Methyl hydrate /Fuel and filters

[Fish Camp]

Help me understand,how methyl hydrate removes water from feul tanks ? I suspected water in tank ,due to at a quater of a tank motor wouldnot stay running .added 5 gallons and would run fine till quater tank,tried this 4 times over 2 months and added methyl hydrate . Have tried again to find same results.I have syphoned the tank added methal hydrate and new fuel to find same results.So on to replace inline filter and can't get to the filter in tank.Dose water molecules bond to the fuel molecules by adding Methyl hydrate to make molecul larger and prevent flow through the filters?

 

[ThreePer]

I would think you have a cracked/broken in-tank fuel pickup (line) about half way down. As soon as fuel goes below that it starts sucking air.

 

[Fish Camp]

Thanks ,i am tring to belive it will be as simple as changing filters ,and removing contaminants, than the fuel tank.I still don't understand how adding methyl hydrate removes water from fuel .Sea foam makes a fuel additive that removes water ,how dose this work?will it contaminate the take with larger molecules that require frequent filter changes? ,providing you can get to all filters.(leftover 50:1 in a can and put it in your truck tank and 2 stoke oil clogs filters.

 

[Sotally Tober]

Just a crazy thought...but is the fuel gauge working properly or accurate??
I have experienced fuel gauges in boats not being very accurate, so maybe your tank is mostly empty when the gauge is reading 1/4 tank.

 

[Fish Camp]

I syphoned the tank empty took 5 gal fuel out, at 2.5 gal lost syphon and restarted syphon .when drawing fuel though clear 3/8 tube and held up for 15 sec,the murky fuel was 8" to top of tube.repeated syphon several times till i had 5 gal with simular amouts of murky fuel in tube.replaced 5 gal fresh fuel and 1/8 cup methyl hydrate as i did once before syphon.5 gal=1/4 tank.
your oil injected 2 stroke has a resivoir on the motor and a big jug externaly ,the big jug has a tube in it that has a filter on the bottom that needs to be cleaned of large contaminates.
Are water /methyl hydrate/fuel molecules bigger than filter cloth and impied flow of fuel through filters,and requireing more frequent filter changes?

 

[Fish Camp]

ThreePer you very well could be right as to problem .Sotally Tober I have recalibrated my fuel gage ,and lost 25% capacity .

 

[daddystoy]

Rather than wondering how Methyl Hydrate takes water out of fuel I would be figuring out how water is getting into the gas tank in the first place. If this is a common reoccurring problem with your boat you should figure out how it is getting in and how to correct the problem.
The reason I say this is because I to had a problem of water constantly getting into my gas tank. And similar to you when the fuel level was getting down and I was in rough seas the water would get stirred up into the fuel and then drawn into the Racor filter which would do its job and hold the water to the point the fuel flow would be cut off and I would stall or run extremely rough.
What my problem was is the overflow/breather tube is on the side of the boat, and when I was out in rough seas and water was splashing down the side of the boat there would be water that would find its way in the overflow/breather tube and flow right into the tank. I ended up changing how the breather hose ran. Instead of going straight down to the connection on the gas tank I ran a long piece of breather hose down the gunwhale of the boat and looped it up and back to the connection on the gas tank. Essentially I made a plumbing trap.

 

[bigdogeh]

also check the o-ring on the fuel cap if there is one. they usually get brittle and crack over time and may let rainwater and seawater in...
I usually replace mine every year.

 

[Tidal Chaos]

I believe methyl hydrate removes water from suspension in fuel; it doesn't remove it from the tank, if you are using methyl hydrate it will pull the suspended water molecules from the fuel and allow it to settle in the bottom of your tank as one pool of water; as you draw your fuel down and everything starts sloshing around in your tank the water is probably making its way back to your fuel pick up and into your system; the water in a full tank of fuel with methyl added will still be there and less sloshing with a full tank wont allow it to re-distribute. I would put your boat on an slight angle for a few days and allow all the water to accumulate at one end of your tank you can access, then siphon it out.

I would also try to figure out where the water is entering the tank from; as said before; failed "O' ring on filler; vent leaking back and gasket on your sending unit. worse case could be a small crack in the tank itself allowing water and moisture in. get the tank totally clean of water, put fresh fuel in and keep an eye on it; if it is still getting water in then you have a problem; if the water problem goes away; then you have another problem. you could have gotten some bad fuel from somewhere as well.

Good Luck!

 

[ThreePer]

ThreePer you very well could be right as to problem .Sotally Tober I have recalibrated my fuel gage ,and lost 25% capacity .

It is the first thing to come to mind after reading your symptoms because it is a check we have to do on our helicopters at work regularly. Turn off the in-tank boost pumps and run the engine to make sure there are no air leaks in the fuel system that could suck in air and cause the stove to turn off. If there are broken/cracked lines then it will suck air instead of fuel and off go the lights. Specifically we do the check at a low fuel for the exact reason you talk about; if the crack is high enough up in the pickup then you won't know until your fuel level drops below the crack.

 

[fish brain]

I believe methyl hydrate removes water from suspension in fuel; it doesn't remove it from the tank, if you are using methyl hydrate it will pull the suspended water molecules from the fuel and allow it to settle in the bottom of your tank as one pool of water; as you draw your fuel down and everything starts sloshing around in your tank the water is probably making its way back to your fuel pick up and into your system; the water in a full tank of fuel with methyl added will still be there and less sloshing with a full tank wont allow it to re-distribute. I would put your boat on an slight angle for a few days and allow all the water to accumulate at one end of your tank you can access, then siphon it out.

I would also try to figure out where the water is entering the tank from; as said before; failed "O' ring on filler; vent leaking back and gasket on your sending unit. worse case could be a small crack in the tank itself allowing water and moisture in. get the tank totally clean of water, put fresh fuel in and keep an eye on it; if it is still getting water in then you have a problem; if the water problem goes away; then you have another problem. you could have gotten some bad fuel from somewhere as well.

Good Luck!

Actually it works the opposite way. oil(gas too) and water dont mix the water pools in the bottom of the tank or fuel separator etc. The Methyl hydrate gets between the water molecules and allows the water to be suspended throughout the gas.(like rum in your coke) So instead of drops of water which dont burn going through your injector you get a mix that will burn slightly cooler, as the water is taking up the space where fuel should be, but it goes through without stalling your engine. Sea Foam and other products do the same thing, only with a few other additives in the mix. If you have too much water in your tank the additives wont work, because at some point you will not be able to get enough of a fuel air mixture to combust in the cylinder.

 

[Hit em Hard]

For water in the fuel I have found "Startron" to be the best thing since sliced bread. Available at most boat supply shops.
HEH