Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Ongoing “water in fuel” smartcraft alarm …need advice
Bobcat.
(05 225 pro XS on a Puma) Im continuing experiencing the water in fuel alarm. Thats three to five times a day with on the water bleeding in between. some times the bleeding stops the alarm and sometimes not.The fuel may have an amount similar to a grain or two of rice sometimes….other times nothing. The front side bleeder needs to back almost all the way out to get any gas and at best I get a small amount.Murphy lives in my area.Its only a matter of time before I drop it into the lower cowling while 30 miles down river.Back side bleeder will flow and Ive been letting about a quarter cup release into a clear dry container.I have already pumped the main tank once into my truck.I accomplished this by attaching an electric fuel pump to the fuel tank switching valve and pumping til nothing more was coming out. It has been suggested, and I am in the process of doing it,of pumping the main tank dry again, removing the sending unit and getting any residual gas the pickup doesnt get.SUGGESTIONS OR WARNINGS OR TRICKS WELCOME I must say that if gender can be attributed to the offending sensor it must be female.It demands attention when all I want to be doing is fishing or having a blistering ride down river. It will not be put off.Every three minutes Im brought out of my revery . I have heeded the gas station warnings and use a national brand from a new station that isnt in the process of being filled by a tanker. Personaly I dont think I have a gas problem but a sensor problem. Thats why Im proceeding with the visual inspection unless Basscat or one of the more experienced on this forum warns me off. I have a couple of questions:1 How much residual gas would be left ,after using the method described, remain? 2 If no water is present could I jumper the harness at the sending unit for a day to quell this shrew. 3 are there any procedures to diagnose whether it is the gas or the sensor without opening the gas tank? Thanks Bob Olinski PS the Puma FTD sounds like you are really fine tuning this package
Is there any possibility of water entering the gas tank vent on the stern? Im careful about backwash but it does happen occasionally. Bob
How bout having the “female” portion (sensor) checked out by a gynocologist (mechanic). Sensor may be bad. It will cost you, but will save you some headache in figuring your problem.
One good way to get out excess moisture is to empty the tank as much as possible, then pour a couple of gallons of denatured alcohol (doesnt matter what kind) in there. Alcohol will absorb water like a sponge. Then pump as much out as you can, and then fill up and go. The gas will mix with whatever is left in the tank (you can probably get almost all of it out if you work at it. One idea is to go to a model store and pick up a fuel tank clunk ( a weight with a hole in it and a barb on the end). Also pick up some matching silicone tubing. Jack up the boat so that one corner is low and the clunk will roll that way. A small hand syringe or pump can then extract almost all liquid from the tank.) Once you get water in the tank it will be a headache for a long time as it is heavier than the gas, and will sit on the bottom of the tank. As you turn, bounce, etc, it will move around and occasionally pass under the fuel pickup where it gets sucked up into the fuel line and on to the separator. It is a real stretch to get water in thru the vent just from backwash coming off plane.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
Im going to call Scott tomorrow and order the filter removal tool. Do I have to loosen the brass allen set screw at the top of fuel resevoir near the front of filter to remove filter? I did have the filter inspected by my dealer two weeks ago and all was well but Im wondering if debris could collect by the sensor and be holding enough water to trigger alarm and maybe restrict the bleeder valve at front chamber. Anybody have a factory motor manual for a proXS 225 that they want to part with? Thanks once again Bob
If its like my 07 was, you have a line coming out of the bottom of the filter to drain the water out. This line makes a U shape, pull off of the end away from the filter and loosen the set screw under the filter. Fuel will drain out of the filter and if you catch it in a bottle you can see the water in it. I had to do mine a couple of days in a row, but it fixed the problem.
I have finished draining the tanks the under seat one through the hole for the sending unit and the saddles through the gas fill. I used that trick of weighting a poly tube and could see when I was pumping and when I needed to readjust the position of the tube. It went well I used a spare battery away from the boat to eliminate fumes exploding and also only hand tools. I had no water in any of the tanks. A call to my dealer and subsequent call to his Merc rep revealed a possible source of fault. the Merc filter has a sponge core, which Im told over time can trap enough water to trigger a fault ,though visually, the filter was clean. The filters are about $44 so I should be able to dry it out and reuse.The other suggestion the rep made was to disconnect the water sensor wire temporarily and if still recieving a fault then a wire is shorted. it was a bit of a pain but I am assured there is no water and can now trace the problem. Thanks for your input and experience Bob
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