accessing trailcraft fuel tank
Hi All
i have a problem with my 5.3 m trailcraft cc. I have a 115 yamaha 2 st fitted that has just started losing power when i increase the revs. this is a frustrating problem as it occurred previously so i took the boat to a yamaha tech who could find nothing wrong with it, after running it in a tank for over an hour and suggested water may have some how got into the system. Anyway took the boat home and went on 2 more short trips doing about 20 kms with no problems, all was good until i ventured about 25 km out this weekend the motor ran fine until i stopped and attempted to move spots when the symptoms returned. Starts fine put it in gear give it some curry and the power just fades after a while it would slowly build up power and seem to run fine until i backed it off and when i give it revs again same thing. If i rev it in neutral it revs out no problem but soon as i put it in gear power fade. We got home and when i flush her she idles real rough and splutters out i had another tinker today put the muffs on and she seemed to idle perfect. Online research and the symptoms have led me to believe that there may be some crap circulating in the fuel tank after prolonged usage this craps is getting stuck around the fuel intake inhibiting fuel flow and loss of power after a period of no use this shit falls off and the motor runs fine again for a period, this seems to explain why short trips are no problem but longer trips are. I should mention the fuel filter had about 40to 50 mls of what looked liike gunk in it (could be water) below the petrol when i emptied it into a clear jar. Is this normal? Any way gonna borrow a portable fuel tank off the mehanic on wednesday and go for a run to see if this narrows down the problem.
My probem is, if it is crap in the tank or even deteriorated fuel lines how do i access the tank. THe boat is second hand and the carpet has been stuck down so i cannot see where i can access the tank. The tank is directly below the seat and looking in the small viewing hole doesnt show a lot. Reading online it seems the mercury fuel hoses tha yamaha uses are very succeptible to breaking down and should be changed and alot of people have done it on the trailcrafts but i cant find info on getting to the tank. Please help
Anytime Brad
Posts: 237
Date Joined: 20/07/09
On my 485 trailcraft built
On my 485 trailcraft built 2008 the fuel tank is accessed under the floor which is sikaflexed down under the carpet so just lift up the carpet and access the tank. As for water have you tried some metho in the tank?
I would rather be fishing
Rob H
Posts: 5745
Date Joined: 18/01/12
metho works well but beware
metho works well but beware if there is sludge in there.
If you do the metho thing first suck/siphon as much fuel as poss out, via the fuel line. Add a litre or 2 of metho, tow it round the block to shake it up then put some clean juice back in. Watch the glass bowl carefully though when running!
More so in diesel, but often these sludges suspend in the water but not fuel hence the crap at the bottom. Metho lets the water and hence sludge mix in the fuel.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
dodgy
Posts: 4563
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Trailcrafts were notorious
Trailcrafts were notorious for fule lines breaking down. The offending lines were the silver ones. Sounds like this may be the problem. All fuel lines will have to be replaced.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Yewiefish85
Posts: 780
Date Joined: 02/01/11
fuel bowlshould be clean,
fuel bowlshould be clean, would have thought if the tech was running diagnostics he would have atleast checked the fuel source (filter)
Rob H
Posts: 5745
Date Joined: 18/01/12
I have accessed the fuel tank
I have accessed the fuel tank on my 5.8 TC, as the soft patch was leaking a bit of water into the hull.
While I had it up I cut a hole, welded some angle in and installed a below deck esky.
Heres what you'll need to do.
Pull the carpet up, it'll probably come up pretty easy. There'll be a large "soft patch" (rivetted panel).
Drill the rivets out, on mine they were quite big, 5mm rivets and I needed a concertina or pneumatic rivet gun as a standard one wouldnt pull these rivets back down.
The panel will be Sikaflexed down. Get several big screwdrivers and start at one corner lifting it a little. The sika will slowly peel away until the whole panel comes off eventually.
The tank will be under there and probably on some rivetted brackets.
When you reinstall, it may be hard to get a rivet gun, I couldnt hire one but found a friend of a friend who had one. Ditto rivets, took a bit to find. Clean up faces properly, good bead of sika and drop panel in and rivet.
