[newbie]

I have a 1996 Shabbah that has been sat fro some time, about 6 months.
Although I put fuel stabalizer in it, I want to empty the fuel tank and replace with knwon good fuel.

That way, I can trouble shoot my stalling problems knwoing "bad gas" isn't the problem.

So... how can I empty the fuel tank on a 1996 Shabbah 180?

Thanks

Chris

[mikeyt]

Short of removing the tank (which is a pita job) your only real option is to siphon the gas out. But you could also unhook the fuel filler line at the tank, remove the bung plug from the transom & lift the bow up high allowing the gas to flow into the bilge, out the drain hole and into a large container of some sort. Make sure if you try this method that you unhook & remove the battery from your boat to prevent any spark that might trigger the fumes.

[phillycincykid]

when i replaced my tank i used a drill pump to get the siphon action started by sticking and old garden hose with the male end cut off about 10 foot long onto the tank then a 25' hose going into a gas container. then let the gravity do its thing once the siphon action is rolling. i had the boat up on the trailer. i had access to the fuel sending unit and just removed it. BTW the drill pump is not really rated for fuel but as long as you only use it for a minute you should be ok. The gas i took out was 2 years old and since there was about 15 gallons i pumped out i filtered it and used it in my lawnmowers. worked great with all that stabilizer in it...........and make sure there is nothing on the boat is on and disconnect the battery and have plenty of air moving around like a fan off in the distance.

eric

[Bad habit]

How do I pull out the tank

[Xmike]

You are lucky that a spark from that drill didn't take out you and your boat. I had the same problem with the same boat that you have, I tried siphoning it but I didn't have any luck, I think there is a baffle just inside the tank that won't allow a hose to go all the way to the gas. I disconnected the gas line going to the fuel pump connect a clear plastic line to a hand pump canister that I purchased at an automotive store. It would draw vacuum on the closed tank, after a few pumps I would just sit back and let it fill the round tank. Then transfer the contents to a regular 5 gallon container. It took a while since I had a full tank of gas in the boat. The first thought I had was to use electric fuel pump to pump it out but I was worried about a spark across the battery when I made the connection.