport 200XF used to blow fuel into the gas station driveway when the tank was full. Thanks for the good advise. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

[BobP]

Seasick, I agree with NEM, when fuel heats later in season it will push out of boat onto deck and ground. Been there done that. Gas eats away blacktop by melting it, to say the least about safety and odor.
The 80 gallon tank can go to 70 gals no more. Op should know from experience what it takes but since he doesn't, go to 10 more gals beyond 3/4 fill mark on gauge, as my opinion.

All tanks have to be vented external to hull, irrespective of type of "fill" fitting it has.
There is no such thing as ventless fittings, only on cars yes. In a couple of years we will have them finally, I know the law was passed but it seems to me the industry was given too much time to get it done.

This year I may leave tanks as is, one near empty the other 1/3 full, normally I go 90%.

Most additives not all can be overdosed. As is Marine Stabil & Startron.
I don't use long term treatment dosage since I don't consider the Spring from now, long term.

 

[Tucker]

Seasick is right on with bars to gallons calculation, mine is exactly the same. With my 209 I could "hear" when the tank was full. As you are filling the tank the wooshing sound of the fuel going in stops as it begins to rise up the fill hose. I strongly recommend using Startron along with Stabil for winter storage. Those of us bitten by the ethenol monster can relate.

 

[Finest Kind]

Just MHO but I do not recommend filling the tanks for the winter....I think it is a problem waiting to occur.

I do NOT fill the tanks for winter storage anymore. Not since Ethanol was introduced several years ago...
I leave both tanks as close to EMPTY as possible, and add an overdose of Startron and Stabil to both tanks just before running the boat upriver to the marina where I haul out and store for the winter.

In the Spring, I pour a 5 gal jerrycan of fresh gas into each tank before launch and run a couple gallons of fresh gas from both tanls thru both engines on the way to the gas dock downriver by my slip. At the gas dock, I'll fill the Aux tank with 75 gallons, burn that up, and next time I need gas I put 75 gallons (only) into the Main tank. After that is gone, Ill go back to the Aux with another 75 gals and keep alternating this way all season. The only exception is when long distance offshore trips are planned...only then will I fill up both tanks, knowing that the gas WILL NOT SIT IN THE TANKS for weeks on end.

This is the main point I'm trying to make....this Ethanol gas does NOT store well, even for a few weeks at a time. So over the winter storage months, AND during normal Summer usage, I'm always going to keep as little as little as possible in the tanks.

 

[oyster77]

Whoa...tried to do the 70 gallons into the 82 gallon tank...gas spewed from the filler before the 7th bar lit up. I was trying to go 10 gallons over 6 bars (3/4). Is the tank full when it spews or does it just not like fast filling and was not yet full? I thought I was on flat ground. Showed 7 bars after the spew at HESS gas station. Showed 8 bars back in my driveway. May go with empty tank procedure next year. All additives in...I will give it a long run tomorrow with earmuffs to drop the level. Any thoughts would be appreciated. :hmm

 

[Tucker]

Oyster you're not going to burn enough gas in your driveway to lower the level enough. You're going to have gas pi$$ing out the vent all winter when the sun hits the boat. Need to go to Home Depot and get some clear hose and syphon out about 15-gallons from each tank. Load it up with Startron and Staybil and move the boat back and forth in the driveway to mix it up.

 

[seasick]

Whoa...tried to do the 70 gallons into the 82 gallon tank...gas spewed from the filler before the 7th bar lit up. I was trying to go 10 gallons over 6 bars (3/4). Is the tank full when it spews or does it just not like fast filling and was not yet full? I thought I was on flat ground. Showed 7 bars after the spew at HESS gas station. Showed 8 bars back in my driveway. May go with empty tank procedure next year. All additives in...I will give it a long run tomorrow with earmuffs to drop the level. Any thoughts would be appreciated. :hmm

As I mentioned, the gauge reading is VERY dependent on the angle of the hull. I can often see a 2 bar change just by adjusting engine trim or having passengers move from helm to stern.
It is very difficult to get the tank full and it is just nuts to try and get it empty, so I just store with whatever is in it at season end, estimating the gallons and adding Stabil accordingly. I like adding fresh fuel at the new season.

You also don't need to remove 15 gallons either. Note that is the boat is set up either on blocks or a trailer so that the bilge drains ( including the forward bilge), the angle of the hull will be greater than when in the water. Your gas gauge will read full way before the tank is actually full. There can be 10 to 20 gallons of space left.


For the engineers out there, if the temp of your fuel swings 100 degrees F ( That's a pretty big swing), the Adventure 208 fuel will expand about 7%. If the tank had 75 gallons at 0 F, at 100F it would have 80 gallons.

Most gas stored underground sits at about 55F. Therefore the realistic temp swings are both down and up as the ambient gets cold or warms up. If you leave space for a few gallons, you will be OK.