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74' Atomic 4 fresh fuel question.

Jbourgault7

New member
Engine ran last fall before it was winterized. Fuel stabilizer was added. Fuel is almost 2 years old I think now (this is a sailboat so the engine is hardly used). Tried to start it this spring for the season and it won't fire. Cranking but no fire. I was thinking I could get a fuel line and put one end in a fresh can of gas and run the other end of it to the fuel pump. I went and bought 5 feet of fuel line from Autozone but told them marine application. After a lot of thought I was worried about what could happen if there were some sort of spark that could ignite the gas that I have in AN UNSEALED AUTOMOTIVE GAS CAN WITH A FUEL LINE STICKING DOWN INTO IT. What are my chances of killing if not seriously injuring myself and or the boat and surrounding boats? Other suggestions without emptying the entire fuel tank?
 
All marine fuel tanks are vented to the atmosphere "un sealed" Keep a fire extinguisher handy. There are companys that empty fuel tanks, very pricey$$$, About twice the price of the fuel.
 
I understand marine tanks are vented, but they are vented outside the boat. I'm going to be inside the cabin with an open gas can, I'm not sure if someone has done this before and/or if it can be done safely.
 
Don't do that with fuel inside the boat !!!----------------On my 1973 atomic 4 I had to clean and set the points at the beginning of the season .
 
Okay so if I clean and set the points and it doesn't start. How can I safely get fresh fuel to the fuel pump without emptying the tank? The fuel is 2 years old I think.
 
I just want to see if it will start with fresh fuel. If it does then I know at that point the 15 gallon gas tank will need to be emptied. I could try to use a blower if I can get my hands on one.
 
It would be better to have the temp fuel can on the deck outside. Your engine installation should have a blower. Make sure you have good spark. If you have a clean squirt bottle, you can put some down the carb. Fuel today is crap and gets worse quickly. A conditioner with a catalyst for hotter burning would help. If you end up needing to dispose of the fuel, it can be added to a vehicle a couple gallons at a time. Probably removing half the fuel and adding new fuel would burn ok.
Water always finds a way into tanks. As the tank/fuel expands/contracts with temperature changes, air with moisture is drawn in. A filter that separates water with a drain works best in marine environments. I have diesels, but always use a conditioner at fill up.
 
You need 4 things to make it run. Fuel, compression, spark, air, exhaust. The only one I'm sure of are air. The first thing I would do is shut off the fuel. Every boat is suppose to have a fuel shut off. The next thing I would do is a compression test. Should be all about over 100 Lbs. Your looking for the obvious 3 at 100 and one at 30. Next I would do a spark test at the spark plug boot. You can obtain a spark tester at an Automotive store. Obtain one that will clip on to the engine block. Hopefully you'll be able to purchase one that has 4 leads on it and you can check all 4 at the same time with the spark plugs removed. You should have at least 1/4" spark. Remember to label the spark plug wires before you take them off the plugs1-4 starting at the bow. This is where I think there may be the problem. The internal parts of the distributor. And last you have what is called a Zenith Carburetor. It has a drain at the bottom to drain it. First remember to shut off the fuel at the gas tank. Now this is where you have to be careful. Gas odors!!! Open up the forward hatch and maybe a fan to push through the air out the aft hatch. Now I have done all this before so I know it can be done, just take your time and be set up for it. The last thing you need to do is make a thousand more trips up & down the ladder again.
 
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