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Author Topic:   Original Montauk Fuel Tanks

lizard posted 03-08-2014 10:56 PM ET (US)
I have my original Montauk fuel tanks. I gave them to a friend who recently bought a 1986 Montauk and re-powered it with an E-tec 75. The shop put a 4-prop blade on it (mine always had a 3-prop, 13x17 if I remember correctly).
He said they would run the boat for maybe and hour and then it would stall, as if he had run out of gas.
He took it back to the shop that installed the motor, they ran it through the diagnostics as well as a functional test hooked up to a tank in the shop.
They couldn't replicate the problem and they sent him on his way. It happened a few more times and he returned. When hooked up to any other portable tank- no problems.
Can anyone familiar with my original tanks and an E-tec explain what may be happening?
Thank you.
Tom W Clark posted 03-09-2014 12:29 AM ET (US)
Nothing to do with the E-Tec most likely. Sounds like a withdrawal tube that is too long.
What tanks are you talking about? A lot of different tanks were used on Montauks over the years, none of them standard equipment since a Montauk did not come form the factory with any tanks.
lizard posted 03-09-2014 11:02 AM ET (US)
Tom- they were the stock tanks on my old 1986 Montauk. There was a thread about them on here years ago where you opined which of the tanks you thought they were. I have forgotten. My iMac crashed (no, nothing was backed up) so I don't have a photo on hand.
They were pretty basic. On top of the tank was a small, round fuel gauge, a filler cap, fuel connection fitting and then another metal fitting, which was sealed/fused to the top of the tank. There were no handles on the side walls of the tank and the side walls were inset about an inch or two from the perimeter of the tank. There aren't here presently, so that is the best description from recollection. I believe they were aluminum.
Tom W Clark posted 03-09-2014 11:12 AM ET (US)
Those were MIRAX 12s.
There is no such thing as a "stock tank" on a classic Montauk. It was up to the dealer or owner to decide which of several tanks they wanted to use.
The MIRAX tanks were (and still are) very popular and should not cause any trouble, unless somebody worked on them and did not put things back together properly. It is easy enough to remove the withdrawal tube to inspect them and shorten by 1/8" if need be.
The tubes can be replaced too; they are readily available.
Jefecinco posted 03-09-2014 05:38 PM ET (US)
Closed or blocked vent?
Tom W Clark posted 03-10-2014 10:16 AM ET (US)
Butch - You may be on to something...
lizard posted 03-10-2014 11:51 PM ET (US)
All I can say is that they worked flawlessly on my Montauk that had a same year Johnson 90 on it. Then they were tucked aside (carefully packaged) for a buyer for whom the shipping didn't make sense.
I gave them to Jon a few months ago. His Montauk came with a nasty, mid-80's Yamaha. I told him to belly up for an Etec and he did and is very happy. He is a physicist and his account of what happened underway with my tanks, seems valid.
Why would they work on my motor and fail on the Etec?
Chuck Tribolet posted 03-11-2014 07:37 PM ET (US)
Having been around a few of closed/blocked vents over the
years (a couple self-inflicted):
- They didn't take an hour to show up. But then if the tank
is only 1/4 full, it might take longer.
- When you take the fill cap off, there's a big whoosh and
then everything is fine. For a while.
- A Pate tank (and I suspect any plastic tank), will show
signs of a slight collapse until you take the fill cap off.
Chuck
frontier posted 03-13-2014 09:22 PM ET (US)
This thread begs the question:
Why would you use 28 year old metal gas tanks with a brand new $10,000.00 outboard motor?
lizard posted 03-27-2014 09:28 AM ET (US)
The tanks are used because they are pristine on the interior, have no breakdown, rust, weld separation, dents, blemishes on the exterior AND they functioned flawlessly every time I used them. Finally, I like the look of the tanks and mats.
jwestwood posted 03-27-2014 01:49 PM ET (US)
Sounds like the air vent is closed and after a while fuel can not be pumped from tank. Unless I missed something, open the fuel tank air vent.
lizard posted 04-03-2014 12:20 AM ET (US)
Never having had trouble with these tanks, for YEARS, can someone describe where the "vent" is? There is a fuel gauge, screwed to the top of the tank, there is the tank filler, that has a simple screw cap with a cork type of gasket. There is the connection for the fuel line du jour (OMC) and that is it. Is the vent in the cap? If so, it is unchanged and there are two tanks causing the same issue.
crabby posted 04-03-2014 09:52 PM ET (US)
If the tanks have an OMC style connector then the air vent is built in to the connector on the tank. There is a pin on the tank part of the connector that gets depressed when you plug in the hose part of the connector.
You could try running without tightening the tank cap and see if that alleviates the problem.
contender posted 04-06-2014 07:08 PM ET (US)
I would check two things, vent on the tank or if it is in the gas cap, fuel primer bulb ONLY use a factory fuel bulb and this may be why....
lizard posted 04-15-2014 01:03 AM ET (US)
Brand new E-tec with all new fuel lines and if there is a primer bulb, it would have been new, too. Is there a primer bulb with fuel-injected engines?

