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Need to drill a hole in fuel tank for sender while in boat

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kinghans

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"Here we go, I went to pull a

"Here we go, I went to pull a 59 gallon gasoline fuel tank out of my 285 slickcraft boat because the 2nd tank does not have a fuel sender in it--no way to tell how much fuel in the tank when I run the engine.I need to add a fuel sender since there is not one. Problem is that I pumped out all but about 5 gallons of the fuel and unbolted the tank from under the floor, thought the tank would fit out the rear floor access panel, but no mater how I postion it, it will not. I was told by a repair shop to drill the 1.5" hole through the aluminum tank any ways since aluminum will not spark and to use a air compressor to blow shavings away while I do it to keep as many out of the tank as I can, do I do this w my cordless drill, hand drill, or air drill? Need HELP W THIS ONE SO IT DOES NOT GO BANG. once again, no way to get the tank out of the boat and do this the right way, thanks"
 
well tim if you have air handy

well tim if you have air handy USE IT or hand drill because the cordless and electric drill have brushes and create spark so id either hand drill or air nothing cordless or electric

my two cents steve
 
GET THAT FUEL OUT FIRST! Ven

GET THAT FUEL OUT FIRST! Vent out the fumes until the tank is dry. Fill the tank w/C02 thru the filler neck before drilling. Use a heavy bearing grease on the outside and on the holesaw to catch the shavings.
 
"any ideas how to get all the

"any ideas how to get all the gas out, its a 16" deep tank pumped out everything that I could get out, tried a hose and air compressor to siphen it out, but can not create enough of a draw to get it out."
 
"Ayuh,...
I guess I'm ali

"Ayuh,...
I guess I'm alittle braver than Guy,...
Or maybe it's Crazier,...
I'd grab a holesaw,+ start cuttin'...
Aluminum don't spark...
It'll load up your cutting tool with metal, but no sparks...
Rub Beeswax on the cutting tool before you start,+ quite often as you're cutting,...
It'll slow or stop the loading of the cutting teeth...

Good Luck..."
 
go to walmart and get a can of

go to walmart and get a can of dust remover from the computer section it comes with a little nozzel like w/d40 but it is straight air in a can and aver so often blow the air against your bit to remove any shaveings prior to final penetration or if u have air handy do it with a air nozzel
 
"anyone have a idea how to get

"anyone have a idea how to get rest of fuel out of tank inorder to have it completely empty, thought about charging the tank with air compressor then forcing the gas out of the main tank & into the pick up tube,then into the cross over line which would force it into the #2 tank. other ideas? sounds like I need a empty tank"
 
Tim a partially empty tank is

Tim a partially empty tank is more dangerous than a full one...you need to get the rest of the fuel out...compressed air is a good idea and once empty run a tube from the exhaust of your car into the fuel tank...this will displace any fuel fumes.
 
"Fill the tank with water! As

"Fill the tank with water! As you fill the tank with water the gas will ride on the top until it overflows where you can catch it. If you remove the check valve going to the engine and hook up your hose there, the gas will come out if the filler neck. Attach a short length of filler hose there and just let it flow into a bucket. Leave the tank full of water while you cut, this prevents any air from entering the tank and the water will flow out of the hole when you punch through, pushing the shavings away. When you drain out the water, anything left in the tank can be evaporated with a heat gun or a heating element used to heat coffee, either fits right through your sender hole. Your water seperator will catch any stray drops."
 
"thanks for your input, going

"thanks for your input, going to get all gas out, fill w exhuast, cut and install the sender, would be nice if the tank could be removed from the boat to do this"
 
Well you could prep the boat f

Well you could prep the boat for the day the tank will need to come out for replacement. By having a removeable deck panel made. My tank is accessed by a full length panel which is easily removed by a few screws and cutting thru some sika-flex. This would make this job alot easier for you and also the eventual tank replcement. Just means putting out some cash now instead of later.
 
"RE:"Aluminum don't sp

"RE:"Aluminum don't spark... " No, but the brushes in the drill motor do... Unless you plan to use a "brace and bit" and a flycutter tool (which only generates shavings, not metal dust like a hole saw) A brace and bit can be difficult to control as you need to make sure you hold it absolutely square to the tank top.

Also..
I empty my fuel tank every winter... I use the electric fuel pump on the engine to do it.
Fairly simple.. (at least on my 260 HP 5.7L carbed MIE)
1) disconnect fuel line from carb
2) force alcohol resistant fuel hose over end of fuel line and run line over side of boat to a suitable container.
3) Remove the connection to the oil pressure sensor SWITCH (not gauge)
4) short out the two pins on this connector (the one on the cable) with a small paper clip
5) Turn engine ignition switch ON to run pump, OFF to stop pump.

This BTW still leaves a small amount of gas in the tank and fumes that need to be delt with.
Filling a tank with CO2 has been used for many years in repairing automotive tanks. Running the bilge blower while doing this would also be a good idea."
 
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