Water in fuel and 250 HPDI..Which additive - The Hull Truth

captritter · 07-08-2005, 11:56 AM

Guys my alarm is going off almost every trip out w/ my 250 hpdi and I have to dump my fuel filter into a glass jar and sure enough there is water in the fuel/water seperator. I am very good and efficient at doing it!!It has happened too many times and I want to put in an additive to evaperate the water. Which one is best to use and how much fuel needs to be in the tank. Will the HPDI tolerate it....They are sensitive. Please help

SIM · 07-08-2005, 12:21 PM

I can't really recommend an additive for water removal....but I will recommend finding the source of the water to begin with and fixing that. Then physically remove the water from the tank and be done with it.

Is it salt water or freshwater you are getting in there?

Andy

greyg8r · 07-08-2005, 12:34 PM

I had the same problem - water filling up Racors. I was going to siphon the gas out and re-install the gas and avoid the chemical additives that my marine mechanic had warned me of.

But, I found that water was getting in two ways; missing 80 cent o-rings around caps for fuel filler and, worse, a hole in one tank. Another common probem is leaking around the sending unit gasket. Soooo, I will still be siphoning out gas, but now to replace tanks. But, end of problem.

Find the leak, remove and replace gas (there are companies that do this), and reinstall and forget about it. If you add an additive you have two worries; what does the additive do and how did that water get in there in the first place.

Snowwolfe · 07-08-2005, 01:03 PM

Till you get it fixed simply add some cans of red "heet" at the recommended dosage on the label.

Cobia · 07-08-2005, 02:51 PM

Make a temporary cover for the vent. A big chunk of modelers clay works well. Take the fuel bulb off the inlet line. Try to pressurize the tank with LOOWW pressure air, just blow into the line (a full tank takes less air than an empty one). If you cannot pressurize the tank you may have a leak in the tank. Someone else listening may allow pinpointing the leak. While the tank is full and giving it time, the water will settle out in the bottom of the tank. Lift the front of the trailer to let the water run to the back of the tank. Put the bulb back on the line. You may have to put a longer line on the discharge end of the primer bulb but, get the end of the hose over the transome and about 18 inches off the ground. Squeeze the bulb to cause gas/water to come out the end of the line into a five gallon fuel can. After it stars flowing siphon action will take over. This is a home grown method of draing the water from a tank.

honkers89 · 07-08-2005, 03:20 PM

Check the sealant around the sending unit, they loosen up and allow water into the gas tank.

captritter · 07-08-2005, 03:31 PM

I have found the source of the water. Cheap a$$ plastic gas cap, which I have switched out. There is a place that will drain the tank, but I do not want to trailer the boat to them. I do charters and need to boat in the water at all times especially now. Looking for a quick fix to avoid draining the tank

greyg8r · 07-08-2005, 03:46 PM

Will the tank drainer come to you? There is a guy near me that is mobile.

colliwh · 07-08-2005, 04:17 PM

The BEST solution is to drain the tank. If that simply will not work for you as you said, then use one of the drying agents like Stabil and just keep draining off the Racor as it gets water in it. This work is significantly easier if you have the Racor element with the blue plastic bottom and the petcock. If you don't have that, it will probably make this whole thing easier to work through and you will be getting the water out before the engine sensor sees it. This will be a pain in the a$$ for a while. but now that you know the source of the water, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.