Not a hard job but takes a bit of time.
Having said all that, Id run it on the portable tanks and see if it fixes it. No you really shouldnt get gunk in the filter bowl.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
just dhu it
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 14/05/09
iwood chisel
i agree with Rob , just work out where the tank is , remove your seat section , carpet and drill out the rivets , the hardest bit is breaking the sikaflex , so i iworked my way around the floor hatch with a wood chisel , tank as they said should be sitting straight under , i moved mine forward 500mm to change the centre of gravity in both my 5.7 and 6-1 cent cab , the carpet that trailly used is hard to match so i changed the whole lot for a different brand .
once you have your tank out , check fo the faulty fuel lines and you can remove the fuel gauge hatch on the top of the tank and view inside to see if theres any more crap that needs flushing out , easy job , just a bit hard work getting through the sikaflex
pakulacockroach
Posts: 87
Date Joined: 06/12/07
Primer bulb?
I reckon it could possibly be a faulty primer bulb or a fuel line that may be letting air in.
I had a similar problem where sometimes the motor ran fine & other times when underway a loss of power & surging appeared. Turned out to be a simple faulty primer bulb.
A quick way to check would be once it starts playing up giver the primer a few pumps whilst the motor is giving you trouble.
Won't hurt to try before you start messing with the tank.
Rob H
Posts: 5745
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Pak is dead right
however if you have sludge coming up to your fuel seperator then even if its not causing this problem its likely to later. And it'll be when its sloppy and rough.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Andy
Posts: 522
Date Joined: 08/10/05
fuel problem
go for a run with a remote fuel tank. also fit a racor water sep with an inspection bowl. Dodgy is right about the fuel lines, trail craft used mercury fuel lines, these have been a problem with the internals of the fuel line breaking down. this mercury line needs to be replaced every 3 years.
joe m
Posts: 278
Date Joined: 21/03/11
Sounds like your sucking air.
Sounds like your sucking air. try what Pak said. I have had same problem before with exact symptoms...faulty line letting air in. When motor starts playing up give the bulb a few pumps
Joe M
travy37
Posts: 11
Date Joined: 20/01/12
Thanks guysi think first play
Thanks guys
i think first play is to run the boat on portable fuel tanks to isolate the problem. It seems accessing the fuel tank to change fuel supply lines will be a good idea regardless. The mechanic seems to think it could br crap in the tank and it isunlikely to be fuel line break down as this seems to fully clog the carbies to the point of not working at all.
I showed him the crap in the fuel filter and he said it was not an unusual amount of water for Broome as because of the high humiditity water will condense into the tank and this amount would not affect performance and suggested i fill the tanks to the brim after each outing to minimise air getting into the tank. He also discounted a faulty primer bulb saying it would flatten if this was the case though i will change it anyway.
Will let you know how the run on portable tanks goes.
travy37
Posts: 11
Date Joined: 20/01/12
I finally isolated the
I finally isolated the problem it turns out it was deteriorating fuel lines leading from the fuel seperator into the engine.
The old lines were full of small plastic like particles and these were sitting inside the small pre carby fuel filter, rthe primer bulb and the line itself, there were so many its a wonder the motor got any fuel at all. So ran new fuel line ( from total eden at $7 m) new bulb and she is running sweet. It boggles me that the marine tech couldnt find the problem considering the bottonm of the transparent pre carb filter was full of shit.
THanks for the advice and time everyone
dodgy
Posts: 4563
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Surprised the tech didn't
Surprised the tech didn't know what to look for straight away. Like I said earlier. It is a very common and well publicised problem with these boats....
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Maldon55
Posts: 2
Date Joined: 18/12/17
Trailcraft 5.3 cc
Hi Travy37
Did you sell this boat in Broome?
I think my old man may have bought this off you and I now own it.
If this is the one can you tell me if the fuel gauge worked on the digital yammy gauge?
Just trying to work out if it’s the gauge or sender unit.
Wasnt sure whether they may have replaced this when fuel lines were done
cheers mate