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When looking at fuel tanks, I would reccomend paying attention to how far down in the tank the top of the fuel pickup is (specifically, the top of the mesh). I unfortunately wound up with a fuel tank that has the fuel intake high up inside the tank, and it’s a veritcal intake. What I mean by that is the cylindrical shape of filter mesh faces the same way a can/tin of soup would sit on the counter. Older metal OMC tanks (not the pressure tanks) had the fuel pickup tube shaped like a capital L, and the mesh was only on the lower part, so in the same orientation as a rolling pin sitting on the counter. Consequently, there will still be lot of fuel in this newer style tank when the fuel level is low enough for the top of the mesh to become exposed and the motor start sucking air. This reduces your range on the water and is more wasteful (if you replace last season’s fuel every spring) than the OMC tanks with the lower pickup. Looking through the gas cap of the tank on display in the store should give you a clue of the setup of that particular tank.
Why don’t you stay with an older metal OMC tank? If yours became completely rusted out, there are still many used ones available as replacements.
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I just leave the vent screw open a bit. That is after I cut the little nipple under the vent screw so that it will actually vent!
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I just found an OMC 6 gal tank for Evinrude/Johnson at a local dealer that has the OMC fitting on it, a gauge, and the cap has a rubber ‘duckbill’ on the underside which he tells me will let air into the tank, but not out of the tank. So I’m going to see how it goes.
That “duckbill” is what I clipped. Before I clipped it, it would let air in but not out so it swells!
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I don’t know if a plastic tank is safe or practical for outboard fuel tank, but there are conversion kits to change a new style safety spout type to an old style free pouring with separate vent. Possibly sold at Tractor Supply or Harbor Freight stores.
My choice for a spout, for the plastic 1 & 2 gal. gas containers I use for my motors, that have tanks on them, is the Midwest Quick Flow Spout– with modifications. The gas stops flowing when it gets to the tip of these spouts. First I take out the red lock. The small tab on the spout isn’t big enough the keep the spout from sliding off. I put a hole in a cap from another container with a friction fit on the spout. Adding caps controls the level in the tank when the fuel stops. Helpful in really small tanks like Pal’s, Cub’s, ¾ hp WW,ect. Need to lubricate the spout with some oil in the spring. When plastic tanks expand, when they get warm, and contract when it gets cooler, air is not moving in and out of the tank. It’s also not letting in the moisture that’s in the air, into the tank, that leads to water in the gas, and rust inside metal tanks.
A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.
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I just found an OMC 6 gal tank for Evinrude/Johnson at a local dealer that has the OMC fitting on it, a gauge, and the cap has a rubber ‘duckbill’ on the underside which he tells me will let air into the tank, but not out of the tank. So I’m going to see how it goes.
I have one of those OMC 6 gallon plastic tanks that I got used 25 years ago; and, it works great, and the minor swelling has not been a problem…..or it did work great until the rectangular black assembly that contains the gauge and fuel line connector developed a hairline crack and leaked when the tank was nearly full. The material looks just like the cast aluminum part on the metal tanks, but it is plastic. The crack was so hard to see, that I thought for a while it was seals on the connector leaking. I took that part off a metal tank and it fit the plastic tank perfectly, except have to play around bending the gauge float wire to get the gauge reading properly due to differences in the geometry of the tank. I like that tank and would buy another if one showed up near me at the right price.
For aftermarket 6 gallon plastic tanks with the gauge and a vent screw in the filler cap, there were a zillion of those sold, and Yamaha also used them in the early 2000’s with their name private labeled on the tank (my 2004 25 HP Yamaha on my pontoon came new with one). I was given two other tanks like that over the years, but the lens in the cap for the gauge eventually goes bad and comes loose or cracks, producing a bad fuel leak as gas sloshes around in the tank. The manufacturer is out of business due to lawsuits from fires resulting from these leaks, and for that reason, you can’t find replacement caps that have the proper fit and depth of the gauge float for these. I found a Briggs and Stratton replacement garden tractor cap that screwed onto these tanks with a couple pin-hole vents that are open all the time, but when the tanks were near full , they leaked gas out the vent as you bounced around hitting waves and/or cornering. I threw those two tanks away because I couldn’t find suitable caps. Maybe somebody now makes a cap with a vent screw that will fit and not leak?? otherwise, I will throw out my Yamaha tank when the non-replaceable gauge/lens/cap breaks or comes loose – it has turned yellow and you can’t see through it anymore to read the gauge. Meanwhile, it is not in an enclosed compartment, so risk of fire or explosion is minimal.
Dave
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