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Author	Topic: Original Montauk Fuel Tanks
lizard	posted 03-08-2014 10:56 PM ET (US) I have my original Montauk fuel tanks. I gave them to a friend who recently bought a 1986 Montauk and re-powered it with an E-tec 75. The shop put a 4-prop blade on it (mine always had a 3-prop, 13x17 if I remember correctly). He said they would run the boat for maybe and hour and then it would stall, as if he had run out of gas. He took it back to the shop that installed the motor, they ran it through the diagnostics as well as a functional test hooked up to a tank in the shop. They couldn't replicate the problem and they sent him on his way. It happened a few more times and he returned. When hooked up to any other portable tank- no problems. Can anyone familiar with my original tanks and an E-tec explain what may be happening? Thank you.
Tom W Clark	posted 03-09-2014 12:29 AM ET (US) Nothing to do with the E-Tec most likely. Sounds like a withdrawal tube that is too long. What tanks are you talking about? A lot of different tanks were used on Montauks over the years, none of them standard equipment since a Montauk did not come form the factory with any tanks.
lizard	posted 03-09-2014 11:02 AM ET (US) Tom- they were the stock tanks on my old 1986 Montauk. There was a thread about them on here years ago where you opined which of the tanks you thought they were. I have forgotten. My iMac crashed (no, nothing was backed up) so I don't have a photo on hand. They were pretty basic. On top of the tank was a small, round fuel gauge, a filler cap, fuel connection fitting and then another metal fitting, which was sealed/fused to the top of the tank. There were no handles on the side walls of the tank and the side walls were inset about an inch or two from the perimeter of the tank. There aren't here presently, so that is the best description from recollection. I believe they were aluminum.
Tom W Clark	posted 03-09-2014 11:12 AM ET (US) Those were MIRAX 12s. There is no such thing as a "stock tank" on a classic Montauk. It was up to the dealer or owner to decide which of several tanks they wanted to use. The MIRAX tanks were (and still are) very popular and should not cause any trouble, unless somebody worked on them and did not put things back together properly. It is easy enough to remove the withdrawal tube to inspect them and shorten by 1/8" if need be. The tubes can be replaced too; they are readily available.
Jefecinco	posted 03-09-2014 05:38 PM ET (US) Closed or blocked vent?
Tom W Clark	posted 03-10-2014 10:16 AM ET (US) Butch - You may be on to something...
lizard	posted 03-10-2014 11:51 PM ET (US) All I can say is that they worked flawlessly on my Montauk that had a same year Johnson 90 on it. Then they were tucked aside (carefully packaged) for a buyer for whom the shipping didn't make sense. I gave them to Jon a few months ago. His Montauk came with a nasty, mid-80's Yamaha. I told him to belly up for an Etec and he did and is very happy. He is a physicist and his account of what happened underway with my tanks, seems valid. Why would they work on my motor and fail on the Etec?
Chuck Tribolet	posted 03-11-2014 07:37 PM ET (US) Having been around a few of closed/blocked vents over the years (a couple self-inflicted): - They didn't take an hour to show up. But then if the tank is only 1/4 full, it might take longer. - When you take the fill cap off, there's a big whoosh and then everything is fine. For a while. - A Pate tank (and I suspect any plastic tank), will show signs of a slight collapse until you take the fill cap off. Chuck
frontier	posted 03-13-2014 09:22 PM ET (US) This thread begs the question: Why would you use 28 year old metal gas tanks with a brand new $10,000.00 outboard motor?
lizard	posted 03-27-2014 09:28 AM ET (US) The tanks are used because they are pristine on the interior, have no breakdown, rust, weld separation, dents, blemishes on the exterior AND they functioned flawlessly every time I used them. Finally, I like the look of the tanks and mats.
jwestwood	posted 03-27-2014 01:49 PM ET (US) Sounds like the air vent is closed and after a while fuel can not be pumped from tank. Unless I missed something, open the fuel tank air vent.
lizard	posted 04-03-2014 12:20 AM ET (US) Never having had trouble with these tanks, for YEARS, can someone describe where the "vent" is? There is a fuel gauge, screwed to the top of the tank, there is the tank filler, that has a simple screw cap with a cork type of gasket. There is the connection for the fuel line du jour (OMC) and that is it. Is the vent in the cap? If so, it is unchanged and there are two tanks causing the same issue.
crabby	posted 04-03-2014 09:52 PM ET (US) If the tanks have an OMC style connector then the air vent is built in to the connector on the tank. There is a pin on the tank part of the connector that gets depressed when you plug in the hose part of the connector. You could try running without tightening the tank cap and see if that alleviates the problem.
contender	posted 04-06-2014 07:08 PM ET (US) I would check two things, vent on the tank or if it is in the gas cap, fuel primer bulb ONLY use a factory fuel bulb and this may be why....
lizard	posted 04-15-2014 01:03 AM ET (US) Brand new E-tec with all new fuel lines and if there is a primer bulb, it would have been new, too. Is there a primer bulb with fuel-injected engines?