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Larry

wrote in news:718bdca1-6c67-4451-9150-
:

A local shop told me to check if there is water in the gas tank. Since
it's an inboard tank, it's not easy to check so I'll use a external
5gal tank (and clean fuel) and see if it runs fine.

Stop by any auto parts store and buy a see-through fuel filter that has
the right sized hose fittings on it, same as the primer bulb. Buy an
extra length of fuel hose that will run from the primer bulb to the gas
filler cap so we can use the bulb to pump gas from the bottom of the tank
through that filter back into the tank by hand to see what's in the fuel.
Make sure you can lay the filter on its side so we can look under the
filter paper while pumping the bulb.

Disconnect the motor from the bulb (don't forget we need a new hose clamp
to put it back). Connect a short piece of hose from the bulb to the
OUTSIDE-the-paper filter end of the see thru filter. We're going to pump
gas from the OUTSIDE of the filter paper to the inside and back into the
tank so we can see what crap will collect on the outside of the paper.

From the INSIDE end of the filter, run the hose DEEPLY into the filler
cap so we don't make a lot of wasteful fumes trying to spray it in the
cap. We don't need to see it going back in the tank because we can see
the filter.

Pump the bulb, the more the better, the faster the better....with the
boat rocking at the dock sloshing the crap in the tank around is best!
Put the boat in the water and tie it to a dock that has waves to slosh it
around for us free. Do NOT let the outlet end of the filter be lower
than the inlet end. We want water to show up in the filter if it's there
(which I'm betting it's not unless you left the gas tank NEARLY EMPTY all
winter. You DID FILL THE TANK BEFORE STORAGE EVERY TIME, RIGHT?!! Flog
yourself if you didn't for me! Shame on you!

Full gas tanks cannot BREATHE in water vapor to collect on cold, bare
tank walls every night....ALWAYS leave the tanks stored FULL, but not
overflowing.....