tank replacement for 1988 170 osprey

[Anonymous]

Hi all,  I had a question about whether I needed to consider replacing my  original tank. I just finished several repairs on my 130 hp yamaha and I wanted to try and make sure the original tank was in good shape without removing the deck. Does anyone know what the original tanks were made of in 1988 and if they have a history of any problems that I should be aware of. Also, does anyone have a good guess as to what the expected life of this tank should be under normal conditions. I really don't want to replace the tank but if I need to because of age I would rather know now instead of after an engine repair. Any advice would be greatly appreciated...  John  ( 1988 170  Osprey)   P.S . The repairs I just finished did not appear to be because of the tank...

[Radioshop]

Your tank is aluminum.  They do fail, but not always.  There's a few folks out there with 170's who have had some fuel tank experience, maybe they'll be able to give you some idea as to the scope of work.  If it were me and it was working, I would not disturb it.  How's that go, fix it 'till it's broken?

[Anonymous]

Hi radioshop, Thanks for the reply. I think I'll take your advice and let "sleeping dogs lie". I do have a slight gas smell from the bilge that I may have to address.. I always top my tank off after use and maybe a small amount got into the bilge. I sure hope that's all .. Thanks again....John

[Radioshop]

Well now...  You didn't mention earlier about the smell of gas.  That's a whole other ballgame.  That may be grounds for at least pulling up the deck cover to see what's going on.  Another member here recently had similar symptoms and replaced the fill and, vent lines thinking that might have been the problem and, it could have been, only to still have leaks.  I believe Miguel, and I cannot remember who the other 170 owner was now, both had issues with the filler neck.   Miguel was able to repair his using JB Weld, but I do not recall the outcome of the other case.  You may want to invest a little time checking threads here for further instances and guidance.  Barring a fuel tank leak, there could be problems with fuel lines.  I absolutely support replacing fuel lines, there's three; filler, vent and, engine supply.  Any of these could be failure points on a 1988 vintage tank.  Look at it this way, if you were going to replace the whole shooting match, those lines should be replaced anyway so that might be a more economical place to start.   The source of your gas leak should be determined.  It's a pretty major safety hazard.

[osprey170]

Radioshop - I think it's me your thinking of.

I recently found fuel in my bilge after filling up and assumed it was from the fuel fill hose because it was in very poor shape.  I went to the trouble of replacing the fuel fill and vent hose only to find out I still have the problem.  I've had my 170 parked for over a month now and have seen many a good fishing day go by but I'm not taking her out until I have time to pull the deck and investigate.  My guess is the lower rear part of the tank is corroded where it comes in contact with the foam.  Probably just some pits that got thin enough to break through under the pressure of a full tank.  I'm going to pull the deck and tank and have a look see during the off season.  My guess is I'll either need to replace or do some major repair.

If you smell gas in the bilge then I would be concerned.  If it's a slight odor and you don't see fuel then you MIGHT be ok.  But if it's strong and/or you see gas then you will need to address it or you'll just be asking for trouble.  Like I said mine started leaking when I filled up for the first time in a while - I usually only put enough fuel for my trip.  This time I went offshore so I filled up.  I discovered about a gallon of fuel in my bilge when I stopped about 15 miles offshore.  That's not a good place to be if you have that much fuel leaking...

Pulling the tank cover is not as hard as it looks.  The hardest part is cutting through the sealant they put on there.  Check out my gallery and you'll see some pictures of my 170 with the tank cover partially removed.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the warning about the gas in the bilge. I viewed Osprey's pictures showing the tank cover partially removed and it didn't seem too difficult to remove. I will start by replacing the hoses and go from there.  Thanks again..john

[warthog5]

Check the fuel sending unit too. The gasket could be bad.
This would give you the smell when the tank was filled also.

[Miguel]

My 1985 Opsrey 170 had samll hairline cracks along the base of the filler neck of the gas tank.  I removed the deck panel and was able to fix them with JB Weld.  In my opinion, this was actually caused by bad design, as the deck plate actually rested on top of the filler neck and air vent tubes and stresses them to a point where they may break.

[Anonymous]

Well I opened the floor access hatch for a quick look at the tank fittings and hoses and they were nasty! I'm inclined to just go ahead and replace the tank especially after reading osprey 170's story about his tank still leaking after replacing the hoses. I also read a few articles about how dangerous gas fumes in the bilge are after a few reminders from you good folks. Not something I want to take a chance with.. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had found an "off the rack" tank that would fit this opening on my 1988 -170..Thanks again, especially for the safety warning...  John

[jdupree]

John,

I read your post about a fuel tank last year.  I too have a 1988 170 and my tank is shot.  Did you ever replace yours?  If so, could you tell me where you got it?  I haven't pulled it yet but the tank is leaking bad and not from any of the hoses.  I wanted to go ahead and order one before I pull the bad tank.  Would you happen to know the dimensions and or where I could get one  Thanks,

[jdupree]

Just pulled the tank out of my 1988 170.  I have a drawing with the complete dimensions of the tank right down to the location of the filler neck, pickup tube, etc...  If anyone needs these dimensions I can post these on the site or I can e-mail them to you.  I hope this will be helpful if anyone needs these before they pull the tank.