Fuel Vent overflow...fuel spurts

Islandtime04

Islandtime04

Member
Dec 10, 2017
79
Chesapeake Bay
Boat Info
2004 420 Sedan Bridge
GHS Lift
11' Walker Bay 30hp
Garmin 7612 (duel)
Engines
Cummins 8.3 480CE's
On my 2004 420, my port fuel vent spurts fuel when filling? I had to build a container to catch the overflow. Anyone else have similar issues? Is there a fix besides rerunning the vent hose??
 
Does it happen through most of the fueling procedure? I'm guessing that's what you're asking about. If so, it sounds like you have a low spot in the vent line where fuel can collect. You'll need to make sure the the line is constantly running uphill from the tank to the vent.
 
Similar issue. Have been told to reduce the chance of overfilling which will keep fuel out of the vent lines. The boat did come with a catch setup that goes over the vents. Didn’t know what it was at the time but now I can’t find it.
 
Have the same issue on my old 77 sundancer 240 where it spurts out the vent at 3/4 full read on the gauge. The vent hose is about 5 feet long and only has about a 2 foot rise. They do make little valves that whistle as the tank fills and gets louder as it gets toward the top of the tank max. which would help and stop overflow spillage.
 
Irie308 said:
Similar issue. Have been told to reduce the chance of overfilling which will keep fuel out of the vent lines. The boat did come with a catch setup that goes over the vents. Didn’t know what it was at the time but now I can’t find it.
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Thanks for the reply and it happens the entire time while fueling. There is no way I can rerun the line.
I think the setup you referring to is the Davis No-spill, which is no longer made. I'm building one myself. Will add pics once done.
 
Islandtime - you may have a fuel foaming issue going on during fill. Or, the vent hoses have dropped down; the hoses need to route up above the vents from the tanks then down to the vents without having any droops or low points in them.
 
Really appreciate the response and that's definitely what's causing it. The problem is gaining access to the vent line. It's strapped to the wall, behind everything. With that said, I've never seen the lifeguard product. Real kewl and easier than re-running the entire line if I go that route. Thanks again.
 
I bought them but haven’t installed yet so I can’t give you a real opinion.
 
Your vent line has a low spot and is holding fuel. Blowing it out with compressed air would work for a while
 
Islandtime04 said:
Really appreciate the response and that's definitely what's causing it. The problem is gaining access to the vent line. It's strapped to the wall, behind everything. With that said, I've never seen the lifeguard product. Real kewl and easier than re-running the entire line if I go that route. Thanks again.
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As a suggestion try fueling at a different supplier before getting all carried away with tearing things apart. Some blends foam more than others.
 
Your vent line has a loop in it to keep water from going back into the tank if a big wave hits the side and splashing up to the vent. My 21' maxim has the loop and does what you are describing. As your filling the tank the pressure build up in tank forces any liquid in the loop whether it be gas or water out the vent, no big deal but at least the water doesn't get back into tank and my vent line is 2' higher than tank with the loop and it came this way from factory as I'm original owner.
 
atrick said:
Your vent line has a loop in it to keep water from going back into the tank if a big wave hits the side and splashing up to the vent. My 21' maxim has the loop and does what you are describing. As your filling the tank the pressure build up in tank forces any liquid in the loop whether it be gas or water out the vent, no big deal but at least the water doesn't get back into tank and my vent line is 2' higher than tank with the loop and it came this way from factory as I'm original owner.
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Not how it works...Once you have liquid in the loop, it's no longer a vent
 
atrick said:
Your vent line has a loop in it to keep water from going back into the tank if a big wave hits the side and splashing up to the vent. My 21' maxim has the loop and does what you are describing. As your filling the tank the pressure build up in tank forces any liquid in the loop whether it be gas or water out the vent,
Click to expand...
That loop is installed wrong. The loop should be an "upward" loop - meaning the loop is higher than the vent fitting. A downward loop defeats the purpose of a vent line.
 
NotHerDecision said:
Here is a solution

https://www.parker.com/literature/R...-_LifeGuard_Fuel-Air-Separators_-_RSL0184.pdf
Click to expand...
Great solution Sir! The late Dominic (OSD9) put those in my 410 when he owned her. Never spit a drop. I fuel my 58 right over the stbd tank and the vent line is too short and she spits when approaching full. I’ve got that on my list to install, but if I really listen by the fuel nozzle as she’s getting close to full I can hear a gurgle and cut the fuel off in time.
 
I have one of those whistlers, mentioned above, on my Grady. I alway get some bewildered looks from people nearby. They start looking around... at my boat... up at the sky... behind themselves... back to my boat... But it works great - the gurgle is good to listen for, but when there's too much noise around it makes it hard to hear the gurgle sometimes.

Ever had one of those mouth whistlers when you were a kid? They were about the size of a shotgun shell? Sounds just like that.
 
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