2019 190 MONTAUK: Remove Debris From Fuel Tank

[Sakana Seeker]

Q1: does the fuel pick up inside the fuel tank of a 2019 190 MONTAUK have a screen to prevent debris from reaching the engine?

Q2: how can debris be removed from the 60-gallon below-deck molded fuel tank of a 2019 190 MONTAUK?

BACKSTORY
Recently while adding fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank of my 2019 190 MONTAK, the circular cardboard and foil cap liner about the size of a dime fell into the fuel [fill opening for the fuel] tank. Since then I have operated the engine for 4-hours and 30-minutes of continuous use while traveling 40-miles on the Pacific Ocean and consuming 12-gallons of gasoline without any problem occurring in the fuel supply.

POSSIBLE LOCATION FOR THE CARDBOARD AND FOIL CAP LINER
I think a cardboard and foil cap liner may be caught at the fuel fill inlet [check] valve (see Figure 1) since I haven’t added any fuel since it fell into the tank.

Fig. 1. A check valve at the fuel inlet to the fuel tank where the cardboard and foil cap liner may be trapped.

fuelCheckValveAtTankInlet.jpg (45.37 KiB) Viewed 452 times

Q3: what is the degree of difficulty to loosen hose clamps and get access to a filter?

Q4: how much danger is there from loosening hose clamps with 20-gallons of fuel in the tank?


COMMENTS I RECEIVED FROM INTERNET POSTS OR REPUTABLE SERVICE SHOPS

• I am not the first person to accidentally introduce a cardboard and foil cap liner from fuel stabilizer into a fuel tank;
• (the advice offered was) a shoulder shrug;
• small debris would be tough to find and retrieve; and,
• there is a screen on the fuel pick-up tube.

MY SATISFACTION AND USE OF BOAT
I’m a very happy second owner of a 2019 190 MONTAUK with a Mercury 150-HP engine, which has run about 200 hours. I take out the boat onto San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. I do angling and crabbing.

MY STATE OF MIND
I’m worried about this stupid little cap becoming a problem out on the ocean and at the worst possible moment.

ASIDE
This is my first post. I offer a big thank you to this forum and community. It’s a fantastic resource.

[Moderator's Note: a survey question asking how many readers have accidentally dropped a dime-sized circular cardboard and foil cap liner from a bottle of fuel stabilizer into the fuel inlet fitting on their 190 MONTAUK has been removed from this thread. Please do not ask survey questions to determine how many readers possess any particular knowledge or first-hand experience.]

[jimh]

Q1: does the fuel pick up inside the fuel tank of a 2019 190 MONTAUK have a screen to prevent debris from reaching the engine?

Yes, typically any fuel tank pick-up hose has a screen at the lower end. To reduce your anxiety, contact Boston Whaler customer service for confirmation.

Q2: how can debris be removed from the 60-gallon below-deck molded fuel tank of a 2019 190 MONTAUK?

Typically a fuel tank that provides an in-tank tank level sender will have a circular opening with a cover plate where the in-tank tank level sender is located. Make a careful visual inspection of your fuel tank to determine if it has such an opening and a cover plate. Report the outcome of your inspection and further advice can be offered.

I think the cardboard and foil cap liner may be caught at the fuel fill inlet [check] valve (see Figure 1) since I haven’t added any fuel since it fell into the tank.

Your suspicion may be correct, if the device is a check valve and depending on the timing of the introduction of the cardboard and coil cap liner and the flow of the fuel conditioner. Typically the check valve would open and allow fuel or conditioner to flow past the check valve. But if the foil cap liner just fell in by itself, it probably would not open the check valve. I doubt the device is a filter. Again, contact Boston Whaler customer service for clarification on the nature of the device seen in Figure 1.

Q3: what is the degree of difficulty to loosen hose clamps and get access to [the check valve]?

The screw fasteners on the circular hose clamps can be rotated counter clockwise to loosen them; best to use a hex-nut driver not a screw driver to perform this operation. However, even with the hose clamps loosened, the fuel hose will be very difficult to bend because typically there is a wire-wound reinforcement in the rubber part of the hose. The entire fuel filler inlet on the hull may need to be loosened or temporarily removed in order to move around the fuel hose. A hose of that diameter is not simple to bend or move.

Before trying to remove the check valve, you should lower a small electronic camera or borescope into the fuel inlet fitting to see if the cardboard is actually there. If the cardboard is sitting atop the check valve, you could remove it with suction. Or, alternatively, go fishing with a suction hose to see what comes out.

Q4: how much danger is there from loosening hose clamps with 20-gallons of [gasoline] fuel in the tank?

Working around gasoline vapor comes with a risk of fire if any sort of spark is created. Generally the tools being used should be non-sparking (not steel). A copper alloy is often used in non-sparking tools. Also, you could use a fan to disperse any gasoline vapor while working on this area.

[Jefecinco]

If you are not having any difficulties with the engine operation or refueling consider ignoring the "problem". If the cap seal has made its way into the tank the cardboard should quickly dissolve. The remaining dime sized piece of aluminum foil should not cause fuel supply problems. If you do eventually have problems worry about it then. A one way check valve in the tank fill hose is to prevent fuel back flow. It's a stretch to believe inspecting it will have any bearing on the matter.

[jimh]

Buy another bottle of the same fuel filler you were using.

Go to a fuel station and buy one-half-gallon of gasoline and instill it into a portable gasoline tank.

Find an empty one-gallon GLASS bottle with a good cap.

Fill the glass bottle to from the portable tank.

Drop in the cardboard and foil cap liner from the fuel stabilizer.

Put the cap on the glass bottle.

Observe the cardboard and foil cap liner for the next five years.

Report the outcome annually.